Steven Hassan, Author at Freedom of Mind Resource Center

Steven Hassan

Steven Hassan, PhD, MA, MEd, LMHC, NCC has helped thousands of individuals and families recover from undue influence (mind control). With over 40 years of experience, he is sought after as one of the foremost authorities on undue influence and controlling groups and individuals. Steve understands the subject from a unique perspective as both a former cult member and as a clinical professional.

Steven is the Founding Director of the Freedom of Mind Resource Center, a coaching, consulting, and training organization dedicated to supporting individuals to have the freedom to think clearly and to freely consider how they want to live their lives. Steven pioneered a breakthrough method called the Strategic Interactive Approach (SIA), an effective and legal alternative for families to help cult members. The SIA teaches family and friends how to strategically influence the individual involved in the cult.

Contact Freedom of Mind to schedule a consultation or to learn about offered services.

Learn about how the Strategic Interactive Approach can help rescue your friend or loved one out from under predatory influence.

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The Colonization of Indigenous Peoples and Mind Control

By Steven Hassan / October 24, 2022 January 4, 2023

In the past two years, I have been doing intensive research to understand authoritarian mind control as it relates to Indigenous peoples. Profound thanks to Desiree Kane, and especially Dr. Cindy Blackstock, CEO of The First Nations Child & Family Caring Society. I have read books, watched documentaries, and essentially been deprogramming myself from the cultural programming of American society. Colonization has been perpetrated on Indigenous cultures all over the world, essentially by countries wishing to impose Christian ideology and steal the land and resources of native peoples. I had the distinct pleasure of participating in two essential webinars sponsored by the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada.

Rand Waltzman, expert on Artificial Intelligence

Beware the Metaverse: Dr. Rand Waltzman discusses Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet

By Steven Hassan / October 19, 2022 October 19, 2022

As technology evolves, we become more enmeshed with online social media platforms, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the Internet. Information warfare is an epidemic, and we must treat it like a dangerous virus that affects our minds. From my experience as a former cult member, I know our minds can be hacked through lies and propaganda.

A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology with Mike Rinder

By Steven Hassan / October 13, 2022 October 13, 2022

I was excited when I learned that Mike Rinder wrote a new book, A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology. The book’s title was an ode to his billion-year commitment when he joined the Sea Organization (Sea Org) shortly after graduating high school in 1973. Rinder rose to become the top leader in the Office of Special Affairs (OSA), where, among other duties, he oversaw the “fair game” harassment of all perceived enemies, including the non-profit Cult Awareness Network. When he left Scientology in 2007, he decided to expose the criminal behavior of Scientology. I was very interested in asking him specific questions about his knowledge of Scientology.

Kristi Nelson, author of Wake Up Grateful

Wake Up Grateful: the Transformative Practice of Taking Nothing for Granted – with Kristi Nelson

By Steven Hassan / October 4, 2022 October 6, 2022

Committing to a practice of being grateful may seem like an odd prescription for healing from adverse life experiences. However, for over 46 years, I have worked with clients who have survived cult indoctrination and known many friends who have experienced various types of tragedy in their lives. Because of their experiences, many have become cynical and lost their sense of joy in life. When I came across the work of Kristi Nelson, I knew she had something valuable to contribute. Kristi is Executive Director of A Network for Grateful Living and the author of Wake Up Grateful: The Transformative Practice of Taking Nothing for Granted. So, I invited her to appear on The Influence Continuum to share the healing effect of practicing gratitude with my clients, friends, and the general public.

Science and Torah: Ancient Wisdom for Healing the Earth

By Steven Hassan / September 29, 2022 October 4, 2022

Our world faces many serious and deadly problems: extreme climate change, increasing threats to democracy worldwide, and critical levels of isolation and disconnection experienced by excessive internet and social media use. Science and technology can help in healing the earth but taken alone they are not sufficient. What ancient wisdom is lacking from our traditional …

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Daniella Mestyanek Young, survivor of notorious sex cult Children of God

Growing up in a Sex Cult with Former Army Captain Daniella Mestyanek Young

By Steven Hassan / September 22, 2022 September 26, 2022

Have you heard the term “cult baby?” This refers to someone born or raised in a mind control religious human trafficking cult. Daniella Mestyanek Young is a third-generation survivor of the notorious sex cult Children of God (COG), later rebranded as “The Family of Love.” The cult group’s influence even extended so far that members …

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Jeffrey Augustine, dedicated to exposing cult propagandists

Exposing Cult Propagandists with ex-Scientologist Jeffrey Augustine

By Steven Hassan / September 15, 2022 September 22, 2022

The Cult of Cult Apologists is the name of a new blog based on months of research by Augustine, a journalist, and former Scientologist. Scientology is one of the most well-known destructive cults of our time. Well-funded and organized, they have a long history of pain and suffering, lies, and criminal activity. Jeffrey Augustine dedicates his …

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Invisible Storm: A Soldier’s Memoir of Politics and PTSD by Jason Kander

By Steven Hassan / September 8, 2022 September 13, 2022

If you have read Jason Kander’s book or listened to his self-read audiobook, you know why the title – Invisible Storm: A Soldier’s Memoir of Politics and PTSD – is important. Jason sat in President Obama’s office as the president said, “I think you should run for president.” Dropping out of that race in the lead, Jason made what would have been a successful run for mayor of Kansas City. Yet, he eventually recognized his need to get help as a former army captain in the intelligence division for what he describes as a “secret psychological disorder,” PTSD.

Ira Chaleff Discusses the Importance of Courageous Followership and Intelligent Disobedience

By Steven Hassan / September 2, 2022 September 2, 2022

I recently had the opportunity to talk with Ira Chaleff, author of the groundbreaking book, The Courageous Follower (now in its third edition), and his award-winning book, Intelligent Disobedience: Doing Right When What You’re Told to Do Is Wrong. Chaleff has a degree in Applied Behavioral Science and is a Board-Certified Coach from the Center for Credentialing and Education. He has watched with pride as the concept of courageous followership has moved from one of obscurity into a topic of study in major universities, conferences, and leadership development programs. The Harvard Business Review called him one of the three pioneers in the growing field of followership studies.

Frederick Clarkson and Andre Gagne discuss the New Apostolic Reformation

The Growing Rift Inside the New Apostolic Reformation with Frederick Clarkson and André Gagné

By Steven Hassan / August 24, 2022 October 12, 2022

The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) is a reorganized, large Pentecostal and charismatic movement reframed by the religious right to move into politics. My guests on this episode of the Influence Continuum are warning people about the dangers associated with the rise of the NAR.

Frederick Clarkson has written and worked at the intersection of religion and politics for over four decades. He’s currently a Senior Research analyst at Political Research Associates, a is a social justice research and strategy center in Somerville, Massachusetts. He’s also the author of a very important book that I recommend everyone read called Eternal Hostility – The Struggle Between Theocracy and Democracy, a subject that everyone’s talking about in the media these days.

Sarma Melngailis, survivor of a one-on-one cultic relationship

One-on-One Cults – How Coercive Control Made Sarma Melngailis the Bad Vegan

By Steven Hassan / August 18, 2022 August 18, 2022

If you watched the Netflix series Bad Vegan, you saw a twisted and deliberately confusing version of the story of my guest, Sarma Melngailis. Her restaurant, Pure Food and Wine, and her raw vegan brand Lucky Duck captured the hearts of healthy eaters in Manhattan. Her brands and personality were famous among major celebrities to high-profile politicians. In my professional opinion, she fell victim to an artful, designing psychopath who used one-on-one mind control. The situation blew up because of her celebrity and how much money he extracted from her while alienating her from her family.

Alzheimer’s, Dementia and on being wise consumers: A conversation with Germaine Odenheimer, M.D.

By Steven Hassan / August 11, 2022 December 30, 2022

Dr. Germaine Odenheimer is a geriatric neurologist and professor emeritus at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. The College of Medicine recruited her to help develop a geriatric curriculum for medical students; she spent her entire clinical career recognizing and caring for people with cognitive impairments. I had the good fortune to be at the Program in Psychiatry and the Law meeting last September when Dr. Odenheimer talked about her fight against fraud and deception by people claiming to have a cure for Alzheimer’s.