How Brainwashing Keeps You in a Life You Dont Want
Let me ask you somethinghave you ever stopped to wonder if the thoughts youre thinking are actuallyyours? In this conversation, I sat down with Rebecca Lemov, a Harvard professor and author ofThe Instability of Truth, and what unfolded was a real eye-opener. We didnt just scratch the surfacewe went into the guts of how we get conditioned to believe things about the world and about ourselves without even realizing it.
Rebecca laid out something that really hit me: brainwashing doesnt start with someone else taking control of your mindit begins whenyoustop asking questions. That moment when you stop challenging your beliefs, when youre scrolling, liking, agreeing without even knowing whythats where it starts. She walked me through a chilling example: a Facebook study where they manipulated nearly 700,000 users' moodswithout their knowledge. Thats real. That happened. And if that doesnt wake you up, I dont know what will.
We also got personal. I shared how traumawhether from rejection, heartbreak, or failurecan create space for a mind virus to take root. That voice in your head saying, Youre not good enough, Youll never succeed,thats not truth. Thats programming. And unless you confront it, question it, and replace it, itll trap you in a version of your life thats far smaller than what you were made for. Rebecca made it clear: being educated or intelligent doesnt make you immuneit might even make you more vulnerable.
This episode isnt about conspiracy theories or pointing fingersits aboutownership. About reclaiming your identity, your voice, your individuality. Dont go through life unknowingly living in someone elses version of who youre supposed to be. Dont meet God at the end and realize you lived someone else's life because you never questioned your own thoughts. You want to change your life? Start by challenging what youassumeto be true. Start asking better questions.
Key Takeaways:
Brainwashing often starts from withinwhen you stop questioning your own thoughts.
Trauma can open the door for limiting beliefs to become your internal truth.
Social media algorithms are designed to manipulate your mood and feed confirmation bias.
There are 8 classic signs of brainwashing, but the key one? Control over your environment.
Intelligence doesnt protect you from mind controlit can deepen the illusion.
Challenge your assumptions, and you can change your entire life trajectory.
Let this be your wake-up call. You dont have to be part of a group to have value. Youre not your past. Youre not your trauma. You're an individualand your thoughtsmatter.
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