Cults, Culture & Coercion with Dr. Steve Hassan
Steven Hassan, PhD, is one of the leading experts on cults and undue influence in the world. A former member of the right-wing Moonie cult, Hassan was deprogrammed 45 years ago and has dedicated his life to helping people out of cults and destructive situations. Dr. Hassan is a licensed mental health professional and has written four books, including The Cult of Trump and the seminal book Combating Cult Mind Control. On this podcast, Steve will explain HOW mind-control works, and how to protect yourself from its grips. He will also address ethical influence as the podcast will address the entire Influence Continuum. He’ll interview the biggest names in this field.
Episodes
On her highly successful Czech podcast, Canaries in the Net, Alex co-hosts on topics surrounding digital propaganda and toxic algorithms. She combines her experience as a communication advisor to the chairman of the legislation committee in the European Parliament with the latest information on how digital space is becoming increasingly targeted. As one of the earliest to speak out about how digital information was being used to sw...
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December 29, 2025 • 58 mins
Neo-Nazi sentiment has seen a recent resurgence globally, fueled by political polarization, economic disparities, and social grievances. The internet and social media have played a significant role in spreading extremist propaganda, while some politicians' normalization of hate speech has emboldened these groups. Combating this rise requires a multifaceted approach, including education, countering online extremism, promoting social...
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December 22, 2025 • 47 mins
As we near the end of 2025, Trump has implemented Opus Dei’s Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 to fundamentally gut America’s core values and checks and balances. The depth of harm is incalculable and Americans are 70% against Trump’s handling of the economy. Threats to free speech, ignoring Constitutional guarantees, unprecedented corruption and violence undermine people’s feelings of safety and security. So we are resharing this...
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December 15, 2025 • 55 mins
One of the most troubling aspects of cult dynamics is the way they generate self‑reinforcing histories that can become chaotic and fragmented, leaving individuals disoriented within the broader narrative. We need knowledgeable guides who can help us navigate these stories while providing a grounding in their historical context. I wrote Chapter Three of my book, The Cult of Trump, about the parallels with Jones, Moon, and Hubbard. D...
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What does it feel like when an entire room seems to turn to shimmering gold, and you are certain you have just witnessed a miracle, only to later discover it was a hypnotic illusion? On this episode of Cults, Culture & Coercion, I sit down with my longtime friend, former client, and now colleague, filmmaker Jim Picariello. Thirty years ago, Jim was a devoted follower of Zen Master Rama (Frederick Lenz). His family hired me to help ...
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December 8, 2025 • 67 mins
Quick question. You’re born with your sexuality, and it stays the same your whole life... right? Well, no. This may be much further from the truth than initially thought. When I first watched Dr. Lisa Diamond’s TEDx talk on sexual fluidity, which began with a question very similar to mine, I immediately knew I wanted to interview her. Diamond is a psychologist and professor at the University of Utah whose groundbreaking research ch...
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On this episode of Cults, Culture & Coercion, I sat down with one of my most trusted colleagues and best friends, Jon Atack—author, artist, poet, musician, and the recognized world expert on Scientology. Jon’s latest book, If Scientology Ruled the World: Nazi Occultists, Sex Magick, Space Aliens, and the Second Coming, begins with a chilling thought experiment: what if Scientology actually took power?
To be clear: Jon does not bel...
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There are many reasons why parents or guardians choose to homeschool their children for some portion or all of their educational years. This can range from a child having a disability or neurodiversity, concerns about the quality of education, to other topics like moral or religious conflict with traditional schools. Ryan Stollar shared the story of his experiences as a homeschooled child of an Evangelical family upbringing. He als...
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November 17, 2025 • 59 mins
David Clayton, known on Instagram as #officialempathytour, is running for North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District in the 2026 elections. The district is currently represented by Virginia Foxx, a Republican who has held the seat since 2005. David Clayton is the antithesis of the cult of Trump. He believes in women’s rights. As far as religion goes, he thinks everyone is free to believe in something or not believe in anything. H...
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November 10, 2025 • 63 mins
Even the smallest actions can change the course of someone’s life and, in turn, strengthen the broader community around them. Preventing a suicide or encouraging a person to hold on for just one more day can be influential acts when we know how to approach the subject. As a child psychiatrist, Dr. Diane Kaufman has dedicated her career to this very work. Diane described herself as a “poet, artist, internationally award-winning lyri...
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The United States is facing a “crisis of legitimacy”, explained James Scaminaci III, PhD, an expert on fourth-generation psychological warfare. James earned his PhD from Stanford University, specializing in political sociology. I have done two previous interviews with him and wanted him to weigh in on current developments. He has a background as a former U.S. Naval intelligence officer, with specific expertise in the Soviet / Russi...
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October 27, 2025 • 72 mins
Interested in Scientology? Ever watch the “Truman Show” movie with Jim Carrey? Check out this long overdue interview with my longtime friend, the charming and resilient Tory “Magoo” Christman. Tory, was in Scientology for thirty years, had reached the uppermost levels of Hubbard’s “Bridge to Total Freedom,” specifically OT7 (OT8 is the highest) and was involved with John Travolta directly from the beginning of the Celebrity Centre....
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October 20, 2025 • 57 mins
When the oldest son of Alisa Daniels had a hockey injury and simply wanted to stay in shape by starting a new yoga practice, she couldn’t have imagined what path this would lead her entire family down. She now seeks to help others become aware of Il Chi Lee’s Dahn Yoga cult, now rebranded as Body & Mind, that drained her family of money and took hold of their lives. On this episode of Cults, Culture & Coercion, I talked with Alisa ...
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One of the most powerful tools in healing from childhood sexual abuse is for a survivor to have the opportunity to share their story and truly be heard. Many survivors of early trauma at the hands of Catholic Church Priests went unheard or unbelieved for decades. Several Pennsylvania Grand Jury investigations and media discussions surrounding the findings were one of the first opportunities for many local survivors to recognize the...
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October 6, 2025 • 66 mins
In her book, Sarma tells her story of how a successful businesswoman, co-founder and owner of the acclaimed NYC restaurant Pure Food and Wine and the brand One Lucky Duck, could fall for a con artist using a fictitious name, a covert backstory, and fantastical promises. Humans are social beings, and it’s that social aspect that manipulative and abusive characters can learn to exploit for their self-interest. With an increase in onl...
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September 29, 2025 • 63 mins
In this episode of Cults, Culture & Coercion, I had the pleasure of speaking with Irene of Irene’s Entropy. Irene is a mechanical engineer turned musician, storyteller, pilot, and entrepreneur. Raised in a strict Mormon household where she underwent the experience of a recruitment mission, she left in her early 20s. She began documenting the honest rebuild of her identity as Irene’s Entropy.Her work blends songs, narrative, and a r...
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Compassion, empathy, and science have all been under rapid-fire attack during the second Trump Administration. This is especially true towards Queer and Transgender communities, though other minority communities within the United States are also being targeted. Dr. Matthew D. Skinta, PhD, ABPP, is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Affiliated Faculty of Women and Gender Studies at Roosevelt University in Chicago. He helped us...
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September 15, 2025 • 62 mins
Radicalization, and the Minnesota Murder Cases John Collins grew up inside William Branham’s “Message” world, left it, then spent years mapping how the theology and network morphed into today’s authoritarian ecosystems. I welcomed him back to The Influence Continuum to speak about the murders and share his knowledge surrounding the twisted networks of doctrine and influence that may have influenced them. Collins’ most recent book i...
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September 8, 2025 • 63 mins
The attack on experts and science itself is part of the mind control strategy to control citizens. Before Trump came to power, the media would regularly call on me and top experts like Dr. Lee to shed light on issues concerning mental health and public health. This authoritarian control of information forces citizens concerned with the public good to do what we can to message. I have interviewed Dr. Lee previously, but as the world...
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Anne began our discussion by dispelling the myth that everyone in Nazi Germany simply went along with Hitler’s plans. She examined these resisters in her book Red Orchestra: The Story of the Berlin Underground and the Circle of Friends Who Resisted Hitler. When I read the book, it didn’t become clear to me how vitally important it was that there was a vast resistance movement. One I had never heard about. She hopes that the past mi...
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