
77 episodes

The Influence Continuum with Dr. Steven Hassan MeidasTouch Network
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- Society & Culture
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4.8 • 432 Ratings
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Steven Hassan, PhD, is one of the leading experts on cults and undue influence in the world. A former member of the right-wing Moonie cult, Hassan was deprogrammed 45 years ago and has dedicated his life to helping people out of cults and destructive situations. Dr. Hassan is a licensed mental health professional and has written four books, including The Cult of Trump and the seminal book Combating Cult Mind Control. On this podcast, Steve will explain HOW mind-control works, and how to protect yourself from its grips. He will also address ethical influence as the podcast will address the entire Influence Continuum. He’ll interview the biggest names in this field.
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Playing God: American Catholic Bishops and the Far Right with Mary Jo McConahay
For anyone interested in understanding why religious extremism has such a large influence in America, this fascinating interview focuses on an elite group of Catholic Bishops who oppose the current Pope and his policies of wishing to move the Church away from its abusive authoritarian past. Want to understand more about our current Supreme Court and why they demonstrated that they lied during their confirmation hearings when they said that Roe v. Wade was established law after fifty years. As soon as they had the majority, they showed their true allegiance, and it wasn't to the law and the majority of the American people. Mary Jo McConahay is a Catholic journalist who takes the position of supporting the changes in Vatican 2, which included allowing the mass to be given in languages other than Latin. Vatican 2 stated categorically that Jews were not Christ-killers but affirmed God is Almighty and that His promise to Abraham was eternal. We discuss the Manhattan Declaration which was signed by Catholics and Protestants to work together to undermine gay rights, and women’s right to choose and to promote the freedom to religious impose their version of religion on all others.
Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com
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The Gaslight Effect: Protecting Yourself from Emotional Abuse with Dr. Robin Stern
The term ‘gaslight effect’ was introduced by Dr. Robin Stern in her 2007 book to describe the long-term consequences of persistent gaslighting, a subtle and often hidden form of emotional abuse. Gaslighting is a devastating form of undue influence. It occurs when an individual manipulates another person by distorting, twisting, and dismissing their experiences, making them question their memories, perceptions, and reality. Gaslighting can occur in a romantic relationship, among family members, in the workplace, within mind control cults as well as by politicians. Robin Stern, Ph.D., has been a practicing psychoanalyst for over thirty years and is the co-founder and associate director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. She’s the author of The Gaslight Effect and the newly released The Gaslight Effect Recovery Guide.
Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com
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Concerns with The Seventh Day Adventist Church with Dr. Steve Daily
The Seventh Day Adventist Church (SDA) is a widely recognized Christian organization with around 20 million members worldwide. However, many of its beliefs and practices fall under my BITE Model of Authoritarian Control, which I developed to evaluate control of Behavior, Information, Thoughts, and Emotions. To gain more insight into this organization, I invited Dr. Steve Daily, a former pastor of the SDA, to share his valuable personal and professional experiences. Dr. Steve Daily is a licensed psychologist, church historian, and accomplished author who has written 28 books, including 11 on Seventh-day Adventism and its founder Ellen G. White. He grew up in an Adventist home and received his education from Adventist institutions. In 2010, Dr. Daily left Adventism and went on to work as a psychologist at UCLA. Since then, he has become an outspoken critic of founder Ellen G. White and the Adventist Church, authoring Ellen G. White A Psychobiography. The book explores whether the accusations of fraud and pathology leveled against her over the years stand up to historical and psychological scrutiny.
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Overcoming Sleep Challenges with Dr. Lauren Broch, Psychologist, and Sleep Specialist
Did you know most people need 7-9 hours of quality sleep to function optimally? Sleep deprivation is one of the most common and powerful techniques for weakening psychological defenses. It is one of the most significant policies in the Behavior Control criteria of the BITE Model of Authoritarian Control. I recently had the opportunity to interview sleep expert Dr. Lauren Broch to gain a deeper insight into prevalent sleep issues that individuals face and to explore effective sleep hygiene habits that can help to overcome these obstacles. Dr. Lauren Broch is a clinical psychologist, nutritionist, and sleep disorders specialist who takes a holistic approach to address various sleep, mood, and health issues.
Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com
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Attorney Faith Jones, ex-Children of God, on “I Own Me”
International corporate attorney and strategic business advisor Faith Jones is a phenomenon. She authored two books: Sex Cult Nun and I Own Me. She explains her model for utilizing the law regarding undue influence in a great TEDx talk: I Own Me: Understanding Our Property Rights to Our Own Bodies. Faith Jones is an inspiration to all women and especially to those born and raised in authoritarian cults. Join us for a fascinating discussion.
Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com
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Attorney Bobby Samini and former ICOC leader Michele Roland discuss their lawsuits on behalf of former members of this Bible cult
Shepherding/discipling Bible cults like the International Churches of Christ have an authoritarian structure with the “apostle” or “prophet” being the person closest to God and everyone else having a human to disciple over them all the way down. It is patently abusive by its nature as it is based on submission of one’s own conscience and following directions of a person who is in the “role of Jesus” over them. Lawsuits are being filed on behalf of those victimized in the cult, some of whom were sexually assaulted in the group and no responsible action was taken. Over one million people have been involved with this group, most of whom have exited. Most have never spoken out about the abuses they experienced- including breaking sessions, excessive pressure to donate money, or the loss of their personal autonomy and sense of self. If you are interested in legal issues or have been in a controlling Christian group of any kind, you will want to listen to this fascinating episode.
Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com
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Customer Reviews
Cults and Corruption =chaos of the soul
As a recently retired psychotherapist, I find Dr. Hassans passionate and expert work about all the types of cults; political, religious, etc. to be a gift to all of us who care about the state of our world. In an age where political cults ( his book-The Cult of Trump is excellent) are such a concern and touch so many of us in a very personal way, he calmly prepares you on how to interact with that dear friend or family member who has fallen under the spell of a cult. Did I mention his guests are phenomenal and he is a fantastic interviewer? While I spent my career as a psychotherapist, this was integral to improving my effectiveness in helping people under the influence of a cult. I fully credit my improved knowledge in helping two people dear to me to abandon the cult of Trump.
Love, you are definitely learning to not interrupt.
I listen to every episode, and learn so much every time. I enjoyed seeing a younger you on the Heaven’s Gate special on CNN.
Please consider doing an episode on Hasidic Jews is Brooklyn. So much terrible behavior happening right under our noses. They should not be allowed to treat women and children the way they do. It’s awful.
Educational & enlightening
Thank you for sharing your wisdom. I hope to one day help people like you & me heal from the trauma of these types of experiences.