This is an IHeart podcast.

Guaranteed Human.

Most people think they would never fall for a cult.

I used to think that too.

When I thought about cults, I imagined bonfires, rituals and robes. I never imagined kindness or small rules or loyalty

that slowly rewrites your mind. But the truth is no one thinks they're joining a cult.

You think you're joining a family, a group that promises purpose and belonging.

You give yourself to it because it feels right.

And somewhere along the way, you stop realizing how much of you it's taken.

And then when you're there,

you stay because it feels safer inside than outside.

Because if you leave,

it means losing everything you've built around that belief,

all the people you love,

your sense of self.

Today's episode is the second of our two bonus conversations.

If the last one explored how the Legion built power through the media, this one looks inward.

At what happens inside a person when they're part of a high control group.

How brainwashing actually works in everyday life and how it hides under routines, prayers and good intentions.

We'll hear from Dr. Steven Hassan, a mental health counselor and a former member of the Munis, one of the most

recognized high-controlled religious movements in the world.

His story is different from mine, but the patterns are familiar, the promises, the fear,

...