ARE THE NEOCONS TRYING TO PUT US IN A TRANCE ? Thought Reform Exists: Organized, Programmatic Influence ("Thought Reform" throughout this article can be read as synonymous with "Brainwashing" & "Coercive Persuasion". For further information read up on Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), Sales Techniques and Cognitive Dissonance) Margaret Thaler Singer, Ph.D. Recently, cult apologists have attempted to create the impression that the concept of thought reform has been rejected by the scientific community. This is untrue. As recently as May of this year, the new Diagnostics and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) published by the American Psychiatric Association cites thought reform as a contributing factor to "Dissociative Disorder Not Otherwise Specified" (a diagnosis frequently given to former cult members). Thought reform (notes 1,2,3 below) and its synonyms brainwashing and coercive persuasion (4.5) were also noted in DSM-III (1...