36 minutes | Monday, 13 July 2026
The Debrief is joined by Dr. Steven Hassan, one of the world's leading experts on cults, mind control and undue influence, and a man who knows the subject from the inside. Recruited as a young college student, Steven spent years inside a high-control group before getting out and dedicating his life to understanding how it happened. He explains exactly how skilled recruiters operate, the small steps that pull a person in long before they realise it, and why the people most vulnerable are almost never who you would expect. The conversation turns to the long road back, what it takes to rebuild a life, relationships, and learn to trust your own thoughts again. And with the internet doing the recruiting now, Steven has a warning about how much easier it has become - especially for the younger generation to disappear into one of these groups.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.