Undue Influence

Doomsday Prepper Cult Tragedy: Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow Case – A Discussion with Dr. Christine Marie Katas

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It was a tragic ending to the mystery of where Lori Vallow’s two missing children have been since last fall. The bodies of Tylee Ryan (age 17) and Joshua Vallow (age 7), were found buried on Chad Daybell’s four-acre property. Cell phone pings from Lori Vallow’s late brother led investigators to the bodies of her children. They have both been arrested. Each has been ordered to post a $1 million bond if they wish to be released. Three other suspicious deaths are connected to Daybell and Vallow: his wife, her ex-husband, and her brother who was responsible for the death of her ex-husband.

Doomsday Prepper Cult Tragedy: Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow Case – A Discussion with Dr. Christine Marie Katas Read More

Former Jehovah’s Witness and Activist Mark O’Donnell Discusses Michael Jackson, Leaving Neverland, and the Profile of Child Abuse Predators

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I watched the HBO Documentary Leaving Neverland and the follow-up Oprah special that interviewed the two abuse victims and have been wanting to write a blog about the series for a long while now. Leaving

Former Jehovah’s Witness and Activist Mark O’Donnell Discusses Michael Jackson, Leaving Neverland, and the Profile of Child Abuse Predators Read More

Former NXIVM Member Sarah Edmondson Talks About Being Recruited Into and Escaping Keith Raniere’s Cult

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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 upcoming HBO documentary series on NXIVM.

She is the author of the book, Scarred: The True Story of How I Escaped NXIVM, the Cult that Bound My Life. Scarred is a memoir of Sarah’s recruitment into the NXIVM cult, founded by the now-convicted trafficker, Keith Raniere. It narrates in detail the 12 years she spent within the organization, during which she enrolled over 2,000 members, directly and indirectly, chronicling her breaking point and her harrowing fight to get out, help others, and heal.

Former NXIVM Member Sarah Edmondson Talks About Being Recruited Into and Escaping Keith Raniere’s Cult Read More

Child Protection, Shunning, and Parental Alienation: A Discussion About the Word of Faith Fellowship With Former Member John Huddle

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April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and, now more than ever, we need to protect children.  Too many are still being hurt: physically, mentally and emotionally, as seen by recent national child abuse statistics. For

Child Protection, Shunning, and Parental Alienation: A Discussion About the Word of Faith Fellowship With Former Member John Huddle Read More

Anti-Semitism and Psychiatry: Recognition, Prevention, and Interventions

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I am very pleased to share a remarkable new book to help clinicians,–as well as the general public,–to have a deeper understanding of Anti-Semitism. This text by Springer, a leading academic publisher followed the publication of a previous Springer volume, Islamophobia and Psychiatry: Recognition, Prevention, and Treatment. I wrote a previous blog about my chapter for this earlier book with psychiatrist and editor Ahmed Hankir.

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Announcing a New YouTube Channel: jon atack, family & friends

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This week’s video is a chat with my good friend, Jon Atack about his recently started YouTube channel: jon atack, family and friends. I told him that I wanted to let my readers know about the really interesting and important content he has been posting. I am excited to announce he now has over 500 subscribers! He has been covering so many important topics.

Announcing a New YouTube Channel: jon atack, family & friends Read More

Opus Dei: BITE Model Evaluation and Discussion with Former Member Eileen Johnson

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This summer, while in Manchester, England for the 2019 ICSA Conference, I sat down with Eileen Johnson, ex-Opus Dei insider, to talk about Opus Dei, a Catholic right-wing cultic group. (You can watch our discussion here.) We only had a short amount of time and there was much more to cover, so I recently interviewed Eileen again. This blog covers highlights of our discussion, an analysis of how Opus Dei meets the BITE model criteria, and a link to watch our entire interview. (see below). It should be stated that there are many, many devout Catholics who do not like Opus Dei and how they operate.

Opus Dei: BITE Model Evaluation and Discussion with Former Member Eileen Johnson Read More

Proposing a New Model to do a Forensic Evaluation for Undue Influence (PIPATL for IALMH)

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This blog contains a talk I gave at The Program in Psychiatry and the Law on September 11, 2019. It was 18 years to the day that Al Queda made a horrific terrorist attack on the United States and killed thousands of innocent men, women and children and injured scores more. As you will hear in the video recording of my talk, I felt the need to acknowledge its personal as well as professional significance for me to be speaking about this topic, at The Program in Psychiatry and the Law, at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, 43 years after my deprogramming from the right-wing extremist Moon group. A destructive cult group that taught members that “democracy was satanic” and who sought to establish a theocracy with Moon as the messiah and his minions as his blind followers. I was trained to be blindly obedient and believe if commanded, I would have flown a plane into a World Trade Center building. Horrifying, but I know I was that thoroughly programmed. It was this realization after my deprogramming that has motivated me to research, publish and create more public awareness to the dangers of radicalization.

Proposing a New Model to do a Forensic Evaluation for Undue Influence (PIPATL for IALMH) Read More