Cult expert Steven Hassan has been involved in educating the public about mind control and destructive cults for over twenty three years. He is a licensed Mental Health Counselor and holds a Master's degree in counseling psychology from Cambridge College. He is the author of newly released Releasing the Bonds: Empowering People to Think for Themselves (Freedom of Mind press, 2000). In 1988, he authored the critically acclaimed book Combatting Cult Mind Control: The #1 Best-selling Guide to Protection, Rescue and Recovery from Destructive Cults (Park Street Press).

Mr. Hassan has pioneered the Strategic Interaction Approach, a revolutionary new way of helping victims of destructive mind control. Unlike the stressful and media sensationalized "deprogramming", this non-coercive approach is an effective and legal alternative for families to help cult members. This approach utilizes family, friends and the Internet and teaches them how to strategically influence the individual involved in the group. During his many years of work he has helped thousands of persons victimized by cult-related mind control. He has provided numerous training workshops and seminars for mental health professionals, educators and law enforcement officers, as well as for families of cult members.

Deceptively recruited into the Moon organization at the age of nineteen while a student at Queens College, Hassan spent twenty-seven months recruiting and indoctrinating new members, fundraising, political campaigning and personally meeting with Sun Myung Moon during numerous leadership sessions. Mr. Hassan ultimately rose to the rank of Assistant Director of the Unification Church at National Headquarters. Following a serious automobile accident, he was helped by several former members at his parent's request. Once he realized the insidious nature of the organization, he authorized police officials to take possession of his personal belongings which included a massive set of private speeches documenting Moon's secret plan to "take over the world." During the 1977-78 Congressional Subcommittee Investigation into South Korean C.I.A. activities in the United States, he consulted as an expert witness. In 1979, following the Jonestown tragedy, Mr. Hassan founded EX-MOON Inc., a non-profit educational organization composed of over four hundred former members of the Moon group. Although now defunct, it was the first and largest ex-member organization in the world. Mr. Hassan founded the Freedom of Mind Resource Center Inc., and the newly established non-profit Freedom of Mind Institute in order to uphold human rights, promote consumer awareness and expose abuses of destructive cult groups. The Web site for FMRC is www.freedomofmind.com and has an email list and which adds new material regularly.

Some of the groups that Mr. Hassan feels should be of concern are: The Unification Church (The Moonies); The Church of Scientology (Dianetics); Heaven's Gate; Messianic Communities (Eugene Spriggs); Aum Shinrikyo; The Way International; The Hare Krishnas (ISKCON); Transcendental Meditation (TM); Rajneesh (Osho); Church Universal and Triumphant (C.U.T.); Jehovah's Witnesses; Shepherding/Discipleship churches (such as the International Church of Christ; Victory Chapel; Potter's House); Foundation for Human Understanding (Roy Masters); Chung Moo Doe (martial arts); Rama (Frederick Lenz); U.S. Labor Party (LaRouche); New Alliance Party; Soka Gakkai (formerly N.S.A.); SYDA Yoga; Children of God (Family of Love); 3HO (Yogi Bhajan); Kirpal Light Satsang (Thakar Singh). He has also counseled people involved with est (The Forum), Sterling Institute of Relationship; Re-Evaluation Co-Counseling; Insight (John-Roger and M.S.I.A.) and Lifespring. There are an estimated three thousand destructive cult groups operating within the United States today. Millions of people have been directly affected by the cult phenomenon.

Mr. Hassan has appeared on innumerable television and radio shows including Nightline, 60 Minutes, Dateline, Oprah Winfrey, Good Morning America, Today Show, CBS This Morning, Fox News and Larry King. Quoted extensively in newspaper and magazine articles, Mr. Hassan has had a great impact on the American public through the media. In his commitment to fight against destructive cults, Mr. Hassan devotes a major portion of his time and energy to preventive education. He has addressed hundreds of high school, campus, religious and professional organizations throughout the world.

- Books -
Combatting Cult Mind Control
Releasing The Bonds: Empowering People To Think For Themselves

- Sites -
Freedom of Mind Official site of cult expert Steve Hassan