July 26, 2018, This past Sunday, July 22, 2018, I was honored to be the opening plenary speaker at the 9th International Conference on Complex Systems (ICCS) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. My talk was entitled, A […]
The Ninth International Conference on Complex Systems 2018 Sponsored by NECSI Read More
Steven Hassan speaking at 2018 ICSA conference July 12, 2018, 2018 ICSA Annual Conference Last week, I was in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and gave a talk on the Freedom of Mind Approach to helping people raised
Freedom of Mind Resource Center: Mid-Year Update 2018 Read More
Dr. Zimbardo photographed for his Heroic Imagination Project. Credit: Ferne Millen Photography July 2, 2018: At this moment, there appears to be a media attack on the reputation of Dr. Philip Zimbardo, Professor Emeritus of
Dr. Philip Zimbardo’s 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE): A Response to Critics Read More
Download Influence Continuum June 28, 2018 This Influence Continuum graphic describes my model for evaluating influence–from the healthy to the unhealthy. My BITE model offers a list of concerning practices that represent unhealthy mind control:
A Response to Academics Who Say There Is No Undue Influence in Destructive Cults Read More
Have a Positive Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Not a Negative One In my opinion, giving up hope is a dysfunctional coping mechanism to deal with the pain. Unfortunately, it suggests incorrectly that there is nothing constructive that
Errant Belief #10: “We Have Lost Hope” Read More
June 14, 2018 Dr. John Dehlin & Mormon Stories Podcast STEVEN HASSAN – WHAT THE MORMON CHURCH CAN LEARN FROM CULTS TO DO/BE BETTER Mormon Stories Podcast 938-939 About a month ago, we received an
The BITE Model & Mormonism: An Exploration with Ex-Mormon John Dehlin Read More
6-18-2018 Update **This survey is now closed. We thank everyone that participated. We have received 1028 responses out of which 989 are 100% answered, giving us enough data to analyze. ** Please Take Our Scientific
Scientific Research Survey to Understand Influence Read More
Is She Really Free to Leave? This attitude presumes that the cult member has the freedom of mind, finances, and the resources to just “leave.” The bars are invisible but very real. In my experience,
Errant Belief #9: “She’ll Walk out on Her Own When She Is Ready” Read More
Mental Health Awareness Month May is Mental Health Awareness Month! I wanted to write this blog on how some high control groups program their members away from mental health help. This is true, especially in
High Control Groups Program Members to Fear Mental Health Help Read More
Are They Better Off Being Left in the Group? Sometimes family, friends, and even mental health professionals may think that a person is better off in the cult. This way, the family, and friends may
Errant Belief #8: “She’s Better Off Where She Is” Read More
The Freedom of Mind approach to recovery and healing from destructive cults is customizable and designed to meet the needs of most any person who has been influenced by a cult. People who were born
The Freedom of Mind Approach to Recovery and Healing from Destructive Cults Read More
This past weekend I joined with 24 other mental health professionals to participate in an advanced workshop, “Honing Your Hypnotic Voice: Delivering Strategic Interventions for Mind/ Body Healing,” given by Carol Ginandes, PhD, ABPP sponsored by the New England Society of Clinical Hypnosis, which is my local affiliate of the national organization called the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. This organization is an affiliate of the International Society for Hypnosis. I have both been a member and presented for all three of these fine organizations. Dr. Gianandes is affiliated with Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital specializing in Mind/Body healing. This includes sleep, lowering anxiety, fear, pain control, speeding healing during medical procedures (minimizing blood loss, minimizing inflammation, speeding bone fracture healing). The opioid crisis in my strong opinion could be largely solved by mental health professionals trained in clinical hypnosis teaching people how to do pain control for themselves.
Hypnosis, Guided Meditation, Deep Visualizations–Consumers Beware! Read More
