Lissa Rankin, MD – We’d all like to believe that someone we entrust with helping us heal when we’re vulnerable can safely protect our tender hearts, confused minds, and beautiful bodies. Yet sadly, some of the most traumatized and unapologetically ruthless people hang up a shingle and call themselves a spiritual teacher, therapist, shaman, psychedelic guide, lightworker, or life coach. The red flags can be easy to spot, once you know what you’re looking for, but as my wise sage daughter said, “If you’re wearing rose colored glasses, red flags just look like flags.”

As cult recovery specialists like Steven Hassan, Janja Lalich, and Rachel Bernstein teach us, “undue influence” and “coercive control” can show up anywhere, not just in cults, but in cultic romantic relationships, abusive family systems, and sadly, even in therapeutic settings where people abuse their power over someone vulnerable. Continue reading →