Mind Control Made Easy (or How to Become a Cult Leader)

Don't you want devoted followers? Who leave their families for you, give their money to you, give their bodies to you, give up their lives for you, consider you God, and will kill for you?

I love you.

Don't you want to become a cult leader?

Since the death of God, there's been a vacancy open. You can fill that void. Here's how.

Structure your cult like an onion, with the most benign and helpful features on the outside, and the most controlling, kookie, and evil parts at the secret inner core.

Use deception. Don't tell them who you really are. Lie, leave out important information, or distort information.

Are you trying to recruit me?
No, I'm just trying to share something meaningful with you.

Establish front groups.

We're a Bible study group.
We're a management course.
We're a meditation center.
We're a world peace organization.
We're a personal development center.
We're a drug rehab center.

Promise to fulfill their dreams.

Don't you want a world of unconditional love and brotherhood?
We have the secrets to self-improvement.
You can join us and be special.
Join our elite mission to save the world.
We can teach you special powers.
Personal power.
Psychic power.
Past life connection.
Telekinesis.

Offer them something free, and get them to feel obliged to give you something in return.

Well, we gave you that free dinner, the least you could do is come to our weekend intensive.

You could tell them time is running out and that they must make their decision now, or it will be too late.

This is your only chance to make it, don't blow it.
It's important to make this commitment now.
This is an issue of burning urgency.

Don't give them time to think.

Diminish doubting commiseration by separating your new recruits from each other. Surround them with happy "true believers," so when in doubt, they will tend to do what everyone around them is doing and believe that is normal.

Start with a prolonged period of love bombing. Surround them with unconditional love and attention. Your cult family should act friendly and interested.

Get information and hone their weak spots-

Tell us about yourself.
Take this personality test.

-And then use this information to manipulate them.

Gradually, over time, you will begin to shape the recruit's behavior by granting or withholding this love and attention.

After they've bonded, slowly start making your demands upon them, the message being:

Nothing in this world has value, unless it relates to the leader, or the ultimate purpose.

Control their behavior.

Come live with us.
Wear these clothes.
Eat this food.
All you need is two hours sleep.

Prescribe a rigid schedule.

Keep them active, and with as little sleep as possible.

If you can, restrict their eating habits to low-protein food.

Control their thoughts.

Our ideology answers all questions to all problems.
Let our doctrine think for you.

Control their emotions. Induce guilt-

The United States dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
People are dying of starvation.
People are dying of starvation.
You are not living up to your potential.
You're not living up to your potential.
You cheated on that test.

-And fear.

The enemy will electro-shock you.
Torture you.
Kill you.
Or carry you off to Hell.

Control information. Keep them from knowing all the workings of the cult. Block out any information which is critical of the group.

Encourage members to spy and report on one another.

Separate the recruit from himself by attacking the self and inducing a mental breakdown disguised as a spiritual awakening. When they start to freak out, have side effects, or hallucinate, tell them they are flushing out the bad stuff inside.

When I was meditating, I felt an infinite emptiness. It was utterly terrifying.
No, this is good. You're transforming. Do it more.
You are reaching God!
You are being reborn.
You are becoming one with our universe. One with our family.

Make them paranoid about their own bodies or thought processes.

You're battling your sinful nature.
Your body must detoxify.

Tell them that there is a part of their mind they must eliminate in order to find happiness.

You must eliminate the toxic mind.
Your ego, your ego is the source of all your problems.
I don't know who I am anymore.
Good, now you are free. In fact, there was no "you" there to begin with.

Claim authority. If you come from a divine source,

Your Bible clearly states that I am the Messiah.

Bogus scientific research,

Scientific studies prove my techniques work.

Or special knowledge.

I am the enlightened master of the universe.

Make up stories about yourself to boost your importance.

I invented air!
I have special access to the aliens.

But don't be stupid about it. Start slowly. A good con man takes a little bit of truth and lots of lies and pulls the wool over the eyes of the ignorant.

Induce trance states and self-hypnosis by practicing thought-stopping rituals and repetitive acts like dancing, spinning, singing-

We love the leader,
The leader is love.
When I'm not with him,
I feel like a schlub.

We love the leader,
The leader is love.
When I'm not with him,
I feel like a schlub.

Over-breathing, and chanting.

Stamp out doubt.
Stamp out doubt.
Stamp out doubt.
Stamp out doubt.
Stamp out doubt.
Stamp out doubt.

Stamp out doubt.
Stamp out doubt.
Stamp out doubt.

Practice prolonged hours of meditation. In these trance states, they are more receptive and suggestible.

Revert them back to childhood dependence and mindless obedience.

Encourage separation from their family.

Your friends and family probably won't understand.
Your friends and family probably won't understand.
It doesn't sound like your family and friends really love you if they can't support your new decision.
Maybe you should stay away from them. It's unhealthy for you to be around unenlightened people anyway.
If you can't recruit your friends, cut off from them.
Stop wasting time with non-believers.
Stop wasting time with non-believers.

Encourage dependency and conformity, and discourage autonomy and individuality.

The whole purpose must be the focus! The self-purpose must be subordinated.
The whole purpose must be the focus.
The self-purpose must be subordinated.

Have confessionals where people demonize their early lives and only praise their life in the group. Rewrite the past as terrible, even if it was great.

Before I came to Emerge, I was a bad person. I was greedy, misguided, self-centered, and lost. My life is wonderful now. I hate my old life.
Before coming to Emerge, I was always in my ego. My toxic mind was running my life! I was a sinful, negative loser. Thanks to the leader, every day, I'm a winner.

Isolate them from the rest of the world. Make them feel part of a special elite group with an important mission.

Monuments and historical landmarks will someday be erected to commemorate us! And our sacrifices.

Tighten your group's bond by establishing scapegoats and enemies. Demonize outsiders as less-than-human, biased, corrupt, or conspiring against the group. Develop an "us versus them" mentality.

Fighting resistance. Tell them their critical thoughts are evidence that they have committed "crimes" against the group. Start investigating them and make up crimes.

I think I wanna leave.
You must be insane.

Make them feel guilty.

We're doing important work here.
You expect saving the world is easy?
We're all called upon to make some sacrifices for the cause.
Just when things get tough, you wanna give up.
You're weak!
Do you want to move forwards toward freedom and enlightenment, or do you want to fall back into your old, dirty ways?
What's more important? Our mission?
Our family?
Eternal salvation?
Or your petty grievances?
You're being negative.
Ignorant.
Selfish.
And sinful.
Our leader is flawless.
The doctrine is flawless.
There must be something wrong with you.
There must be something wrong with you.
There must be something wrong with you.
There must be something wrong with me. There must be something wrong with me.
Yes, there is!
Yes, there is.

Indoctrinate with fear. Tell them that they could be possessed by evil spirits, or suggest that if they should ever leave, something bad could happen to them.

I'm just warning you that without us, you're liable to get into a bad accident, get sick, or even die.
I'm warning you, without us, you're likely to get into a bad accident, get sick, or even die.
If you leave, you'll just be reincarnated into a lower lifeform.

Make it easier for them to die for you by calling their bodies "containers" that are shit before they evolve into higher life forms.

It's that simple. Now, don't you want to become a cult leader? Don't you want devoted followers, who leave their families for you, give their money to you, give their bodies to you, give up their lives for you, and will kill for you?

I will do what you say for the cause. I will leave my family for the cause. I will give you my money for the cause. I will give you my body for the cause. I will die for the cause. I will kill for the cause. I love you.