Gurus, holy men, pseudo-spiritual leaders, mediums, healers, prana therapists, fortune tellers, palm readers. Traps that are very easy to fall into and become a nightmare to escape. These charlatans approach people in difficulty who are searching for a sense of belonging. They know how to respond to their need to be heard and understood.
On display is a glittering world of love and happiness; inside is a dark world made of promises and false hopes, in which victims remain imprisoned in the abyss of depersonalization and the annihilation of their will.
No one is safe from the risk. It can happen to any of us. We all, in fact, go through moments when we are more vulnerable.

Looking for an easy solution to your problems

The stories of the victims are all different. But the scams are based on common patterns: people come into contact with gurus at a difficult moment in their lives, during a personal crisis such as bereavement, financial difficulties, or divorce. The encounter often happens through friends or acquaintances who already attend that environment and turn to them to fill a void in their lives or to seek a solution to their problems. But in these cases, nothing is provided free of charge. In fact, in exchange for their help, money or favors of every kind are requested.
Caterina's story is emblematic in this regard. After approximately 8-10 years of hell, she managed to take back her life by leaving a pseudo-religious group. In the interview she gave to David Murgia (“At the Borders of the Sacred: Gurus and Holy Men, How People Become Prisoners of Pseudo-Religious Groups,” TV2000), the young woman said: «It wasn't a life, it wasn't healthy. I saw families ruined, people forced to do things against their will, children who left school, mainly psychological abuse».

Locked inside their “prison”

It is natural to wonder: how could they have been so naïve as to believe what they were promised? But when life becomes extremely hard and we find ourselves vulnerable and frightened, alone, we want to believe at all costs that there is an easy alternative to that distress, someone who will welcome us and guide us toward achieving something better without any effort. And so we fail to see reality: these holy men are simply slowly chaining the victim in order to lock them inside their “prison.” Then we realize that wealthy, educated, successful people are also part of it, and we feel reassured: «If they are part of it too…».
But weakness, vulnerability, disorientation, inner distress, a lack of affection, and romantic disappointments spare no one. Not even celebrities. Who could forget Michelle Hunziker's testimony? Courageously, in her book “An Apparently Perfect Life” (Mondadori), she described the five years she spent caught up in the network of a prana therapist and her devoted followers.
And this is what Caterina said: «I was the perfect victim because I had just suffered the loss of my mother and I did not have a good relationship with my father. My parents had separated before I was born and I had seen my father only a few times. She passed away and I was offered the opportunity to join this group to overcome my grief. It was hell because you no longer have control over your life or yourself. You see so much abuse, especially emotional or psychological, and sometimes even physical abuse, which is inhuman, so many hours of work… you have no control over anything».

“Love bombing”

Thus, these self-proclaimed holy men feed on people's vulnerabilities and tragedies, and their danger lies precisely in the sense of welcome they manage to convey. First of all, they insidiously infiltrate everyday life through social media and leafleting; seminars, spiritualism courses, cultural associations, yoga classes, and even opportunities to try miraculous alternative treatments. Then they employ a very specific technique to manipulate new followers: “love bombing,” literally “bombardment of love.” The leader and the followers shower the newcomer with affection and attention, taking advantage of their need to start over and regain peace and hope. We all need to feel loved, welcomed, and accepted. By targeting these needs, love bombing becomes a form of emotional abuse. In this way, they create a dependency that gradually becomes all-encompassing. Victims change their lifestyles according to the guru and the group, increasingly isolate themselves from friends and family, and distance themselves from everything and everyone. This is how the holy man creates a void around them.

The helplessness of family members and fortunes going up in smoke

Along with the unfortunate victim, the cult also turns the family upside down, not only when it is affiliated but also when it is not directly involved. In many cases, the sole aim is to profit from the victims and their families. Driven by strong financial and property-related interests, they do not hesitate to manipulate members through threats and intense psychological pressure, causing them serious financial harm. Very large donations may be requested, taking advantage of the victim's hope of a miraculous cure.
One of the main reasons Caterina decided to leave the group was the withdrawal of a large sum of money from her mother's inheritance.
In addition to the material damage, relatives and friends suffer the pain of helplessly watching the victim's ruin while they are unable to realize what is happening to them.

It is possible to escape the nightmare

Once people join these groups or cults, however, it is almost impossible to leave. At that point, blackmail and threats take over. Victims are not only stripped of their possessions; if they want to leave “the cult,” they are threatened and their lives are destroyed in every respect: «It is difficult to leave - Caterina says again - because what they do is mind control; they instill terror and fear in you, and because of that you cannot get out, you hear threats that you will lose everything you have, you cannot speak to your friends or family… But you can leave; you must not be afraid because what they say is not true. To leave, you need to get help…».
It is not easy to find a way out, but it is possible to do so by asking for help from professionals or associations that deal with psychological abuse, but above all by finding within yourself the courage to react and the strength to report these situations.