In 2018 there were as many as 10,000 cults in the United States. Cultic life is not uncommon in Europe either. In 1994 there were as many as 400 'new religious movements' in Italy, involving 600,000 people. Cult dynamics exist in all layers of society. They can be political, racist, religious, sexual, satanic, or educational. They can be founded on human potential, mass transformation, or mass marketing.

In this series, we will break cultism down to a granular level, shining light on its everydayness, especially for those hungry for personal growth, as highly intelligent and sensitive people naturally are.

Falling refers to both falling in love and falling asleep. Often—but not always—cultic involvement begins with “love-bombing,” a starry-eyed stage where potential initiates are magnetically drawn to a group that promises the moon. Falling feels really, really good. Typically, it can include a lot of longing, learning (about oneself), and a whole lot of idealizing. Just as no one intentionally falls in love with an abuser, no one joins a cult—we fall for them.

Drifting is a period of psychological meandering in which part of one’s psyche is lulled into unconscious complicity with a cultic doctrine while continuing to function in society with relative ease. During this stage, one is easily influenced but can also hold down a job and raise a family with little negative impact, despite the fact that they are living a split reality.

Asleep is the most disturbing stage of cultic involvement. One’s psyche has been eroded to the point where one trusts only the group doctrine and the dictates of the group leader. This stage engenders dedication to the group, regardless of the impact it has on one’s family, career, or oneself, oblivious to the harm that is taking place.

Snapping is the enormous, often sudden, shift in consciousness that arises from the recognition that one has become indoctrinated. For many, it is also an awakening of one’s conscience. It is a recognition of complicity with a harmful ideology that is in direct contradiction to one’s deeply held values or to morality itself.

Waking Up Again and Again is the fifth and ongoing phase of cultic involvement in which one is fully aware of the reality of cultism. Individuals in this stage remain watchful for the potential for harmful power dynamics playing out in the world or in themselves. It is essentially the effort involved in being a conscious, conscientious, human being.

Can understanding the nature of influence support people in cult recovery? Dr. Steve Hassan, former cult member, author, educator, and world authority on cults will be our honored guest throughout this season . Click to learn more about Dr. Hassan.

Our focus today is the BITE model, which refers to Behavior-Information-Thought-Emotion control. Dr. Hassan developed BITE as a model for evaluating degrees undue influence.

Gerette references the book Influence: Science and Practice by Robert Cialdini.

Our focus today is Behavior Control, the first methodology in the BITE model, which refers to control of Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotion. Dr. Hassan developed BITE as a model for evaluating degrees undue influence. As functioning adults, we like to think that we are in control of our own behavior. Last week’s conversation about Influence leads us to reexamine that possibility.

In this episode, we discuss how we become vulnerable to behavior control, types of behavior control, and how our environment shapes our behavior. Vulnerability to influence is part of the human condition. Dr. Hassan suggests that we are susceptible to behavior control from the moment we are born. Using healthy cynicism, curiosity, and discernment, we can begin to understand exactly who or what is control of our behavior.

In the end, love is stronger than mind control.