What are cults and why are people drawn to them?  This course will delve into the following important aspects of cults:

• The psychosocial issues that underlie cults i.e., gaslighting, propaganda, lying, media distortion, social stress, hypnosis, conspiracy theories, etc.
• Cult leaders and the authoritarian tactics and behavioral patterns they use to control members and self-perpetuate the cultic organization.
• The history of cults dating back to ancient times and moving forward to the present. Cults are ubiquitous, affecting not only the U.S. but all the world’s societies.
• Losing reality—How leaders and governments can distort reality to control people.   We will explore this phenomenon in multiple settings i.e., countries, religion, corporations, marketing, media and in the contemporary United States. 
• How to undo the process of the distortion of reality and heal the individual and society.

Recommended: Losing Reality, Robert J Lifton; Cult of Trump, Steven Hassen; Cults in our Midst, Margaret Thaler Singer; Cults Inside Out,  Rick Alan Ross; Pastels and Pedophiles, Mia Bloom and Sophia Monkalenko; Friction, Clack McCauley and Sophia Monkalenko; Cults, Conspiracies and Secret Societies, Arthur Goldwag; Ancient Mystery Cults, Walter Burkert; It Can’t Happen Here, Sinclair Lewis.

Registration deadline: Sept. 9