Understand Cults: The Basics

A foundational course to understanding brainwashing, thought reform, mind control, and undue influence

Instructor: Steven Hassan, PhD

Available HERE

Includes 8 sections & almost 4 hours of video instruction

No prerequisites

Target Students: Those interested in understanding cults. This includes former members of cults and those with friends and family in cults.

Course Description

Are you interested in learning more about how the mind works and how people can be programmed into a destructive authoritarian cult? Ever had an experience with a cult or controlling relationship? Have a friend or family member caught up in a black/white, all or nothing conspiracy cult, multi-level marketing group, religious group, political group, this is a course by Dr. Steven Hassan, a former member of the Moon cult, mental health professional who has over 40 years of knowledge and direct experience. In this course you will learn about different cultic groups, brainwashing, thought reform, mind control, and undue influence. You will learn the strategies, patterns, and behaviors used by cultic groups to recruit new members, and how they manipulate and control them.

You will learn to recognize whether cults are destructive or benign–not all cults are destructive. You will be introduced to different frameworks of influence as well as different types of cultic situations. such as religious cults, political cults, self-help cults, therapy cults, one-on-one cults, MLM cults, human trafficking relationships, and more. Dr. Hassan will also describe the serious lasting after-effects of being involved in a cult. In an era when cult mind control is ever present and growing, this course is essential to help you understand what a cult is and how they work—the first step in keeping you and your loved ones safe.

Lesson Specifics:

Lesson 1: Introduction to Cults

Lesson 2: Vulnerability and Recruitment–Understand situational and individual vulnerabilities that cults exploit, and cult recruitment strategies.

Lesson 3: Examining Cults–Students will understand the different kinds of cults and cult leaders.

Lesson 4: Influence and Control–Students will understand the different kinds of influence, from positive influence to undue and destructive influence.

Lesson 5: Mind Control–Students will understand the different frameworks of mind control and thought reform.

Lesson 6: Cult Psychology–The student will understand how cults manipulate and use authoritarian control over the life experience of an individual.

Lesson 7: Identity Change–The student will understand the concept of dual identity and the three phases of altering identity – unfreezing, changing, and refreezing.

Lesson 8: Lasting Effects–The student will understand the common after effects of cult involvement, including dissociative disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Introduction