Claim OwnershipThe Influence Continuum with Dr. Steven Hassan
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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.
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On this episode of the Influence Continuum, I spoke with Craig Unger, an investigative journalist and the author of Den of Spies, which is described in his biography as “a real-life political thriller about how master spy William Casey put together a treasonous covert operation in 1980 that hijacked American foreign policy and stole the election for Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush.” Craig is also the author of six books on the Republican party’s assault on democracy, including American Kompromat: How the KGB Cultivated Donald Trump and Related Tales of Sex, Greed, Power, and Treachery. He has written for New York Magazine, The New Republic, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The New Yorker, The New York Times, Esquire, The Independent, and many others. “Initially, I think, it was very covert, as I show in this book. Everything was behind the scenes. With Trump today, it’s almost overt,” Craig said, noting Trump’s direct message in 2016 to Russia to retrieve Clinton’s emails. I noted The Wall Street Journal’s recent article citing Elon Musk’s relationship with Vladimir Putin and secret conversations. We then discussed the volumes of evidence supporting the idea that Trump was recruited as an asset for the KGB in the 1980s. This book is a well researched documented revealing of how American Democracy has been manipulated. Tragic and Americans wil now see what is brought to power. Eyes open and courageous resistance is required!
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Now with the American election won with the help of Elon Musk and his social media platform, X, and other tech billionaires. We need to pay attention! TECH is now the major world religion! Think about it. Technology was developed as a tool to serve humans, not vice versa. Unfortunately, we humans seem to have forgotten this, as billions worldwide are literally addicted to our smartphones. Many in the upper echelon of technology circles propose and even ominously insist upon humanity serving technology futures. They believe that we, the people, should work towards constant innovation, a technological race to the top, even at the cost of humanity’s future. There is also an emerging thoughtform that suggests that humanity should sacrifice the planet, our very means of existence, to ensure that technology AI data personas would be preserved and reach their ultimate destiny.Peer-reviewed through The MIT Press and distributed by Penguin Random House, Epstein asked, “Who is profiting from these tech-centric futures, and how can we center humanity at the heart of engineering?” This is one of the most important books of our time.
Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com
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Dr Phil spoke at Madison Square Garden saying Trump wasnt a bully. Ha! Professor Yamada is an internationally recognized authority on workplace bullying. He is a professor of law and the director of the New Workplace Institute at Suffolk University Law School in Boston. It is the primary drafter of model workplace anti-bullying legislation known as the Healthy Workplace Bill, which is serving as a template for law reform efforts in the U.S. He also is the founding board chairperson of the International Society for Therapeutic Jurisprudence, which promotes the application and design of laws, legal procedures, and legal institutions that support psychological health and well-being. Professor Yamada identifies former President Donald Trump as being a classic workplace bully, constantly resorting to ridicule, name-calling, and cruel putdowns in his public and private behavior. These actions are consistent with some of the worst types of workplace bullying. Drawing from the DSM-V, Trump’s behaviors are often called “cluster B” traits or behaviors. Cluster B includes narcissism, sociopathy, emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, and attention-seeking. It is no wonder that 40 out of 44 former insiders from the Trump White House have now come out in favor of Kamala Harris. The idea of well-being is central to Professor Yamada’s work and the backbone of our discussion in this episode. Professor Yamada’s current work examines how the law, public policy, and dispute resolution procedures can be designed to be more trauma-informed, enhancing the well-being of those impacted by law and public policies.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oAmU7E1zaycPovorrPQ4JJmBtwl_RgRy/view?usp=drive_link
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When thinking about political leaders—those with influence over national or global issues—how often do we consider the role of their political followers? Could you or I say “no” to a toxic leader and courageously defy their commands? This consideration is critical. Leaders don’t operate in isolation. They need political followers who support, amplify, and even challenge their actions. These checks and balances support strong, fair leadership and ensure the political process is just. To Stop a Tyrant is a book approved of by readers at both ends of the political spectrum as it is a non-partisan and evergreen topic. In my interview with Ira Chaleff, author of The Courageous Follower and Intelligent Disobedience: Doing Right When What You’re Told to Do Is Wrong, we explored this multifaceted relationship as he explained how political followers have the power to support healthy leadership or enable authoritarianism. His fascinating perspective comes from a dedicated career of studying the dynamics of leadership and followership – specifically in political contexts. Together, we unpacked his insights on what he calls “Courageous Followership,” his perspectives on intelligently and ethically disobeying harmful instructions from a leader, and the roles of followers who have the power to combat undue influence.
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Pornhub was once recognized as the largest and most popular porn site in the world. The site made it easy for users to upload and download content, which is desirable in other contexts. However, these features pose significant threats when applied to freely accessible user-generated, homemade, pornography. Reports suggest that without adequate safeguards, there was a rapid increase in uploads of questionable, illegal, and violent content, including instances of nonconsensual sexual acts. More troublingly, such content became widely viewable and could be downloaded onto private devices. Laila Mickelwait is the author of the new book Takedown: Inside the Fight to Shut Down Pornhub for Child Abuse, Rape, and Sex Trafficking. She is also the founder and CEO of the Justice Defense Fund, a non-profit organization that seeks to help bring justice to survivors of online sexual crimes. Numerous lawsuits have been filed based on sex trafficking, child abuse, and RICO laws in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., with claims that Visa and two hedge funds also knowingly profited from content depicting sexual abuse.
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My latest guest on the Influence Continuum is Amanda Tyler, a graduate of Georgetown University and The University of Texas School of Law, who has practiced privately as an attorney, as a law clerk for a U.S. district court judge in Dallas, Texas, and at various positions within the federal level. She is currently the Executive Director of the BJC ( Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty) .Her new book is titled How to End Christian Nationalism. Amanda’s work has focused on constitutional law analysis and advocacy for ‘faith freedom for all,’ on which topics she has testified before Congress. She defined Christian nationalism as “a political ideology and a cultural framework that tries to merge American and Christian identities.” She based her foundation for religious freedoms squarely on the First Amendment, which stated, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” During our conversation, she shared her legal analysis and religious freedom advocacy perspective, highlighting that this scenario is currently threatened by Christian nationalism in the United States.
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United States history is often portrayed more through myth than historical fact. The true story of America, from its founding rebellion to the present day, is extraordinarily complex. The truth can sometimes seem almost unimaginable due to the numerous injustices and inequities throughout its history. Despite the ideals expressed by the nation’s founders in the Preamble to the Constitution—to form “a more perfect Union,” establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure liberty for future generations—America’s creation was rooted in systems of class and caste. As discussed in this episode of the Influence Continuum, the idea of a fair system initially created to be accessible to all is an aspect of that founding myth.
Charles Derber, a Professor of Sociology at Boston College and life-long activist has authored 28 books on topics such as politics, democracy, fascism, corporations, capitalism, climate change, war, culture wars, and social change. In this episode of the Influence Continuum, he helped us delve deeper into the historical dynamics of class and caste. His latest book, co-authored with Yale R. Magrass, Who Owns Democracy? The Real Deep State and the Struggle Over Class and Caste in America presents a candid discussion about the hard truths of power and who predominantly bears the burden or responsibility of the deep state. This was a fascinating hour with a true scholar.
Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com
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Heard about the Heritage Foundation Project 2025? Did you know it’s architect, President Kevin Roberts has ties to the far-right, secretive Roman Catholic group Opus Dei. Want to know more? I have been helping people involved with Opus Dei for decades and have read numerous books on them. I have a BITE Model of Authoritarian control on Opus day on my website. I am excited to share a brand new book, published by Simon and Schuster that breaks new ground and is vital to read. Join me on an interview with the financial journalist who spent 6 years researching this cult. Learn names of top officials who have been recruited to be involved with this cult group.
Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com
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This week on the Influence Continuum, I had the pleasure of sitting down with two-time Emmy winner Dan Partland, an extraordinary documentarian. He asked me to speak on the MAGA cult in his new film, #UNTRUTH: The Psychology of Trumpism, which will be streaming on virtually every platform. Dan’s new film highlights what I have been saying for years—Trumpism is not just a political movement; it operates as a destructive authoritarian cult and utilizes known mind-control techniques to disconnect Trump’s followers from reality, reinforce their loyalty to him, and silence dissenters and dissidents. In 2020, he released a film, #UNFIT: The Psychology of Donald Trump, during the 2020 election cycle. The film stars many top people: George Conway, Joe Walsh, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Malcolm Nance to mention just a few experts. It is really well done and well argued. Come listen to this fascinating interview.
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Have you ever learned from an expert in coercive control? Ever thought about the authoritarianism in a family structure? Maybe you or someone you know were married to a narcissist or knows of children being manipulated by an abusive parent. My latest guest, social worker Christine Cocchiola, is an expert on adult and child victims of coercive control. Dr. Christine Cocchiola has a doctorate in Social Welfare, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and is a tenured Social Work professor. Dr. Cocchiola also has a brand-new book with co-author Amy Polacko called Framed: Women in the Family Court Underworld. It consists of 22 stories from survivors of coercive control and narcissistic abuse and what it was like for them and their families dealing with the legal system. Dr. Cocchiola's work helps combat what I think is an unrealized epidemic, which is people who are harmful and toxic to others. During our talk, we focused on what I believe is vitally important in understanding authoritarian and coercive control when a parent acts like a cult leader. Join me in this fascinating conversation!
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When Kamala Harris was Attorney General for California she supported legislation to protect elderly people from undue influence. In this installment of The Influence Continuum, I sat down with Lisa Nerenberg, MSW, MPH, who has dedicated her career to ensuring dignity and justice for this vulnerable and growing population. Lisa is the founding executive director of The California Elder Justice Coalition. She now serves as the organization’s Director of Special Projects. She co-founded the San Francisco Consortium for Elder Abuse Prevention and the National Network for State Elder Justice Coalitions. Showcasing her passion and expertise, Lisa has authored two influential books: Elder Justice, Ageism, and Elder Abuse (2019) and Elder Abuse Prevention (2008). I believe that undue influence has reached a “tipping point” where most Americans agree that people can be harmed by psychological means. Join us for this fascinating discussion.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14-e5PZQ2T6tPU-KAIEOvFqaA_nEPrEfE/view?usp=drive_link
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This is one of the most important podcasts I've had the pleasure to do, as its focus is on free and fair election systems, the cornerstone of our Democracy. I spoke with Walt McKee and J. Larry Mayes, who co-chair the Braver Angels Trustworthy Elections Leadership Team, an organization I am also proud to be a member of. Braver Angels is a unique nonprofit, as it is one of the few organizations that actively brings people together from both sides of the aisle to listen to each other and develop friendships- whether they lean red or lean blue. This year they decided to do a project to determine what everyone could agree on as a fair and trustworthy election. The summary, available to all on the Braver Angels' website, is reported to consist of "23 specific solutions which address seven broad areas of concern," including:
Fair and Equal Access to Voting
Verifiable Voter Identity and Eligibility
Transparency and Accountability
Redistricting – Gerrymandering
Confidence in Vote Counting
Safety and Security in the Elections Process
Peaceful Transfer of Power
Please come learn about how these recommendations were developed and agreed to by all who lean left or lean right as a way to find common ground together. Come give a listen!
Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com
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Come join me for a personal discussion with the man I credit for helping me to reconnect with my Jewish identity and faith. Reb Moshe Waldoks helped me find a practice of Judaism that spoke to my soul. Reb Moshe is the son of Holocaust survivors and an “advocate for joy.” Reb Moshe spent 12 years as a teacher, storyteller, and comedian. He co-edited The Big Book of Jewish Humor with William Novak. Reb Moshe helped establish a vibrant community at Temple Beth Zion in Brookline, Massachusetts, where I have belonged for the past 26 years. In this time of increased anti-semitism, I wanted to do this important interview. Come check it out.
Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com
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In this episode of Influence Continuum, I spoke with my good friend and long-time colleague Joseph Szimhart. He is a cult and intervention expert and has an over 25-year history of working as a case worker in mental health. Want to understand the history of cult belief systems, including QAnon? Ascended Masters? Angles? Channelers? Mystics? Did you know Michael Flynn did a “decree”, just like the ones Joe did when he was involved with Church Universal and Triumphant. Joe is my go-to-man for anything “new age” or “new thought.” He is a lay scholar and has read countless books and helps me on cases as a content expert! His current work also includes a YouTube channel focusing on “Cults and the Occulture” as its central theme. I believe you will be gald you have listened to this podcast.
Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com
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The November 2024 election will determine the future of America and the free world. Donald Trump has chosen J.D. Vance as his vice president, and the pair continue to get increasingly “weird,” and lying seems to be ramping up if that is even possible. Conservative attorney George Conway has created the Anti-Psychopath PAC and has publicly called out the media’s failure to explain the dangers of having a psychopath in the White House. Conway wrote the Foreword to the rerelease of The Cult of Trump which is being rolled out asap. We did an Afterword. I wanted to reshare this 2023 interview with one of the leading experts who has been silenced is Bandy X. Lee, M.D., M.Div., a forensic psychiatrist, president of the World Mental Health Coalition, and an internationally recognized expert on violence. A brilliant and compassionate observer of the political landscape, she is the author of Profile of a Nation: Trump’s Mind, America’s Soul and editor of the best-selling book The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 37 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President. She is assembling a team of authors to create a new, short book published by the World Mental Health Coalition and tentatively titled The More Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 37 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Warn Anew. This is an important interview which goes into problems with the family courts as well.
Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com
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With the election just a few months away and an unprecedented barrage of psychological warfare being leveled at Americans, as well as people around the world, we decided to reshare this podcast and blog from 2020. It features Dr. James Scaminaci’s expertise on psychological warfare and specifically something called Fourth Generation Warfare (4GW). Understanding psychological warfare is imperative to counter the authoritarian agenda aimed at destabilizing people’s sense of self and understanding of “reality.” Indeed, social media and AI are being used to confuse, disorient, and unduly influence people to extremely simplistic positions of all or nothing and good versus evil. The moderate majority that values facts, science, human rights, and checks and balances of power must stay focused on reality being very complex and rarely simple. Going forward, we must understand and protect ourselves in order to keep American from coming apart. Come join us on this fascinating interview.
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With the 2024 election coming in November, Trump has been ramping up his rhetoric about using the DOJ to go after his critics who he considers his enemies. He has managed to enthrall millions to think God is on Trump’s side. All I can say is that no one has experienced more directly the weaponization of the DOJ using former AG William Barr, than Michael Cohen. His book Revenge: How Donald Trump Weaponized the Department of Justice Against His Critics. So I decided to reair our 2023 interview when the book first came out to put some “flesh on the bones” of this attack on our constitution and rule of law. Michael Cohen hosts the Mea Culpa podcast and authored the #1 best-selling book, Disloyal: A Memoir. His book Revenge is an indictment of Trump weaponizing the Department of Justice, headed by AG Bill Barr. Putting Cohen in jail- solitary confinement for 51 days! Learn more about this horrendous abuse of power. This is a great interview!
Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com
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Kristy Norbert, co-founder and executive director of Empowered Network, is a licensed social worker with over 20 years of experience who has developed trauma-informed programs aimed at helping trafficking survivors achieve long-term stability and self-sufficiency. Her insights reveal the critical intersection between human trafficking and mind control, similar to the techniques employed by cult leaders. Empowered Network assists survivors of human trafficking in moving beyond immediate crisis services to achieve long-term stability. I was honored to nominate Felicia Rosario, MD, to get support from the Empowered Network. Felicia was in the Larry Ray cult at Sarah Lawrence that was featured in the Hulu series Stolen Youth. I appeared in the fourth episode, listed under ABC Nightline-Impact Stolen Youth; in that episode, I met Felicia and Daniel Levin, the cult’s whistleblower, and talked with them about their experiences. Larry Ray was convicted of trafficking and is in jail for the rest of his life. I am happy to say Felicia is returning to become a forensic psychiatrist and will attend the IALMH.org congress with me this July 22-26th in Barcelona.
Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com
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1Humans crave connection. This need for connection is a vital aspect of the psychology behind cults, coercion, and undue influence. Isolation makes people vulnerable and fearful and more likely to be influenced in harmful ways. Psychiatrist Ravi Chandra discusses the psychology of connection, how institutions can take action to encourage empathy and critical thinking, and how social media and fear-mongering news cycles are creating divisions. We need to be focusing on developing trust and community.
As a member of the American Psychiatric Association, Ravi Chandra is concerned about the Goldwater Rule and how it limits what psychiatrists can and cannot say about public figures Like Donald Trump. The APA established the Goldwater rule in 1973. The so-called “rule” says that psychiatrists should not diagnose a person from a distance; they should only offer professional opinions if they have done a personal examination and evaluation. However, forensic experts on dangerousness, like Dr. Bandy X. Lee insists “experts have a duty to warn!” When their voices are censored we are all endangered.
Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com
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Did you know there are 8.6 million dedicated members of the Watchtower Society or Jehovah’s Witnesses, and supposedly, over 20 million people attend their annual big meeting (memorial attendance) worldwide? They are out on street corners, travel terminals in pairs. When I heard about a new book in Portuguese by a former elder, I wanted to learn more. António's new book, The Universe of Destructive Sects – Discover the secret world of deception, manipulation and mind control, explores the deepest secrets of the human mind and uncovers the manipulative techniques behind cults and high-control groups. António Madaleno’s journey from a dedicated Jehovah’s Witness elder to a vocal advocate against the Watchtower Society’s control tactics is a powerful story of courage and resilience. In this week’s episode of The Influence Continuum, we spoke about his transformative story and the impact of his work.
Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com
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It's what I've been noticing, seeing, knowing!! something wasn't sitting right with me. I just couldn't put it into words. Powerful stuff.
it's like you're talking about my original family. makes me want to cry.
Dr Hassan you hardly give your guest a minute to speak. The entire episode is a monologue!!!