Newsletter: From Scientology to ... the Jedi?
And your chance to tell us what you want to hear about!
Dear friends,
I am happy to share that on Friday, July 5th, at 6 p.m., I will be giving a plenary talk at this year’s International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) conference in Barcelona, Spain! In 2024, I will not only reflect on my nearly five-decade career but also focus on Mind-Control cultism internationally. In the past, I am aware that some people have wished to travel to meet with me at conferences.
I look forward to meeting and speaking with all attendees this year. A few weeks later, I will speak at the IALMH.org Congress, also held in Barcelona.
I genuinely enjoy speaking with brave survivors of groups like Scientology; this week’s Influence Continuum guest is Mike Brown. Mike escaped a horrific childhood in Scientology, joined the military, and rose to become a skilled helicopter pilot, later a trainer. Mike learned that his now elderly mother, still in the cult, was being abused by the leadership, psychologically and financially. With the help of other former members, he was able to stage a successful exit for her. You can check out his story - including a clip about what it was like to grow up in Scientology’s infamous “Sea Organization” - below, along with some other exciting items!
Cults steal many things from their members, including happy childhoods. Our early years should be filled with freedom and fun. However, for children raised in cults, childhood can be filled with hard labor and indoctrination. This was the case for Michael Brown. His parents’ involvement with Scientology marked Mike’s childhood in many negative ways. His parents joined Scientology when Mike was seven, following his father, a former US Marine who was wounded in Vietnam, buying a copy of “Dianetics.” Mike’s dad was searching for ways to heal from PTSD when he joined Scientology. Mike moved to California with his mom after his parents’ divorce, and Mike was made to join the Sea Organization or “Sea Org,” a paramilitary section of Scientology.
Listen to the podcast, below:
And here’s a short clip of Mike talking about what it was like growing up in the Sea Organization:
May the Fourth be with you!
One of the lighter-hearted ways to open a dialogue about what a cult looks like is to apply my BITE Model to a popular culture franchise. Star Wars Day (May the 4th) was last week, and so, we present a few reasons why the Jedi, for all their noble intentions, might be a high-control group:
1. Behavior Control:
They are discouraged from forming close attachments, which limits their social interactions and personal freedoms. They are not allowed to marry.
2. Information Control:
There’s a strict hierarchy within the Order, with information being disseminated based on a Jedi’s rank and clearance level.
3. Thought Control:
Thought-stopping phrases like “Do. Or Do not. There is no try” discourage trial and error learning.
4. Emotion Control:
Jedi are taught to suppress and regulate their emotions, particularly negative ones like fear, anger, and attachment. Emotions are seen as potentially leading to the Dark Side.
Poll: we want to hear from you!
What topics would you like to hear me discuss in the future? Now is your chance to weigh in!
Also, please feel free to let us know other topics you’d like to hear about in the comments!
As always, feel free to let us know what you think about these pieces, or what you’d like to see us talk about in the future. Thanks so much!
Foundational Course for Clinicians and Others
This course will help mental health professionals understand cults, brainwashing, thought reform, mind control, and undue influence. It will teach them how people can be programmed into a destructive authoritarian cult and inform them on undue influence and destructive cults. Additionally, they will learn how to recognize patients in need, several approaches that work, and guidelines when working with those affected by destructive cults.
I'd like to hear about people who are manipulated by therapists into believing false memories.