Freedom of Mind Resource Center, Inc.

Steven Alan Hassan M.Ed LMHC
PO Box 45223
Somerville, Massachusetts  02145
Tel: 617 628-9918  Fax: 617 628-8153

www.freedomofmind.com
center@freedomofmind.com

January 31, 2003

Releasing the Bonds: Empowering People to Think for Themselves

Important Comments from the Author

In the years since it was published, Releasing the Bonds: Empowering People to Think for Themselves, (FOM, 2000) has gotten a lot of valuable feedback - fortunately overwhelmingly positive. However, there is one major point that I feel the need to correct. It is the impression that most family members and friends can implement the Strategic Interaction Approach (SIA) successfully themselves, without professional assistance.

There is no doubt that the book is still a valuable resource guide. But it is no substitute for professional assistance, training and guidance. Each individual in trouble is unique, every mind abuse situation is different, and family dynamics and communication patterns are usually complicated. Therefore, the book's applicability is necessarily limited by the complexity of each unique situation. It is best used in conjunction with professional counseling.

I have come to believe that my SIA approach works best when I am able to meet family members and friends, do a preparation meeting with them and then coach them via telephone and email. In 1999, I naively believed that with the growing amount of information about cults available on the internet, counseling interventions would not be as necessary. But experience has shown that a face-to-face intervention is often needed, especially when the individual has been involved for many years in a destructive cult.

I do have a list of experienced counseling professionals that I have worked with using my approach.  My goal is to build alliances between qualified mental health professionals.  As part of my consulting practice, I am happy to train and/or supervise qualified counselors in my approach as either part of invited training programs or for individualized training in Boston. Of course, I also do telephone consultations.

When I wrote the book, I also thought I would be able to launch a non-profit organization, The Freedom of Mind Institute, which is mentioned throughout the volume. Sadly, I have had to put this project on indefinite hold, due to lack of resources.

My first book, Combatting Cult Mind Control, which was published in 1988, remains in print. It is still a very helpful book to read, but it is important to know that the Cult Awareness Network mentioned as a resource throughout the book went bankrupt in 1996, and was taken over by Scientology. My approach has evolved since 1988, and therefore Releasing the Bonds should be used as the more up-to-date resource guide.