Freedom of Mind Resource Center: Mid-Year Update 2018
Freedom of Mind Resource Center: Mid-Year Update 2018
Steven Hassan speaking at 2018 ICSA conference
July 12, 2018,
2018 ICSA Annual Conference
Last week, I was in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and gave a talk on the Freedom of Mind Approach to helping people raised in cults and dysfunctional families at the 2018 annual ICSA conference. The theme of the conference was “The global challenge of young people born, raised or recruited into extremist groups, abusive religious organizations, or coercive/exploitative relationships.”
Next year, July 2019, there will be another conference. They alternate locations, having one in the U.S. and the next in another country. This coming international conference will be at the University of Salford, U.K. I plan to present a paper on my BITE model and its application in fighting terrorism, trafficking and other forms of undue influence. I intend to present the findings of my research in the near future.
Scientific Research Studies
I did the first of two research studies, for my doctoral dissertation for Fielding Graduate University, in conjunction with my external supervising professor Dr. Michael Commons and Freedom from Undue Influence. The study was conducted completely online and anonymously. The first study aimed to better understand the behavioral aspects of undue influence. My hope is to develop a scientifically valid instrument that will be useful in showing key factors for determining an undue influence environment. This will help forensic experts better inform judges and juries in the legal systems worldwide. Once there is a scientifically valid standard structure, it will help guide policymakers, educators, mental health care providers and benefit citizens around the world.
In a little more than one week, my first study on influence had 1028 respondents. My supervisor for the research informed me that we had enough raw data to do the study and so we closed it and began analyzing the results. We would like to express our gratitude to all who supported the effort. In the near future, I hope to publish the results in a scholarly journal. I plan to publically share the data, as well.
Secondly, last week, I released a second, shorter study on ethics, law, and punishment and undue influence. This study is currently open and I welcome additional participants to take it.
30th Edition of Combating Cult Mind Control
November 18, 2018 will mark the 40th anniversary of the Jonestown tragedy and the 30th anniversary of the release of my book, “Combating Cult Mind Control.” I am currently preparing a special 30th edition of the book with an updated introduction. More details will follow as the book becomes available later this year.
Combating Cult Mind Control Audiobook
I am excited to announce the audiobook version of Combating Cult Mind Control (30th edition) is currently in production and will be released by the end of the summer. It will be available for purchase on Audible, Itunes, and Amazon.
Vlog
Media Interviews and Podcasts
2018 has been a busy year for me and this includes interviews, articles and podcasts that I have been a part of. Here is a list in case you missed any:
1/04/2018, Interview with Court Lewis for American Variety Radio
2/28/2018, NYTimes Podcast: Change Agent, episode #3, “The Talk
2/09/2018, Interview with Brendan Joel Kelley, South Poverty Law Center
3/06/2018, Interview with Chauncey DeVega for Chauncey DeVega Show podcast with Salon.com
5/09/2018, Interview with Alden Woods, “Cults increasingly gain followers on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube“
5/23/2018, Interview with Sarah Berman of Vice, “A Cult Expert Tells Us Why the NXIVM Story Is Far from Over”
6/06/2018, Mormon Stories Podcast with John Dehlin
6/20/2018, Gizmodo Podcast on Teal Swan, episode 4
2018 Blog Posts
In case you missed any of my weekly blogs on timely and important subject matter, here is an exhaustive list:
Jan 4, 2018: 2018: Looking Forward to Helping People to Help Themselves and Others
Jan 9, 2018: How Jehovah’s Witness Teachings Can Damage Brain Development in Children
Jan 18, 2018: How Can I Rescue My Child From a Cult?
Jan 26, 2018: Errant Belief #1: There’s No Such Thing as Mind Control
Feb 1, 2018: Errant Belief #2 “Everything is Mind Control”
Feb 8, 2018: The Moonies and TM Attempt to Reinvent Themselves
Feb 14, 2018: The Radicalization of Patty Hearst: Mind Control by the SLA, a Political Cult
Feb 22, 2018: Errant Belief #3: “Why Should I Do Anything? He Says He’s Happy!”
March 1, 2018: Errant Belief #4: “He’s an Adult. We Have No Right to Interfere.”
March 8, 2018: Charles Duhigg’s New York Times Podcast: “Change Agent”
March 15, 2018: Errant Belief #5: “He Has the Right to Believe What He Wants to Believe”
March 22, 2018: Shunning and the BITE Model of Mind Control in the Jehovah’s Witnesses
April 4, 2018: Researchers Beware: Wikipedia Entries About High Control Groups Are Not Very Trustworthy
April 11, 2018: How to Rescue a Loved One from a Cult or Controlling Relationship: The Strategic Interactive Approach
April 19, 2018: Errant Belief #6: “He’s Too Intelligent to Join a Cult”
April 26, 2018: Errant Belief #7: “He Must Be Weak, Stupid or Looking for Easy Answers or Someone to Tell Him What to Do”
May 3, 2018: Hypnosis, Guided Meditation, Deep Visualizations–Consumers Beware!
May 10, 2018: Errant Belief #8: “She’s Better Off Where She Is”
May 17, 2018: The Freedom of Mind Approach to Recovery and Healing from Destructive Cults
May 24, 2018: High Control Groups Program Members to Fear Mental Health Help
May 31, 2018: Errant Belief #9: “She’ll Walk out on Her Own When She Is Ready”
June 7, 2018: Scientific Research Survey to Understand Influence
June 14, 2018: The BITE Model & Mormonism: An Exploration with Ex-Mormon John Dehlin
June 21, 2018: Errant Belief #10: “We Have Lost Hope”
June 28, 2018: A Response to Academics Who Say There Is No Undue Influence in Destructive Cults
July 3, 2018: Dr. Philip Zimbardo’s 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE): A Response to Critics
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