Opening Our Minds: avoiding abusive relationships and authoritarian groups by Jon Atack is available in paperback, Audible and Kindle on Amazon. I am delighted to help bring attention to a new book which I think is a valuable contribution to our field. Disclosure: Jon is a good friend of mine, for decades, and is the leading
On May 13, 1985, a group of members of the MOVE cult, and their children, were living in a row house in West Philadelphia. MOVE was a “left” wing, revolutionary authoritarian group. Conflicts between MOVE members and the Philadelphia Police Department had been frequent, but that evening this conflict erupted into tragedy. The City of
Multilevel Marketing (MLM) is a Worldwide Problem I recently had the exciting opportunity to be one of 37 Panelists at the First Global Conference on Multilevel Marketing (MLM). The virtual conference was held by the College of New Jersey’s School of Business, on April 30th and May 1st 2021 and attracted 500 participants from 49
Update: Letter to the Senators on the Judiciary Committee Concerning the Confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett 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
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
Title of the study: A study to attempt to identify key psychological issues that people may have, who were once involved with controlling groups or people (Original Post: https://freedomfromundueinfluence.org/a-study-to-attempt-to-identify-key-psychological-issues-that-people-may-have-who-were-once-involved-with-controlling-groups-or-people/) Here is a brief intro to the study, which is completely anonymous to protect your privacy. As we know, research is so critical for our understanding of
Earlier this month, Matthew Remski interviewed me for his podcast “Conspirituality” (my interview starts at the 37-minute mark) where we talk about my newest book, The Cult of Trump, and explore the overlaps between the cults of personality that destroy political, wellness, and spiritual cultures. We discuss changes in cultic technique in the age of lockdown, and how best to
I am excited to share another interview with my first mentor regarding thought reform and brainwashing, Robert Jay Lifton M.D.. (See the list of our previous interviews below). I last interviewed Dr. Lifton in January 2020, following the October release of his new book, Losing Reality: On Cults, Cultism, and the Mindset of Political and
A few weeks ago, Russian journalist Kseniya Kirillova asked me to do an interview with her about my book The Cult of Trump. I asked my friends if they knew of her work and they responded affirmatively, confirming that she was well respected. So, I decided to read a number of her articles which were
In our last blog, we talked with conspiracy theory debunker Mick West about his book Escaping the Rabbit Hole. This week, it is my pleasure to blog and share my interview with MJ Banias about his expertise concerning UFOs as well as newer research he has been doing. Clearly, the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced people
I am pleased to share a long-awaited interview with Sarah Edmondson–a former high-ranking member of NXIVM, founded by Keith Raniere. Sarah Edmondson is a Canadian actress who has starred in the CBS series Salvation and more than 12 films for the Hallmark Channel and Lifetime. She is featured in the CBC podcast Uncover: Escaping NXIVM and The Vow, the
My guest this week is Pamela Saharah Dyson, a former top official of 3HO (known also as Western Sikhs) and once a long term devoted follower of Yogi Bhajan. If you have ever heard of kundalini yoga, or even taken some classes, that was the main bait to recruit people. That and promises of health–even