Waking up to Control - Episode 6

Correction - In this episode I misstated the price of Steven Hassan's, Recovery After Mormonism Workshop. It's not $500 it's $99 which is a phenomenal price! You can buy the course HERE.  

Leaving Mormonism—or any high-demand religion—often means realizing that what felt “normal” was actually coercive control. In this episode of Mormon to Muse, we’re talking about waking up to those dynamics using Stephen Hassan’s BITE Model as our guide. The BITE Model is a framework for identifying authoritarian control in cults and high-control groups. It breaks manipulation into four clear categories: Behavior Control Information Control Thought Control Emotional Control By examining each piece, you can start to recognize the systems you were part of—not as personal failure, but as designed to keep you compliant.

This conversation is for you if: You’re deconstructing Mormonism or any rigid belief system You want to understand why leaving feels so hard You’re working to rebuild self-trust and personal authority You suspect the group you left might have used coercive or manipulative tactics In this episode, we cover: What the BITE Model is and why it’s so helpful for ex-Mormons How Mormonism exerts control over behavior (dress codes, obedience culture, time demands) How information is tightly managed (approved sources, anti-Mormon labeling, correlated curriculum) How thought control shows up (thought-stopping, black-and-white thinking, prophetic authority) How emotional control keeps people in line (fear, guilt, shame, love-bombing) Signs you’re waking up to these forms of control in your own life Why naming these patterns is a key step in reclaiming your freedom

Want weekly art prompts and reflections to help you heal after high-demand religion? Get the Sunday Muse Email.

You can find me on here on YouTube

Follow on Instagram @MormontoMuse

Steven Hassan website and more information about he BITE model: https://freedomofmind.com/