Former Sea Org member Karen Pressley and I discuss the 80+ books that have been written since the 1950s about Scientology. Karen has put together a PDF presentation of all of these (link below) and we talk about the history of Scientology, how these books and other events have shaped that history and which ones we think are the most important to check out.
Karen’s presentation: https://goo.gl/6pVYHy
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This week, I interview former spiritual adviser and cult leader Jessica Schab, who one day realized that what she was involved in was not rational and had elements that were actually destructive. We talk about what she did once she realized this and the consequences of those actions. While normally on this channel we have discussed cult followers, in this episode we go to the other side to see what life is like as a cult leader.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This podcast does not endorse Jessica’s End of Fear (EOF) Project or any part of the life coaching that she and Diego Fontanive are doing. It is my opinion that anyone partaking in non-professional life coaching services is taking a risk because this is pseudo-psychological work that does not require any professional training or licensing, nor does it have any legal or professional oversight. Nothing said in this podcast should be taken as a recommendation or endorsement of EOF.
Jessica can be reached via http://jessicaschab.com.
Jessica on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessicamystic
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WARNING: In this podcast, we talk about politics. We are critical of both the Left and the Right. We also talk about language manipulation in the CDC, in Scientology and in the government. There are few tools of control more powerful than that of language, but its effects can be subtle and hard to detect. Once again, I speak with language professor Steven Martin about recent events at the CDC with banning seven words in grant proposals and our conversation extends to Scientology and other areas.
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This week, ex-Mormon Jonathan Streeter and I dive into the recent allegations of sexual abuse and inappropriate questioning in the Mormon church, and then compare/contrast this with what goes on in the Church of Scientology’s “security checks.”
The petition from Sam Young is here: https://www.gopetition.com/petitions/protect-the-children-stop-mormon-masturbation-interviews.html
Secretly recorded video of Mormon pastor: https://thoughtsonthingsandstuff.com/father-of-the-ward-vs-father-of-the-child/
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This week, comedian Ian Harris and I talk about his career as an atheist-based comedian, the skeptic/atheist community, humanism and current events in the media and how we see the good and bad in it.
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This week, I talk with Rachel Bernstein about co-dependency, a loaded term which needs some clarification and accurate definition. We discuss it from many angles including how this manifests in destructive cults.
Rachel’s website is here.
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Language is a powerful force for communication and progress. However, it can also be used in hidden ways to change how we think. This week I talk with professor Steven Martin about the subtle and sometimes almost invisible use of language as a tool of thought manipulation and control.
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This week, I feature Dr. Darrel Ray, psychologist, author, founder and president of the international organization Recovering from Religion, an organization dedicated to helping people deal with the consequences of leaving any religion.
Dr. Ray and I discuss current events with sexual harassment and assault accusations in the media, and the psychology and cognitive biases involved in this.
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #117: The Psychology of Sexual Abuse appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.