Cults 101: Dr. Steven Hassan & The BITE Model
03/01/21 • 64 min
2 Listeners
A Little Bit Culty –
What’s the difference between a cult and something that’s just a little bit culty? What should Sarah and Nippy tell their kids when they’re old enough to ask about NXIVM? How do you protect yourself from mind control? On this episode of A Little Bit Culty, our co-hosts chat with cult expert and author Dr. Steven Hassan about what makes people universally vulnerable to undue influence and cultic abuse; how to spot red flags; and some of the striking similarities between Keith Raniere and Donald Trump. They also explore Dr. Hassan’s cult origin story as a former member of the Moon cult, as well as his groundbreaking BITE Model that demystifies the methods that cults deploy to recruit and maintain control over people. Sarah also shares a (ahem) juicy story about a WTF moment of truth about a certain dietary mystery among the women of NXIVM that always perplexed her.
About Dr. Steven Hassan: As one of the world’s leading authorities on cults, Dr. Steven Hassan has been helping people wake up, leave, and heal from cultic abuse for over forty years as a mental health professional, consultant, and educator. He is the founding director of the Freedom of Mind Resource Center, an organization that specializes in providing acute intensive care for people exiting destructive environments. Dr. Hassan is also the author of four books, including Combating Cult Mind Control, Freedom of Mind, and most recently: The Cult of Trump.
About the BITE Model, as quoted from the Freedom of Mind Resource center site at Freedomofmind.com: “Based on research and theory by Robert Jay Lifton, Margaret Singer, Edgar Schein, Louis Jolyon West, and others who studied brainwashing in Maoist China as well as cognitive dissonance theory by Leon Festinger, Steven Hassan developed the BITE Model to describe the specific methods that cults use to recruit and maintain control over people. “BITE” stands for Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotional control.
A Little Bit Culty is a proud community partner of the #iGotOut Project. Learn more and find helpful resources for healing, education and prevention at igotout.org.
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A Little Bit Culty –
What’s the difference between a cult and something that’s just a little bit culty? What should Sarah and Nippy tell their kids when they’re old enough to ask about NXIVM? How do you protect yourself from mind control? On this episode of A Little Bit Culty, our co-hosts chat with cult expert and author Dr. Steven Hassan about what makes people universally vulnerable to undue influence and cultic abuse; how to spot red flags; and some of the striking similarities between Keith Raniere and Donald Trump. They also explore Dr. Hassan’s cult origin story as a former member of the Moon cult, as well as his groundbreaking BITE Model that demystifies the methods that cults deploy to recruit and maintain control over people. Sarah also shares a (ahem) juicy story about a WTF moment of truth about a certain dietary mystery among the women of NXIVM that always perplexed her.
About Dr. Steven Hassan: As one of the world’s leading authorities on cults, Dr. Steven Hassan has been helping people wake up, leave, and heal from cultic abuse for over forty years as a mental health professional, consultant, and educator. He is the founding director of the Freedom of Mind Resource Center, an organization that specializes in providing acute intensive care for people exiting destructive environments. Dr. Hassan is also the author of four books, including Combating Cult Mind Control, Freedom of Mind, and most recently: The Cult of Trump.
About the BITE Model, as quoted from the Freedom of Mind Resource center site at Freedomofmind.com: “Based on research and theory by Robert Jay Lifton, Margaret Singer, Edgar Schein, Louis Jolyon West, and others who studied brainwashing in Maoist China as well as cognitive dissonance theory by Leon Festinger, Steven Hassan developed the BITE Model to describe the specific methods that cults use to recruit and maintain control over people. “BITE” stands for Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotional control.
A Little Bit Culty is a proud community partner of the #iGotOut Project. Learn more and find helpful resources for healing, education and prevention at igotout.org.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Previous Episode
This Is Us: Meet The Hosts
A Little Bit Culty – In this premiere episode of A Little Bit Culty, co-hosts Sarah Edmondson and Anthony “Nippy” Ames catch listeners up on life since NXIVM, and their new normal as whistleblowers documented in the critically-acclaimed HBO series The Vow. The pair share the story of how the A Little Bit Culty podcast came to be, and state some intentions and ground rules up front. Namely, as co-hosts of the podcast, they don’t want to be in the business of punching down on people who are still in cults. They also state their mission to be as responsible as possible with the platform, and to help other people by having the honest, informed conversations they wish they’d heard when they were in NXIVM. Sarah and Nippy also discuss how the experience of leaving NXIVM has affected their relationship and their outlook now: especially in the aftermath of Keith Raniere’s conviction and 120 year prison sentence. They also tackle some burning questions from people who’ve followed their story closely: Did Keith ever hit on Sarah? Where did Nippy get his name? Are you still friends with anyone from NXIVM, and do you ever want to talk to Lauren or Nancy again? Then they wrap it all up by sharing a few of the less headline-worthy things that really chapped their ass about NXIVM: from the organization’s flying monkeys and fixers, to office politics and full-on interoffice polyamory.
A Little Bit Culty is a proud community partner of the #iGotOut Project. Learn more and find helpful resources for healing, education and prevention at igotout.org.
CREDITS: Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames Production Partner: Citizens of Sound Producer: Will Retherford Associate Producer: Jess Tardy
Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin Additional Music Scores by Will Retherford
Follow A Little Bit Culty: Website Instagram Follow Sarah Edmondson: Instagram Buy Her Book Linktr.ee Follow Anthony "Nippy" Ames: Instagram
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Next Episode
Heal That Sh*t: Leah Remini & The Aftermath
A Little Bit Culty: What’s it like to break up with a powerful, hyper-litigious religious organization while the whole world watches? What’s life like for a fiery changemaker, post-Aftermath? On this episode of A Little Bit Culty, Sarah and Nippy welcome truth teller Leah Remini for a conversation about her headline-making break with the Church of Scientology and her ongoing work to expose the truth about the organization. They chat about the Fair Game doctrine, the parallels between their escape stories, and what they’ve learned so far about what it takes to heal that shit.
About Leah Remini: As creator and executive producer of A&E Network’s hit nonfiction docuseries Leah Remini: Scientology & The Aftermath, she’s investigated the truth behind the Church of Scientology with the kind of unapologetic gutsiness that helped her forge a enduring and successful career in Hollywood.
The Emmy Winning actress, producer and author of the New York Times Best Seller Troublemaker chronicles her remarkable journey out of Scientology and toward emotional and spiritual freedom, both for herself and for her family. Her new podcast with Mike Rinder, Scientology: Fair Game takes listeners behind the facade and exposes the terrible truth about the Fair Game doctrine the organization has used for 5 decades to destroy anyone they label an enemy. A Little Bit Culty is a proud community partner of the #iGotOut Project. Learn more and find helpful resources for healing, education and prevention at igotout.org.
CREDITS: Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames Production Partner: Citizens of Sound Producer: Will Retherford Associate Producer: Jess Tardy
Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin Additional Music Scores by Will Retherford
Follow A Little Bit Culty: Website Instagram Follow Sarah Edmondson: Instagram Buy Her Book Linktr.ee Follow Anthony "Nippy" Ames: Instagram Follow Leah Remini: Website Instagram
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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