Category: Psychology

Sacred Science & Mormonism: A Post-Cult Perspective on Recovery, at Conference on Religious Trauma 2022 (CORT) – Slides

Here are the slides for my talk at CORT 2022 (Conference on Religious Trauma): Sacred Science & Mormonism: A Post-Cult Perspective on Recovery

Finding “Good Enough” After Perpetual Inadequacy – Slides

The slides from my 2021 Thrive Day presentation on overcoming toxic perfectionism: Finding ‘Good Enough’ After Perpetual Inadequacy

Elder Jackson’s “Culture of Christ” is a Culture of White Supremacy

“We can cherish the best of our individual earthly cultures and be full participants in the eternal culture that comes from the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Elder William K. Jackson,October 2020 General Conference The most backhanded compliment-insult combos start out with a Big But. And in this talk called The Culture of Christ (delivered at …

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Mormon Stories Slides & Video Links

The slides for my 5-part presentation on Mormon Stories can be found here: Part 1: The Cogs of the Machine Part 2: The Trap is Sprung Part 3: Control Your Own Thoughts Part 4: Putting on the Pressure Part 5: Emotional Control The full series on YouTube: Mormon Stories 1443: Recovering Agency Pt. 1 – …

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How To Shirk Responsibility: A Lesson from an LDS Apostle

With the April 2018 General Conference, many hoped LDS Leadership would address the most recent abuse scandals that have rocked the foundations of trust for members of the Church. Many of us have been aware of systemic abuse and cover-ups under the roof of God’s house for a long time, yet recently, two of those …

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Consolidated Analyses of LDS Manipulation

I’ve created a number of blog posts and videos analyzing line-by-line the mind control and manipulation in LDS General Conference Talks and articles. Here you can find links to all of them in one place. It first may help to have an idea of the named manipulation techniques used by cults and high-demand groups. They …

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New Mormon LGBT Policy Promotes Child Abuse in God’s Name

I'm not.

This is perhaps the biggest moment in all the history of Mormonism. Most definitely in my lifetime. Whatever comes, however this is handled, the fallout from the news that leaked on Thursday will ripple down to generations to come. For those who don’t know, the Mormon Church changed their official policy for how to handle …

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An Atheist Spiritual Experience at Sunstone

How can an atheist have a spiritual experience? It happens to me all the time, and it happens more often when I am true to myself and my sense of reality. First, let me be very clear. I am speaking only of my own journey, my own psychological and spiritual path, my own beliefs. I …

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Sunstone Slides, The Cogs of Dissonance and Consonance: The Levers of Control in LDS Doctrine

Cogs of Dissonance Slide

Many people requested copies of the slides after my presentation at Sunstone Symposium last week, entitled The Cogs of Dissonance and Consonance: The Levers of Control in LDS Doctrine. Click for the full slide deck. Audio of the talk is currently available for free at Sunstone’s website. Or you can purchase a hardcopy.      

The BITE Model and Mormon Control Released on Kindle!

The BITE Model and Mormon Control

The article I wrote ten years ago, based on Steven Hassan’s BITE Model of cult control, is now an ebook! I updated it and added more content and it is now available on Kindle for your reading convenience. The original is still available for free right here on this website. If you’d like the new, …

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