Battle for the Mind: A Physiology of Conversion and Brainwashing - How Evangelists, Psychiatrists, Politicians, and Medicine Men Can Change Your Beliefs and Behavior

by William Sargant, Charles Swencionis (Preface)

How can an evangelist convert a hardboiled sophisticate? Why does a POW sign a "confession" that he knows is false? How is a criminal pressured into admitting his guilt? Do the evangelist, the POW's captor, and the policeman use similar methods to gain their ends? These and other compelling questions are discussed in this definitive work by William Sargant. Sargant explains and illustrates the basic techniques used by evangelists, psychiatrists, and brain-washers to dissolve existing, established patterns of belief, and then substitute new beliefs and behaviors.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Science, Religion, Politics, Philosophy, Cults

350 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

William Walters Sargant was a controversial British psychiatrist who is remembered for the evangelical zeal with which he promoted treatments such as psychosurgery, deep sleep treatment, electroconvulsive therapy and insulin shock therapy. Sargant studied medicine at St John's College, Cambridge, and qualified as a doctor at St Mary's Hospital, London. His ambition to be a physician was thwarted by a disastrous piece of research and a nervous breakdown, after which he turned his attention to psychiatry. Having trained under Edward Mapother at the Maudsley Hospital, he worked at the Sutton Emergency Medical Service during World War II. In 1948 he was appointed director of the department of psychological medicine at St Thomas' Hospital, London, and remained there until (and after) his retirement in 1972, also treating patients at other hospitals, building up a lucrative private practice in Harley Street, and working as a media psychiatrist. Sargant co-authored a textbook on physical treatment in psychiatry that ran to 5 editions. He wrote numerous articles in the medical and lay press, an autobiography, The unquiet mind, and a book entitled Battle for the mind in which he discusses the nature of the process by which our minds are subject to influence by others. Although remembered as a major force in British psychiatry in the post-war years, his enthusiasm for discredited treatments such as insulin shock therapy and deep sleep treatment, his hatred for any form of psychotherapy, and his reliance on dogma rather than clinical evidence have left him as a controversial figure whose work is seldom cited in modern psychiatric texts.

Reviews

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really amazing look at how the human mind can be manipulated by various circumstances. William Sargant worked with British war veterans who returned from the worst fronts of world war 2 and had been mentally and emotionally reduced to blank slates. By means of various techniques he was able to "undo" the damage and get them back to somewhat normal lives...Now, some of these techniques are pretty dated...like removing parts of the brain...but others like using ether and mescaline are still employed today when using drugs to address repressed experience.

So if you know what it takes to erase someones personality...what if you could erase their personality and implant foreign ideas and morals to their thoughts and then rebuild them back to normal? Say if you were an intelligence agency looking to make the perfect manchurian candidate who would have the desire and knowledge of killing a predetermined target but not recall how or why they learned this and acted upon this...William Sargant, that author of this book was one of the founders of MK-Ultra back when it was known as project bluebird. William Sargant worked with both British and American intelligence agencies in mind control programs.

[Dr Susan Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky to be able to go to a lecture by Sargant when I was a student in 1966 and it was riveting stuff. Had to read the book and it's one I come back to. And most pertinent in the 21st century as one group of hominids still tries to gain control of another, over and over...

[Joanne St.Clair · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a concise introduction to the tactics and techniques used in brainwashing, from an introduction to the work of Pavlov, to the methods used in the Soviet Union and religion, then this book is ideal. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It is well researched, drawing on information and studies from many areas.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extraordinarily underrated here on Goodreads. This book is 4.5 all day long. Sargant draws heavily on Pavlov and compares to modern (50s) political and religious examples of influencing the mind. Set aside any prejudices or reservations you may hold and try to read it objectively and you will see how shockingly relevant this book still is today in 2022. If you think you aren't currently being manipulated, for good or bad, you are wrong. Nobody is immune, save perhaps true psychopaths.

Be prepared and be hard to kill. That includes your spirit and will, as well as your physical body. From the introduction: "The politico-religious struggle for the mind of man may well be won by whoever becomes most conversant with the normal and abnormal functions of the brain, and is readiest to make use of the knowledge gained."

People have been studying the mind and how to manipulate and control it for over 120 years. Most of the evil and insane things you read about that they have learned were as recent as the 50s and 60s. How much further have they come in understanding and methodology in the last 60 to 70 years? What will we only learn about tomorrow that is happening today?

[Einzige · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whilst clearly dated and more of a 3.5 than a 4 Sargants work is nevertheless a very engaging and worrying book. In his work he sets out to show how purely physiological mechanisms can have a dominating role in beliefs that eclipse reason and emotion and whats more how these mechanisms can be used and abused as well as how they can be resisted. -Importantly he focuses on the method(s) themselves and not the truth of the various religions and ideologies who use them.

Something else that was particularly interesting is how through case studies it shows how brain washing/thought reform instead of being just an evil spawned in modern times is one that has been present throughout all of human history and cultures. Whats more these happened fairly independently to one another, so each group brought its own understanding to it even though the methods used by were similar in many ways.

A very helpful little book to reflect upon in order to have a better understanding of your own beliefs - regardless of your religion or irreligion.

[Dean Akin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating,a nearly decade long study of human behavior as it pertains to the physiology of conversion and brainwashing. Wether it be by politicians, psychiatrists medicine men or the religious, this book delves into the technics that are used, for good or ill, to excite the individual into a highly suggestible state that can lead to changes in their core values and behaviors. Well worth the read.

[Shakir Sharfraz · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you think Pavlov's experiments were only about dog salivating on a bell sound, then this book will help you get up to speed with Transmarginal inhibition, paradoxical and ultra-paradoxical states. Learn how brainwashing techniques had been used from the early periods by different groups and cults. A must read.

[Lysergius · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, we have got so much better at it now. Why people will even vote against their own self interest.

[Alessandro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apesar de não se apresentar como uma obra científica, este Sargant é uma das melhores. Asséptico, confiável e amplamente referenciado, documentado. É, provavelmente, uma das melhores, mais completas e acessíveis literaturas científicas não declaradas já feitas sobre os métodos de conversão, condicionamento e domínio psico-cerebral. Um ótimo guia de sobrevivência individual para os perigos comerciais, religiosos, partidários e intelectuais dos dias de hoje.

[Moses · Rating 5 out of 5]

William Sargent introduced the process of induced abreaction, emotional and mental discharge, resulting of increased suggestibility and paradoxical behavior while individual is in that "trance" state.

he suggest similar physiological process takes place in possession, mysticism and faith healing, and summarised that there is not God but human brain physiology or psychology.

I like it because it made me questions and wonder how it might have took place in my life without me being aware.

[Jon Kolbeinsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In times of political and extreme media bias, this book gives an understanding of how anger and fright is/can be used to condition us individually and as a group. Only the very few are impervious to these techniques. The book was written in the fifties, but I see no reason to doubt they the techniques used by politicians and religious leaders should not work today.

[Hannes Andreas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting read on the history of Christian brainwashing among other things.

[Jadewik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading this book because I couldn’t understand why people whom I deemed intellectuals were making irrational decisions during the pandemic. It turns out, going down the psychological rabbit hole, the cause was a conflagration of high-octane emotion— stressors that basically caused people to enter a state akin to PTSD, which made them open to suggestion and fortified the behaviour and belief system by peer pressure. The people who didn’t “follow the rules” were less-affected by the “pandemic panic”… which is comforting to me as we only followed the rules when it interfered with our freedom of movement. So the rebels were, in fact, the voice of reason in that epoch.

"Battle for the Mind" gives the reader a crash course in the different ways that the mind can be manipulated and molded to completely change behavioural aspects of the individual or group. It helps point out the elements that could put one into a state of suggestibility... and also gives some inkling on how to stay stalwart against potential brainwashing (though that's not to preclude individual vulnerabilities which cannot be protected against). Really, it was fascinating to dive into the mind to see what prompted all the odd behaviour during the 2020 pandemic panic.

To summarize (which actually does no service to the inherent depth of the book:
step 1: Make vulnerable
step 2: Incite fear
step 3: Provide pathway to escape
step 4: "Save" people
Step 5: Reprogram
Step 6: Follow-up

You can see how this was applied globally to implement mass hysteria with respect to the covid-19 pandemic. First, the pandemic-- the vulnerable situation-- was introduced. Then, it was used to incite a sense of fear, which we saw with the death tolls being streamed non-stop-- this despite this pandemic being no more deadly than past pandemics. Then, the pathway to escape was introduced-- "15 days to slow the spread" or quarantine... followed by vaccines and masking.... and the pressure to do so to "save grandma" resulted in reprogramming people-- to the point where some people will still wear masks in public despite the threat of eminent doom being relatively non-existent.

The book discusses other aspects of brainwashing-- what kind of factors trigger the brain's response to stressors causing PTSD-like "shell shock" symptoms-- things like fatigue and low-protein diet, which are frequently employed in cult settings where indoctrination is paramount to control the followers in a religious cult. Other exercises like drums and dancing can trigger brain function to make people susceptible to suggestion or behavioural changes.

Former medical methods of assisting brains to resume normal function are discussed in depth. Plus, the religious revival aspect and political aspect of making enemies of those you disagree with, which then clouds the judgement of certain policies or political positions. The book discusses, briefly, the Dancing plague and other mental breaks that interrupted society as well. Then, it culminates into divesting how false confessions are elicited from police and how memories can be implanted by psychologists or mental health experts to sway a person in the direction of the therapist's theories despite there not being the actual history.

Lastly, the book posits ways in which different personality types vary in susceptibility to being brainwashed. Apparently, when evidence of brainwashing is present, it's the people who are more likely to rebel against the false ideas who are able to out-last (not necessarily be immune to) the brainwashing and return to normal brain function... which, of course, we see again with respect to the 2020 pandemic.

This is not a brain-candy read. It's deep and meaningful writing that takes time to digest. It's a very slow read, but well worth the time spent imparting this knowledge and study of how the mind works to those of us who aren't in the field of psychology but who want to learn more about it.

Probably the most fascinating chapters that I found were the ones where Pavlov's experiments were discussed-- and I'm not just talking about the ones with his dogs and the bells, but his other monumental contributions to the study of the mind and conditioning brain function and the way information is processed and adopted.

This book is fantastic. Highly recommended.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting look at how external influences can affect the physiology of the brain and ultimately cause changes in beliefs, sometimes even flipping a person's beliefs upside down.

The first couple of chapters focuse on Ivan Pavlov's experiments with dogs and how he was able to break them down over time depending on their core personality and on the psychological breakdown of soldiers in war.

After that, Sargant moves on to the influences of drugs and shock treatment, and then reviews the methods of religious and political conversions. I found the later chapters to be the most engaging to me, particularly the chapter about eliciting confessions.

It's wild to me that not that long ago horrific tortures were being carried out to produce false confessions, and that in England people were hung publicly for minor thefts. I'm glad we seem to be beyond that part of history, but now we've swung way too far in the other direction. Not even murderers face the death penalty.

Anyway, this is a good companion to Poisoner in Chief and seems to contradict Gottlieb's claim that the CIA had not found any reliable method of mind control. Perhaps it is true when accounting for the word "reliable," but there are certainly proven methods for breaking down the mind and causing people to adopt beliefs they formerly rejected.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely worth reading. This book is thought-provoking and rather chilling, but its contents are an important piece of the puzzle for those trying to stay sane in an insane world.

[Mika Auramo · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Sargantin klassikkoteoksessa “Battle for the Mind” (1957) perehdytetään monipuolisesti antiikin uskonnollisten yhteisöjen ja nykyajan samankaltaisiin poliittisiin mielenhallintaoperaatioihin. Tämä englantilainen psykiatrian uranuurtaja otti hyötykäyttöön niin psykokirurgian, insuliini- ja sähköshokit, syvän unen aikaisen manipuloinnin ja uskonnolliset elementit hoidoissa ja mielen muuttamisessa (brain changing) erotuksena aivopesusta eli brainwashingista. Väitetäänpä Sargantin osallistuneen brittiläisen MI5:n mukana ja vaikuttaneen CIA:n MKULTRA-projektiin.

Johtuen Sargantin innokkaasta uskonnollisuuden hyväksi käyttämisestä massojen ja mielen hallinnassa, sivumääräisesti on referoitu pitkät pätkät John Wesleyn teoksia 1700-luvulta, sillä olihan tämä kirkonmies aikansa kyvykkäimpiä uskonnollisia manipulaattoreita.

Välillä poiketaan Karibialla ja tutustaan voodoo-kulttien hurmoksiin ja Mau Mau -liikkeen kapinallisiin ja uskonnollisiin ulottuvuuksiin viime vuosisadan Keniassa. Perustuksia rakennettiin jo antiikin Kreikassa massojen hallitsemiseksi ylimaallisin keinoin, kun oraakkelit konsultoivat kuninkaita, miten sodissa toimitaan ja miten valtakuntia tulee hallita. Ihan samankaltaisia uskonnollisia elementtejä tuntuu olleen vuosituhansien aikana, kun uskonnollisuus on saatu lukemattomiin konflikteihin, milloin paavin tai jonkun muun tahon toimesta. Skitsofreniadiagnoosikin oli usein alkujaan lähinnä jonkinmoinen Jumalan kosto ja onneton mielisairas demonien riivaama.

Toinen merkittävä psykologi, jota hyödynnetään paljon, on venäläinen nobelisti vuodelta 1903 eli Ivan Pavlov, jonka koiratutkimuksia on onnistuneesti muunneltuna käytetty ihmismielien hallintaan ja ohjailuun. Sargant käyttääkin paljon esimerkkejä ja anekdootteja toisen maailmansodan traumatisoituneista sodan uhreista, lähinnä Dunkerquen evakuoinneista selviytyneiden tarinoita ja Lontoon pommitusten järkyttämien kansalaistenkin. Ihan samalla tavalla kuin Pavlovin koirilla myös ihmisillä on murtumispisteensä, ja sotaesimerkkien perusteella Sargant tietää, että vahvinkin mieli murtuu pitkittyneissä taisteluissa, jos ei ole lepoa juuri lainkaan.

Siinä mielessä kirja on jo vanhentunut, kun Sargant hehkuttaa vuoden 1936 nobelistin Monizin lobotomiakeksintöä ja muitakin kyseenalaisia hoitomenetelmiä. Lobotomialla ja lääkehoitojen yhdistelmillähän toki saatiin uhrin persoonallisuus muuttumaan kokonaan, ja entisistä väärinajattelijoista ja rettelöitsijöistä suitsittiin säyseitä mallikansalaisia, jotka toimivat kuin kauko-ohjauksella lammasmaiseksi zombieksi muuttuneina.

Sargant yhdistää myös poliittisen järjestelmällisen aivopesun ja median ideologisen ja monotonisen voodoo-rummutuksen erittäin tehokkaaksi keinoksi hallita massojen mieliä. Pavlovin metodeja on sittemmin onnistuneesti sovellettu alkujaan jo Leninin aikana, ja sen jälkeen niitä on muokattu Kiinassa Maon oivallettua menetelmän ylivertaisuuden. Mao tosin kehitti harhaoppisten ja valtion vihollisten rankaisun uusiin sfääreihin järjestelemällä julkisia mestaus- ja häpäisynäytöksiä, jollaisista myös Fidel Castro vaikuttaa oppineen paljon. Paraateilla ja puolueen spektaakkeleilla vielä luodaan kuvitteellista sädekehää jonkin poliittisen opin ja vallan ylivertaisuudesta.

Harhaoppisten likvidointi tai uudelleenkouluttaminen perustuu ihan samaan peruskonseptiin kuin katolisten inkvisitiolaitoksessa satoja vuosia sitten. Noidilta ja kerettiläisiltä puserrettiin väkivalloin tunnustus, ennen rangaistusta tai mielen uudelleenohjelmointia ihan niin kuin kommunistit tekivät vihollisvangeilleen Korean sodassa 1950-luvulla. Uskonnollisesta fanatismista myös kaivellaan esimerkkejä hugenottien verilöylyistä ja protestanttien tekemistä massamurhista aikoinaan katolisessa Irlannissa.

Koronaikana on myös ollut huomattavissa, että erilaisia keskitys- tai uudelleenkoulutusleirejä perustettiin eri puolilla maailmaa, ihan Kanadasta Australiaan ja tietysti Kiinaan, jossa tämänkaltaisella toiminnalla on pitkät perinteet. Kommunistit kutsuvatkin menetelmää ”hännän katkaisuksi”, joka tarkoittaa yksilön eristämistä muista yhteisöistään, perheestä ja ystävistä. Uudelleenkoulutuksen aikana onkin tarkoitus korvata uhrin vanhat arvot puolueen arvoilla, jotta hänestä voi tulla jälleen valtiollisen kollektiiviyhteisönsä jäsen kaiken ”väärinajattelun” poistamisen jälkeen.

Vaikka Sargant moneen kertaan muistuttaa, etteivät ihmiset ole niin kuin Pavlovin koirat, silti käyttäytymiseen, paineensietoon ja mielen murtumiseen vaikuttavat tekijät nisäkkäiden aivotoiminnassa ovat perusperiaatteiltaan hyvin samankaltaisia. Siksi voidaan olettaa, että poliittisissa aivopesuyrityksissä käytetään pelkoon ja vihaan liittyviä kampanjoita massojen mielenhallintakampanjoissa vielä nykyäänkin hyvin tehokkaasti. Toisin- ja väärinajattelijoita syyllistetään vieläkin, ja valtakunnan viholliseksi riitti entisessä Neuvostoliitossa se, että ei ollutkaan mukautunut mieleltään miksikään ihanneneuvostoihmiseksi.

”Though me are not dogs, they should humbly try to remember how much they resemble dogs in their brain functions, and not to boast themselves as demigods.”

[Kailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for a freshmen seminar class at UC Berkeley. The purpose of the book is to explain the biological processes that change your mind. The author hopes that by giving people this information they will better be able to identify situations where they are being exploited.
I gave this book to a friend of mine, who is fascinated by the study of the human brain. Her review would be more important than mine!

[Mircea Lungu · Rating 3 out of 5]

intriguing start: Pavlov and his classification of dogs in the same four categories that hyppocrates classifies people: choleric, sangvinic, ... chapter two is interesting too: observations about soldiers and civilians in the second world war breaking down after too much stress and fear show how people can change instantly in a moment of high instability.
Even the strongest soldiers of Caesar, his eagle carrying veterans break down bad after the lengthy war in Gaul.

[Melvin Marsh · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am sure there was a point of this book but as a psychologist, I cannot even begin to imagine what it was. Also, the formatting on Kindle was quite strange as though they just scanned in a book making it more difficult to read.

[Nana Kwansa]

It is a great book.

[Marc Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book for the subject i have ever found.