The most difficult e-mails and calls that I receive are from people who are desperate to rescue a loved one from the clutches of one of the Amway/Quixtar motivational groups. They seem completely frustrated when the loved one does not respond to reason. The reason for this is that many appear to have been subjected to cult indoctrination tactics. Distributors from around the world have contacted me in relation to psychological problems they personally experienced after indoctrination in the Amway/Quixtar motivational organizations. Some have described depression, divorce and the aftermath of suicides. Certainly not everyone recruited into Amway or Quixtar has had a dramatic cult experience. However, many testimonials have come in that utilized the terms “Cult”, “Mind control”, “brainwashing”, “group dynamics” in describing their experiences.

The book Merchants of Deception is being utilized by one therapist to assist victims of other cults come out and understand what was done to them. However, I am far from an authority on the topic but have been fortunate enough to work with a colleague who is an expert in the field. His name is Steve Hassan and he has dedicated the last thirty years of his professional life in assisting cult victims and their families heal from their experience. You may have seen him on 60 Minutes, Nightline, Dateline, Larry King, O’Reilly Factor, Dr. Phil, or other interviews. Steve has assisted multiple former distributors/IBO’s and has done a non coercive intervention recently to salvage one family from the psychological grips of Quixtar motivational group. This is not “news” in that documentation reveals that Amway Senior management was aware that “Mind Control” and “Cultism” (their terms) were being deployed upon the distributor force as far back as 1982.

After discovering the fraud and exiting the group, I struggled with depression and other psychological issues that were a specific result of over nine years on “the system”. I read Steve Hassan’s books Combating Cult Mind Control and Releasing the Bonds. Both are highly recommended. I traveled to Boston to meet with Steve and he helped me understand what had happened and to get back to the person I was pre-recruitment. Distributor IBO’s will be shocked to read Combating Cult Mind Control as it reveals a mainstream cult that utilized nearly identical techniques that IBO’s seem to be subjected to internationally.
Releasing the Bonds is an excellent resource for a loved one to learn to effectively communicate with someone in Amway/Quixtar who is losing money yet is not responding to reason.

Below is some information that you may find of assistance.
What is Mind Control?

Quoted From:

www.freedomofmind.com

My mind control model outlines many key elements that need to be controlled: Behavior, Information, Thoughts and Emotions (BITE). If these four components can be controlled, then an individual's identity can be systematically manipulated and changed. Destructive mind control takes the "locus of control" away from an individual. The person is systematically deceived about the beliefs and practices of the person (or group) and manipulated throughout the recruitment process- unable to make informed choices and exert independent judgment. The person's identity is profoundly influenced through a set of social influence techniques and a "new identity" is created- programmed to be dependent on the leader or group ideology. The person can't think for him or herself, but believes otherwise. The cult system reinforces an "illusion of control."

Many of the individuals I have counseled left the cult or abusive relationship years ago, some as many as 30 years ago, but have suffered from programmed cult beliefs ever since. Ex-members who have not yet gotten effective counseling often experience a variety of psychological and relationship problems—anxiety disorders, panic attacks, sleep disorders, lack of trust, paranoia, feelings of alienation. Untreated, they often become especially vulnerable to the normal stresses of life, such as health problems, the deaths of friends and loved ones, divorce and, especially in recent years, economic pressures and the threat of terrorism. In addition, ex-members are often unconsciously triggered by environmental cues that are part of their left-over cult programming. Some ex-members get to the point that they actually think about returning to the cult, or feel they must seek out some new guru, leader, or group. It takes time and effort to get beyond the black and white, us-versus-them, elitist mentality that cults tend to program into their members.

The way to recover from destructive mind control is to learn to control your own mind. This statement underlies my entire approach. What I do in my practice is help people develop higher states of self-awareness so that they can reclaim, or in some cases, create for the first time, a healthy internal locus of control. Cults actively work to short-circuit this internal locus of authority. Using a variety of mind control techniques, and especially by cultivating allegiance to a central authority figure, they can turn even the most independent-minded person into an obedient cult member. Though one of my main aims is to undo this cult programming, I have found that what works best is for people to take responsibility for their own recovery. I serve as counselor and coach to help people know themselves so that they can change and grow in healthy ways.

Steven Alan Hassan, M.Ed., LMHC, NCC

Steven Hassan has been involved in educating the public about mind control and destructive cults since 1976. He is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC). He holds a Masters degree in counseling psychology from Cambridge College. Combating Cult Mind Control: The #1 Best-selling Guide to Protection, Rescue, and Recovery from Destructive Cults (1988) and Releasing the Bonds: Empowering People to Think for Themselves (2000). Both books has been praised by former cult members, families of former members, clergy, and psychologists; people from all walks of life interested in the problems that destructive cults pose for the world today. Click here for endorsement of Combating Cult Mind Control. For a sampling of the praise Releasing the Bonds has received, please visit here.

Steven has pioneered a new approach to helping victims of mind control called the
Strategic Interaction Approach (SIA). 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 and friends 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.

The book is in Adobe Acrobat .PDF format and is 100% compatible with both Macintosh and PC computers. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to read the book.You can download a copy of Acrobat Reader FREE at www.adobe.com. Download Now! Click Here