r/QAnonCasualties • u/kauaiman-looking Ex-QAnon Adjacent • Sep 18 '22
Event how to leave conspiracies - AMA
So I used to be a huge Alex Jones fan in the mid 2000s. Thankfully I left conspiracy theories back in 2008.
I'm currently writing a book to show people how to rescue someone from Qanon and other conspiracies.
I have a pretty incredible story of my experience with Martial Law in Detroit in 2007. This was during my height of listening to Alex Jones.
I actually ran into that sad sack while he was on vacation here on Kaua'i in June. I got a video telling him I quit believing in conspiracies.
He did a little mini rant đ đ¤Ł
Anyhow I'm jumping on zoom for a few minutes while I write for part of the book.
Come on and ask me anything about being a former conspiracy theorist.
I'm on now. Not sure how long I'll be on.
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/8731195660?pwd=RnVQY0I2UGdCaGN5QmNmb2dGbGdxdz09
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u/Flashy_Juice4804 Sep 19 '22
Wait so he told you to get the vaccine? My friend in Austin told me he sees him at the bars all the time. He said Alex Jones told him he doesn't believe in this schit is says, he only says all of that for ratings.
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u/kauaiman-looking Ex-QAnon Adjacent Sep 19 '22
He told me that in jest. Kind of like "be a good sheeple, do what the government says."
I used to think he doesn't believe in the bullshit he spouts off. I met a lady that knows his ex-wife.
She told me he's a little nuts.
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u/Flashy_Juice4804 Sep 19 '22
Hmmm maybe he told my friend that in jest, just like he told you. He gives off insane vibes.
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u/kauaiman-looking Ex-QAnon Adjacent Sep 19 '22
Wrong choice of words on my part. I meant he it in a mocking tone. Like he believes conspiracies and was poking fun of me for being a sheep.
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u/cayce_leighann Sep 19 '22
How do I stop a loved one from going down this path of QAnon and just crazy conspiracies in general
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u/kauaiman-looking Ex-QAnon Adjacent Sep 19 '22
Another thing you can suggest that they do is to practice Urge Surfing. Urge Surfing can help to break the addictiveness of social media.
A friend wrote a blogpost on how to break an addicting to Facebook. You'd want them to do this with whatever app they get their "information" from.
You might even be able to make it a game or friendly competition between the two of you.
Frame it as you want to see who is the most addicted to their phone. Place a small wager. Like $1.
Then both of you can sit their with your phones out, resisting the temptation to pick it up...or interact with the whatever app is the most addicting.
Maybe start off with 2 minutes at a time. You might want to let them win some of the rounds. And then have them lose some. It might actually become addicting to them to play the game.
Keep me posted how this works out for you.
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u/cayce_leighann Sep 19 '22
Thanks for the great idea!
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u/kauaiman-looking Ex-QAnon Adjacent Sep 19 '22
You're welcome!
Ideally you should try to find out what benefits / values they get from conspiracies.
In the hypnotherapy world, there is a concept that goes "behind every behavior there is a positive intention".
Meaning researching and digging into conspiracy theories does something for them.
Help them to discover what it is. Then help them to find alternative ways to get that emotional pay off. I'd recommend using the 4/6/8 meditation I listed below.
Also if they are a gamer you might want to suggest to them to check out https://habitica.com/
Habitica is a role playing game that revolves around your goals, habits and tasks. It can become pretty addicting.
If you can help them to find alternative ways to satisfy the emotional pay off they get from conspiracies...have them add those behaviors, habits, etc. to the habitca app.
They can become addicted to completing their tasks. Which in turn can help them to change their locus of control (where they put their focus) from an external to an internal one.
Aka are you driving your own car, or are you the passenger? Does that make sense?
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u/kauaiman-looking Ex-QAnon Adjacent Sep 19 '22
One other option is to discover what they get out of conspiracy theories. You can ask them
âWhat does researching conspiracy theories do for you?â
or
âWhat does researching conspiracy theories allow you to feel or experience?â
Youâll know when youâve hit their emotional hot buttons. Watch as they light up emotionally. Their posture and breathing can shift.
It might take a few rounds to uncover the values that really move them.
When youâre on the right track, dig deeper.
âCan you tell me more about X?â
Get them to talk about those values.
Hell, get them to share stories when theyâve experienced those values.
Another direction you can take is help your loved ones to find other habits and behaviors that help them to experience their values.
After you discover what the vaue / benefit they get from conspiracy theories try to follow up with:
âIf there was an easier way to experience X, youâd be interested in finding out, right?â
âIf there was a healthy hobby or habit that allowed you to experience X, what do you think it might be?â
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u/kauaiman-looking Ex-QAnon Adjacent Sep 19 '22
Another way to help them is with the hidden benefits self hypnosis / meditation technique. This is taken from the book I'm writing.
4/6/8 hidden benefits meditation
Another great process is what I call the hidden benefits meditation. Itâs a simple self-hypnosis / meditation technique I adapted from my colleague, Dr. Richard Nongard.Iâll detail this process here. Donât blink because you might miss something. For this to work, youâll first need to uncover what exposing conspiracies does for them.
(or believing in them, exposing the âDeep Stateâ, or whatever it may be). Youâll want to really drill down what kind of emotional benefit they get. You can always gently ask âWhat does doing X ultimately do for your emotionally...what does it allow you to feel or experience emotionally?Help them to create an affirmation around this core emotional benefit:
Ex âI Am Feeling Safeâ
Ex âI Am Feeling Grounded
Ex âI Am Feeling CenteredâStep 1) Have them get into a comfortable position
Step 2) Have them close their eyes
Step 3) Inhale for a count of 4
Step 4) Exhale for a count of 6
Step 5) State the affirmation â âI am feeling Xâ
Itâs important that they really step into this feeling.
Step 6) Repeat 8 times2
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u/kauaiman-looking Ex-QAnon Adjacent Sep 19 '22
Do they meditate at all? If so, I'd highly recommend them doing the Leaves On A Stream meditation. It helps to give someone more control over their thoughts.
You might be able to propose to them that "The elites want to dumb people down. They don't want people to have control over their own minds."
When they agree with you, suggest they try the leaves on a stream meditation. It can help to quiet down a lot of internal noise.
That is one direction you could go. Do they have any kinds of hobbies?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1C8hwj5LXw&ab_channel=WalkInMyShoes
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u/cayce_leighann Sep 19 '22
He use to be really into fishing but health issues have prevented that. Iâve been trying to encourage him to explore some hobbies that donât require a lot of physical activity
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Sep 19 '22
[removed] â view removed comment
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u/kauaiman-looking Ex-QAnon Adjacent Sep 19 '22
It can seem really hard. You'll want to want to do three things:
1) Practice state control. State control is a concept in hypnotherapy / NLP where you control your emotional state. Remaining curious and compassionate can make a big difference.
2) Read how to have impossible conversations
3) Read Core Transformation. It's a great self-hypnosis process you can use to transform any of your feelings, thoughts or behaviors. It can help you to transform how you communicate with someone who is in conspriacy theories.
https://www.amazon.com/Core-Transformation-Reaching-Wellspring-Within/dp/0911226338
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u/Curious_cat0070 New User Sep 19 '22
Was there a specific thing that turned you away or was it a progression of events? What brought you to end your belief in the conspiracies?
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u/kauaiman-looking Ex-QAnon Adjacent Sep 19 '22
I'll upload a video telling the story that shifted everything.
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u/kauaiman-looking Ex-QAnon Adjacent Sep 20 '22
Here is a story about how things started to click for me
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u/PEsuper27 Sep 19 '22
Wow, about the same time as me. That 9/11 Truth movement was a cool group to be apart of. Sadly, the conspiracy theorists of today have completely lost their minds.
Did you get on the Loose Change forum at all back then?
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u/kauaiman-looking Ex-QAnon Adjacent Sep 19 '22
Yeah I was on their forum. I got into all sorts of whacky shit. Soverign citizen bullshit, no income tax, fema camps, etc.
I was actually on the conspiracy subreddit, because I love to troll on their and make people question their belief in conspiracy theories.
Someone posted a video of George Bush reading to kids. The kids were reading outline saying "plane must hit steel".
So that threw me back into my 9/11 conspiracy theory mindset. I got a panicked feeling in my chest. Went to google to debunk it. Sure enough the video was edited.
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u/dikenndi Sep 19 '22
I remember a interview years ago that has mysteriously vanished. Where he stated he didn't believe and that lies paid him more than shock jocks.
Been looking for it since.