The Influence Continuum with Dr. Steven 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
December 4, 2023 • 57 mins
Monica C. Parker has authored a remarkable book which was such a positive in the current concerning times. It is titled, The Power of Wonder: The Extraordinary Emotion That Will Change the Way You Live Learn and Lead. Our conversation delved into how this powerful emotion could revolutionize learning, relationships, work, and societal interactions in today’s world, increasingly fragmented by polarization, stress, and a lack of empa...
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November 27, 2023 • 59 mins
Human trafficking is defined in international law as the use of fraud, force, or coercion to enslave people. It is a scourge that operates not just through physical coercion but through the devastating use of mind control, a method of psychological enslavement. Rebecca Bender is a courageous survivor and advocate who works tirelessly to empower survivors, train law enforcement, do expert witness work, and assist policymakers. She c...
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November 20, 2023 • 60 mins
Did you know that Koch Corporation is the second largest private business in the United States? That Fred Koch, father of David Koch, helped to found the John Birch Society? That Koch is one of the largest corporate lobbying entities in America. That their belief is libertarianism is a destructive ideology that undermines government functioning? That they have been promoting climate science denial for decades? What about that the w...
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November 13, 2023 • 60 mins
In his latest book, Seeing Through the Smoke: A Cannabis Specialist Untangles the Truth About Marijuana, Peter Grinspoon, M.D. has written an excellent, comprehensive, and authoritative book. Grinspoon is a primary care doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has been a medical cannabis specialist for over twenty-five years. Dr. Grinspoon, a popular speaker, is frequently...
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November 6, 2023 • 63 mins
Philip Goldberg has been studying the world’s spiritual traditions for more than 50 years as a practitioner, teacher, and author. An ordained Interfaith Minister, spiritual counselor, and public speaker, he has presented at major venues throughout the U.S. and has been featured in numerous publications. He has authored or co-authored more than 25 books,and his latest offering is Spiritual Practice for Crazy Times: Powerful Tools to...
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October 30, 2023 • 61 mins
Do you worry about your teenager's safety and fear they could fall into the deceptive webs of manipulative, cult-like groups? Are you a desperate parent seeking intervention services for your struggling teen? If so, you can't afford to miss this interview with Melanie, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a survivor of the infamous Troubled Teen Industry —a largely unregulated web of residential behavior modification programs noto...
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October 23, 2023 • 67 mins
Growing up in the Assemblies of God, the second-largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States with approximately three million members, Paul Jensen witnessed firsthand the controversial culture and beliefs that define this religious movement. Founded in 1914 and initially considered a fringe group by mainstream Protestant denominations, the Assemblies of God gradually gained acceptance. However, as Paul discovered, this mov...
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October 16, 2023 • 70 mins
In a world marked by political extremes, high-control groups, and the Influence Continuum, the story of Rich Logis stands out as both compelling and enlightening. Formerly a true believer pundit for the MAGA movement, Rich’s transformation offers a deep dive into the mechanics of belief, mind control, the allure of belonging, and the power of self-reflection and transformation. Rich Logis was a podcaster and deeply committed MAGA a...
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Large Group Awareness Trainings (LGATs) bill themselves as transformational multi-day workshops. You often feel pressured to attend, perhaps by your corporation or a family member or friend, and you are deliberately not told what will happen there. These workshops often utilize eight to twelve-hour marathon sessions to wear down a person's identity. According to research by South African Dr. John Hunter, they artificially create bi...
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October 2, 2023 • 61 mins
Esther Friedman is an expressive therapist and former five-year member of the Odyssey Study Group (OSG), a secretive cult utilizing the Gurdjieff ideology. Her excellent book is The Gentle Souls Revolution: A Secret Cult, an Open Rebellion, and Lessons in Protecting and Honoring Your Gentle Soul. This memoir and guide offer valuable insights and guidance for survivors of narcissistic abuse. It serves as a roadmap for those seeking ...
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September 25, 2023 • 61 mins
One of the hottest topics in modern psychology is utilizing psychedelics to aid psychotherapy. Research is being conducted on the potentially beneficial use of substances like psilocybin, LSD, DMT, and MDMA in a controlled environment. In recent years, it’s gotten attention for its efficacy in treating treatment-resistant depression and PTSD, addiction, and end-of-life anxiety. Related to this is the psychedelic underground, a move...
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September 18, 2023 • 49 mins
Ramadan was freed from prison on March 15th 2023, after 51 years of incarceration by the parole board and finally Governor Baker who commuted his life sentence. A Vietnam vet Shabazz suffered PTSD and drug addiction upon his return from service and got involved in armed robbery that resulted in the deaths of two innocent people. He was initially sentenced to death. Ramadan Shabazz is a rare success story and a model that proves a...
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September 11, 2023 • 59 mins
With Scientologist celebrity Danny Masterson being sentenced to 30 years in jail for brutal rapes recently, I want people to hear from a woman who was forced to grow up in this notorious cult., Katherine Spallino, the author of a new book, The Bad Cadet: Growing Up in the Church of Scientology’s Sea Organization, has had quite a life journey. Katherine grew up on a secluded ranch within the cadet org, Scientology’s Sea Org school f...
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September 4, 2023 • 41 mins
I speak with the acclaimed psychiatrist and my mentor, Robert Jay Lifton, M.D., about his new book, Surviving Our Catastrophes: Resilience and Renewal from Hiroshima to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Lifton’s research on thought reform and the psychology of totalism, specifically his study on “brainwashing” in China, has been widely regarded as groundbreaking. His book Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism (1961) was used in my dep...
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August 28, 2023 • 63 mins
I talk with the forensic psychiatrist and an internationally recognized expert on violence who edited the best-selling book, The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 37 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President. Years after she and other mental health experts warned Trump was unfit and a danger to the public, we continue to see vivid proof that the public has suffered by censoring experts! Her recent book is Profile of ...
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August 21, 2023 • 65 mins
Did you know that my BITE Model of Authoritarian Control was translated into Chinese and used by Chinese netizens during the November 2022 protests in China against the zero covid lockdown policy? This week’s fascinating interview is with Matt Bywater, who lived in China for years teaching English and who is now on a quest to do a PhD to create a new internationally recognized human right: Freedom of Mind.
Matthew Bywater learned ...
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August 14, 2023 • 63 mins
In my book, The Cult of Trump, I identify many groups who are deeply involved in politics and influence believers to vote according to the leader’s direction of who is “godly.” Here to discuss his experiences with this and his evolution away from religion is Dr. Darren M. Slade, a graduate of the controversial Liberty University’s seminary and apologetics program. Darren is a professor of history and comparative religion in Denver,...
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August 7, 2023 • 67 mins
Pam is a 70-year-old Boise, Idaho resident, who, while recovering from cancer treatment traveled to Washington, DC and was arrested, charged and sentenced for her connection to the January 6th 2021 attack. Hemphill pled guilty and was sentenced to 60 days in jail, 36 months of probation and fined $500 in restitution. Jack Smith has now announced that Trump has been indicted and faces four counts of Federal charges for his activity ...
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Kelvin’s father, Dr. William Pierce, was a notorious white supremacist and founded the National Alliance, a prominent hate group. Dr. Pierce wrote the novel The Turner Diaries, which racists widely cite as inspiration for their racist beliefs and actions. Kelvin was subjected to physical and emotional abuse and was taught to believe that Jews and non-whites were responsible for society's ills. Despite the personal abuse he suffered...
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July 24, 2023 • 62 mins
Gun-related deaths are already over 17,000 as of May of this year. In 2021, they were at their highest ever at almost 50,000 murders, suicides, and accidental deaths involving firearms. These statistics are personal to me due to my experiences in the Moonies cult with the Rod of Iron Ministries, Kahr Arms, the AR15 factory, and two compounds (TN and TX) training people for civil war. I spoke with expert Jonathan Lowy who told me he...
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