In this riveting conversation with cult expert Dr. Steve Eichel, we uncover the common recruitment strategies of some of the most notorious cults. Dr. Eichel shares his personal experience infiltrating a cult and the tactics they used on him and the rest of his cohort. That early encounter with cult culture informed his decades-long work supporting survivors of cult trauma and their families. We cover human psychology and how it impacts politics, signs you might be in a high-demand organization, and the parallels between intimate partner violence (IPV) and cult practices.

Dr. Steve Eichel has been a licensed psychologist since 1982. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Pennsylvania after which he spent many years as a child and family psychologist and as a director of child and family services. Currently, in addition to his private practice, Dr. Eichel serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Delaware. He has a specialty in drug and alcohol counseling and cultic practices, a subject he has written many articles dissecting.

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