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What Can We Learn From the Uncanny Parallels Between the Moonies and the Cult of Trump?

Last month, Moon Organization leader, Rev. Hyung Jin Moon (Sean Moon), told his followers of his Sanctuary Church to be ready to take up arms and die for President Trump. The bullets in his crown and Moon referring to himself as King, is of course disturbing. Fortunately, after Sun Myung Moon died, there was a power struggle and several of the Moon sons fought with their mother for money and power. Justin Moon, his brother, owns Kahr Arms as well as a large gun factory and controls great wealth. Most people do not know that Moon bought the Washington Star newspaper and created the Washington Times which has been used for decades to promote conservative right-wing points of view. The founding editor of the Times left because of editorial interference (they said he was dismissed) and spoke along with William Cheshire, the editorial page editor who also later resigned. A 1991 presentation was videotaped explaining why they left–the paper was not independent. This presentation also included Michael Warder, editor of Moon’s first U.S. paper, the News World, later called the New York Tribune. Warder, a leader in the Moon organization was a witness in the trial and later conviction of Sun Myung Moon for conspiracy to evade income taxes. The Moonies spent an estimated $2-3 billion dollars on the Washington Times– a propaganda entity which failed to make money for decades. Did Americans, including Republican Presidents have no problem with a Korean with a felony conviction that had ties to South Korean intelligence not a question for anyone?

What Can We Learn From the Uncanny Parallels Between the Moonies and the Cult of Trump? Read More

Starting to Question if You Are in a Controlling Group or Relationship?

Have you recently started questioning your life and how you are spending your time and money? Have you read a book or article, listened to a podcast, or watched a documentary about a cult such as NXIVM and saw parallels to your own life circumstance? What about engaging with a former member? Perhaps you have felt a growing disillusionment because you have been treated unfairly? Are you beginning to question if it is time to leave a controlling group or relationship? How can you know for sure? There is actually a formula I have come up with that I believe works because it is process-focused and oriented to the person doing their own reality-testing. The focus of all my work is to empower people to think for themselves rather than trying to persuade someone of what they should believe or do. The assumption of my work is that people do not wish to be exploited, abused, or enslaved. They would like to experience a safe environment, trust, honesty, compassion, integrity and not hatred, fear and polarization.

Starting to Question if You Are in a Controlling Group or Relationship? Read More

The BITE Model of Authoritarian Control: Undue Influence, Thought Reform, Brainwashing, Mind Control, Trafficking and the Law

Update: January 2021: Dissertation has been published. <https://www.proquest.com/docview/2476570146/> In 1976, I was deprogrammed from the Moon cult. Since then, I have helped thousands of individuals leave and recover from the harmful influence of destructive cults.

The BITE Model of Authoritarian Control: Undue Influence, Thought Reform, Brainwashing, Mind Control, Trafficking and the Law Read More

How to Help Friends & Family Following Trump’s Election Loss: False Prophecy, Mass Exodus, & Cognitive Dissonance

The year leading up to the 2020 Presidential election has been extremely divisive and stressful for most Americans, as well as, for our world allies. The results are in and show decidedly Joe Biden has won both the popular and electoral votes and will be sworn into office on January 20, 2021. Unfortunately, as I predicted in The Cult of Trump, Trump will never voluntarily cede power and will attempt to create as much chaos and damage, as he has consistently demonstrated he exists in a solipsistic reality. For hardcore Trump supporters, including QAnon believers, these are especially troubling times. It was foretold that Trump would win the election by a landslide, even pointing to Bible prophecy to attempt to drive home their point.

How to Help Friends & Family Following Trump’s Election Loss: False Prophecy, Mass Exodus, & Cognitive Dissonance Read More

Dismantling QAnon: A TEDxMidAtlantic Must-Watch Program

Assuming the predictions are accurate and there is a Biden/Harris landslide, what will happen with the millions of people who believe that President Trump is a man of God doing Apocalyptic fulfillment, especially QAnon followers? This is an important question as most of us have friends or family members that are affected. I wanted to share an incredibly important TEDxMidAtlantic event, entitled “Dismantling QAnon.”

Dismantling QAnon: A TEDxMidAtlantic Must-Watch Program Read More

The QAnon Media Ecosystem Is Not Helping People to Exit

Reporters covering QAnon for the past few years have over time inadvertently done more harm than good. In fact, they probably have done great damage. By amplifying the conspiracy to the level that it is now squarely in mainstream discourse is problematic. The way it is discussed and covered as something edgy and transgressive has done little to slow its spread.

The QAnon Media Ecosystem Is Not Helping People to Exit Read More

Helping Folks Exit The Cult of Trump: The #IGotOut Movement

Do you have friends or family members who are believers in QAnon or the Cult of Trump? Are you surprised by this and wonder how this could have ever happened? Under the right circumstances, even sane, rational, well-adjusted people can be deceived and persuaded to believe the most outrageous ideas and leader. President Trump uses the same deceptive psychological techniques that cult leaders do (cult leader’s playbook) that influence his devoted followers’ behavior, information, thoughts, and emotions. (Learn more about the BITE model of Authoritarian Control.)

Helping Folks Exit The Cult of Trump: The #IGotOut Movement Read More

Social Media, Cyber Warfare, Data Mining and AI Used to Target, Manipulate and Control People

“The Great Hack”, “The Social Dilemma”, and “People You May Know” are three excellent documentaries that everyone must see to understand how modern day authoritarians are recruiting and indoctrinating people to do their bidding. Private and personal information is being harvested and used to create sophisticated psychological and political profiles which allow political and cult groups to target and influence people. I wrote about such groups in The Cult of Trump. Millions of Facebook profiles were harvested for Cambridge Analytica in a major data breach. Facebook users’ profiles were hijacked in order to target the US electorate. This caused intentional political upheaval. The Shadow Network, the book by Anne Nelson on the Council for National Policy, figures mightily. Fourth generation warfare is a psychological warfare strategy designed to delegitimize leaders and institutions and to sow distrust, confusion, and disorientation in order to ready people to be mind controlled by an authoritarian leader.

Social Media, Cyber Warfare, Data Mining and AI Used to Target, Manipulate and Control People Read More

Letter to the Senators on the Judiciary Committee Concerning the Confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett

I am writing with a unique take on the issue of the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett. As you know, she is a member of a charismatic covenant community called The People of Praise. My objection to her appointment is not based on religion, which should be irrelevant, but upon the structure and behavior of the community.

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People of Praise Covenant Community: BITE Model© of Authoritarian Control Evaluation

Since Judge Amy Coney Barrett was nominated to the Supreme Court to fill the seat of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Republicans are seeking to fast-track her confirmation before the end of October. The Trump administration and its Senators are trying to frame some of the opposition to her nomination as religious intolerance. Our concern at Freedom of Mind is not about religious beliefs. It is about authoritarian and abusive practices. In fact, People of Praise has a long history of controversy along with other Covenant communities with similar DNA.  

People of Praise Covenant Community: BITE Model© of Authoritarian Control Evaluation Read More

“New Age” Cults With Joseph Szimhart–Artist & Cult Information Specialist

The internet provides an ideal breeding ground for groups with concerning beliefs and practices to recruit unsuspecting people who are confused, frustrated and wishing to find a way to have hope for the future. Psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton wrote about the profound psychological effects that the invention and use of nuclear bombs had on human consciousness. He described an important unconscious motivator, what he called “symbolic immortality.” All modes of leaving a legacy could now be imagined to be wiped out if two superpowers decided to launch all their nukes at each other. Except for one thing: the mode of transcendence. In other words, if humans can believe in other realities, heaven, aliens, spiritual immortality through devotion to a guru or cult leader, people could believe life had meaning. Current circumstances of a global pandemic, economic crisis and incredible levels of corruption at the highest levels of power–in the United States within The Cult of Trump, but throughout the world, where authoritarians seek to use the digital tools to recruit, destabilize enemies, and control their people by using BITE (Behavior, Information, Thought and Emotion) control.

“New Age” Cults With Joseph Szimhart–Artist & Cult Information Specialist Read More

Undue Influence, Judge Barrett and the People of Praise Covenantal Community

In an AP article written about Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court and her involvement with the People of Praise, Vice President Mike Pence was quoted from a television interview as saying, “The intolerance expressed during her last confirmation about her Catholic faith I really think was a disservice to the process and a disappointment to millions of Americans.”

In this blog, I assert that the issue is really not about religion, or about Catholicism, or religious freedom, but rather a legal issue: undue influence. This is the subject of my doctoral research which is focused on offering a scientifically validated instrument to help ascertain if undue influence has been exerted.

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