Episode #680
Steven Hassan
Books mentioned
Combating Cult Mind Control
Mentioned by Joe Rogan (host) · at 00:01:53 · ▶︎ Watch this moment on YouTube (approximate)
Amazon (opens in a new tab; affiliate link) Source: Transcript (podscripts.co)
A Piece of Blue Sky
Mentioned by Steven Hassan · at 01:23:58 · ▶︎ Watch this moment on YouTube (approximate)
Amazon (opens in a new tab; affiliate link) Source: Transcript (podscripts.co)
The Unbreakable Miss Lovely
Mentioned by Steven Hassan · at 01:25:56 · ▶︎ Watch this moment on YouTube (approximate)
Amazon (opens in a new tab; affiliate link) Source: Transcript (podscripts.co)
The Scandal of Scientology
Mentioned by Steven Hassan · at 01:26:20 · ▶︎ Watch this moment on YouTube (approximate)
Amazon (opens in a new tab; affiliate link) Source: Transcript (podscripts.co)
Battlefield Earth
Mentioned by Joe Rogan (host) · at 01:34:23 · ▶︎ Watch this moment on YouTube (approximate)
Amazon (opens in a new tab; affiliate link) Source: Transcript (podscripts.co)
Dianetics
Mentioned by Steven Hassan · at 01:35:23 · ▶︎ Watch this moment on YouTube (approximate)
Amazon (opens in a new tab; affiliate link) Source: Transcript (podscripts.co)
Timestamps are segment start times from the podscripts.co transcript of the audio release (includes ad reads), so they may differ from the video by a few minutes.
Steven Hassan, a licensed mental health counselor and author on cults, recounts his involvement with and departure from the Unification Church. He examines thought reform, recruitment, deprogramming, and cult control, drawing on Scientology, Transcendental Meditation, and social-psychology research, while discussing trauma, abuse, family relationships, and when separating from harmful groups may be necessary.
What they talked about
- Steven Hassan's Jewish identity and name confusion
- Definition and examples of destructive vs. positive cults
- Moonie recruitment tactics and love bombing
- The BITE model of mind control
- Milgram and Stanford Prison experiments
- Scientology's tax-exempt status and abuses
- Stefan Molyneux and family-of-origin cutting
- False memory syndrome and trauma therapy
Data last updated · Report a mistake · How it works: mentions are pulled from public transcripts and episode descriptions, partly with AI-assisted extraction, so details and timestamps can be off.