Top Banner
brainwashing & mind control techniques The term "brainwashing" came into common language through the work of American journalist Edward Hunter who was an expert of Oriental issues; the very word being the direct translation of Chinese "hsi-nao". By "hsi-nao" the Chinese meant certain techniques in dealing with adversaries and/or training of officials. To the Western usage the term "brainwashing" spread in the 1950s through several publications depicting the treatment of American soldiers at Chinese prison camp during the Korean War 1950-1953. Below is a list of the usual brainwashing/mind control techniques used in schools, hospitals, army, religious cults, totalitarian states; with political prisoners and dissidents, mentally insane, some versions of psychoterapy, etc., etc. "Indoctrination" is a more slight and more subliminal form of brainwashing (e.g. commercials). However, these concepts are nothing short of controversial and open to various interpretations, which should be kept in mind while perusing the Web sources below. Judging by the extremely diverse material on the subject found from the Net, the funny thing about the term "brainwashing" itself is that it can be handily appropriated by just anyone -- whether they were right-wing or left-wing, religious people or anti-cultists -- to support their claims of their opponents (supposedly using these "brainwashing" techniques) being miserable, no-good wretches (see: propaganda ). I became not a little bit cynical after wallowing through tons of Web pages by religious bigots, downright wackos (most usual was the claim of government having secret mind control experiments with microwaves) and so-called (American right-wing fascist/racist) patriots, but tried to put here those that I found useful or at least interesting myself. (In other words, after browsing an otherwise decent and respectable- looking page for a while you might start smelling a rat.) I can't guarantee the information found from some of these pages is totally unprejudiced or scientifically verifiable under skeptical observation. So, it's up to you to decide whether to believe them or not. 1) HYPNOSIS - Inducing a high state of suggestibility, often thinly disguised as relaxation or meditation.
57
Welcome message from author
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Page 1: Brainwashing

brainwashing & mind control techniques

The term "brainwashing" came into common language through the work of American journalist Edward Hunter who was an expert of Oriental issues; the very word being the direct translation of Chinese "hsi-nao". By "hsi-nao" the Chinese meant certain techniques in dealing with adversaries and/or training of officials. To the Western usage the term "brainwashing" spread in the 1950s through several publications depicting the treatment of American soldiers at Chinese prison camp during the Korean War 1950-1953.

Below is a list of the usual brainwashing/mind control techniques used in schools, hospitals, army, religious cults, totalitarian states; with political prisoners and dissidents, mentally insane, some versions of psychoterapy, etc., etc. "Indoctrination" is a more slight and more subliminal form of brainwashing (e.g. commercials). However, these concepts are nothing short of controversial and open to various interpretations, which should be kept in mind while perusing the Web sources below.

Judging by the extremely diverse material on the subject found from the Net, the funny thing about the term "brainwashing" itself is that it can be handily appropriated by just anyone -- whether they were right-wing or left-wing, religious people or anti-cultists -- to support their claims of their opponents (supposedly using these "brainwashing" techniques) being miserable, no-good wretches (see: propaganda). I became not a little bit cynical after wallowing through tons of Web pages by religious bigots, downright wackos (most usual was the claim of government having secret mind control experiments with microwaves) and so-called (American right-wing fascist/racist) patriots, but tried to put here those that I found useful or at least interesting myself. (In other words, after browsing an otherwise decent and respectable-looking page for a while you might start smelling a rat.) I can't guarantee the information found from some of these pages is totally unprejudiced or scientifically verifiable under skeptical observation. So, it's up to you to decide whether to believe them or not.

1) HYPNOSIS - Inducing a high state of suggestibility, often thinly disguised as relaxation or meditation.

a. Repetitive Music (most likely with a beat close to the human heart 45 to 72 beats per minute). Most likely used during "study sessions" as the teacher will say the music helps you relax and concentrate better!

b. Voice Roll -- A "voice roll" is a patterned, paced style used by hypnotists when inducing a trance. It is also used by many lawyers, several of whom are highly trained hypnotists, when they desire to entrench a point firmly in the minds of the jurors. A voice roll can sound as if the speaker were talking to the beat of a metronome or it may sound as though he were emphasizing every word in a monotonous, patterned style. The words will usually be delivered at the rate of 45 to 60 beats per minute, maximizing the hypnotic effect.

c. Room "Feel" - The way a room feels is essential to hypnotizing unknowing subjects. It needs special lighting, florescent lights are best because they aren't too dim, but aren't too harsh. Also, Room Temp helps a bit, usually a little cooler than normal room temperature. You need to have the unknowing subjects very relaxed, perhaps even close to falling asleep.

Page 2: Brainwashing

2) PEER GROUP PRESSURE - Suppressing doubt and resistance to new ideas by exploiting the need to belong.

3) "LOVE BOMBING" - Creating a sense of family through physical touch, thought & feeling sharing and emotional bonding.

4) REJECTION OF OLD VALUES - Accelerating acceptance of new lifestyle by constantly denouncing former beliefs and values.

5) CONFUSING DOCTRINE - Encouraging blind acceptance and rejection of logic through complex lectures on an incomprehensible doctrine.

6) METACOMMUNICATION - Implanting subliminal messages by stressing certain key words or phrases in long, confusing lectures.

7) REMOVAL OF PRIVACY - Achieving loss of ability to evaluate logically by preventing private contemplation.

8) DISINHIBITION - Encouraging child-like obedience by orchestrating child-like behaviour

9) UNCOMPROMISING RULES - Inducing regression and disorientation by soliciting agreement to seemingly simple rules which regulate mealtimes, bathroom breaks and use of medications.

10) VERBAL ABUSE - Desensitizing through bombardment with foul and abusive language. (Physical abuse, such as torture, is the more extreme form of this.)

11) SLEEP DEPRIVATION AND FATIGUE - Creating disorientation and vulnerability by prolonging mental an physical activity and withholding adequate rest and sleep.

12) DRESS CODES - Removing individuality by demanding conformity to the group dress code.

13) CHANTING OR SINGING - Eliminating non-cult ideas through group repetition of mind-narrowing chants or phrases.

14) CONFESSION - Encouraging the destruction of individual ego through confession of personal weaknesses and innermost feelings of doubt.

15) FINANCIAL COMMITMENT - Achieving increased dependence on the group by 'burning bridges' to the past, through the donation of assets.

16) FINGER POINTING - Creating a false sense of righteousness by pointing to the shortcomings of the outside world.

17) ISOLATION - Inducing loss of reality by physical separation from family, friends, society and rational references.

18) CONTROLLED APPROVAL - Maintaining vulnerability and confusion by alternately rewarding and punishing similar actions.

19) CHANGE OF DIET - Creating disorientation and increased susceptibility to emotional arousal by depriving the nervous system of necessary nutrients through the use of special diets and/or fasting. Also applying drugs for these purposes fall in this category.

Page 3: Brainwashing

20) GAMES - Inducing dependence on the group by introducing games with obscure rules.

21) NO QUESTIONS - Accomplishing automatic acceptance of beliefs by discouraging questions.

22) GUILT - Reinforcing the need for 'salvation' by exaggerating the sins of the former lifestyles.

23) FEAR - Maintaining loyalty and obedience to the group by threatening soul, life or limb for the slightest 'negative' thought, word or deed.

Three Principles of Re-Education

1) REPETITION - Going through the same subject over and over again until it is known by heart.

2) ACTIVITY PEDAGOGICS - The subjects are never left alone nor give any private time of their own, they are always in activity.

3) CRITICISM AND SELF-CRITICISM - The subjects are supposed to feel uncertain; under the constant threat of being humiliated and despised.

In the Korean War the "criticism and self-criticism" sessions held for the American prisoners of war by the Chinese clearly had deeper effects than the POWs could initially comprehend, and when they found out, it was too late. In the beginning many prisoners found this whole procedure just childish, and were inclined to take it merely as something of a joke, but without them being able to realize it, the situation of being subjected constantly to the criticism of one's comrades became humiliating.

That a grown-up person should publicly discuss one's habits or inclinations -- some of them of very private nature -- confess one's faults, receive strong criticism for insignificant misdemeanours, will not be indeed in the course of time anything to be considered childish or playful: it simply will be experienced as insulting. This continuing feeling of humiliation became crucial in the gradual psychological break-up of the prisoners' personalities. Furthermore, this ongoing process of "criticism and self-criticism" was bound to cause mistrust for one's own comrades: it was the tactics of "divide and conquer" as the ancient Romans would have called it. ("Criticism and self-criticism" were also widely applied during China's "Cultural Revolution" starting in 1966, as a method of "re-education".)

Links: (pHinnWeb can't guarantee the continuing validity of all these)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainwashing

http://hometown.aol.com/shawdan/dark-side.htm http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/hals/phil303/skeptic/mindcont.htm

http://www.religioustolerance.org/brain_wa.htm

http://web.pagans.net/paganpages/library/archive/brainwash.methods.txt

http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Castle/7727/brain.html http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Castle/7727/brain2.html

http://cti.itc.virginia.edu/~jkh8x/soc257/lectures/influence/

http://www.4degreez.com/free_thought/brainwash.html

Page 4: Brainwashing

http://cultawarenessnetwork.org/

http://wis.i8.com/

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/8393/Answer_liar.htm

http://rickross.com/mind_control.html

http://www.pattyhearst.com/

http://www.icehouse.net/zodiac/hearst/

http://home.swbell.net/kkmartin/ciabwash.htm

http://users.snip.net/~drsteve/Articles/Building_Resistance.htm

http://www.disinfo.com/disinfo?p=folder&title=Mind+Control

http://www.mk.net/~mcf/

http://www.mindspring.com/~txporter/

http://www.netti.fi/~makako/mind/

http://www.freespeech.org/karma/library.htm#brainwash

http://www.uia.org/uiademo/hum/h0865.htm

http://www.csj.org/

http://www.freedomofmind.com/

http://www.icon.fi/usk-uhri/aivopesu.html

http://www.icdc.com/~paulwolf/cointel.htm

http://www.phinnweb.org/neuro/propaganda/

http://www.phinnweb.org/neuro/mkultra.html

Bibliography

Spiritual Responsibility:Avoiding Abuses and Pitfalls

Along the Path

Copyright © 1995All Rights Reserved

Page 5: Brainwashing

by Steven Hassan and Lama Surya Das

Preface

This article offers some vital "consumer" guidelines and specific questions that should be asked when considering any involvement with a spiritual group. I asked my friend, lama Surya Das, the first officially ordained western Tibetan buddhist lama to give his perspective, and he graciously wrote an introduction for me from a Buddhist perspective. My intention was always to add perspectives from respected people from all the major world religions into the introduction, and hopefully this will be done in the coming months.

Unfortunately, some people looked at Surya's introduction and jumped to a false conclusion that I had abandoned my Judaism and become a buddhist. This was never the case, although in my spiritual journey I have tried to learn about other traditions. Also, in my role as a professional counselor, it is a necessity for me to understand a good deal about many religious traditions, in order to help my clients see how destructive cult leaders and their groups were deviating from core values, practices and religious traditions.

In a desire to be clear about my own spiritual orientation (with no interest in trying to convert anyone), I am a member of an independent Jewish congregation in Brookline, Massachusetts called Temple Beth Zion (www.tbzbrookline.org ). The rabbi is Moshe Waldoks and the orientation is one of Jewish renewal. I have been a member there since 1999 and I can truly say that I have felt I have found my spiritual "home." At the congregation, we pray, meditate, chant, sing, dance, study, share and are very involved with doing service to the community. The focus in on encouraging each member to learn, grow and participate at their own speed. The rabbis are non-dogmatic and encourage questions and demonstrate responsibility and accountability. There is humor. There is joy. There is a sense of a vibrant spiritual community. We are interested in inclusivity and not being exclusive. For example, at the end of each Friday night Shabbat service, we recite a prayer of peace from one of the other world religious traditions before reciting the Jewish prayer for peace.

You might wonder what my orientation might be when I am counseling someone from a destructive religious cult? First and foremost, I always try my best to address my client's interests and needs, not my own. Secondly, my focus is on helping the person to think for themselvesto validate each person's right to be an individual, to get in touch with their own thoughts, feelings and freedom of choice.

I disclose my belief in God, and my belief that Judaism, Christianity and Islam (as well as other wisdom traditions) are all based on two fundamental commandments: Love God with all your heart, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. If asked, I tell my client that I believe we were intended to each be unique individuals, with talents and abilities intended to be used by us to help the greater community. I tell my client that I believe that God want us to have free will and to have the freedom to choose to follow God. It is my belief that if God wanted us to be mind-controlled slaves, (S)He would have made us incapable of disobedience.

My counseling approach is custom tailored to each client's background and current needs. However, I cannot be all things to all people. Sometimes, being an expert on cults, mind control

Page 6: Brainwashing

as well as a licensed counselor is not enough. So, I usually ask former cult members to assist me as well as other experts. For example, whenever I am called on to counsel an individual from a Christian Bible cult like Kip McKean's International Churches of Christ (ICC)not to be confused with the mainstream Church of Christ or the United Church of Christ, I ask an orthodox Christian (often my minister friend, Rev. Bob Pardon) to assist me in addressing theological and Biblical issues. The focus is on offering a grounded, orthodox theological perspective, not to proselytize. I have grave concerns about any cult counselors who use their own religious orientation to "save" cult members into their one "true" church or religious institution. This goes for Jewish cult ministries too. I think the focus must begin on dealing with the cult mind control issues, enabling the person to think for themselves. For this reason, I will only accept cases in which the families agrees that I am not being hired to "get the person back to their religion", but to do what they want to do. Again, the focus must be for the individual to reevaluate what the he or she has been indoctrinated to believe. To promote and encourage reality-testing. Likewise, after the counseling succeeds in achieving this purpose, the individual is encouraged to continue on (if they want to) their spiritual journey. For more information about my approach please read the Frequently Asked Questions about the Strategic Interaction Approach.

One of stated biases as a counselor is to encourage the individual to understand their own spiritual rootsas a necessary part of regaining a solid footing. For example, if a person was raised Catholic and was recruited into the ICC, with their heavy anti-Catholic bias, I think it is very important for the ex-member to speak with Catholic representatives to help neutralize the indoctrination. For many, it will take many weeks or months before they feel ready to investigate anything spiritual. For others, healthy recovery includes actively participating in a spiritual practice and community. For still others, the healthy choice is to not believeand choose humanism or agnosticism. To this end, I can call on my friend, Tom Ferrick, Humanist chaplain at Harvard.

The key is empowering people to think for themselves. I am very interested in receiving suggestions and feedback about this article and this website, in an effort to continue to make it improve, so that we may help as many people as possible.

Steven HassanJanuary 29, 2002

Introductions

by Lama Surya Das and Steven Hassan

Lama Surya Das

As a Westerner who has become a fully ordained Tibetan Buddhist lama, I have devoted over twenty five years of my life in spiritual practice, establishing meditation centers and monasteries, and teaching others how to further their own practice. Helping to bring a rich religious tradition to the West has been exciting, gratifying, and very meaningful for me. However, when a religion

Page 7: Brainwashing

makes a transition from one culture to another, there is fertile ground for all sorts of new developments, both positive and negative. Awareness of these issues can become extremely significant.

As a leader, I wish to be aware of my own responsibility in helping people to find themselves and experience that which is wholesome, useful, and beneficial, while sidestepping the rest. Great good has been brought forth by new religious groups in recent decades. Yet, I am disturbed by certain patterns of abuses that routinely occur along the spiritual path, which is why I am writing this article and researching this subject. All groups exhibit certain characteristic problems. If and when they become destructive and damaging, these characteristics are genuine cause for concern.

When I first began teaching Buddhism six years ago, the Dalai Lama himself told me not to be afraid to make mistakes, but to continue to learn from them. He added, "Be creative. Each decision you make ought to be motivated by compassion. Seek to contribute to others, not to convert others." Motivation and intention are determining factors in the result of our actions. Buddha said, "As we think, so we become."

We are all aware of the dangers of placing anyone or anything upon a pedestal and the disillusionment that almost inevitably ensues. Few today are ignorant of the dangers and corrupting influence of dogma, dependence, and the misuse of power. "Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely," Lord Acton wrote. Sectarianism, insularity, and aggressive proselytizing can easily turn into fanaticism, authoritarianism, and even fascism. Yet are we as aware of the more subtle, almost addictive joys of believing, of joining, and the too-often attendant sorrows and disappointments? Are we aware of the seductions of surrendering ourselves to something seemingly greater than us, of the security and comfort of belonging, of conforming, of feeling part of things?

The more deeply we experience and realize our own inalienable connectedness and integral place in the universe, the freer and more consciously aware we can be regarding what we do in life, and whom we choose to associate with, for how long, and why. The less conscious we are, the more the unacknowledged and unknown, dark forces in our psyche drive us - often driving us where we might not wish to go.

We have been through an intense era of social change that has given rise to alternatives and new forms of all kinds. The cover article in the Nov. 28th, 1994, Newsweek was entitled "The Search for the Sacred: America's Quest for Spiritual Meaning." The magazine reported: "Fifty-eight percent of Americans polled feel the need to experience spiritual growth." It seems safe to say that most people are seeking something. The emergence of new groups and intentional communities has doubtless accomplished far more good than harm. But how, where, and with whom we explore our spiritual and personal growth remains, as ever, extraordinarily important. Along with the flourishing spiritual marketplace come abusive gurus, exploitative teachers, messiahs, prophets, therapists, and mind-controlling groups. In fact, most of us routinely participate in some form or other of cultic behavior: repressing dissent; devaluing outsiders; depending too much on leaders and authority figures; seeking totalistic solutions to existential problems; feeling superior and even self-righteous; resisting the wish of leave-takers to depart, etc.

Page 8: Brainwashing

We must learn from the past if we do not want to keep repeating our mistakes. For a sane, healthy, and harmonious future to be possible, I think that we must be very honest with ourselves and each other, and engender leadership (not merely followership) in others, bringing out the best in each and all of us.

In my endeavor to learn more about the mostly unexamined dark side of the spiritual marketplace, I have become aware of Steven Hassan, author of the well-known book Combatting Cult Mind Control. Steve was deceptively recruited into a front group of the Moon organization in the early 1970s and spent more than two years in the cult as one of its American leaders. After a serious car accident and numerous days of counseling, he came to realize that the Moon organization was, in reality, very different from what he wanted to believe it was. He made the decision to leave the organization and expose its illegal and unethical activities. He is now a licensed mental health counselor in Boston and has worked for nearly two decades to help educate the public about the dangers of destructive mind control cults. His work also involves helping individuals and their families heal from abusive involvements. He is also no stranger to spirituality and to alternatives to mainstream religion, being someone who values the spirit and regularly practices meditation and prayer.

Some groups may feel threatened by scientific research on cultic behavior and mind control (thought-reform, brainwashing, hypnosis) techniques. They need not feel that way, if they behave ethically and provide choice without undue, coercive influence. Many scholars and researchers in this field, like ourselves, respect religious beliefs and religious systems and can appreciate diversity, endorse basic human rights, and support individuals and groups following their own way.

As a full time member of a religious order, I personally have found Steve's perspective, work, and experience of immense interest, being both fascinating and beneficial. This sort of diagnostic mental health approach to the actions of groups and individuals - rather than focusing on their purported beliefs - seems quite relevant in understanding what is happening in society and in our own minds today regarding various new movements.

It is difficult, if not impossible, to objectively evaluate a belief system from within it. Yet it can often seem unfair to judge belief systems from the point of view of an outside observer. Most human beings uphold blatant irrational beliefs, for better or for worse. Better that we scrutinize ourselves and our own groups regarding our own weaknesses and learn from them rather than have them blow up in our faces later.

Dr. Herbert Guenther, the foremost contemporary Buddhist scholar, uses the term cultic when describing the behavior of certain early followers of the Buddha, who mistakenly worshipped the man rather than the truth of his message and the enlightenment he embodied and taught. The historical Buddha himself forbade his followers from making images of him.In the sixth century BC, the historical Buddha said:

Rely not on the teacher/person, but on the teaching.Rely not on the words of the teaching, but on the spirit of the words.Rely not on theory, but on experience.Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it.Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.

Page 9: Brainwashing

Do not believe anything because it is spoken and rumored by many.Do not believe in anything because it is written in your religious books.Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and the benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.Kalama Sutra (ancient Buddhist text)

Lest we misunderstand each other, we must remember that the words we use each have different associations for each of us. Concepts are not reality, but a mere shadow of it - the map is not the territory. I also want to caution you not to become blinded by the truth and power of words either. I am aware of at least one non-Buddhist destructive group which uses this same quote from Buddha and uses it to recruit people into a state of blind obedience and servitude. In order for Buddha's words to have real meaning, they must be applied behaviorally on a daily basis.

I think that if we can enjoy authentic public discourse and free inquiry into the matters that concern us, we must endeavor in our discussions to explore, to know for ourselves, and to communicate how things actually are - if we are to live a sane, righteous, and even a decent life. While seeking truth, let us not overlook the simple virtues of honesty and ethical behavior. Then even stumbling blocks can become stepping stones along the way.

The Buddha exhorts us "to be a lamp unto ourselves, that one's innate purity of heart is the sole refuge." I hope that the following pages will elucidate some of the spiritual issues that are part of an ongoing discussion about freedom, democracy, and human rights today.

Steven Hassan

Whenever the subject of mind control comes up, an almost inevitable discussion ensues about family systems, advertising, salespeople, the military, and the even the Catholic Church. A great confusion currently exists concerning how to make meaningful distinctions. I have heard people say time and time again that "everything is mind control." Overgeneralizations like this obscure important distinctions. As a person who has spent almost two decades researching and considering this topic, I offer the following thoughts.

All influence processes can be visualized as falling somewhere along a continuum. In one direction of the continuum, mind control techniques can be regarded as positive and constructive, promoting understanding and choice while respecting an individual's integrity. In the other direction, mind control is regarded as destructive and constricts understanding and choice while undermining personal integrity. Since mind control techniques are not inherently good or evil, they can be used ethically and practically to enhance our lives, expand choices, and to cultivate our creativity and individuality.

These techniques can also be used to destroy individuality, stunt personal growth, and create virtual slaves, as exemplified by Jim Jones, David Koresh, and Adolf Hitler. People can be deceptively manipulated and indoctrinated to distrust their ability to feel, to think, and to make mature decisions. Destructive cults want to control people to enable them to expand their temporal power and raise money. They exist to serve totalistic dictators, not to serve the people.

Page 10: Brainwashing

They desire to rule through power, not with the power of love. Charismatic leaders often stray into temptation to exploit their power over others in dangerous ways.

The locus of control for the use of mind control techniques should lie within our selves, not with some external authority figure. True spirituality demands personal awareness and responsibility. The right to believe whatever you want should be upheld. However, behaviors must be scrutinized in order to protect human liberty. Behaviorally, all relationships and involvements can be evaluated by objective criteria such as the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (available at any library or through Amnesty International).

The position that religious groups should not be scrutinized is most vigorously promoted by organizations that have notoriously bad histories of abuse. They have spent large amounts of money in public relations campaigns and have even funded publications and conferences to support their positions. They have also expended great effort to do propaganda campaigns to attack former members and critics in an effort to neutralize the dissemination of factual information. I have personally been subjected to incredible harassment, with extraordinary lies manufactured about me that I kidnap and even torture people to renounce their religious beliefs. While I have been subjected to nuisance law suits, systematic attempts to character assassinate me, and efforts to intimidate me to stop my criticisms, I refuse to be silent. I choose to exercise my First Amendment right to speak freely, and I offer proof for what I say. I suppose that I should feel good that destructive cults attack me so blatantly as proof that I am being effective.

On another extreme, I am put down by some people who dislike the fact that I believe in and publicly defend spiritual practices such as prayer and meditation. Some people angrily tell me that all religion is bad and all religious leaders are dishonest. Those people, it seems, have had some really bad experiences and, in my opinion, have "thrown the baby out with the bath water." It is lamentable that so many people have had such bad experiences. It appears that they are afraid to trust anything that can't be analyzed and proven "scientifically." Their capacity to fully develop, take risks, and grow are seriously diminished. I feel sorry for people who have adopted a rigid posture toward life which will only validate an analytic, linear model for understanding. Without imagination, wonder, and trust in non-analytic, intuitive ways of knowing, people can become cynical, defensive and even paranoid.

I know that fasting, silence, solitude, sleep deprivation, and other techniques have long been used by different religious traditions. I believe they can be very useful and liberating in terms of unfreezing one's own habitual conditioning. They become unethical and destructive when they are used in combination with deception and a diminution of personal choice and integrity.

Due to my own cult experience, I have had to do some very intense personal reflection. I have had to sort out the good experiences from the bad while a member of the Moon cult. In retrospect, I can say without a doubt that a good deal of my personal spiritual experience was valid and had a beneficial impact on my development. As a result, I have had to really examine myself thoroughly and consciously evaluate my beliefs and actions. Fortunately, my core spirituality preceded my Moonie indoctrination, and so when I left that group, I had some basic beliefs to return to as a kind of stable base. For example, I believe that love is stronger than fear and that truth is stronger than lies.

Page 11: Brainwashing

My own spiritual path has shown me the importance of balance and the necessity of being in touch with your thoughts and feelings. I believe that true spiritual growth demands awareness and responsibility and not just blind submission to another human being or to the dogma of some unseen deity. I have come to the conclusion that, for me, spiritual traditions that focus on healing the mind/body relationship and on the inseparable relationship between the sacred and the profane, rather than fostering a split of mind/body brings more satisfying results. What I mean by this is acknowledging and accepting feelings, thoughts, and needs rather than denying them or pretending that they do not exist. For me, what makes sense is wholeness, not fragmentation. Love rather than fear and guilt should be the prime motivator. I choose to believe in a basically friendly universe, rather than a hostile universe. Lacking an objective, absolute reference point for "truth," I prefer to believe in the goodness of life because it feels "right" and because the alternative would be too bleak. Of course, I believe that there are many legitimate paths to developing one's spirituality. I believe that it is up to each person to take responsibility for his or her own life.

Therefore, contrary to the disinformation put out against me by destructive cults, I am very liberal and open minded about new religions. However, just because it is new doesn't make it healthy or bone fide. Likewise, the more extreme the claim is by the leader and the doctrine, the more caution I recommend before becoming involved. For example, just because a person claims to be the most spiritually advanced being on earth in the past 25,000 years doesn't make it so. There are so many psychics, mediums, and channelers today who are making claims of special wisdom and spiritual knowledge. People must learn to be more discerning and to not merely accept passively. I believe if an individual is legitimate, he or she will be honest and forthright in all communications and actions. An atmosphere where questions and skepticism are accepted and even encouraged is a good sign of a healthy group. Also, there will be no heavy pressure for quick and full commitments. A spiritual leader will exemplify those qualities that show love, compassion, and respect. I have been impressed by Western spiritual leaders like Lama Surya Das and Jack Kornfield who demonstrate through their actions that their quest for enlightened living and healthy group process is achievable today.

I also strongly recommend that periodically - at least once or twice each year - a "vacation" be taken to step out of your environment and "reality test." Ask yourself: When I started doing "x" what were my goals? What were my expectations? Where did I think I would be in one year? Five years, Ten years? If I knew then (at the beginning of "x") what I know now, would I still do "x"? If not, why not? What would you do differently? If I hadn't done "x," what would I have likely done? Also, if I had a magic wand and I could be doing now what I really would like to do, what would that be?

In the following pages, I have:

Helped to compile some basic assessment questions that can help people to "reality-test."

Summarized the four basic components of mind control from my book Combatting Cult Mind Control to help provide a basis for evaluation.

Summarized the three stages of mind control by Kurt Lewin as described by Edgar Schein in Coercive Persuasion (Norton,1961).

Summarized Robert Jay Lifton's eight themes of thought reform based on his research of the Communist "re-education" programs of Mao Tse-tung.

These were taken from Chapter 22 of his seminal book Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism.

Page 12: Brainwashing

I hope that reading and thinking about these perspectives will help to shed light on the behaviors of individuals and organizations. (Additionally, you might want to read a copy of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.)

Unless we all acknowledge our questions now, they will remain like skeletons in our psyches until the day they are dealt with and resolved. They will never go away permanently, even if we do years of chanting, praying, affirmations, and other spiritual practices. We must use wisdom, gentleness, self inquiry, and courage to guide us in upholding our integrity.

Unselfishness, kindness, gentleness, and compassion should be a basic living principle, not just an ideal. When individuals claim to be spiritually more developed, and put themselves in the role of guru, swami, master, prophet, these virtues must be consistently demonstrated. We must not allow our desires to know "Absolute Truth" to blind us from observing obvious discrepancies in our teacher's behaviors. We must become sensitive to the tactic that illigitimate leaders use by turning our questions or comments around and using them blame or shame us into obedience. A legitimate question or concern demands a respectful response, not evasion or coersion.

We must also not look at the past and traditions blindly, but with an appreciation for the present and a clear vision for our future on the spaceship Earth we cohabit.

Questions to Help the Assessment Process

1. Who is the leader?

What are his/her background and qualifications?

Have you relied solely on trust that all of the information you were given is true or have you done independent investigation?

Do you feel pressure to accept and not question at all?

Is it possible that there are misrepresentations or falsehoods?

Is there external corroboration for extraordinary claims of accomplishment or are they simply his/her say-so?

If "miracles" have been performed, can they be replicated under open observation or even under scientific conditions?

Are there other explanations for the "miracles," such as magic tricks, hypnosis, etc.?

If there is a former leader or member, have you sought him or her out to hear for yourself critical information? If not, are you afraid to trust your ability to discern the truthfulness of what you learn?

Page 13: Brainwashing

If you find yourself saying that you don't care if there are major deceptions, ask yourself if you knew this information before you became involved, would you have even bothered to make a commitment of time and money?

2. Are there exclusive claims made to wisdom, knowledge, love, and truth? If so, the burden of proof is on the leader to demonstrate his or her superiority, not on members to disprove it. A truly "developed" spiritual being exudes love, compassion, and humility. Any person who claims to be "superior" but does not practice what they preach is of questionable character. There is never incongruency between words and deeds. A person who uses fear and phobia indoctrination to control followers demonstrates insecurity and lack of spiritual maturity.

3. Is total submission and obedience required? Any relationship that demands giving up one's personal integrity and conscience is dangerous and leads to totalitarianism. Be wary of those who advocate "the ends justify the means," especially when it clearly serves their own self-interest. Also, make sure that your desire "to believe" doesn't simply activate the common psychological defense mechanisms: denial, rationalization, justification, and wishful thinking. If a doctrine is true or a person is truly spiritually advanced, they will stand up to the scrutiny of objective evaluation. If they do not prove themselves, they are probably not worthy of your commitment and devotion.

4. Does he/ she have a criminal record, a legacy of allegations against him/her or a history of misconduct? If there are allegations of misconduct against the leader, the responsible follower must seek out the negative information and the sources of that information to evaluate the truth. If a leader claims to be celibate and allegations are made that the leader engaged in inappropriate sex, this is an extreme violation of integrity. It must be investigated vigorously. It is never appropriate for teachers, therapists, or spiritual masters to take advantage of a power differential over followers. This is especially true in the area of sexuality. It is grossly unethical to engage in sexual relations with someone who has placed their trust in as a teacher/advisor/master. Many followers are incredibly vulnerable to this and unable to resist sexual intimacy. Anyone should be able to say "no."

Is he or she a "trust bandit," stealing hearts, souls, minds, bodies, and pocketbooks for his or her own ends?

5. Does the leader demonstrate psychological problems and awareness of their existence?

Does the leader have addictions to power, drugs, alcohol, sex, even television or shopping?

Does the leader have emotional outbursts?

Does the leader physically abuse followers?

Does the leader drive expensive cars and wear expensive clothes while extolling the virtues of renunciation?

Does the leader financially exploit followers by expecting them to live in poverty while he or she indulges in luxury?

Is the group or leader's driveway habitually filled with luxury cars while ordinary people find him or her inaccessible and unreachable?

Page 14: Brainwashing

Does the leader ever encourage deception or use deception as a "technique" to trick followers into so-called correct thinking and understanding?

Codependent behavior by a spiritual teacher should be a warning sign of danger. Codependency includes: obsessively trying to control others; allowing people to hurt and use them; lack of clear boundaries; being reactive, not proactive; tunnel visioned; obsessive worrying and denial; expectations of perfection and suppression of human needs. (Beattie, Beyond Codependency, Harper/Hazelden, 1989)

 6. Are questions and doubts permitted within the organization?

A healthy spiritual environment must engage individual followers attheir level of experience and should encourage them to feel and think and therefore question their beliefs and exercise good decision-making. In this way, the follower can investigate, discriminate, and test the dogma and the environment they are being asked to accept, between what his or her personal issues are and what might be an unhealthy environment. If intense pressure is used to dissuade people who wish to talk with former members or critics, it is a clear sign of information control. Controlling information is one of the most essential components of mind control.

7. Is the organization open or closed?

Are there organizational secrets?

Are there "in" groups and "out" groups?

Are there restricted teachings for initiates only?

Are there secret texts and publications "for your eyes only"?

Is there real financial accountability?

If a group says that you can look at its accounting records, does it actually provide access?

The only way to know is to ask to see the records. If you are afraid to ask, what does this say about the atmosphere of the group?

8. What structural checks and balances exist within the organization to prevent abuse of power?

Are there divisive sectarian biases, even in the name of interdenominational ecumenicism and universality?

Is there an independent "ethics"committee to challenge and change policies of the group?

If there are abuses or injustices, what structure exists to correct them?

Can anyone legitimately question the actions of the leader without threat of emotional withdraw or fear of expulsion to "hell"?

Do the rich and powerful get preferential treatment?

Page 15: Brainwashing

Are "indulgences" (spiritual pardons) sold?

Is there a "code of silence" against unethical behavior of leaders?

I. Behavior Control

1. Regulation of individual's physical reality

a. Where, how and with whom the member lives and associates withb. What clothes, colors, hairstyles the person wearsc. What food the person eats, drinks, adopts, and rejectsd. How much sleep the person is able to havee. Financial dependencef. Little or no time spent on leisure, entertainment, vacations

2. Major time commitment required for indoctrination sessions and group rituals

3. Need to ask permission for major decisions

4. Need to report thoughts, feelings and activities to superiors

5. Rewards and punishments (behavior modification techniques- positive and negative).

6. Individualism discouraged; group think prevails

7. Rigid rules and regulations

8. Need for obedience and dependency

II. Information Control

1. Use of deception

a. Deliberately holding back informationb. Distorting information to make it acceptablec. Outright lying

2. Access to non-cult sources of information minimized or discouraged

a. Books, articles, newspapers, magazines, TV, radiob. Critical informationc. Former membersd. Keep members so busy they don't have time to think

Page 16: Brainwashing

3. Compartmentalization of information; Outsider vs. Insider doctrines

a. Information is not freely accessibleb. Information varies at different levels and missions within pyramidc. Leadership decides who "needs to know" what

4. Spying on other members is encouraged

a. Pairing up with "buddy" system to monitor and controlb. Reporting deviant thoughts, feelings, and actions to leadership

5. Extensive use of cult generated information and propaganda

a. Newsletters, magazines, journals, audio tapes, videotapes, etc.b. Misquotations, statements taken out of context from non-cult sources

6. Unethical use of confession

a. Information about "sins" used to abolish identity boundariesb. Past "sins" used to manipulate and control; no forgiveness or absolution

III. Thought Control

1. Need to internalize the group's doctrine as "Truth"

a. Map = Realityb. Black and White thinkingc. Good vs. evild. Us vs. them (inside vs. outside)

2. Adopt "loaded" language (characterized by "thought-terminating clichés"). Words are the tools we use to think with. These "special" words constrict rather than expand understanding. They function to reduce complexities of experience into trite, platitudinous "buzz words".

3. Only "good" and "proper" thoughts are encouraged.

4. Thought-stopping techniques (to shut down "reality testing" by stopping "negative" thoughts and allowing only "good" thoughts); rejection of rational analysis, critical thinking, constructive criticism.

a. Denial, rationalization, justification, wishful thinkingb. Chantingc. Meditatingd. Prayinge. Speaking in "tongues"f. Singing or humming

Page 17: Brainwashing

5. No critical questions about leader, doctrine, or policy seen as legitimate

6. No alternative belief systems viewed as legitimate, good, or useful

IV. Emotional Control

1. Manipulate and narrow the range of a person's feelings.

2. Make the person feel like if there are ever any problems it is always their fault, never the leader's or the group's.

3. Excessive use of guilt

a. Identity guilt

1. Who you are (not living up to your potential)2. Your family3. Your past4. Your affiliations5. Your thoughts, feelings, actions

b. Social guiltc. Historical guilt

4. Excessive use of fear

a. Fear of thinking independentlyb. Fear of the "outside" worldc. Fear of enemiesd. Fear of losing one's "salvation"e. Fear of leaving the group or being shunned by groupf. Fear of disapproval

5. Extremes of emotional highs and lows.

6. Ritual and often public confession of "sins".

7. Phobia indoctrination : programming of irrational fears of ever leaving the group or even questioning the leader's authority. The person under mind control cannot visualize a positive, fulfilled future without being in the group.

a. No happiness or fulfillment "outside"of the groupb. Terrible consequences will take place if you leave: "hell"; "demon possession"; "incurable diseases"; "accidents"; "suicide"; "insanity"; "10,000 reincarnations"; etc.c. Shunning of leave takers. Fear of being rejected by friends, peers, and family.d. Never a legitimate reason to leave. From the group's perspective, people who leave are:

Page 18: Brainwashing

"weak"; "undisciplined"; "unspiritual"; "worldly"; "brainwashed by family, counselors"; seduced by money, sex, rock and roll.

The Three Stages of Gaining Control of the Mind

[Adapted from Kurt Lewin's three-stage model as described in Coercive Persuasion (Norton, 1961) by Edgar Schein]

1. Unfreezing

a. Disorientation / confusionb. Sensory deprivation and/or sensory overloadc. Physiological manipulation

1. Sleep deprivation2. Privacy deprivation3. Change of diet

d. Hypnosis

1. Age regression2. Visualizations3. Story-telling and metaphors4. Linguistic double binds, use of suggestion5. Meditation, chanting, praying, singing

e. Get person to question self identity

f. Redefine individual's past (implant false memories, forget positive memories of the past)

2. Changing

a. Creation and imposition of new "identity" done step by step

1. Formally within indoctrination sessions2. Informally by members, tapes, books, etc.

b. Use of Behavior Modification techniques

1. Rewards and punishments2. Use of thought-stopping techniques3. Control of environment

c. Mystical manipulationd. Use of hypnosis and other mind-altering techniques

Page 19: Brainwashing

1. Repetition, monotony, rhythm2. Excessive chanting, praying, decreeing, visualizations

e. Use of confession and testimonials

3. Refreezing

a. New identity reinforced, old identity surrendered

1. Separate from the past; decrease contact or cut off friends and family2. Give up meaningful possessions and donate assets3. Start doing cult activities: recruit, fundraise, move in with members

b. New name, new clothing, new hairstyle, new language, new "family"

c. Pairing up with new role models, buddy system

d. Indoctrination continues: Workshops, retreats, seminars, individual studies, group activities

Remember,cult mind control does not erase the person's old identity, but rather creates a new one to suppress the old identity (John-John and John-cult).

Lifton's Thought Reform Model

Adapted from Robert Jay Lifton's Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism(Norton, 1961: reprinted 1989 by the University of North Carolina Press)

Dr. Lifton's work was the outgrowth of his studies for military intelligence of Mao Tse-Tung's "thought-reform programs" commonly known as "brainwashing." In Chapter 22, Lifton outlines eight criteria for when any environment can be understood as exercising "thought-reform" or mind control. Lifton wrote that any group has some aspects of these points. However, if an environment has all eight of these points and implements them in the extreme, then there is unhealthy thought reform taking place.

1. Milieu Control

Environment control and the control of human communication. Not just communication between people but communication within people's minds to themselves.

2. Mystical Manipulation

Everyone is manipulating everyone, under the belief that it advances the "ultimate purpose." Experiences are engineered to appear to be spontaneous, when, in fact, they are contrived to have a deliberate effect. People misattribute their experiences to spiritual causes when, in fact, they are concocted by human beings.

Page 20: Brainwashing

3. Loading the Language

Controlling words help to control people's thoughts. A totalist group uses totalist language to make reality compressed into black or white-"thought-terminating clichés." Non-members cannot simply understand what believers are talking about. The words constrict rather than expand human understanding.

4. Doctrine Over Person

No matter what a person experiences, it is the belief of the dogma which is important. Group belief supersedes conscience and integrity.

5. The Sacred Science

The group's belief is that their dogma is absolutely scientific and morally true. No alternative viewpoint is allowed. No questions of the dogma are permitted.

6. The Cult of Confession

The environment demands that personal boundaries are destroyed and that every thought, feeling, or action that does not conform with the group's rules be confessed; little or no privacy.

7. The Demand for Purity

The creation of a guilt and shame milieu by holding up standards of perfection that no human being can accomplish. People are punished and learn to punish themselves for not living up to the group's ideals.

8. The Dispensing of Existence

The group decides who has a right to exist and does not. There is no other legitimate alternative to the group. In political regimes, this permits state executions.

Hopefully, this summary will motivate you to read the entire Chapter 22, if not the entire book. It is considered to be one of the most important descriptions of political mind-control programs. It is also important to note, that now there are 3rd, 4th, and 5th generation mind-control groups and the patterns have evolved and become more refined and sophisticated.

This booklet was prepared by Steven Hassan with Lama Surya Das. If you wish to contact us regarding counseling, workshops, or seminars, please do so at:

PO Box 45223Somerville, MA 02145

Page 21: Brainwashing

Common Psychological Problemsof Victims of Cult Mind Control

1. Extreme identity confusion2. Dissociative states - "floating" (getting triggered back into cult mode)3. Panic and anxiety attacks4. Depression5. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (P.T.S.D.)6. Psychosomatic symptoms (headaches, backaches, asthma, skin problems)7. Problems with decision-making- dependency8. Retarded psychological development- loss of psychological power9. Guilt10. Fear11. Sleep disorders/ nightmares12. Eating disorders13. Sexual problems / Sexuality Issues14. Lack of trust/ fear of intimacy and commitment- personal & work15. Harassment and threats from group16. Grieving loss of friends, family17. Spiritual "rape" of the soul

Symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (P.T.S.D.)

1.  Vigilance and scanning2.  Elevated startle response3.  Blunted affect or psychic numbing4.  Aggressive, controlling behavior5.  Interruption of memory and concentration6.  Depression7.  Generalized anxiety8.  Episodes of rage9.  Substance abuse10. Intrusive recall11. Dissociative "flashback"experiences12. Insomnia13. Suicidal ideation14. Survivor guilt

Taken from: How to Survive Trauma by Benjamin Colodziin

Brainwashing

 

Techniques > Conversion > Brainwashing

Page 22: Brainwashing

Description | Discussion | See also

 

Brainwashing as a term and modern concept originated in the Korean War, when American prisoners of war who had been incarcerated by the Chinese returned to America espousing communist ideals. This was particularly frightening at the time as the specter of the communist Russian USSR, with its escalating nuclear capability, was causing 'red under the bed' paranoia, and the thought of Americans being converted to communism against their will was terrifying for many.

Description

The prisoners in Korea first suffered severe physical and psychological stress, ranging from starvation to being incarcerated in tiny boxes for days and even months at a time, to standing bound with a rope around the neck such that falling would result in strangulation. Sleep was also regularly disturbed.

Their social structure was also broken up, with leaders separated from troops, religious expression banned and mail withheld and most other forms of cognitive stimulation removed.

Meanwhile constant attempts were made to recruit them to the Communist cause, including:

Daily lectures that lasted for hours about the perils of Capitalism and the benefits of Communism with enforced participation.

Interrogations that lasted for weeks, where the interrogator lived with the prisoner and was often very friendly.

Isolation from others, in particular having letters from home withheld and being told that their families did not care about them.

Humiliation and enforced public confessions, including self-criticism over breaking of trivial rules.

Small rewards, such as food, clothing and improvements in living conditions, for any form of desired cooperation.

Demands were carefully paced, with rewards for initially small collaborations, followed by escalating requests. They also took care to show prisoners that all decisions they made were their own choice.

Discussion

The overall approach had three main strands. First physical and emotional treatment that led to exhaustion, learned helplessness and hence a reduced ability to reason and resist. This included an unbalanced diet that led further to brain dysfunction.

Secondly, subtle temptation, for example isolation and removal of stimuli that led people to seek any intellectual input, even Communist. Likewise, to a starving person, a small morsel of food would seem like a feast.

Page 23: Brainwashing

Thirdly, small rewards that encouraged the attribution of cooperation to free will and hence, by the consistency principle, would lead to the prisoners to change their beliefs to support their apparent support of Communism. When reflecting later about their behavior, it was difficult to blame what became significant acts on what now seemed like small rewards that were given.

Overall, this was effectively a 'big stick, small carrot' approach. When you are in total darkness, a small light will grab your attention. When you are drowning in deep dread, you will grasp at any small straw of hope. When you are hurt, you will seek and be grateful for any rescue.

Subsequent studies concluded that there was no single method that led to brainwashing - it was the combined effect of many methods over a period of time that led to the conversion of the prisoners to belief in Communism.

Critical factors

Critical factors that increased the chance of people being 'brainwashed' included a negative or confused sense of identity and self doubt. Coupled with a strong sense of guilt and a tendency towards black-and-white thinking, such people would most easily fall into the traps being laid for them.

Avoiding brainwashing

A less-known, but notable, fact is that there were also many Turkish prisoners of war, yet none of these succumbed to the brainwashing attempts. This is attributed to several factors, such as a devolving chain of command where, if an officer died, then the man below immediately took charge, even if it was a private soldier. They also learned methods from each other of psychologically detaching themselves from the situation and viewing it all objectively and dispassionately.

Other studies have shown that those who most feared capitulation were actually those who were in least danger. It seems their realization of the dangers gave them sufficient cognitive efforts to resist. This was particularly true of those with well-integrated and stable personalities, although if these people did convert, they would then remain faithful to the new ideology for longest.

Wearing off

It has also been found that conversion seldom continues forever. Away from the controlled environment, the effects of brainwashing gradually tend to wear off, as original values and beliefs that may not have been fully eradicated (and in effect had gone into hiding) start to reassert themselves. Without treatment, however, the general psychological effects of the trauma caused by the conversion methods can have longer-lasting effects.

Lifton's Brainwashing Processes

 

Page 24: Brainwashing

Techniques > Conversion > Lifton's Brainwashing Processes

Assault on identity | Guilt | Self-betrayal | Breaking point | Leniency | The compulsion to confess | The channeling of guilt | Reeducation and logical dishonoring | Progress and harmony | Final

confession and rebirth | See also

 

Robert Jay Lifton was one of the early psychologists to study brainwashing and mind control. He called the method used thought reform. From an analysis of two French priests who had been subjected to brainwashing, he identified the following processes used on them:

Assault on identity

Aspects of self-identity are systematically attacked. For example the priests were told that they were not real Fathers. This has a serious destabilizing effect as people lose a sense of who they are. Losing the self also leads to weakening of beliefs and values, which are then easier to change.

Guilt

Constant arguments that cast the person as guilty of any kind of wrong-doing leads them to eventually feel shame about most things and even feel that they deserve punishment. This is another piece of the jigsaw puzzle of breakdown.

Self-betrayal

When the person is forced to denounce friends and family, it both destroys their sense of identity and reinforces feelings of guilt. This helps to separates them from their past, building the ground for a new personality to be built.

Breaking point

The constant assault on identity, guilt and self-betrayal eventually leads to them breaking down, much as the manner of the 'nervous breakdown' that people experience for other reasons. They may cry inconsolably, have convulsive fits and fall into deep depression. Psychologically, they may effectively be losing a sense of who they are and hence fearing total annihilation of the self.

Leniency

Just at the point when the person is fearing annihilation of the self, they are offered a small kindness, a brief respite from the assault on their identity, a cigarette or a drink. In those moments of light amongst the darkness, they may well feel a deep sense of gratitude, even though it is their torturer who is offering the 'kindness'. This is another form of Hurt and Rescue, albeit extreme.

Page 25: Brainwashing

The compulsion to confess

Having being pulled back from the edge of breakdown, they are then faced with the contrast of the hurt of potential further identity assault against the rescue of leniency. They may also feel the obligation of exchange in a need to repay the kindness of leniency. There also may be exposed to them the opportunity to assuage themselves of their guilt through confession.

The channeling of guilt

The overwhelming sense of guilty and shame that the person is feeling will be so confused by the multiple accusations and assaults on their identity, that the person will lose the sense of what, specifically, they are guilty of, and just feel the heavy burden of being wrong.

This confusion allows the captors to redirect the guilt towards what ever they please, which will typically be having lived a life of wrong and bad action due to living under an ideology which itself is wrong and bad.

Reeducation: logical dishonoring

The notion that the root cause of their guilt is an externally imposed ideology is a straw at which the confused and exhausted person grasps. If they were taught wrongly, then it is their teachers and the ideology that is more at fault. Thus to assuage their guilt, further confession about all acts under the ideology are brought out. By mentally throwing away these acts (in the act of confession) they also are now completing the act of rejecting the whole ideology.

Progress and harmony

The rejection of the old ideology leaves a vacuum into which the new ideology can be introduced. As the antithesis of the old ideology, it forms a perfect attraction point as the person flees the old in search of a contrasting replacement.

This progress is accelerated as the new ideology is portrayed as harmonious and ideally suited to the person's needs. Collegiality and calm replaces pain and punishment. The captors thus contrast in visible and visceral ways how wonderful the new ideology is as compared to the sins and the pain of the old ideology.

Final confession and rebirth

Faced with the stark contrast of the pain of the past with the rosy glow of the future that the new ideology presents, the person sheds any the final allegiance to the old ideology, confessing any remaining deep secrets, and takes on the full mantle of the new ideology.

This often feels, and has been described by many, as a form of rebirth. It may be accompanied by rites of passage as the person is accepted and cemented into the new order. The rituals will typically include strong statements made by the person about accepting the new ideology fully

Page 26: Brainwashing

and completely, swearing allegiance to its leaders. Saluting flags, kissing other artefacts and other symbolic acts, all solemnly performed, all anchor them firmly in the new ground.

See also

Robert Jay Lifton, Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism, W.W. Norton & Co., Inc., 1963. 

Confession, Lifton's Thought Reform

Hurt and Rescue principle, Contrast principle, Confusion principle

Lifton's Thought Reform

 

Techniques > Conversion > Lifton's Thought Reform

Milieu control | Mystical manipulation | Confession | Self-sanctification through purity | Aura of sacred science | Loaded language | Doctrine over person | Dispensed existence | See also

 

Robert Jay Lifton was one of the early psychologists to study brainwashing and mind control. He called the method used thought reform, and offered the following eight methods that are used to change people's minds.

 

Milieu control

All communication with outside world is limited, either being strictly filtered or completely cut off. Whether it is a monastery or a behind-closed-doors cult, isolation from the ideas, examples and distractions of the outside world turns the individuals attention to the only remaining form of stimulation, which is the ideology that is being inculcated in them.

This even works at the intrapersonal level, and individuals are discouraged from thinking incorrect thoughts, which may be termed evil, selfish, immoral and so on.

Mystical manipulation

A part of the teaching is that the group has a higher purpose than others outside the group. This may be altruistic, such as saving the world or helping people in need. It may also be selfish, for example that group members will be saved when others outside the group will perish.

Page 27: Brainwashing

All things are then attributed and linked to this higher purpose. Coincidences (which actually may be deliberately engineered) are portrayed as symbolic events. Attention is given to the problems of out-group people and attributed to their not being in the group. Revelations are attributed to spiritual causes.

This association of events is used as evidence that the group truly is special and exclusive.

Confession

Individuals are encouraged to confess past 'sins' (as defined by the group). This creates a tension between the person's actions and their stated belief that the action is bad, particularly if the statement is made publicly. The consistency principle thus leads the person to fully adopt the belief that the sin is bad and to distance themselves from repeating it.

Discussion of inner fears and anxieties, as well as confessing sins is exposing vulnerabilities and requires the person to place trust in the group and hence bond with them. When we bond with others, they become our friends, and we will tend to adopt their beliefs more easily.

This effect may be exaggerated with intense sessions where deep thoughts and feelings are regularly surfaced. This also has the effect of exhausting people, making them more open to suggestion.

Self-sanctification through purity

Individuals are encouraged to constantly push towards an ultimate and unattainable perfection. This may be rewarded with promotion within the group to higher levels, for example by giving them a new status name (acolyte, traveller, master, etc.) or by giving them new authority within the group.

The unattainability of the ultimate perfection is used to induce guilt and show the person to be sinful and hence sustain the requirement for confession and obedience to those higher than them in the groups order of perfection.

Not being perfect may be seen as deserving of punishment, which may be meted out by the higher members of the group or even by the person themselves, who are taught that such atonement and self-flagellation is a valuable method of reaching higher levels of perfection.

Aura of sacred science

The beliefs and regulations of the group are framed as perfect, absolute and non-negotiable. The dogma of the group is presented as scientifically correct or otherwise unquestionable.

Rules and processes are therefore to be followed without question, and any transgression is a sin and hence requires atonement or other forms of punishment, as does consideration of any alternative viewpoints.

Page 28: Brainwashing

Loaded language

New words and language are created to explain the new and profound meanings that have been discovered. Existing words are also hijacked and given new and different meaning.

This is particularly effective due to the way we think a lot though language. The consequence of this is that the person who controls the meaning of words also controls how people think. In this way, black-and-white thinking is embedded in the language, such that wrong-doers are framed as terrible and evil, whilst those who do right (as defined by the group) are perfect and marvellous.

The meaning of words are kept hidden both from the outside world, giving a sense of exclusivity. The meaning of special words may also be revealed in careful illuminatory rituals, where people who are being elevated within the order are given the power of understanding this new language.

Doctrine over person

The importance of the group is elevated over the importance of the individual in all ways. Along with this comes the importance of the the group's ideas and rules over personal beliefs and values.

Past experiences, beliefs and values can all thus be cast as being invalid if they conflict with group rules. In fact this conflict can be used as a reason for confession of sins. Likewise, the beliefs, values and words of those outside the group are equally invalid.

Dispensed existence

There is a very sharp line between the group and the outside world. Insiders are to be saved and elevated, whilst outsiders are doomed to failure and loss (which may be eternal).

Who is an outsider or insider is chosen by the group. Thus, any person within the group may be damned at any time. There are no rights of membership except, perhaps, for the leader.

People who leave the group are singled out as particularly evil, weak, lost or otherwise to be despised or pitied. Rather than being ignored or hidden, they are used as examples of how anyone who leaves will be looked down upon and publicly denigrated.

People thus have a constant fear of being cast out, and consequently work hard to be accepted and not be ejected from the group. Outsiders who try to persuade the person to leave are doubly feared.

Dispensation also goes into all aspects of living within the group. Any and all aspects of existence within the group is subject to scrutiny and control. There is no privacy and, ultimately, no free will.

 

Page 29: Brainwashing

See also

Robert Jay Lifton, Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism, W.W. Norton & Co., Inc., 1963

Evidence principle

 

Principles > Evidence principle

Principle | How it works | So what?

 

Principle

I cannot deny what I see with my own eyes.

How it works

In our interactions with others, we often disagree and know that they will try to persuade us. If you tell me something, I can easily deny it, effectively saying that you are either mistaken or a liar.

Evidence, however, comes from outside the other person, which means we cannot attribute it to their person, and must judge it independently.

Evidence is particularly powerful for disconfirmation and destroying beliefs. If I find out about my partner cheating on me, all faith and trust are instantly destroyed. Such a change can cause a significant emotional response.

Uncertainty

Evidence is particularly important when we are uncertain. In these situations we go into an 'evidence-seeking' mode, where everything is questioned.

This is used in social situations when we do not know what to do we often look at other people to see what they are doing.

Modeling

Page 30: Brainwashing

If I want you to behave in some way, then if I act that way, I am providing you with social evidence. This is used by leaders, from wartime ministers displaying faith and courage to business leaders who embody new values and working practices.

Strength

Evidence can be weak or strong and its credibility may depend on its source and medium. If the evidence can be doubted or ignored then it will have less strength. Increasing evidence that aliens have landed might thus be:

A person asserting they have seen them A newspaper report on the landing Photos in the newspaper A national radio broadcast A broadcast by an acknowledged expert TV footage of spacecraft TV footage of the aliens TV interviews with the aliens Meeting the aliens Going with then back to Alpha Centauri

Legal evidence

The legal system makes great use of evidence, testing each item and determining if there is a good case. It is played out in a court where hard evidence is the major player, and opinions, even of experts, are of secondary importance.Disconfirmation is critical and one strong piece evidence can swing an entire case.

Scientific evidence

Science, even more than legislation, is based on objective and measurable evidence. A hypothesis is put forward to explain a phenomenon and then both confirming and disconfirming evidence is sought in a wide range of situations (thus showing where the theory does and does not work).

So what?

Gather evidence both for your argument and against other arguments. Seek objective evidence that cannot be denied. Look for things that will shake the other person's beliefs.

Deploy the evidence carefully and to a planned strategy. For example, you can use a full-frontal assault, battering them into submission with a powerful stream of incontrovertible evidence. You may also plan a longer campaign of attrition, wearing them down with doubt and systematic destruction of their arguments..

See also

Understanding principle, Theories about meaning, Using evidence

Page 31: Brainwashing

Theories about meaning

 

Explanations > Theories > Theories about meaning

 

Here are academic theories about how we make sense of the world, inferring meaning.

General theories of understanding

Attribution Theory : we need to attribute cause, that supports our ego. Constructivism : we use constructs as perceptual categories. Focusing effect : We pay more attention to some things than others. Framing : mental combinations that affect perception. Just-world phenomenon : Good and bad will be rewarded and punished. Objectification : we simplify complex things into concrete images. Personal Construct Theory : constructs that represent understanding. Schema : mental structure to organize and interpret the world. Social Representation Theory : special meaning of words to communicate in a group. Speech Act Theory : Speaking is acting. Meaning is context-dependent. Story Model : We piece together complex situations into stories to build understanding. Symbolic Interaction Theory : we derive meaning around symbols.

Specific theories about inferring meaning

Attention : How we pay attention to things around us. Attribution : How we attribute cause. Belief : What and how we believe. Clustering Illusion : Seeing patterns where there are none. Discomfort : How we handle discomfort. Understanding others : How we make sense of other people. Understanding ourselves : How we perceive ourselves.

See also

Association principle

Principles > Association principle

Principle | How it works | So what?

Principle

I mentally connect things together, and then automatically follow the links I have made.

Page 32: Brainwashing

How it works

The connected brain

One of the fundamental ways in which our minds work is to link things together. If I say 'elephant' your mind will immediately start thinking 'what's that like?', charging off on a butterfly series of associations, for example leaping to 'circus', 'clown', 'fool', 'king' and so on.

If, however, I can control how you associate, I can lead you in any direction I choose. The trick of this is to follow the natural tendencies of the mind, leading you along the rutted paths that already groove your thinking.

Association is, to some extent at least, the opposite of the contrast principle (or perhaps a contrast is an automatic association). Instead of highlighting something by showing you something else which is different, it is about seducing you through things which are similar, or related in some way.

Emotional association

Emotions are very often associated with events, and the strength of the emotion is what makes that even significant in our memories. Emotional memories come to mind more easily and so continue to occupy our attention.

Phobias happen this way. I see a spider as a child, I am terrified. Now, whenever I even hear the word 'spider', I feel fear. This association of emotion with words and events is accentuated if others feel emotion at the same time. If my mother was also scared of the spider (or maybe was the first to feel fear), then the phobia will only be made stronger.

Short-cuts

Association provides handy short-cuts for thinking. Brands take advantage of this. See Coca Cola -- think 'refreshing world drink'. Hmm.

A connected society

As a species, we have found it advantageous to live in groups where we can share the tasks of living. However, this comes at a price: to be accepted, we have to obey the social rules. It also leads to non-stop competition within the pecking order as we seek a mate, esteem and social power.

Even when we stand next to someone we do not know, we feel connected in some way. If they are famous or powerful,  we feel a reflected glory. If they are socially undesirable, we feel tainted and will ignore them or move away.

Page 33: Brainwashing

So what?

So connect things. Connect people with their needs and wants. Connect what you want with what they want. Connect what is already accepted with what you want to be accepted. 

You can connect in time, starting with things with which they cannot disagree, and following immediately with things of which you want to persuade them.

One of the most powerful things you can do is to connect personally -- from them to you. They will then follow you. You can get them to connect visually, for example making yourself look powerful and attractive. You can connect emotionally, getting them into a buying frame of mind before presenting what you have to sell.

Page 34: Brainwashing

See also

Page 35: Brainwashing

Bonding principle

 

Principles > Bonding principle

Principle | How it works | So what?

 

Principle

I will do what my friends ask of me.

How it works

As social animals, we build friendships with other people. And a part of friendship is helping one another without having to negotiate an exchange at every turn, partly because we know that over time, the exchange and social capital will balance itself out.

Bonding also happens with parents and siblings - 'Blood is thicker than water' is a common saying. It can also happen with family substitutes including employers and other organizations and institutions that we join.

Emotional bonding

One of the effects of becoming friends is a very human process of bonding, whereby we feel an emotional connection with the other person, such that our identities are connected together.

In such a situation, with connected identities, if I do something  for myself, I am also doing it for the other person, and vice versa.

Variable bonds

Emotional bonds vary. We have family, we have close friends and we have general acquaintances, and the degree to which we will help them varies accordingly.

Primitive bonding

In psychoanalytic theory is the principle of the neonatal phase in which an infant is literally 'at one' with the world and before their separate identity is formed

Page 36: Brainwashing

through the mirror phase. Life thereafter is a dilemma of wanting both a separate identity and also returning to that early one-ness. Bonding with others helps create some sense of this as we introject their good objects.

Seeking one-ness is also found in many religions, whether it is connecting with God or achieving Nirvana or enlightenment.

So what?

Make friends with the other person. Build emotional bonds. Find things in common. Thus when you ask them to do something for you, they will feel as if they are doing it for themselves.

See also

Exchange principle, Harmony principle, Trust principle

Identity, Theories about friendship, Attachment Theory

Out with the boys

Hurt and Rescue principle

 

Principles > Hurt and Rescue principle

Principle | How it works | So what?

 

Principle

'A drowning person will clutch at a straw', so push them in the water, then throw them a rope.

How it works

'Hurt and Rescue' is the underlying principle beneath many different persuasion methods.

Hurt

Hurting the other person does not mean physical harm and it may not even mean making them feel bad, but it does mean creating a tension that they want to resolve.

Page 37: Brainwashing

Negative and positive hurt

Negative hurting means making them feel pain of some kind, pointing out what is wrong, making them want to get away from something.

Positive hurt, on the other hand, means making the other person want something, creating desire, seeing what is good.

Active and passive hurt

Actively hurting someone means taking deliberate action, setting them up, causing them pain by what you do.

Passive hurt may mean deliberately allowing a person to be hurt when you could rescue them earlier (perhaps to have a greater effect later).

Rescue

Rescuing a person means removing their hurt, saving themselves from their pains. It creates closure and relief.

Rescuing can be a bit like fishing. It's not just about reeling in the fish. If they feel you pulling, then they may pull back and you end up either with a tug of way or a broken line and a fish disappearing into the distance.

Grasping hopefully at straws

Rescue may start with hope, as people envisage and predict the relief of being rescued. Thus they will grasp at straws in the desperate hope of rescue.

Self-rescue

In the ideal rescue, the solution is available and the person rescues themself without your intervention. This can be arranged, for example, by putting it in their path and helping them to 'find' it. You can then be suitably impressed and congratulate them.A key benefit of self-rescue is that they fully own the solution hence are likely to adopt it more fully.

Requested rescue

It helps a great deal if, rather than having rescue thrust upon the person, they ask for it first. This helps to ensure they appreciate and own the solution.

Page 38: Brainwashing

Offered rescue

In practice, it is often necessary for you to offer rescue, such as when they cannot see a solution even when it is in front of them.When doing this, you may get some objections and resistance which you must handle.

Enforced rescue

Finally, you may effect the rescue without their permission, for example when they are in imminent danger.In such cases, they may not realize they are hurt and may strongly resist your rescue attempts.

So what?

'Hurt and Rescue' seems pretty negative, by the way, but do not be fooled by the wording. As with most methods, it can be used for good or bad.

Hurt and rescue methods can range from the classic 'Good cop--bad cop' routine to the most principled of therapeutic technique.

See also

Confusion principle

 

Principles > Confusion principle

Principle | How it works | So what?

 

Principle

A drowning person will clutch at a straw. So push them under water then offer a straw.

How it works

Breaking patterns

Repeating patterns of events help us predict and feel a good sense of control about the world. When patterns are are disrupted, then we become uncertain.

Losing control

Page 39: Brainwashing

One of the deep needs we have is to be able to understand the world around us. If we understand, then we can predict what will happen and hence control our environment and stay safe. When we cannot make sense of our experiences, we feel confused and scared and seek a way of getting out of the cognitive deep water in which we find ourselves.

Unexpected surprise

When we predict, we set up expectation. When the expectation does not meet what was predicted, we are surprised and confused and have to stop to figure out what is going on.

Sends you inside

What is the sound of one hand clapping? What is the sound of a tree falling in the forest when nobody is there? What is the point of such meaningless Zen sayings? The clue is in the deeper intent of Zen, where a A major goal is to find enlightenment. The confusing koans are designed specifically to send you inside, making you think so hard about what they mean that you forget yourself, and consequently find nirvana.

Confusion can send you so far inside and so deep that  it puts you into a trance. As you struggle to find a meaning where none exists, the assumption that an answer must exist sends you on an ever-deepening spiral. Confusion is a method that is, perhaps unsurprisingly, used by hypnotists as a method of hypnotic induction.

Clutching at straws

Increasing stress leads to a point when we go from seeking the best solution to the problem at hand to seeking a solution just to reduce the stress. Herbert Simon called this 'Satisficing'.

Confusion is used in many persuasion techniques as a way of destabilizing the other person. Just as a drowning man will clutch at a straw, so also will a confused person grab at any idea you offer them in the hope that it will help them crawl out the sea of confusion in which they are wallowing.

So what?

The most common way of confusing someone is simply to overload them. Just keep giving them things until they crack. It is especially effective if what you are saying is of interested and makes them think and want to respond.

Overload is multiplied when what is being communicated is complex or difficult to understand. This effectively shortens the time to the point where the other person becomes overloaded and needs to stop and process the information given to them.

There are many written and unwritten rules of conversation and interpersonal communication. People expect you to follow those rules. If you break them, they will quickly become confused. 

Page 40: Brainwashing

See also

Contrast principle

 

Principles > Contrast principle

Principle | How it works | So what

 

Principle

We notice difference between things, not absolute measures.

How it works

When we make judgments, evaluating how good a dress or person is, we don't make absolute judgments. The way we judge pretty much anything is in comparison with something else. When we say someone is smart or talkative, we actually mean they are smarter or more talkative than other people. (Note the '-er' at the end of the adjective and the 'more' -- these are sure signs of contrastive words).

Perceptual contrast

Put your left hand in a bowl of cold water and your right in hot water. Leave them there for a while, then plunge both together into a bowl of lukewarm water. Surprise! The left feels hot whilst the right will feel cold. 

This is the principle of Perceptual Contrast by which our senses work. Put light next to dark and it seems lighter. A stale smell will seem worse after a sweet smell. The same effect also applies to more our complex cognitive constructions.

Shortlists

We are not good at selecting from a large group as there are too many contrasts to make. When faced with many candidates for a job or many possible suits to purchase, we will rapidly simplify the decision by breaking things down to a very short shortlist.

Pair-wise comparison

Although we can select from a group of things, we compare best when we have only two things from which to select. In fact one of the reasons that we do reduce choices to a shortlist is that we

Page 41: Brainwashing

have less pairs to compare. Even then, we will break things down further, comparing the top two or three, one again another.

Comparing with prototypes and stereotypes

A prototype is an idealized stereotypes. Sometime the standard against which we judge other things is a prototype that we have constructed. Thus when house-hunting we will compare each residence against a non-existent prototype which has four bedrooms, a large kitchen and so on.

Prototypes, like Frankenstein's monster, are often made up of all the best bits from a wide range of experiences. Thus our prototype house might have our cousin's kitchen, a friend's bathroom and so on.

Comparing with  what is available

If two women are standing side by side, a man will evaluate one against the other, as the other woman is more immediately available than a recalled prototype.

Women, of course, will do the same. In fact we all will tend to use whatever comparators are most available to us at the time of judgment. In our usual lazy mental manner, we are more likely to use the comparator that is easiest to access than one which may be more appropriate. Thus given an unattractive person and an average-looking person, we will judge the average person to be more attractive than if we saw them alone.

Comparing against other people

When evaluating ourselves, the main comparator is other people. We decide how happy, beautiful and so on we are by comparing ourselves with others. In particular we tend to look to peers and people who are 'like us' to compare ourselves against. Thus rich people compare against other rich people (and often feel quite poor as a result!). People for whom being intelligent is important will compare themselves with other clever folks.

A result of this is that being rich, powerful, clever and so on is no predictor of happiness. We may strive for success, but if we change our comparators along the way, we will not seem to have achieved that much.

So what

Contrast is an important principle by which we make decisions. So to persuade something, we can leverage this by paying attention to these comparisons. 

Sales tricks

Sales people will often use the contrast effect by showing you a poor quality product alongside the one that they want you to buy.

Page 42: Brainwashing

They might also show you a wonderful product that is way beyond your reach. When you compare your ideal purchase with this, you are then likely to re-evaluate it upwards. Then when you look at a range of products, you will chose higher up the scale than you might otherwise have done.

They will also sell you add-ons. For example when you buy an expensive car, the optional extras seem very cheap in comparison.

Control the comparator

The overall trick is in controlling the comparator. Once you have identified the decisions that you want them to make, identify the comparator that they may use and then work to replace it with your comparator.

You can make it more available. You can stretch their envelope by making it better or worse than expected. You can also change the priorities, for example getting them to compare first quality instead of cost.

See also

Perceptual Contrast Effect, Social Comparison Theory