Cult Conversations: The Influence Continuum with Dr. Steve Hassan

Come join me for a personal discussion with the man I credit for helping me to reconnect with my Jewish identity and faith. Reb Moshe Waldoks helped me find a practice of Judaism that spoke to my soul. Reb Moshe is the son of Holocaust survivors and an “advocate for joy.” Reb Moshe spent 12 years as a teacher, storyteller, and comedian. He co-edited The Big Book of Jewish Humor with William Novak. Reb Moshe helped establish a vibrant community at Temple Beth Zion in Brookline, Massachusetts, where I have belonged for the past 26 years. In this time of increased anti-semitism, I wanted to do this important interview. Come check it out.Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Influence Continuum, I spoke with my good friend and long-time colleague Joseph Szimhart. He is a cult and intervention expert and has an over 25-year history of working as a case worker in mental health. Want to understand the history of cult belief systems, including QAnon? Ascended Masters? Angles? Channelers? Mystics? Did you know Michael Flynn did a “decree”, just like the ones Joe did when he was involved with Church Universal and Triumphant. Joe is my go-to-man for anything “new age” or “new thought.” He is a lay scholar and has read countless books and helps me on cases as a content expert! His current work also includes a YouTube channel focusing on “Cults and the Occulture” as its central theme. I believe you will be gald you have listened to this podcast.Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The November 2024 election will determine the future of America and the free world. Donald Trump has chosen J.D. Vance as his vice president, and the pair continue to get increasingly “weird,” and lying seems to be ramping up if that is even possible. Conservative attorney George Conway has created the Anti-Psychopath PAC and has publicly called out the media’s failure to explain the dangers of having a psychopath in the White House. Conway wrote the Foreword to the rerelease of The Cult of Trump which is being rolled out asap. We did an Afterword. I wanted to reshare this 2023 interview with one of the leading experts who has been silenced is Bandy X. Lee, M.D., M.Div., a forensic psychiatrist, president of the World Mental Health Coalition, and an internationally recognized expert on violence. A brilliant and compassionate observer of the political landscape, she is the author of Profile of a Nation: Trump’s Mind, America’s Soul and editor of the best-selling book The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 37 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President. She is assembling a team of authors to create a new, short book published by the World Mental Health Coalition and tentatively titled The More Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 37 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Warn Anew. This is an important interview which goes into problems with the family courts as well.Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the election just a few months away and an unprecedented barrage of psychological warfare being leveled at Americans, as well as people around the world, we decided to reshare this podcast and blog from 2020. It features Dr. James Scaminaci’s expertise on psychological warfare and specifically something called Fourth Generation Warfare (4GW). Understanding psychological warfare is imperative to counter the authoritarian agenda aimed at destabilizing people’s sense of self and understanding of “reality.” Indeed, social media and AI are being used to confuse, disorient, and unduly influence people to extremely simplistic positions of all or nothing and good versus evil. The moderate majority that values facts, science, human rights, and checks and balances of power must stay focused on reality being very complex and rarely simple. Going forward, we must understand and protect ourselves in order to keep American from coming apart. Come join us on this fascinating interview. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the 2024 election coming in November, Trump has been ramping up his rhetoric about using the DOJ to go after his critics who he considers his enemies. He has managed to enthrall millions to think God is on Trump’s side. All I can say is that no one has experienced more directly the weaponization of the DOJ using former AG William Barr, than Michael Cohen. His book Revenge: How Donald Trump Weaponized the Department of Justice Against His Critics. So I decided to reair our 2023 interview when the book first came out to put some “flesh on the bones” of this attack on our constitution and rule of law. Michael Cohen hosts the Mea Culpa podcast and authored the #1 best-selling book, Disloyal: A Memoir. His book Revenge is an indictment of Trump weaponizing the Department of Justice, headed by AG Bill Barr. Putting Cohen in jail- solitary confinement for 51 days! Learn more about this horrendous abuse of power. This is a great interview!Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kristy Norbert, co-founder and executive director of Empowered Network, is a licensed social worker with over 20 years of experience who has developed trauma-informed programs aimed at helping trafficking survivors achieve long-term stability and self-sufficiency. Her insights reveal the critical intersection between human trafficking and mind control, similar to the techniques employed by cult leaders. Empowered Network assists survivors of human trafficking in moving beyond immediate crisis services to achieve long-term stability. I was honored to nominate Felicia Rosario, MD, to get support from the Empowered Network. Felicia was in the Larry Ray cult at Sarah Lawrence that was featured in the Hulu series Stolen Youth. I appeared in the fourth episode, listed under ABC Nightline-Impact Stolen Youth; in that episode, I met Felicia and Daniel Levin, the cult’s whistleblower, and talked with them about their experiences. Larry Ray was convicted of trafficking and is in jail for the rest of his life. I am happy to say Felicia is returning to become a forensic psychiatrist and will attend the IALMH.org congress with me this July 22-26th in Barcelona. Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Humans crave connection. This need for connection is a vital aspect of the psychology behind cults, coercion, and undue influence. Isolation makes people vulnerable and fearful and more likely to be influenced in harmful ways. Psychiatrist Ravi Chandra discusses the psychology of connection, how institutions can take action to encourage empathy and critical thinking, and how social media and fear-mongering news cycles are creating divisions. We need to be focusing on developing trust and community.  As a member of the American Psychiatric Association, Ravi Chandra is concerned about the Goldwater Rule and how it limits what psychiatrists can and cannot say about public figures Like Donald Trump. The APA established the Goldwater rule in 1973. The so-called “rule” says that psychiatrists should not diagnose a person from a distance; they should only offer professional opinions if they have done a personal examination and evaluation. However, forensic experts on dangerousness, like Dr. Bandy X. Lee insists “experts have a duty to warn!” When their voices are censored we are all endangered.Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did you know there are 8.6 million dedicated members of the Watchtower Society or Jehovah’s Witnesses, and supposedly, over 20 million people attend their annual big meeting (memorial attendance) worldwide? They are out on street corners, travel terminals in pairs. When I heard about a new book in Portuguese by a former elder, I wanted to learn more. António's new book, The Universe of Destructive Sects – Discover the secret world of deception, manipulation and mind control, explores the deepest secrets of the human mind and uncovers the manipulative techniques behind cults and high-control groups. António Madaleno’s journey from a dedicated Jehovah’s Witness elder to a vocal advocate against the Watchtower Society’s control tactics is a powerful story of courage and resilience. In this week’s episode of The Influence Continuum, we spoke about his transformative story and the impact of his work.Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This fascinating interview is with Dr. Eva Selhub who worked at Harvard with Herb Benson developing and understanding about the mind body connection to health. Dr. Selhub is an internationally recognized resiliency expert who has worked as a physician, author, executive coach, keynote speaker, and spiritual advisor. She has written many books, including Burnout for Dummies, Resilience for Dummies, Your Health Destiny, The Stress Management Handbook, The Love Response, and co-authored Your Brain on Nature. Life is filled with opportunities to practice new techniques for resilience, and many in the medical field have had ample chances to refine their skills in this area from personal challenges. This lived experience with investigations into problem-focused solutions is then commonly shared through science-based pursuits and practices. These mixed techniques increase what we know as personal or societal health through medicine. We all benefit from a more mentally and physically flourishing self and society. Dr. Eva Selhub, M.D. has fostered this idea throughout her career, culminating in a resilience strategy for modern times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I had the privilege of a second opportunity to talk with Michelle Dowd, a journalism professor and author of Forager: Field Notes on Surviving a Family Cult. I watched Michelle’s three-and-a-half-hour interview on Joe Rogan’s podcast. Joe was utterly fascinated by Dowd’s cult experience and asked many questions, including what a cult is. Michelle mentioned me and my BITE Model. Indeed, I was on Joe Rogan’s show in 2015, and he remembered me. I was astounded to hear Joe say that he thought anyone who was on social media all the time had a mental illness. Dowd’s story of being raised in an Apocalyptic survivalist cult on a mountain is a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit. It offers valuable insights into overcoming the psychological grip of cults. This post explores key themes from her experiences and offers practical advice for recovery and empowerment.Definitely great to learn about using creativity to help recover from abuse and mind control. Michelle is wonderful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices