Brainwashing
Visiting Jonestown: Site of the Largest Murder-Suicide in Modern History
The cult compound where 918 people ended their lives is today in ruins.
Courts Are Rarely Kind to ‘Brainwashed’ Victims
Months ahead of the NXIVM sex-trafficking trial, we take a look at how juries react to cults.
In 2017, You Can't Always Spot a Cult From the Outside
A cult expert explains how to avoid being brainwashed in a world where everyone is promising the answer.
Russians Think Fidget Spinners Are the New Opiate of the Masses
Spinners are likely a "form of hypnosis" being used to "zombify" people, according to a Russian news report.
Why Does Radical Islam Appeal to So Many Young Men?
After the San Bernardino shootings and the tragic terrorist attacks in Paris, I asked some of my friends, who have dabbled in extremism, what the draw is for so many young muslims.
How Spreading the Word of God Made Me Lose My Own Faith
If you think starting college is hard, try doing it as a 17-year-old virgin going through a breakup, spending your freshmen orientation week trying to get strangers to come to Jesus.
We Spoke to the Director of Deprogrammed about Satanic Panic and Brainwashing Cults
Mia Donovan's stepbrother, Matthew, was deprogrammed at the age of 14. It was the early 1990s, Satanic Panic had spread across North America, and Matthew's father was worried that his son was involved in satanism.
This Is How Cults Work
Ian Haworth, an ex-cult member, has been running the Cult Information Center since 1987. I caught up with him recently to get an insight into how a modern day cult operates.
A Former MEK Member Talks About the Extremist Iranian 'Cult'
"I remember a guy who said, 'My brother works in the Iranian embassy in London. Before I loved him as my brother, now I hate him as my enemy. I am ready to kill him tomorrow, if necessary.' And everyone applauded."
Scientology's "Celebrity" Magazine Will Make Me Famous
All this time I’d been relying on my incredible talent, my very white teeth, banging the right people, and just a little bit of luck, and now I know the real reason why I’m not yet mega-famous.