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Cult

Human Trafficking: Learn to Recognize the Signs and Help Save a Life

2019-02-07T13:03:20-04:00February 7th, 2019|Blog|

Danielle Bastien, Henry Ford Health System Trafficking is a Large-Scale Issue of Undue Influence Meet Emergency Room nurse, Danielle Jordan Bastein. Kudos to her! Danielle has pioneered the development of a new protocol to more systematically identify warning factors for the ER that a patient might be a trafficking victim. Trafficking victims almost always suffer a myriad of health problems and it is in the ER, that an important opportunity to offer them help exists.  This crucial screening protocol would train nurses and other health care workers to ask the right questions and do the right assessment to flag a [...]

Women in High-Control Groups: Disrespected, Treated as Subservient, Sometimes Abused and Even Raped

2018-12-13T21:01:44-04:00September 27th, 2018|Blog|

As the U.S. Senate has agreed to hear the testimony of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford about the alleged sexual assault incident that happened years ago with Judge Brett Kavanagh, people's attentions are back on women's rights, #WhyIDidn'tReport, and men's misuse of power and sex. Some Republican members act as if they will confirm Kavanagh as a new member of the Supreme Court no matter what they learn, even with a second and third woman coming forward with accusations of alleged abuse. Twenty-seven years ago, Dr. Anita Hill testified at the Senate confirmation hearing of now Supreme court Justice Clarence Thomas [...]

Errant Belief #5: “He Has the Right to Believe What He Wants to Believe”

2018-12-16T19:34:53-04:00March 15th, 2018|Blog, Resources and Support|

The Right to Believe Anything vs. Reality-Testing Freedom to believe is only a real freedom if you also have the freedom not to believe. Having the right to believe something carries with it a presupposition of the right to not believe it, too. When recruiters deceptively ensnare people into a closed belief system, it violates informed consent. If a person wants to believe that David Koresh is the Christ, that is his right. If people want to believe that Sun Myung Moon and Hak Ja Han are the perfect True Parents, they are entitled. However, my religious freedom was [...]

The Moonies and TM Attempt to Reinvent Themselves

2019-02-13T13:43:44-04:00February 8th, 2018|Blog|

*blog updated March 2, 2018* Both Have Missions to Recruit True Believers to Take Over the World Having exited the Moonies in 1976, following an intervention performed at the request of my family, I have been so grateful to regain my life. I refer to the group as "the Moonies," because when I was a member, the term was initially coined and Sun Myung Moon loved the term. We even wore tee-shirts and had mugs made with "I Heart the Moonies." When Moon was convicted of conspiracy to defraud the Federal government and filing false income taxes, resulting in [...]

How Can I Rescue My Child From a Cult?

2018-12-16T19:49:18-04:00January 18th, 2018|Blog, Resources and Support|

How Can I Rescue My Child From a Cult? Whether you are looking for help for your son or daughter, your brother or sister, mother or father, or husband or wife, my advice is to do your homework, first. In the coming weeks, I plan to share the errant beliefs I wrote about in my book, Freedom of Mind: Helping Loves Ones Leave Controlling People, Cults and Beliefs. In this digital age, make sure you are not signaling online that you are worried or seeking to help someone to reevaluate their involvement. Protect Your Identity Change all of [...]

Harvey Weinstein: Like Cult Leaders, He Abused People Using Power, Money and Sex

2018-12-16T19:22:51-04:00October 17th, 2017|Blog|

Harvey Weinstein in Paris at the César Awards ceremony 2014 Sexual Assault by Men Abusing Power I am heartened by all of the women coming forward, sharing the grizzly details of sexual assault against them by Harvey Weinstein. With hindsight, this unwelcomed harassment was happening for decades, and many were too afraid or paralyzed by fear to confront or report it. (One exception being ex-Children of God member, Rose McGowan.) This kind of abuse, by someone with power in a position of trust, is an example of the sort of work Freedom of Mind endeavors to expose. [...]

Recovery from Spiritual Abuse and Healing Oneself to Trust Again

2018-12-13T21:09:21-04:00August 9th, 2017|Blog, News and Updates, Resources and Support|

This past weekend, I attended and spoke at a conference at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. This one-day event was sponsored by MeadowHaven, The Protestant Chaplaincy of the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, Dartmouth Bible Church, and International Cultic Studies Association. The title of my talk was "Spiritual Abuse: Strategies to Help Someone to Exit, Heal and Trust Again," which was quite a large topic to cover in forty-five minutes! However, many people have told me that they really got a lot from it. I was invited to speak there by my colleague and friend, Rev. Bob Pardon who along with [...]

The Need to Educate Judges, Attorneys, Citizens, and Governments About Undue Influence

2018-12-16T19:47:23-04:00August 3rd, 2017|Blog, News and Updates|

The knowledge base of the hard sciences including medicine and social psychological research is developing rapidly all over the world. The legal system is constantly being updated to incorporate new information and research. For the law to change, it often is up to diligent attorneys who represent clients who have suffered a harm and expert witnesses who testify honestly within existing areas of known science to the nature of that harm. Precedent setting cases help advance the legal system or in some situations, harm the quest for truth and justice. The time has come for Undue Influence to be [...]

Is Justin Bieber in a Cult?

2018-12-16T19:15:03-04:00July 27th, 2017|Blog, Current Events, News and Updates|

A few days ago, there was an announcement that Justin Bieber abruptly canceled a large portion of his "Purpose" tour dates. Now we hear it might be because of his involvement with Pastor Carl Lentz of Hillsong Church in Montclair. Several articles have been posted that allege that the founder of Hillsong Church had molested at least one child, that the church holds faith healing services, and that many millions of dollars are being made in questionable ways. This controversy has led a lot of people to wonder, "Is Hillsong a cult?" I thought I might weigh in as [...]

My Week at the IALMH Congress

2019-02-13T13:35:08-04:00July 20th, 2017|Blog, Current Events, News and Updates|

I want to share with you the wonderful experience I had attending the 2017 Congress of International Academy of Law and Mental Health (IALMH) in Prague. From July 9-14 I was among over 1500 people from over 100 countries who gathered at this event. Being at the congress was a fantastic experience. I truly learned a lot and got to spend time with some great people. One of the co-founders of Harvard's Psychiatry and the Law program, Dr. Harold Bursztajn, asked me if I would like to speak on a panel with him and Dr. Ivana Viani. I was [...]