Bestselling writer and psychotherapist Irvin D. Yalom puts himself on the couch in a lapidary memoir Irvin D. Yalom has made a career of investigating the lives of others. In this profound memoir, he turns his writing and his therapeutic eye on himself. He opens his story with a nightmare: He is twelve, and is riding his bike past the home of an acne-scarred girl. Like every morning, he calls out, hoping to befriend her, “Hello Measles!” But in his dream, the girl’s father makes Yalom understand that his daily greeting had hurt her. For Yalom, this was the birth of empathy; he would not forget the lesson. As Becoming Myself unfolds, we see the birth of the insightful thinker whose books have been a beacon to so many. This is not simply a man’s life story, Yalom’s reflections on his life and development are an invitation for us to reflect on the origins of our own selves and the meanings of our lives.
On November 18, 1978, more than 900 people, including a US congressman, Leo Ryan, died because of cult leader Jim Jones at Jonestown, Guyana. More than 300 were children forced to drink cyanide-laced Kool-Aid by their parents who believed they were doing God’s will.
The techniques of undue influence have evolved dramatically and continue to do so. Today, a vast array of methods exist to deceive, manipulate, and indoctrinate people into closed systems of obedience and dependency. If you are listening to this updated audiobook for the first time, please know you have found a safe, respectful, compassionate place.
This audiobook can help you protect or regain your sanity, freedom, and health. It can also help you protect others from the use of mind-control techniques. In this 30th anniversary volume, you will find:
New stories of people who fell under the sway of cults and other forms of undue influence but who were able to break free.
New information on the many sophisticated ways that social media is now used for mind control.
Updates on the many types of organizations that use mind control.
Information on the neuroscience behind mind control.
A look at what legislators, courts, mental-health professionals, and ordinary citizens can do to resist mind control and make our world a safer place.
Sadly, the essential information in this audiobook is still not widely known or understood. People around the world remain largely unprepared for the new realities of mind control. But you are far from helpless. There is a great deal you can do to stay safe, sane, and whole – and to help the people you care about to do the same. And if someone you love is already part of a mind-control group, there is much you can do to help them break free and rebuild their life. This audiobook will give you the tools you need.
As you listen to this audiobook, you will learn to develop, use, and trust your critical thinking skills; your intuition; your bodily and emotional awareness; your ability to ask the right questions; and your skill at doing quick, useful research. You’ll also learn to create a healthy balance of openness and skepticism. As you will see, the entire process begins and ends with discernment.Â
