Author Hassan, formerly a Moonie and now a nationally certified counselor and mental health counselor, contends that cult leaders are 'sociopaths on steroids.' It is estimated that there are now over 3,000 destructive cults in the U.S. - affecting over three million. All destructive cults believe their ends justify any means, and that they're above the law.
Cult dynamics are linked with terrorism and human trafficking, pimping, religions such as Moonies, Boko Haram, and Scientology, and run-of-the-mill domination in personal relationships. Recent well-known examples include North Korea (national level), as well as Sun Myung Moon, David Koresh (Branch Davidians), Jim Jones (Jonestown), Charles Manson (mind controller) and Patty Hearst (controlled) at the individual level. Political cults usually have the word 'fringe' or extremist' attached and are organized around a particular political dogma - eg. Tea Partiers. Psychotherapy/educational cults hold expensive workshops and seminars providing attendees with 'insight' and enlightenment' aimed at creating a hypnotic euphoria. Commercial cults deceive and manipulate people to work for little or no pay in hopes of getting rich - eg. pyramid-schemes, door-to-door sales. Moonies categorize people as thinkers, feelers, doers, or believers - with a different recruiting approach aimed at each.
We are all vulnerable. Many former cult members have become doctors, teachers, counselors, inventors, and artists.
Destructive cult leaders emphasize obedience, dependency, and fear. Information is manipulated and controlled, it is authoritarian, no guiding ethical principles, and focuses on controlling, preserving, and acquiring power and information. In some cults, members are systematically made to be phobic about ever leaving the group - eg. die of some horrible disease, hit by a car, or a nuclear holocaust will occur.
Con artists are professional liars. Their greatest assets are their looks (they don't look like a criminal) and ability to 'charm.'
People being recruited by cults are approached 1)by a friend/relative who is already a member, 2)by a stranger (often of the opposite sex) who befriends them, 3)through a cult-sponsored event - lecture, movie), or 4)through social media. A majority recruited into destructive cults were approached at a vulnerable time of stress in their lives - eg. moving to a new town, breaking off a relationship, losing a loved one. The more a 'recruiter' learns about a potential recruit (hopes, dreams, fears, relationships, job and interests), the greater their opportunity manipulate the person. Effusive praise and flattery, deliberate deception about the group, and/or evasive maneuvering to avoid answering questions may be used.
Elderly people are quite likely to be recruited - solicited for heavy financial contributions or public-relations endorsements; young people, for the most part, provide the core workers. Scientology recruits are often offered a 'scholarship' - in reality, a 90-hour work week. Few people with disabilities are recruited in cults because it takes time, money, and effort to assist them.
New members typically enjoy a 'honeymoon phase' for the first few weeks/months - treated as though they were royalty. Most cult members publicly say they are happier than ever, despite their lives having become full of sacrifice, pain and fear. They can't objectively see what is happening to them. Some destructive groups essentially make addicts out of their members. Eg. some pimps get their victims hooked on heroin etc. to make them dependent. Those fully hooked donate large amounts of their own money and asses to the groups - sometimes everything they own in exchange for care and meaning for the rest of their lives. This leaves the person dependent on the group for everything.
Those with health problems are often sent as indigents to a hospital or free clinic, or told their illness is caused by not totally devoting themselves to the group. Children are often raised communally and taught to place their allegiance with the cult leader or group, not their parents. they often receive an inferior education, if any.
Domestic abuse survivors often describe their relationship with an abuser as a cult with one follower and one leader. A multi-level marketing business that makes its money by misleading and recruiting ever more sales associates is a marketing cult. A pimp with four women under his control forms a cult of five. A sweatshop of foreign workers who cannot leave after being economically lured is a labor trafficking cult.
How would one know if they are under mind control? Most people realize this would be impossible to determine without outside help. Calling them 'brainwashed robots' makes them more committed than ever. Once people are away from their controllers and back in familiar surroundings, the effects tend to dissipate. Brainwashing is especially effective in producing compliance to demands such as signing a false confession/denouncing one's government - their believe then change to rationalize what they have done, at least until they are freed. Mind control is more subtle - the victim typically regards the controllers as friends or peers, usually unwittingly participate by cooperating with their controllers. Destructive cults commonly induce trances in their members through lengthy indoctrination sessions - repetition, boredom, and forced attention are very conducive to the induction of a trance - slowed blink and swallow reflexes, and blank, neutral facial expressions result.
How was it that people who had led ordinary lives prior to Hitler's rise became involved in a deliberate attempt to exterminate whole groups of people? Behavior modification techniques (eg. smiling when a professor moved towards the left), conformity, and obedience were keys. Cognitive dissonance is another technique - changing a person's behavior will result in his thoughts/feelings changing to minimize dissonance. Then those spared predicted disasters (eg. alien invasion) are told that the aliens had witnessed their faithful vigil and decided to spare the Earth, creating more commitment than ever, public humiliation notwithstanding.
In some of the more restrictive groups, members have to ask permission from leaders to do almost anything - eg. call a friend or relative not in the group. Every hour of the day has to be accounted for, and people may be assigned a constant 'buddy' or place in a small unit of members. Persons performing well are given public praise and sometimes promotions/gifts, while those performing poorly may be singled out and criticized, forced to do manual labor such as cleaning toilets, fast, staying up for an all-night vigil, etc. Those actively participating in their own punishment will eventually come to believe they deserve it. Those not behaving sufficiently enthusiastically may be accused of being selfish or impure.
Information control is the second component of mind control Deception is the biggest tool of information control because it robs people of the ability to make informed decisions. Outright lying, withholding information and distorting information are essential strategies, especially when recruiting new members. In many totalistic cults, people have minimal access to non-cult newspapers, magazines, TV, radio and online information. Certain information may be forbidden and labeled as unhealthy. People are not allowed to talk to each other about anything critical of the leader, doctrine, or organization. Members must spy on each other and report improper activities or comments to leaders. New converts are discouraged from sharing doubts with anyone other than a superior. Newbies are typically chaperoned, until they prove their devotion and loyalty. Most importantly, people are told to avoid contact with ex-members and critics - some go so far as to screen members' letters and phone calls.
Information is usually compartmentalized to keep members from knowing the big picture - in larger groups they are told only as much as they 'need to know.' Eg. Moonies are often ignorant of their cult's involvement in arms manufacture, and Scientologists of the imprisonment of 11 leaders for the largest infiltration of government agencies ever undertaken. Often an advanced member who thinks they know a cult's complete doctrine is still several layers away from what the higher ups know.
Thought control is the third major component of mind control - to be a good member, a person must learn to manipulate their own thought processes. Usually the doctrine is absolutist - dividing everything into black vs. white. Complex situations are reduced to cult clichés that govern how a member thinks in any situation. The clichés and special language helps members feel special and separates them from the general public, as well as serving to confuse newcomers. Newbies think they merely have to study harder to understand the truth (expressed in this new language) - reality, however, is that this loaded language helps them learn how not to think or understand. Another key aspect of thought control involves training members to block out information critical of the group - members become so twisted they defend their own new cult against their old, former self. The first line of defense includes denial.
Information transmitted to a cult member is perceived as an attack on either the leader, the doctrine or the group - creating a defensive wall that members are trained to disbelieve. Factual information that challenges the cult view does not register properly. Members are also taught to use 'thought-stopping' - when experiencing a 'bad' thought, they halt the 'negativity' and center themselves, shutting out anything that threatens or challenges the cult's version of reality. Techniques can include concentrated praying, chanting aloud or silently, meditating, speaking in tongues, singing or humming. A person who employs extensive thought-stopping techniques normally goes through a difficult withdrawal process before they can overcome this addiction. Since the doctrine is perfect and the leader is perfect, any problem that crops up in assumed to be the fault of the individual member. They learn to always blame themselves and simply work harder.
Emotional control attempts to manipulate and narrow the range of a person's feelings. Either you feel wonderful as a 'chosen' member of the elite, or you are broken, unspiritual, have bad karma, need to try harder and become a better, more devoted member. Most cult members can't see that guild and fear are being used to control them. Members are conditioned to always take the blame. Fear is used to bind group members together - the first means is the creation of an outside enemy (the FBI, Satan, non-members will shoot of torture/prosecute you). Happiness is often defined as suffering so you can grow closer to God or the cult leader.
Many groups exercise complete control over interpersonal relationships. Leaders can and do tell people to avoid certain members or spend time with others. People are often kept off balance - praised one minute and tongue-lashed the next. Misuse of reward and punishment fosters dependency and helplessness, and is commonplace in cults.
Confession of past sins or wrong attitudes is also a powerful device for emotional control Rarely is that old sin truly forgiven - the minute they get out of line, it will be hauled out and used to manipulate them into obeying. This can even extend to blackmail if one leaves the cult.
The most powerful technique for emotional control is phobia indoctrination. Members will have a panic reaction at the thought of leaving the group - they will be lost and defenseless in the face of dark horrors. (Cult leaders love to tell the public, 'Members are free to leave any time they want.')
Radical personality changes occurs all the time. Author Hassan explains how coercive and manipulative leaders/groups create psychological hostages out of vulnerable and well-intended humans - those going through painful life transitions or searching for higher truth. People who stay in such groups damage their self-esteem and their connection with the outside world. Some members suffer physical abuse, others become slaves.
The key to reversing mind control is to replace destructive bonds with healthy long-term relationships. In the way, however, are eg. Moonies who do a thorough job convincing people that former members are satanic and even being in their presence could be dangerous.
Hassan then presents Edgar Schein's three-step model for brainwashing, drawn from studies of American POWs captured by the Chinese during the Korean War. First comes unfreezing - challenging and breaking their understanding of themselves and their surroundings. Sleep deprivation, changed diets, and hypnotic processes - most effectively accomplished in a totally controlled environment like an isolated country estate (also a hotel ballroom). Sensory overload - bombardment by emotionally laden material at a rate faster than can be digested results in one's mind ceasing to evaluate material pouring in. Guided meditations, personal confessions, vigorous calisthenics, and even group singing are used. This also enforces privacy deprivation and thwarts a person's need to be alone, think and reflect.
Second comes 'changing.' Indoctrination takes place formally through seminars and rituals and informally bye spending time with members, reading, and listening to recordings and videos. Many of the unfreezing phase techniques continue in this phase. Repetition, monotony, rhythm. Recruits are told how bad the world is and that the unenlightened (they) have no idea how to fix it - the leader is the only hope of lasting happiness. They're also told that 'Your rational mind is holding you back from fantastic progress. Surrender. Have faith.' Another potent technique for change is the induced 'spiritual experience.' Private information about the recruit is collected by his/her closest buddy and secretly passed to leadership. Later, this information can be pulled out suddenly to create an 'experience' in a different locale. Knowing they didn't tell anyone in this new place about it, the recruit thinks the leader has read their thoughts or is being informed directly by the spirit world, become overcome, and begs forgiveness for not being a better member. Perhaps the most powerful persuasion is exerted by other cult members - they've probably never met anyone else so absolutely convinced they know what is best for you. Further, a dedicated cult member also does not take no for an answer. Group psychology plays a major role in the changing process, and those asking too many questions are quickly isolated from the main body of other members.
Refreezing is the third step, with many techniques from the first two stages carried over into this stage as well. The most important task of the new person is to denigrate their previous sinful self. Their memory becomes distorted, minimizing the good things in the past and maximizing their sins, failings, hurts, and guilt. Special talents, interests, hobbies, friends, and family usually must be abandoned if they compete with commitment to the cause. New members are paired with older members assigned to show them the ropes. This gratifies the older members and whets the new member's appetite to become a respected model. Great pressure is usually exerted on the member to turn over money and other possessions - it enriches the cult, freezes the person in the new belief system (too painful to admit this was a foolish mistake), and makes survival in the outside world harder for the new recruit. The new member is typically assigned to proselytizing duty ASAP - research has shown that nothing firms up one's beliefs faster than recruiting others to share them.
Hassan says it's an eerie experience to be talking with someone and sense that, mid-sentence, a different identify has taken over their body. The good news is that cult indoctrination almost never totally succeeds. Reversion to one's former identify is speeded up by positive exposure to non-members and the accumulation of bad experiences the person has while in the group. He adds that his clients are able to recall horrible things, yet couldn't deal with it while their cult identity was in control. The real self can exert pressure on the cult self to go home for a visit, using the excuse needing to collect clothes/funds or look for new recruits.
Religious cults are the best known and most numerous - they focus on religious dogma. Though most involve a spiritual realm and/or follow a strict code of religious principles, usually the leaders enjoy a luxurious lifestyle. Moonies selectively recruited those who were strong, caring and motivated - those with emotional problems have trouble handling the rigorous schedule and psychological pressures imposed on them. Cult members don't have to be paid for their services - thus, cults try to recruit talented professionals to run their affairs, put a respectable face on their organizations, and ensure their success.
Whenever recruits leave the group long enough and begin discovering revealing books etc. by former members, they almost always break away. The problem occurs when they rely on the group for all key information. Not knowing any better, they give the cult the benefit of the doubt. The most effective cult doctrines are those which are unverifiable and cannot be evaluated (Eric Hoffer). There is never room for pluralism. Rank-and-file members are humble before superiors and potential recruits, but arrogant to outsiders. Different cult leaders have strikingly similar tactics for fostering dependency - transferring members frequently to new locations, switching their work duties, promoting and demoting them on whims. Another technique is to assign impossibly high goals and force them to confess their impurity when they inevitably fail.
Most members believe the group has the 'highest level ' of love on earth - and that it is depends on good performance. Real friendships are a liability in cults and covertly discouraged. Friends are dangerous, partly because if one member leaves, they may take others with them. Emotional allegiance should be vertical to the leader, not horizontal towards peers.
Hassan states that in every destructive cult he's encountered, fear is a major motivator. Many teach that the apocalypse is just around the corner. Members believe that if they leave, terrible consequences will befall them, their family and/or humanity.
A good starting point for evaluating potential groups is learning about the leader - his life history, education, training and occupation. Werner Erhard of est sold used cars and later, encylopedias. Ron Hubbard of Scientology started as a writer of adventure stories and pulp fiction; his 'doctorate' came from a diploma mill. Cult leaders usually make exaggerated biographical claims. Jim Jones had a long history of helping the poor, but then reportedly started to use amphetamines. Three things make them terribly dangerous - their psychological instability, that they believe their own propaganda, and their surrounding themselves with loyal devotees unlikely to disagree with them. Even more useful is knowledge of a leader's criminal background, or lack thereof.
By far the most common impression potential recruits have is that they are making a new friend. To family and friends, the person begins seeing not only more distant, but deceitful and evasive. The most telltale sign of the work of a destructive cult is radical personality change.
Maintenance of membership is achieved by cult activities designed to undermine relationships with the new member's family and friends. One way this is achieved is by having new members recruit everyone they know. Sleep deprivation is a common strategy for keeping people in line. The final criterion for judging a group is the members' freedom to leave without having to overcome phobias.
Encouraging cult members to leave requires getting them to think for themselves. The healthier a person's family relationships and sense of identity prior to being recruited by a cult, the easier to deprogram them. Also important are how long he/she has been a member, has be been living with other members, alone, or with non-members, has he ever expressed doubts/difficulties about his membership? Who was and was not willing to help up to this point - a close sibling initially unwilling to help can often become the most important element in a successful case. Everyone must pull together - reading material bout cults is a good start.
If contacted within the first few months of recruitment, prognosis for successful exit with a year is extremely good. But if the person has been in a cult for ten or more years, it might require quite some time. Hassan encourages the immediate family to speak with former cult members and ask them how a group member would likely respond to a straightforward approach. Without exception, ex-members have told family members that the group member would immediately consult his discipleship partner or leader for advice, and the group would do everything to convince him to avoid contact with his family since it was obviously controlled by Satan's power.
Hassan prefers to have a sibling or friend ask the cult member if they would be willing to hear a little of the other side of the story. The person asking for the meeting must also raise the issue that if other group members find out, they will try to convince the member to break their agreement. They need to ask, 'Will you fulfill your promise regardless of group pressure?' If the member says yes, a verbal contract is established. Family member involvement and understanding is key. Hassan also presents examples of 'deprogramming.'
Classic Ineffective Responses: Blaming themselves, failing to take care of themselves (eating, sleeping, relaxation), overreacting (tirades, inappropriate uses of words like 'cult' and 'brainwashing'), trying to argue the person out of their cult involvement through a condescending, confrontational approach, and getting angry with the person who has been victimized. More examples, including helping the person visualize a happy future outside the cult, providing them concrete definitions of mind control and specific characteristics of a destructive cult.
Former cult members report a variety of psychological difficulties after they leave - the most common being depression, especially during the first few months after leaving. Another is an overwhelming tendency toward continued dependence (learned dependence). Still another - the loss of concentration (eg. ability to read through a book) and memory. Feelings towards friends still in the group is still another.
Bottom-Line: 'Combatting Cult Mind Control' starts out a bit slow, but overall is an excellent source of background information and suggestions for freeing one from a cult-like existence - even if that cult is simply a personal relationship involving a mind-controlling individual.
Combating Cult Mind Control: The #1 Best-Selling Guide to Protection, Rescue, and Recovery from Destructive Cults
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It’s our responsibility to help these victims
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2018
Clear and concise. Sadly, 99% of cult members won’t read this until after waking up from the indoctrination. This has been a helpful read after awakening from the JW cult. We may not be able to save everyone from wasting their lives but we can help prevent friends and family from getting involved with groups like this in the first place.
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2018
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Meticulously researched by a former cult victim
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Good, though from a Christian prospective
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