Newsletter: What Can Be Done To Stop Trump from Dismantling Our Democracy?
Exploring intentional communities and liberal cancel culture
Dear friends,
My interview with Anthony Davis on his Weekend News Show aired this past Sunday night. These interviews have been essential for me to do, as it’s vital to get the message of Trump’s manipulative tactics out to as broad an audience as possible (269k views currently). We must stop Maga and Trump from establishing a dictatorship. Please take a look, like, and share it with your network. Good people must stay focused to elect a blue supermajority in November! We must stop Trump from dismantling our democracy!
I hosted a webinar with Dr. Daniel Greenberg, cofounder of the nonprofit Foundation for Intentional Community, and we discussed how intentional community is a group sharing resources and values, but they must be cautious of manipulative influences to preserve their autonomy.
This week’s Influence Continuum podcast features Rev. Dr. Todd Eklof, the minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Spokane, WA, who has been excommunicated from this liberal faith for speaking his mind. We discussed how “cancel culture” shuts down free-thinking for liberals and conservatives alike and how we must all be willing to hear and interact with ideas we might disagree with.
Scroll below to learn more!
On my fourth appearance on the Weekend Show, I join host Anthony Davis to discuss the cult of Trump, his narcissistic personality, and his despotic ambitions for a future anti-democracy presidency. The title was his choice and clickbaity. As a mental health professional, I do not clinically diagnose anyone. However, Trump is a malignant narcissist by his very actions. This is Erich Fromm’s term and not in the DSM-V, which is used to diagnose mental illness. From my research, it is the stereotypical profile for all predators and cult leaders.
Many years ago, I hired Daniel to read the audiobook for the updated Combating Cult Mind Control. Daniel is co-founder and co-executive director of the Foundation for Intentional Communities, an international organization for intentional communities. Daniel works to create cooperative culture through social, ecological, and economic justice, and close to his heart (and mine), he is making sure that such communities remain on the healthy, ethical side of the Influence Continuum. In this talk, we discuss what a cult is, how we define them, how they operate, and how to support those who have joined. We talked about doing more programs together as there is a growing desire for people to develop more ethical and life-sustaining communities.
Rev. Dr. Todd F. Eklof has been the minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Spokane, WA, since 2011. He’s appreciated for his mind-altering sermons, compassionate soul, and social activism. Unitarianism and Unitarian Universalism have traditionally been known as liberal religions, defined by their commitment to individual dignity and freedom of expression. They promote diversity and inclusivity and encourage their members to engage in the “free and responsible search for truth and meaning.” However, Todd has had a different experience. He believes the organization has undergone a significant policy change, with the value of autonomy and freedom of expression becoming less critical. As a minister, he was not allowed to discuss his concerns openly and was attacked when he did speak out. As a result, he was “disfellowshipped.”
Listen to the podcast, below:
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.