Cult leaders & the ethics of hypnosis

I recently finished reading Don’t Call It a Cult, Sarah Berman’s diligently reported book about NXIVM (pronounced like “Nexium”), a cult based in Albany, New York. Founded by pathological liar and arrogant shithead Keith Raniere (and that’s putting it charitably), this group used discourse about “self-actualization” and “self-development” to legitimize …