The truth about a self-proclaimed expert in behavior, influence, mind control, and everything psychology-related
If you've come to this site, you likely have heard about the amazing, mysterious abilities of Chase Hughes, who claims to be an expert in many things, from analyzing behavior, to hypnosis and mind control and brainwashing, to cult deprogramming. You may be wondering, as many people have: Is Chase Hughes legitimate? Are his companies, NCI University and Applied Behavior Research, legitimate?
This site was created to educate the public about the many lies of Chase Hughes. There are people actively being harmed by Chase Hughes, in terms of paying for his products and services under false pretenses and in terms of learning false and potentially harmful views about psychology, and about the government and military.
​
To see a compilation of podcast episodes about Chase Hughes and his deceptive claims, go here.
​
Want to share an experience involving Chase or an observation about him? Consider posting in this Reddit thread.
Who Is Chase Hughes?
From the back cover of Chase Hughes' 2007 pick-up artist book The Passport.
From Chase's 2007/2008 site that sold a supplement he called "Redshift with Neuridium." He falsely claimed this was used by "all branches of the United States Armed Forces" and that it had "international recognition."
Why is Chase popular?
Chase Hughes has appeared on quite a number of popular podcasts and shows, including Joe Rogan's podcast, the podcast Diary of a CEO, and Dr. Phil's show. You can also find a lot of people leaving positive reviews for his books on Amazon, and on his YouTube videos.
​
But the truth is that Chase Hughes has been lying about his credentials and experiences for most of his adult life. His "success" and popularity are based on a few factors:
​
• Media personalities who do not vet or question him, and accept his claims at face value (this includes the fellow members of the show he's on, The Behavior Panel).
• Members of the public who are unable to recognize the low-quality (and often absurd) quality of his work, and who can be easily impressed by his claims.
​
These factors, and others, have allowed Chase to continue finding large audiences despite the many obvious lies, manipulations, and red flags in his past.
Some people wonder why Chase Hughes doesn't have a Wikipedia page, despite his many claimed accomplishments. The simple reason for this is that he has done nothing actually impressive — with the possible exception of having created the appearance of being impressive.
A history of lies and exaggeration
A still of a 2008 video from Chase's YouTube "RedShift Laboratories" channel, which featured fighting tips.
To learn more about the lies and manipulations of Chase Hughes, see these resources:
​
Read a summary of Chase's deceptions and career, which details Chase's:
-
False claims of respect and fame for his pick-up artistry
-
False claims of respect and fame for his RedShift vitamin supplement
-
False claims of respect and fame for his behavior/psychology/mind-control-related endeavors
-
False and misleading claims that his military career was focused in some way on psychology, intel, and/or interrogation, when it wasn't
​​
Other resources:
-
A compilation of episodes on various aspects of Chase's products and claims
-
​A 2024 Reddit thread with observations about Chase Hughes​ (if you have thoughts or stories about Chase, I recommend leaving them there)​​​
Former Chase Hughes' inner circle member
“Chase profits from blatantly toying with very vulnerable people. His manipulations have psychologically and financially hurt people and that deserves to be answered for in court. It’s a full-fledged cult. Ironically, he is the dark and warped manipulator that he warns against!”
Former inner circle member
“Chase aims to get vulnerable people to purchase over-priced courses. Some people have paid $20,000 dollars and more to become so-called ‘masters of tradecraft.’ It’s appalling. He and certain members of his team are emotional vampires that not only suck the soul out of people in need, but suck the money out of their pockets, too.”
A customer of Chase's
“I fell for one of Chase Hughes’s fraudulent schemes—the ‘Avery’ program, where unlicensed coaches pose as ‘clinicians,’ complete with white coats and medical intake forms. My assigned coach even suggested I take ketamine! Vulnerable people are being coerced into believing that rebranded, decades-old NLP and TRE techniques are some sort of ‘cure’ for complex psychiatric problems. When I complained about the $50,000 program being essentially worthless, a bait-and-switch, I was targeted with bullying, and they tried to use the service agreement I'd signed to silence me. I fought back and got my money back. If you've been financially wronged by Chase Hughes, don't be intimidated. Demand your money back and, if it makes sense, report it to your bank as ‘fraudulent inducement’. File a formal complaint with the Virginia Office of the Attorney General. If necessary, speak to a Virginia consumer law firm. Remember that NDAs don't protect wrongdoing and illegal activity. He’s afraid of legal scrutiny. I don't often use the word 'evil' but what happened here borders on it.”
Sarma Melngailis, author of The Girl with the Duck Tattoo, featured in Bad Vegan
“For a documentary project, I was looking for an expert on the subject of manipulation and abuse at the hands of narcissists, or psychopaths. At first, Chase seemed perfect. After a little research, I realized he wasn't who he said he was, and seemed to perhaps be manipulating and exploiting people himself. As someone who usually trusts what people say, this was scary, and another reminder to be careful what we take at face value.”
A customer of Chase's
“I spent over $1,000 on Chase Hughes’ courses, and also got access to his higher-tier stuff. It’s just basic psychology repackaged to sound like spycraft. You can get most of it in a $10 book on sales or personality analysis. Their game is pushing upsells to keep you chasing the ‘next level,' where the secrets will finally be revealed, but they never are. Once people are paying thousands, cognitive dissonance sets in, and people begin lying to themselves about the value they received, rather than admit they were scammed. Then Chase begins encouraging the use psychedelics, and it starts becoming very cult-like.”