jon atack, family and friends

Chris joins Jon to answer a question a commenter asked over on Chris' channel - why is auditing bad for you? Their answer delves into history, psychology, and contains many twists, turns and some excellent minutiae of the Scientology world.

WARNING: this video contains descriptions of physical harm to a child.   William Pierce's Turner Diaries inspired the Oklahoma City bombing and is an essential text for neo-Nazis. Kelvin Pierce talks about his father, a professor of physics who became embroiled in the American Nazi Party and created the National Alliance and the Church of Cosmotheism. Kelvin and Jon discuss about the hatred t...

Scientology inc's obsession with sex,  particularly the sexual activities of its members, comes to a head when it demands every detail in "confessional" interrogations, which public members pay for.  The demand for sexual activity secrets is a disturbing preoccupation.  All confessions are stored on video and in worksheets, as ammunition for later blackmail as needed.  Wholesal...

It is vital to form your own identity after leaving an abusive relationship or group. Why 'narcissism' is the wrong word and the importance of growing up. Frances shares her own remarkable story as a born-in member who left at age 44. Frances Peters has successfully counseled many former followers of authoritarian groups.

Spike joins Jon to break down a seminal model of thought control - Robert Jay Lifton's classic "eight deadly sins" - a list of behaviors and tactics used by authoritarian groups and abusive predators to gain control, whether in a spiritual or philosophical group, a multi-level marketing scheme, a dysfunctional family, or an entire nation. First laid out in Robert Jay Lifton's excellent book "Thoug...

Psychotherapist Jessica Terwiel talks with Jon about the effect of fear, threat and PTSD on decision-making and prioritizing. Some helpful suggestions for those in stressful situations caused by relationship break-ups and departure from authoritarian cults.  ________________ help support our channel! paypal (for one-time donations) : https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/jonatackandfriends patreon...

Everyone's talking about not talking about Bruno, and with all this family dysfunction, there's bound to be something culty going on, right?   Spike and Monia take a look at this charming Disney offering and talk about not only Bruno, but also the high expectations of a "perfect" magical family, the unhealthy repression of feelings kept under the surface, and exactly why Abuela Alma is N...

there are many forms of authoritarian relationship - from the reverence given to a dictator to submission to an intimate partner. Documentarian and actor Hoyt Richards talks with Jon about the intricacies of these relationships.

Eton College is perhaps the world's most prestigious school. The college's journalism society invited Jon to give a full and frank talk on the perils of investigating scientology, the 16 years of harassment he suffered in consequence, and the immense amount of pre-internet research for Let's Sell These People a Piece of Blue Sky, Bare-faced Messiah, and Cult of Greed.   links: the shrinking w...

Hubbard taught nothing about love or compassion. Just as Mao transformed traditional family loyalty into devotion of the Communist Party, Hubbard demanded loyalty to Scientology and even shattered the natural bond between parents and their children. Conversation about the 'genetic entity' showing how Hubbard actually despised family relationship and showed neither love nor compassion for his own w...

psychotherapist Jessica Terwiel talks with Jon about Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and her perception from significant clinical experience that the symptoms attributed to CPTSD are not necessarily caused by trauma. This becomes extremely important in cases where therapists have insisted that there must be a trauma, so have at times led clients to generate false memories. This is relevant...

Despite its many claims, Scientology is the opposite of Buddhism because it encourages selfishness and erodes compassion. Scientology enslaves its followers mentally and physically by selling dreams of liberation. Jeffrey talks with Jon about the 1st dynamic - the urge to survive for yourself - which is at the heart of Hubbard's doctrine. Why are there so many suicides in Scientology and why do so...

This video describes the core doctrine of Scientology which is IMPLANTS.   OT 2 to OT 8 is excorcism which is ritual and procedures to get rid of the spirits attached to the body or the host spirit of a body.   When a person goes criminal after achieving OT 7 and OT 8 they are labelled "by-passed case" which means they did not REALLY do the procedures and they are ordered to re...

author and cult expert Mark Laxer talks with Jon about cult education. We tend to see our own culture as normal and reject other people's as cultic. Mark talks about his travels to Indonesia and the notion that some people are 'chaots' - and accept chaos - but many are 'certs' - and demand certainty. Mark and Jon talk about the dangers of believing and certainties and the advantages of accepting c...

Monia has got Spike watching the "Gilmore Girls," and, boy, is there a lot to rant on about! Even in this delightful, wholesome, witty masterpiece there's a couple of tropes on our "culty" list here, principally the human predator posing as the "bad boy who can be fixed by your love (tm)", but also triangulation, emotional manipulation, gaslighting, and even an authoritarian town selectman who fee...

Director and documentarian Hoyt Richards talks with Jon about the growth made possible by traumatic cult experiences and the false friendships found in authoritarian cults.

Membership of an authoritarian group demands a different set of rules to those of the larger society. Members often adopt anti-social behaviors. Psychologist Jessica Terwiel explores this theme with Jon, sharing her considerable experience of authoritarian groups as a clinical and forensic psychologist.   For more on VTaiwan: https://info.vtaiwan.tw

Hubbard's lifelong commitment to Crowleyite Sex Magick led to him proclaiming himself Lucifer the Antichrist in Scientology's most secret teachings. A deep dive into Hubbard self-hypnotic Affirmations and the real purpose of Scientology.   links:   Jack Parsons' writings: https://sacred-texts.com/oto/lib49.htm Jon's paper on Hubbard and the occult: https://youtu.be/VJbZS9sfRF8 the full l...

Jon and Karen talk about how language is used to control thought –  particularly in Scientology and especially in its paramilitary branch,  the Sea Org. They reminisce about dear friends lost to the web of this  controlling group, and their hopes for the future.   links:  to a .pdf of the full appendix to Orwell's 1984:  https://kickapooclark.weebly.com/uploads/5/0/8/...

Mike Rinder continues his account of his life in Scientology, focusing  this week on the first years ashore in Florida, when Scientology began  buying property in Clearwater, posing as the fictious “Southern Land  Development Corporation”. In between some fascinating tangents and  comparisons to Clearwater’s more current experiences with Scientology,  Mike and Jon discuss...

Karen De La Carriere is one of a handful of people who achieved the  pinnacle of Scientology training, the Class XII auditor course. In this  wide-ranging discussion, she talks about conditions aboard Hubbard’s  flagship, about the negligence that led to her son’s death, and her  attitude to Scientology now after her forty-year membership.   Links: Karen's channel: https:/...

concepts of "left" and "right" have become meaningless, thought-stopping  labels; Joe Szimhart joins Jon to deconstruct what is really meant by  these terms - and how it is much better to cooperate and find common  ground than to polarize into separate, ever-battling camps.

Counsellor Richard Turner talks with Jon about how cults take advantage of people who are, like him, on the autistic spectrum.  For more on Bhutan's Gross National Happiness: https://www.bhutan.travel/page/gross-national-happiness  Richard's Website: www.tothinkagain.co.uk Richard's Linked in profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-j-turner/ Article Richard wrote about cults and aut...

Mike and Jon explore the striking difference between Hubbard’s public  pose as a benefactor and the reality of his rage, illness, sadism and  paranoia.  links to the Hubbard death announcement event: full event: https://youtu.be/rR6R80W2J8Y Miscavige’s announcement: https://youtu.be/dgDa22Fx_V4

what is the difference between casual and fervent belief? how does the feeling of certainty drive a believer’s sense of reality? Yuval Laor, PhD, joins Jon for a discussion on these and other matters.