From Cults to Control Freaks: A Cult Expert’s Guide to Spotting Manipulation and Abuse | Rick Alan Ross (Fan Fave)

Rick Alan Ross (0:00)

Best thing that's ever happened to you financially, go. Easy, sold my car on Carvana, amazing offer.

Lisa Bilyeu (0:05)

Really?

Rick Alan Ross (0:06)

I hit 200 on a scratcher.

Lisa Bilyeu (0:08)

Did the scratcher come to your house and hand you a check?

Rick Alan Ross (0:10)

No. How many scratchers did you hit to get that? I hit a button on carvana.com once. Okay, that's fair.

Lisa Bilyeu (0:17)

It's like the lottery, except you always win.

Rick Alan Ross (0:20)

Not like the lottery at all, actually. Exactly, inexplicably good.

Lisa Bilyeu (0:25)

Offer's worth bragging about. Sell your car today on Carvana. Pick up Vee's May Apply.

Rick Alan Ross (0:30)

What up guys?

Lisa Bilyeu (0:30)

It's your homie here, Lisa Bilyeu. I want to know if you've ever been controlled or manipulated by someone emotionally or mentally, then you know how freaking crushing it is to your confidence, your self-esteem and the belief about yourself. You actually end up questioning how unearthed this person convinced me to do or say those crazy things that you actually know to your core isn't actually true.

What on earth do they do to get you to fall for the lies and manipulation that you were able to change that much without even freaking realizing it? And how can you make sure it never happens again? Because if you got there once, then don't you doubt that maybe you're going to end up there again? Well, my homie, the reality is that this type of manipulation actually happens more often than you think. It can happen one on one in a toxic dynamic, in a relationship, all the way to one person manipulating a massive group of people, where there can be hundreds and hundreds. And that is called a cult. Now, that cult leader is one hell of a freaking master manipulator to the extreme. Now, I don't know about you, but whenever I heard about a cult on the news or in social media, I always just assumed there were like maybe 10, maybe 20 cults that you could choose from. Well, I had no freaking idea. Brace yourself, guys, for this stat. But maybe you need to add a few more zeros to that number. That's right, my homie. In North America alone, brace yourself, there are over 10,000 cults, which means there's 10,000 people at least manipulating multiple people at one time. There's tens of thousands of cult leaders out there with the intention, the actual active intention of building a loyal following of people who are willing to do things that they would never normally do, like starve themselves, commit crimes, get branded like in Nxivm, or in some instances, literally, they will die for that person like in Jonestown. And I don't know about you, but I've always been so freaking curious about how that actually happens to someone. How do they go from a normal person walking down the street, like you or your mate or your family member, to becoming the most disconnected from everybody and who they used to be, and they don't even recognize themselves anymore. They start to actually believe and preach about crazy old stuff that they never ever mentioned before. They are sometimes even aggressive towards somebody that they love. Now, whether it's a straight up cult or a toxic partner or a guy at work that just keeps on trying to convince you to join this amazing self-help group, quote unquote, if you think it won't happen to you, well, my homie, you're actually that much more likely to become the next target and victim. So in this episode of Women of Impact, I want to get to the freaking bottom of how good, well-intentioned, educated, normal people like you and me, can actually fall into the trap of these crazy controlling people like a cult leader or a narcissist of a romantic partner, which leads you to end up leaving behind, ignoring your family, your job, your friend, your belief system, your sanity, all for this one person. That's why today's guest is none other than the ultimate cult expert and deprogrammer Rick Alan Ross. Now, this guy is an absolute legend and genius when it comes to cults, and is here today to help us understand the tactics they use and how to actually avoid getting into the position in the first place. So, oh my God, this conversation is so eye-opening. But seriously, guys, there are so many insane cases that we go into the super freaking details of what happened, how did people get trapped, and what were the signs that people missed all along the way. So Rick is breaking down the exact tactics used to take suspecting people like you and me and bring them in, and what specifically makes a person go from vulnerable to saying yes and drinking the Kool-aid. Rick is here to help us understand and unveil the attempts at what indoctrination actually looks like, and you'll be surprised by what they all have in common with your toxic ex. That's right, this episode is freaking filled with knowledge that you need in order for you to have the tactics to defend yourself in case you ever get in a situation where, let's say a cult leader, a con man, or a toxic boyfriend is trying to rope you into. Without further ado, I'm Lisa Bilyeu. Let's dive in right now with a cult deprogrammer here on Women of Impact.