Cults Explained: An Interview with Steven Hassan

About the Workshops

Overview

Cults Explained: An Interview with Steven Hassan

Saturday, May 4, 2024

  • Pacific: 12:30-2:00pm
  • Mountain: 1:30-3:00pm
  • Central: 2:30-4:00pm
  • Eastern: 3:30-5:00pm

View your local time here.

REGISTER NOW

Join FIC Co-Director, Daniel Greenberg, and Cult Expert, Steven Hassan PhD, for a stimulating conversation on the controversial topics of cults.

About the event

Cults are the controversial hot topic right now. If you’ve heard one story, you think you’ve heard them all. Cults with overbearing religious or spiritual leaders, manipulating people into giving away all of their money, property, and rights. And, it’s no wonder this has been an issue for intentional communities, since cults appear to resemble intentional communities on the outside–a collective of people coming together for a common purpose.

Generally, we think of cults as bad, and based on what we’ve heard in mainstream news, it’s hard to imagine how they could possibly be good. But how do we define good and bad, and what exactly is the definition of a cult? How do we sift through all of this information to determine what is right for us?

In this webinar, you’ll learn about:

  • What, exactly, is a cult?
  • Why are cults so controversial?
  • What do cults have to do with intentional community?
  • Who is vulnerable to joining a cult?
  • How do I support someone (even myself!) who may have joined a cult?

About your presenter

Steven Hassan, PhD

Dr. Hassan is a licensed mental health professional, a recognized expert on cults and undue influence, and possesses professional experience both in the US and abroad.

His work encompasses various areas, including consultation, coaching, public speaking, media appearances, activism, writing, research, teaching, intervention, and recovery services, as well as expert consulting and testimony to aid individuals and families dealing with issues related to undue influence.

Dr. Hassan’s expertise extends to the realm of undue influence in a wide array of contexts, including destructive one-on-one relationships, family dynamics, parental alienation, small cult-like groups, religious cults, therapy and self-improvement groups, professional abuse, institutional abuse, corporate settings, multi-level marketing, political groups, human trafficking, hate and violent extremism, and other challenging situations. He actively advocates for the recognition of terrorist groups as destructive cults and addresses their importance.

Over the course of his 40-year career, Dr. Hassan has assisted numerous individuals and families in their recovery from undue influence. He is highly sought after as one of the foremost authorities on the subject of undue influence by both controlling groups and individuals. Steve possesses a unique perspective, having experienced life as a former cult member who was successfully deprogrammed in 1976, and as a clinical professional who has dedicated his life to aiding others in similar situation.

Location

You’ll get the Zoom link after you register in your confirmation email. Please check the spam folder of the inbox you use to register for an email from or****@**.org.

Download Zoom

The Online Event Experience

Live Zoom Sessions

Nothing pre-recorded here! When you sign-up for an event with FIC, you’ll have the opportunity to join a live session on Zoom with the event presenter/facilitator and other participants.

Affordable and Accessible

All our events are run on a sliding scale basis. Generous donations cover the costs for low-income attendees. FIC is committed to making our programs accessible to people of all walks of life.

Watch the Recording

You’ll receive the recording of your event to view for 60 days. So don’t worry if you can’t attend a live session. Watch or listen whenever it is convenient for you. Transcripts available upon request.

Registration

You might also be interested in

Cults Explained: An Interview with Steven Hassan

Description

Cults Explained: An Interview with Steven Hassan

Saturday, May 4, 2024

  • Pacific: 12:30-2:00pm
  • Mountain: 1:30-3:00pm
  • Central: 2:30-4:00pm
  • Eastern: 3:30-5:00pm

View your local time here.

REGISTER NOW

Join FIC Co-Director, Daniel Greenberg, and Cult Expert, Steven Hassan PhD, for a stimulating conversation on the controversial topics of cults.

About the event

Cults are the controversial hot topic right now. If you’ve heard one story, you think you’ve heard them all. Cults with overbearing religious or spiritual leaders, manipulating people into giving away all of their money, property, and rights. And, it’s no wonder this has been an issue for intentional communities, since cults appear to resemble intentional communities on the outside–a collective of people coming together for a common purpose.

Generally, we think of cults as bad, and based on what we’ve heard in mainstream news, it’s hard to imagine how they could possibly be good. But how do we define good and bad, and what exactly is the definition of a cult? How do we sift through all of this information to determine what is right for us?

In this webinar, you’ll learn about:

  • What, exactly, is a cult?
  • Why are cults so controversial?
  • What do cults have to do with intentional community?
  • Who is vulnerable to joining a cult?
  • How do I support someone (even myself!) who may have joined a cult?

About your presenter

Steven Hassan, PhD

Dr. Hassan is a licensed mental health professional, a recognized expert on cults and undue influence, and possesses professional experience both in the US and abroad.

His work encompasses various areas, including consultation, coaching, public speaking, media appearances, activism, writing, research, teaching, intervention, and recovery services, as well as expert consulting and testimony to aid individuals and families dealing with issues related to undue influence.

Dr. Hassan’s expertise extends to the realm of undue influence in a wide array of contexts, including destructive one-on-one relationships, family dynamics, parental alienation, small cult-like groups, religious cults, therapy and self-improvement groups, professional abuse, institutional abuse, corporate settings, multi-level marketing, political groups, human trafficking, hate and violent extremism, and other challenging situations. He actively advocates for the recognition of terrorist groups as destructive cults and addresses their importance.

Over the course of his 40-year career, Dr. Hassan has assisted numerous individuals and families in their recovery from undue influence. He is highly sought after as one of the foremost authorities on the subject of undue influence by both controlling groups and individuals. Steve possesses a unique perspective, having experienced life as a former cult member who was successfully deprogrammed in 1976, and as a clinical professional who has dedicated his life to aiding others in similar situation.

Location

You’ll get the Zoom link after you register in your confirmation email. Please check the spam folder of the inbox you use to register for an email from or****@**.org.

Download Zoom

The Online Event Experience

Live Zoom Sessions

Nothing pre-recorded here! When you sign-up for an event with FIC, you’ll have the opportunity to join a live session on Zoom with the event presenter/facilitator and other participants.

Affordable and Accessible

All our events are run on a sliding scale basis. Generous donations cover the costs for low-income attendees. FIC is committed to making our programs accessible to people of all walks of life.

Watch the Recording

You’ll receive the recording of your event to view for 60 days. So don’t worry if you can’t attend a live session. Watch or listen whenever it is convenient for you. Transcripts available upon request.

Registration

You might also be interested in

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Threshold Village is a residential intentional community in Montpelier, Vermont, striving towards collective and individual liberation. We fiercely celebrate being alive together through radical care & abundance, experimenting & play, reimagining belonging, shared power, stewardship, interdependence with the more than human world, and a festive focus on food.
  • July 30, 2026
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