Today we explore strategies you can use to get out of a cult or help a loved one get out. To setup the framework for our discussion, we look at numbers and definitions. The numbers are huge. Up to 10,000 cults still exist today in the United States. That number is growing. IGotOut.org suggests that “Millions of people have been affected by undue influence. Many of us have had religions chosen for us or we’ve joined self-help or spiritual groups that became harmful or destructive. We have suffered from coercive control and mind manipulations while bending to narcissists. We’ve given our power of decision making over to an organization and their leadership.”

And language matters. The way we talk about cultic abuse influences how our good intentions are received. Someone who might shy away from what Gerette calls the C-word (cult), could respond better to “Controlling Group,” or “High Demand Group,” or “Spiritual Abuse.”

We discuss Dr. Hassan’s “reality testing,” and Gerette’s escape after 18 years from the Center for Transformational Learning and the strategies that worked for her. We also talk about strategies we can employ when helping others who might be embroiled in a controlling group.

If you have been in ANY culty high-control group or religion, share your story with the hashtag #igotout. Share on your own platform OR if you need to be anonymous and/or would like support, there are resources at www.igotout.org.

To Learn more about Writing to Reckon, visit www.gerettebuglion.com/writingtoreckon.

Learn more about the signs of thought control and other aspects of Dr. Hassan's work by visiting www.freedomofmind.com.

The subject of today’s podcast is Emotion Control. Like it or not, as human beings, we creatures tend to respond emotionally. Comfort, praise, recognition, and a sense of belonging are among our top stimuli. Our yearning for these is manna from heaven to cult leaders. They prey upon exactly this type of vulnerability. They lure us in under the veil of comfort and specialness and then set up an “us” versus “them” dichotomy. While under cultic influence, Dr. Hassan was told that the Moonies were his true family, all others were false – even evil. Vaxxers versus Anti-vaxxers is a similar kind of fault line. 

Today we discuss the ways cult leaders disrupt the normal right brain/left brain integration necessary to make rational decisions. By sidestepping reason, cult leaders foment fear and self-doubt. We also explore phobia Indoctrination, the Christian persecution complex, and FreedomofMind.Org’s itemized list of methods cult leaders use to control their followers. 

If you have been in ANY culty high-control group or religion, share your story with the hashtag #igotout. Share on your own platform OR if you need to be anonymous and/or would like support, there are resources at www.igotout.org.

Learn more about the signs of thought control and other aspects of Dr. Hassan's work by visiting freedomofmind.com.

“Freedom of thought is a universal human right.” This statement is the first thing you see on the IGotOut.org website. As modern, functioning adults, we like to think that we are in control of our own thoughts. This is not always the case. As we know from Gerette’s book An Everyday Cult and from this podcast, we know that destructive cults use any number of techniques to get members to stay and commit themselves to what may be harmful activities. Thought Control is the most insidious. 

Listen in as we discuss the different techniques cult leaders use to control the thoughts of their followers. Some techniques are extreme, others are subtle but insidious...

If you have been in ANY culty high-control group or religion, share your story with the hashtag #igotout. Share on your own platform OR if you need to be anonymous and/or would like support, there are resources at www.igotout.org.

Learn more about the signs of thought control and other aspects of Dr. Hassan's BITE Model visit freedomofmind.com or freedomofmind.com/cult-mind-control/bite-model.