The QAnon conspiracy theory has exploded in popularity this year, but its just one of a depressingly wide array of crackpot beliefs that certain Americans adhere to, including that vaccines implant microchips in people or that Covid-19 is a hoax. Heres how cult deprogrammer and mind control expert Steve Hassan says you can talk to friends and loved ones who believe conspiracy theories: Hassan most recently authored The Cult of Trump, an analysis of the presidents hold over his most ardent supporters, and began deprogramming people after he left the notorious Moonie cult in 1976. Indeed, anyone can be psychologically manipulated, Benscoter says. ", Steven Hassan, author of The Cult of Trump, recently helped launch a hashtag campaign, #IGotOut, hoping to help destigmatize those who have fallen prey to disinformation or cultic groups. SMITH: For all the psy-ops used to suck people into a cultic group, experts say it takes just as much savvy and precision to help them out. Phone: (214) 607-1065 Email: info@dallascult.com Web site: www.dallascult.com Cyndi Matthews, PhD, LPC-S, NCC Counseling for cult survivors, domestic violence survivors, and LGBT populations Dallas Web site: www.drcyndimatthews.com Email: cyndersm@verizon.net SMITH: Benscoter begins gently, asking how Queen's faring in the aftermath of last month's Texas snowstorm. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; The network has grown to include families, friends, former members and concerned individuals working together towards a common goal, to provide support and develop awareness for those affected by high demand groups or cultic relationships. Cult deprogramming was once a hotbed of dangerous experimentation. You feel like you are fighting the battle for goodness, and all of a sudden, you feel like you are the hero. The approach has evolved since the days when some deprogrammers came under fire for crossing legal and ethical lines by holding cult members against their will. Nuh-uh.". Ross is the preeminent cult deprogrammer in the United States and the head of the Cult Education Institute, a nonprofit library with archived information about cults. Misia Landau the effects on the victim or aftermath once leaving the cult or relationship. She hosts a podcast about FOX News and watches the channel all day in order to find reasons to talk about it. SHAPIRO: The point here is that increasingly, disinformation is leaking from the far corners of the Internet into mainstream politics. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; Whats wrong, Hassan says, is telling the believer that theyre brainwashed, or stupid or weak. addyb2de03711ae6bd99ac1a0f1add652edf = addyb2de03711ae6bd99ac1a0f1add652edf + 'socal' + '.' + 'rr' + '.' + 'com'; Refresh the page, check Medium. Court Dialogue Helps Moon Cultist To Break Without Deprogramming By Marjorie Hyer April 13, 1977 Barbara Underwood and four other members of the Unification Church went into a San Francisco court. Men and . Copyright 2021 NPR. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; SHAPIRO: In some parts of the country, the threats against public health workers have gotten so bad that officials are resigning. If you are a former member of a cult or high-demand group, we invite you to submit your work to be considered for the Phoenix Project Virtual Montreal 2021. SMITH: Eventually, thanks to a patient friend, Gilley came to understand how he, a left-leaning Obama supporter, allowed himself, as he puts it, to fall down a far-right rabbit hole. "When you are evil, you're evil," says Queen, 46, from Texas. Bea Armstrong, MFT Email:This email address is being protected from spambots. Phone: (214) 607-1065 Email:This email address is being protected from spambots. When we started to know better, we started doing more to combat it. CIFS is an Australian support and information network. Tell them, Share with me what you think is a really reputable article. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; BENSCOTER: Are you OK as far as electricity and - or anything like that? addyf020b5c9b482943f070d4f6e57a6e054 = addyf020b5c9b482943f070d4f6e57a6e054 + 'bellsouth' + '.' + 'net'; Our country needs leadership that will bring us together more than ever, he said in a statement. document.getElementById('cloakfd9ed15925585d1f1899766b95a93c7b').innerHTML = ''; You need JavaScript enabled to view it. SMITH: By the end, they agree to keep talking - just what Benscoter was hoping for. "Just having someone tell you you're right, and don't listen to people, it just leads you down that path so fast," he recalls. 211 E 43rd St, 13th Floor, New York, NY 10017 Web site: www.sarabwaters.com Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. "I know it's been really tough," Benscoter offers. SHAPIRO: Joan Donovan is a researcher at Harvard Kennedy's Shorenstein Center, and she says the truth is often kind of boring and doesn't play well on social media. Note, Religious Deprogramming: A Solution Through Judicially Approved Guardians," 7 Nova L.J. 1: It can help to know that you are not the first person to leave a controlling group and you won't be the last. 1 Summit, NJ 07901 Phone: (917) 753-7007 Kevin Taylor Attorney at Law You don't want to be dragged back into that confusion.". var addyf020b5c9b482943f070d4f6e57a6e054 = 'erikastille' + '@'; This bankrupted the co-defending Cult. CIFS was initially formed by parents and family members of loved ones caught up in abusive groups. Then, Benscoter wades in, carefully making the case that anyone can be duped, making sure never to take aim at Queen. The question is whether the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol can begin to steer some of the Trump faithful toward the kind of cult deprogramming they so . var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; You could also give us a call. "I've probably got almost a hundred requests in my inbox," says Diane Benscoter, who's been helping people untangle from extremist ideologies since the 1980s, after she herself was extricated from the Unification Church, commonly known as the Moonies. Anyone can be drawn in, she says, as cultic groups all tend to fill some psychological void. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Acknowledging that joining a cult requires an element of voluntary self-surrender also obliges us to consider whether the very relinquishment of control isn't a significant part of the appeal . Sidney and Shoe are here to go over the different methods of cult deprogramming, and so much more! var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; Australia has said it would consider a plan to "de-programme" militants held in jail despite criticism by a rights group that it amounted to brainwashing. var addy1d7636c60bf66e28f720217bac536c67 = 'vanessa' + '@'; "I know that sounds outrageous," she sighs, "but I was wasn't stupid, and I just one thing led to another, and it kind of fed into some fears that I had, and it just kind of just pulled me in. She recently founded a nonprofit called Antidote to run Al-Anon-style recovery groups for those caught up in disinformation and their loved ones. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; In Combating Cult Mind Control, Hassan describes what he calls his "BITE model," an acronym for the four components of "mind control": behavior, information, thought, and emotional control. And Benscoter warns Queen about believing everything from a trusted friend; they may have the best intentions, but anyone can be deceived, she says. "But it doesn't mean they need to be tortured or killed.". var addy_text91074be5ee59a2d78187577491ccc5ac = 'tbiegenlcsw' + '@' + 'gmail' + '.' + 'com';document.getElementById('cloak91074be5ee59a2d78187577491ccc5ac').innerHTML += ''+addy_text91074be5ee59a2d78187577491ccc5ac+'<\/a>'; Vanessa Reiser, LCSW Psychotherapist licensed in New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts specializing in narcissistic abuse, cult recovery and trauma. Cults require an obsessive and complete belief in a radical religious view or radical political group. var addy9ab5a63abd787008bc43f649316071fa = 'sarawaters' + '@'; var addy08a3115d0b8c7e253703ff3626436340 = 'dwehlelcsw' + '@'; FBI Director Christopher Wray on Tuesday rejected conspiracy theories blaming left-wing extremists for the violence. addyfefae804527880e22aa3cd22f2d08a08 = addyfefae804527880e22aa3cd22f2d08a08 + 'earthlink' + '.' + 'net'; Cult cults deprogrammng brain washing scientology moonies ted talks kidnapping sleep nutrition exercise beyonce jackfruit tacos abuse abusive relationships aa alcoholics anonymous addiction recovery jewish doctors She expresses sympathy for how Queen's business has been hurt during the pandemic. He hopes destigmatizing those who have fallen prey to disinformation, and might make it easier for them to get out with their dignity intact. A few minutes in, Queen starts to push back, insisting she's not the impulsive or emotional type who would do that. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; "This is like a war on thought. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; 7:15 On Thursday, Vanity Fair published an interview with cult expert Steven Hassan detailing how to go about "deprogramming" Trump supporters, while arguing for a "massive education" effort involving the participation of schools, mental health professionals, law enforcement, media, politicians, and intelligence agencies. "I think now is the time to start building bridges, you know. Her areas of expertise are trauma, loss, cult and high demand group and relationship education and recovery, including those born and raised; and motherless daughters, women who have lost their mothers through death, illness, narcissism, separation, or estrangement in childhood, adolescence or adulthood. var addy_text9ab5a63abd787008bc43f649316071fa = 'sarawaters' + '@' + 'protonmail' + '.' + 'com';document.getElementById('cloak9ab5a63abd787008bc43f649316071fa').innerHTML += ''+addy_text9ab5a63abd787008bc43f649316071fa+'<\/a>'; And those who try to use them will be less successful using them because they're easily spotted now. Phone: 317.536.5482, Deirdre Hart Wilson, CSW Las Vegas/Henderson A survivor of a destructive group who specializes in recovery from cults, trauma, and abuse.Email:This email address is being protected from spambots. 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