Combatting Cult Mind Control: The #1 Best-selling Guide to Protection, Rescue, and Recovery from Destructive Cults 256. by Steven Hassan, Margaret T. Singer (Foreword by) | Editorial Reviews. All communication will be treated in the strictest confidence. Combatting Cult Mind Control (Book) : Hassan, Steven : A former cult member, now a counselor helping those affected by destructive cults, Hassan exposes the troubling facts about cults' recruitment, their use of psychological manipulation, and their often subtle influence on government, the legal system, and society as a whole. Abusive hu. He does not agree with the forceful deprogramming. He is also co-developed “Ending the Game”, a non-coercive curriculum designed to educate and … They will usually defend their leader and group, even aggressively. I have had this book for awhile and just finished it. This basically involves eduction about how m… I think many people do not realize the need to study and be aware of mind control but understanding its mechanisms and how humans can become slaves to an ideology and organiza. Version 3.0, © 2006-2019 decision-making-confidence.com All rights reserved. He spent several years in a large cult himself and was quite senior in the organization, spending a considerable amount of time with the leader. Sell, buy or rent Combatting Cult Mind Control: The #1 Best-selling Guide to Protection, Rescue, a 9780892813117 0892813113, we buy used or new for best buyback price with FREE shipping and offer great deals for buyers. It's also full of practical advice for budding counselors. Learn how to break free, and why you need to! For those that think, it can't happen to me, Hassan points out the Unification Church preferred to target "capable people", i.e. Combatting Cult Mind Control is a non-fiction work by Steven Hassan described as a "Guide to Protection, Rescue, and Recovery from Destructive Cults." ), whether they stay in the group or not. People around the world remain largely unprepared for the new realities of mind control. SGA's have it much harder as they have no pre-cult identity and so the challenge of rescue and recovery is huge. by using the mind control technique, to restraint the members to absolute dependency. I wonder it that was because the library thought it was too old: pub. And, of course, plenty of religious organizations, both fringe and main-stream, use these tactics to keep the flock in line. I think many people do not realize the need to study and be aware of mind control but understanding its mechanisms and how humans can become slaves to an ideology and organization is worth the time to become aware. I'd recommend this book to anyone having survived a cult, and/or to anyone with family or friends who are still trapped. There is a great deal you can do to stay safe, sane, and whole - and to help the people you care about to do the same. In his book, Steven Hassan, has done a wonderful job using his experience to help others. I recommend the 30 year anniversary edition which is updated), Steven Hassan's excellent and insightful review of his experience with a destructive cult; and the mind control techniques such cults use to recruit, retain and fleece members; should be required reading in high school. In Combatting Cult Mind Control, Hassan adds in control of information as the 4th aspect to mind control. Hassan was an early advocate of exit counseling, and is the author of two books on the subject of "cults", and what he describes as their use of mind control, thought reform, and the psychology of influence in order to recruit and retain members. See 2 questions about Combatting Cult Mind Control…, Author Luvvie Ajayi Jones Wants You to Fight Your Fears. It also uses undue influence to keep people dependent, obedient, and loyal. For example, the precult personality may not agree with come activities of the pseudopersonality, and when the precult one is dominant, there is dissonance. Dr. Steven Hassan is one of the world's foremost experts on undue influence. Next he outlines how cults are evolving and adapting with the changes in society and the idea that many people have of cults being groups of young people with shaved heads and saffron robes living in communes is obsolete. Not only was I wrong, but more than anything. In 'live-out' groups it can be much more subtle. Want it Today? It uses deception to recruit new members and does not tell them what the group is, what the group actually believes, and what will be expected of them if they become members. It helps you to realize that most cults use deception to get you to join. Buy Online, Pick up in Store Check Availability at Nearby Stores. If she has "concerns" about the book, those concerns should be … The book was published by Park Street Press, in 1988. Do you want to leave but you can't seem to get away? The idea is to allow the member to start thinking critically again so that they can decide, (among other things! In fact, thinking is not encouraged, following the program is. I bought this book used, and I noticed my copy had been discarded by the Santa Ana Public Library. Are you realizing that the group you are in may be a cult? I recommend it even if just to keep the public more aware of what is truly going on in the world. It wasn't as horrendous as many cults but it had all the warning signs, including the use of mind control techniques. Steven Hassan’s Combatting Cult Mind Control offers amazing insight into these and other puzzling questions. Over 300 were children forced to drink cyanide-laced Kool-Aid by their parents who… Vital concepts about mind control, cults Although a lot of the 'examples' are given from the authors experience with 'The Moonies' this isn't a book merely for those who have been in such recognisable and extreme 'cult' movements. Space and Time even better than a Jedi Master by the evil overlord Xenu of the Galactic Confederacy. Ever since the Trump nightmare I have been trying to understand the cult follower mind more and this completely helps! Instead he offers exit counseling, which involves getting the cult member to agree to 3 days spent chatting with him and a team (including family members and often ex-members of the specific cult). Steven Hassan's 'Combatting Cult Mind Control' is a must read for cult members, ex-cult members and their families. Very interesting and thought provoking book on cults. Because if they got all the information all at once, they might not accept it. Cults and all things related are a special interest of mine, and Hassan's seminal (but well updated) tome is probably the most detailed and thorough book I've read. www.freedomofmind.com . We promise to use it only to send you this newsletter, Don't just build a website... create a web business! Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. We’d love your help. Happily, the author also shows how understanding the mind control techniques that draw people into cults and keep them there can be a key to unlocking the door and setting prisoners free. I Contents Foreword by Margaret Singer xiii Preface xvii Chapter 1 Exit-Counseling: The Background 1 Chapter 2 My Life in the Unification Church 12 Chapter 3 The Threat: Mind Cont Combatting Cult Mind Control: The #1 Best-selling Guide to Protection, Rescue, and Recovery from Destructive Cults by Hassan, Steven. I have taken reasonable pains to locate a citable reference in which Eileen Barker "recommends" Combatting Cult Mind Control in a general sense, but have found none. (Behavior, Information, Thoughts, Emotions). Change the emotions and the behaviors and thoughts follow. The only thing lacking in this book, is that Hassen does not address SGA (Second generation Adult) members of cults, but he corrects that in his later books and there are other good books now on that as well. Thought Control IV. Again this is a process, the time varying with the techniques used, the number of techniques, the skills of the manipulators (not just the leader but other adepts in the cult as well). In 'live-in' groups this control can be brutal, extending to needing permission to phone family or friends, not having access to internet or TV, new converts not being allowed to talk to each other without an older member being present, and so on. The person is presented with information about how cults work, mind control techniques and information about the leader and group which indicates that it is a destructive group. Steve believe that no matter how deeply programmed a person appears to be, that other, genuine person is still in there and can be reached. Cult life as a reality in 80s/90s America is an interesting topic that is worth your time to read about. In 2015, Hassan's own Freedom of Mind Press issued a revised 25th anniversary edition, Combati… Combating Cult Mind Control ( Rochester VT : Park Street Press , 1988 ) . Start by marking “Combatting Cult Mind Control: The #1 Best-selling Guide to Protection, Rescue, and Recovery from Destructive Cults” as Want to Read: Error rating book. He experienced this and it is risky in legal terms (involving 'kidnapping') and potentially very traumatic for the cult member. I had no idea how prevalent cults are in the world today. Abstract. Combating Cult Mind Control Excerpts from Steven Hassan’s Book . In some combinations, they create a powerful crucible of extreme mental and behavioral manipulation when synthesized with several other real-world factors, such as charismatic, authoritarian leaders, dominant ideologies, social isolation, physical debilitation, induced phobias, and extreme threats or promised rewards that are typically deceptively orchestrated, over an extended time period in settings where they are applied intensively.”, “Psychotherapy/educational cults, which have enjoyed great popularity, purport to give the participant “insight” and “enlightenment.” Commercial cults play on people’s desires to make money. In other groups it can be that the leader is suggesting books to read and books to avoid, criticizing some ideas so the members do not research more in that area, and feeding the members information bit by bit, as and when they are 'ready for it'. Combating Cult Mind Control 2016 Edition It was harder than anticipated to find a book on cults and cult recovery. Conformity, compliance, persuasion, dissonance, reactance, guilt and fear arousal, modeling and identification are some of the staple social influence ingredients well studied in psychological experiments and field studies. Most of us think we would never fall for a ridiculous story like Sun Myung Moon being the new Messiah or L. Ron Hubbard having discovered we are spirit beings robbed of our power to control Matter, Energy. Combatting cult mind control by Steven Hassan, November 1, 1993, Destiny Audio Editions edition, Audio cassette in English If you don't fit in you can be scapegoated. Without this insight into the mental processes involved, a Christian worker can expend great effort trying to reach trapped individuals with no positive results. Luvvie Ajayi Jones—author, cultural critic, digital entrepreneur—might be best described as a professional truthteller. I decided to leave on my own, but by using this book, I was able to discover that the group I belonged to was actually a cult. America's leading exit counselor and defector from a controversial cult exposes the startling facts about destructive cults, their use of psychological manipulation to gain money and power, and their influence on government, the legal system and society. Steve believe that no matter how deeply programmed a person appears to be, that other, genuine perso. He does not advocate that approach but is able to help people think for themselves which is the biggest part of cult rescue. They te. The author probes beyond doctrine to uncover the thought control techniques common to many cults. But often the members are not aware that their levels of guilt and fear are being manipulated! Combatting Cult Mind Control is a non-fiction work by Steven Hassan described as a "Guide to Protection, Rescue, and Recovery from Destructive Cults." The closer to the leader a member is, the more influence the leader has on the member, so the more profound is the effect of the mind control. toward Christianity . Combatting Cult Mind Control: The #1 Best-selling Guide to Protection, Rescue, and Recovery from Destructive Cults is a non-fiction work by Steven Hassan. Regardless, the information is current and this book is an absolutely essential guide for anyone who is trying to get a family member or friend out of a cult. This book seems important to me, though it is a bit outdated and the author may be a bit biased. The members also learn to block out any criticism of the leader or the doctrine. Fascinating book! In Combatting Cult Mind Control he also relates many stories of members of various groups to illustrate the various points he makes. An insightful look at how undue influence works. I loved this book. Abusive husbands, mothers, and grandmothers control adult family members with mind control tactics. If you don't fit in you can be scapegoated. He has been working in this field for over 35 years, so he has many examples! They tell you they want to share a new way of thinking or new mediation techniques (and many others). The author discusses theories of mind control and cults based on the research of Margaret Singer and Robert Lifton as well as the cognitive dissonance theory of Leon Festinger. Most of the focus was on religious cults but the author covered political cults, educational cults, and commercial cults as well. I am an anti-MLM (multi-level marketing) researcher and this book was an amazing resource for making the connection between cults and MLMs. "Combatting Cult Mind Control" unmasks the methods employed by destructive cults to recruit and control their members. He insists though that this method should not be used since in the worst case the members may stop think on their own and become like robots. 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