Today for World AIDS Day, I'd like to commemorate a dear friend I lost to AIDS in 2000. This tribute will be slightly different than most, but I believe it's consistent with the spirit and work of @HIVGov. 🙏

This is Dick Joslyn. Dick was in the Heaven's Gate cult.
Heaven's Gate was a UFO cult that resulted in 39 brainwashed members dying from mass homicide/suicide. Members believed they were "exiting their human vessels" so their souls could go on a journey aboard a spaceship following the Hale–Bopp comet. freedomofmind.com/the-heavens-ga…
Dick was in the cult for 15 years & was one of its most active and loyal members. He was #3 in the cult.

Eventually though, he grew disillusioned with leader Marshall Applewhite.
He told me he made a promise to himself that if they ever started talking about killing themselves (a la Jonestown) he would walk out. And so he did.

After the mass suicide (I see it as "mass murder"), more former members took their own lives.
These former members were STILL under the mind control of the cult and took their own lives in a sense to "join" their fellow friends.

When I met Dick Joslyn, this was the state he was in. Though he had been out of the cult for 5 years, he was still suffering and was suicidal.
I had seen Dick on TV saying that members weren’t brainwashed, but after working together, I was able to help him see that the group did in fact employ textbook mind control techniques.

With his permission, I filmed our sessions. They appeared in the HBO Heaven's Gate doc. 👇
(Part 2 of clip):
Though I feel gratitude for being able to help Dick out of his cult mind control, I feel sadness and even a little guilt about his death.

In 2000, Dick died of AIDS. He started believing conspiracy theories that AIDS wasn't really a disease and he didn't take it seriously.
And maybe that is the lesson I hope to impart today. No matter how "far gone," you think someone is, DON'T give up on them! You might be their only hope.🙏

And when it comes to something like HIV/AIDS, listen to doctors and wonderful advocates like @HIVGov.

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More from @CultExpert

1 Dec
If you want to learn about mind control but prefer LISTENING to audiobooks, my books are now listenable!

Here's the order I recommend and the links to download:
"Combating Cult Mind Control" should be listened to FIRST and is the FOUNDATION for the study of undue influence. This book sets the frame and is widely regarded as the BEST book for protection, rescue, and recovery from destructive cults. audible.com/pd/Combating-C…
"Freedom of Mind" should be listened to SECOND and builds on my first book. This book focuses on my Strategic Interactive Approach (my method to get someone out of a cult) and shows you HOW to do this with someone you care about. audiobooks.com/audiobook/free…
Read 4 tweets
26 Nov
In preparation for Thanksgiving, I posted a few threads summarizing HOW to help a family member out of their EXTREME belief. I summarized how I've helped get people out of cults for the last 45+ years.

Most people appreciated the tips, but some did not. A few of their comments:
"No. That is not my job. I am NOT their therapist"

and

"F that. Confrontation is important"

and

"some people aren’t worth trying to save"

and

"it is an awful lot of work to do. I'm not up to it"

I want to be clear about something. You don't HAVE to do anything!

but...
I concurrently get asked EVERY DAY how we "deprogram millions of people in the country."

And you know how we do it?

Close personal connections (and the approach I outlined in my threads...like the tweet attached below).

This is the rub my friends.
Read 6 tweets
25 Nov
One of the best ways to AVOID hot topics and concurrently build rapport are conversation starters!

I've compiled some fun ones you can use at the Thanksgiving table today:
-What does your PERFECT day look like?
-If you could instantly become an expert in anything, what would it be?
-If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
-If you had a time machine for just one day, what would you do with it?
-What is your best memory over the last year and why?
- If you could go anywhere on vacation, where would you choose and why?
-What’s one thing you can’t live without?
-What’s your favorite movie of all time? Why?
-What about your favorite book? Why?
Read 7 tweets
24 Nov
Are you getting together with family this Thanksgiving? Are you WORRIED because some of these family members have extreme/irrational beliefs?

If you're interested and invested in learning HOW to help these family members OUT of these extreme beliefs, this thread is for you! 👍
BEFORE YOU INTERACT WITH YOUR FAMILY MEMBER:

1. Start with YOU. Do your homework. Research cults and mind control. My books are a great comprehensive guide, but my website is also filled with fabulous (free) information. freedomofmind.com
2. Realize that helping a person will be a process requiring patience, effort, flexibility, & love. Arguing or debating doesn’t work. Criticizing the leader, doctrine or policy makes people feel persecuted. Assisting people to reevaluate requires a different communication toolkit
Read 22 tweets
22 Nov
Joe Rogan recently did a podcast with Alex Jones & others and said the media response to the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict is proof of a "left-wing cult."

I want to first say to @joerogan that I WELCOME this conversation! I've been on Joe's show before & enjoyed the discourse.

But..
I would love to know the CRITERIA that Joe is using to make this assessment.

When studying cults, we look at several factors to make this determination. We look at the leader, the structure of the organization, and how individuals are treated (see my influence continuum)... Image
We also look at the specific set of methods and techniques leaders and groups use to determine if they are indeed controlling peoples' minds. This is what my BITE model speaks to... ImageImageImageImage
Read 8 tweets
19 Nov
Undue influence isn't JUST about cults.

Undue influence is any act of persuasion that overcomes the free will & judgment of another person.

An area of undue influence of particular concern to me is the undue influence of children exerted by a parent...against the OTHER parent.
Experts in the field refer to this as "Parental Alienation." Common behaviors include:

-Bad mouthing the parent to the child.
-Encouraging a child to call the targeted parent by their first name.
-Sharing inappropriate information (even if it’s true) about the targeted parent.
I became more familiar with this topic from Dr. Amy J.L. Baker. Dr. Baker has a PhD in developmental psychology and is an expert on parental alienation. She has authored or co-authored 9 books and 120 articles and provides training to legal and mental health professionals.
Read 11 tweets

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