Freedom of Mind

Helping Loved Ones Leave Controlling People, Cults, and Beliefs

By: Steven Hassan

Narrated by: Steven Hassan

Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

New 2022, third edition!

In the post-9/11 world, people are more susceptible than ever to charismatic figures who offer simple, black v. white, us v. them, good v. evil, formulaic solutions. The rise of the internet; increasingly sophisticated knowledge about how to influence and manipulate others; and the growing vulnerabilities of people across the planet-make for a dangerous, potentially devastating combination.

Dr. Steven Hassan's revised book, Freedom of Mind, provides the knowledge and awareness needed to help yourself and loved ones avoid or escape from such dangerous people and situations. The world has changed greatly in the last decade. The rise of the internet, the emergence of global terrorism and of dangerous totalistic ideologies, and the shifts in global markets - these and other changes have created new opportunities for unscrupulous individuals, groups, and institutions to exert unethical control over others.

Freedom of Mind exposes the techniques and methods that individuals, cults, and institutions of all types - religious, business, therapeutic, educational, governmental - use to undo a person's capacity to think and act independently. Meanwhile, people are becoming increasingly vulnerable. Sleep-deprived, overweight and looking to improve themselves, overloaded with often frightening images and information; anxious about the current economic decline, climate change, and government corruption on all levels. People are more susceptible than ever to charismatic figures who offer simple, black v. white, us v. them, good v. evil, formulaic solutions.

Freedom of Mind book aims to fill the gap. It identifies and explains how to identify and evaluate potentially dangerous groups and individuals. Hassan details his groundbreaking approach, the 'Strategic Interactive Approach,' which can be used to help a loved one leave such a situation. Step-by-step, Hassan shows you how to: evaluate the situation; interact with dual identities; develop communication strategies using phone calls, letter writing and visits; understand and utilize cult beliefs and tactics; use reality-testing and other techniques to promote freedom of mind. He emphasizes the value of meeting with trained consultants to be effectively guided and coached and also to plan and implement effective interventions. The best way to protect yourself and your loved ones is knowledge and awareness.

©2012, 2022 Steven Hassan (P)2022 Steven Hassan

Required reading

I think this is applicable to all controlling g relationships. Not just cults. Everyone can definitely learn something here.

Great

Very important information. I found out about him thru a good podcast. I would recommend this book.

Seeking help? Need answers? Great read!

Another name for this could be, "Trapped in a cult of undue influence, and how to help." I love that Steve reads this himself. The author's passion for this project shines through whether he is talking about his experience with political thought control, commercial cults hidden in plain sight (MLM industry), or religious cults like Scientology.
I was left feeling in control of my life while still asking important questions for the next stage, like why were these groups banned in Germany and Russia but not the US? What do policy makers and major newspapers have in common? Where do we go from here? Thank you, Steven Hassan (pronounced Hah-sin).

Excellent content, poor delivery.

This is vital information that anyone with experience or family members on cults (including Qanon/MAGA) will benefit from. Unfortunately, this particular presentation is lacking in several key ways. First, the author is obviously an intelligent and thoughtful researcher, but he is not a narrator and should not have tried. Second, the book is full of lists, summaries, and recounted conversations, making it very clunky and awkward as an audio book. And last, it's been very poorly edited including incomplete sentences, cuts in the middle of words, and mistakes from the speaker that were not edited out. Wish I'd just gotten the actual book, would've been 10x better!