Recognizing Authoritarian Control - The Shadow Side with Safrianna Ep. 10

Licensed trauma therapist and domestic violence survivor Safrianna Lughna delivers an essential education on recognizing authoritarian control wherever it appears—from intimate relationships to religious organizations, from hobby groups to governmental systems.

Drawing on her extensive background working in domestic violence shelters and surviving cult-like control herself, Safrianna breaks down the BITE Model of Authoritarian Control from Freedom of Mind: Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotion control. She reveals how these manipulation tactics show up not just in obvious cults, but in churches, families, social groups, and political structures.

As someone who has both provided clinical services to abuse survivors and personally escaped controlling environments, Safrianna brings clarity to patterns many people don't realize they're experiencing. She explores how control can appear innocuous at first—dictating hairstyles, limiting information sources, discouraging questions—before escalating to more severe manipulation and harm.

She Discusses:

— The four pillars of the BITE Model: Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotion control

— How behavior control ranges from dress codes to physical punishment

— Information manipulation through censorship, propaganda, and limiting outside sources

— Thought control tactics like "us vs. them" narratives and thought-stopping clichés

— Emotional manipulation through guilt, fear, love bombing, and phobic indoctrination

— Why questioning authority is healthy, not disrespectful

— How "us vs. them" thinking enables authoritarian control

— Red flags that distinguish healthy community from cult-like control

— The difference between chosen community participation and coerced conformity

— Why people who grew up in trauma are especially vulnerable to these patterns

— Practical ways to recognize if you're in a controlling situation

— Resources for exiting negative environments

Safrianna Lughna is a licensed trauma therapist, coach, healer, author, and speaker dedicated to helping people recognize manipulation and reclaim their autonomy. She combines clinical expertise with lived experience to illuminate the shadows we don't want to talk about.

Connect with Safrianna and find support resources at https://livinglunas.com & https://safrianna.com

For information on the BITE Model, visit https://freedomofmind.com

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 (thehotline.org)

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988

Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741