Ex-Scientologists, Recovery, and Helping Others – a Discussion with Jon Atack

The Influence Continuum with Dr. Steven Hassan

One of the most publicized authoritarian cults is Scientology and the world’s leading authority is Jon Atack. Jon and I have been friends and colleagues He is the author of Let’s Sell These People A Piece of Blue Sky, considered the definitive book on Scientology, Dianetics, and L. Ron Hubbard. During our podcast, we discussed the new audiobook versions of Scientology: The Cult of Greed and Opening Our Minds: Avoiding Abusive Relationships and Authoritarian Groups. A significant portion of our discussion focused on the struggle former cult members face in processing the mind control they endured. We consider ourselves “elders” in the work helping people to understand and recover. Yet we both are frustrated that former members fail to see “the big picture” and continue to operate out of a cult mindset of “us vs. them”- even when it comes to fellow ex Scientologists. There is a lot of interesting things we unpack, including the fact that the founder of the cult was a hypnotist. Our conversation delved deeply into the complexities of mind control, the importance of processing and healing from cult experiences, and the challenges former members face in reclaiming their lives.

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