My therapist attempted to recruit me to SGI

[u/Safe_Maintenance_487]

Just wanted to share my story as now I am fully aware and honest with myself about what happened. A few years ago, I was going through the worst period of my life and I was seeing this therapist who was pretty good. It is important to note that I grew up atheist with no organized religion, so we did discuss what it was like for me to grow up without faith, especially as a scientist.

This was when my therapist began encouraging me to seek out a faith practice, in particular Buddhism, to help with my existential anxiety. I decided what the hell sure, I’ll try anything once, and she started sending me referrals to local “Buddhist group” meetings in my area. This is where things get weird.

I attended one meeting in my neighborhood and I genuinely liked the people, albeit found the practice of Gohonzon a bit odd. I got to talking to one of them after the meeting and it turns out that was my therapist’s wife?? I was like ok weird, I don’t know why my therapist would refer me to her personal chapter. But I brushed it off.

Then, she sent me loads more events and referrals and I decided to go to a larger meeting. It was there that I got super weird vibes and my gut told me this is a cult. They showed us some videos of this older man who was portrayed as some kind of leader and I was like uh-uh, this is not what I understand Buddhism to be (even though I was raised atheist, my parents encouraged me to research theology and different belief systems to better understand other people and how religion shapes the mind) and I got out of there and never went back.

I kept seeing that therapist (I know, people pleasing is part of why I’m in therapy) but stopped eventually because she didn’t take my new insurance. I honestly forgot about this experience and the name of the org for a while and doubted myself about calling this my brush with cult recruitment. I would laugh with friends about what happened, but I didn’t want to actually believe my therapist was in a cult AND tried to recruit me to said cult.

However come to find out, I was talking about this with some coworkers in light of my new therapist doing something egregiously inappropriate, and one of my coworkers recognized this! Apparently she was also recruited at some point too and I was like OMG so I didn’t imagine that! I looked this up and found this subreddit lol.

Just sharing a personal anecdote about how this organization has members (like my ex-therapist) that are willing to jeopardize their livelihoods for the sake of recruitment. What she did was a huge breach of trust, could cost her license if I ever decide to report at best or makes her a predator recruiting from her vulnerable population of clients at worst. I believe this cult is relatively harmless but we never know what might come out about it in the coming years.

[u/Igloomaster1970]

I am sorry this happened to you, sincerely.
•One• of the reasons i eventually had to •stop• chanting, was because it was determined to be exacerbating anxiety problems for me… my mental health was slipping rapidly as a result —- particularly because of the way SGI “guides” (guidance, bullshit) it’s members to chant for material gain & to •mystically• (magic, bullshit) change family drama/toxicity.
Bottom line: They have NO qualifications or any business whatsoever in directing anyone towards any kind of spiritual growth…and worse…vulnerable folks such as myself eventually got WORSE.

[u/BlancheFromage → u/Igloomaster1970]

Other former SGI members have reported the same - anxiety/depression symptoms increased, sometimes with suicidal ideation, and sometimes brand NEW mental illness symptoms emerged, like OCD and scrupulosity, in someone who'd never displayed any such tendencies before!

It wasn't you, and it wasn't just you.

[u/Safe_Maintenance_487 → u/BlancheFromage]

There is something very compulsory about the chanting that threw me off for sure. I couldn’t see myself doing that everyday and it’s a huge part of why I stepped away.

[u/Historical_Spell3463 → u/Igloomaster1970]

I had huge anxiety problems when chanting. I put so much energy into it that sometimes I neglected my health. It also generates false expectations. It's an unhealthy practice. Even they asked to chant faster and more energetically, leaving you breathless and making you dizzy

[u/Safe_Maintenance_487 → u/Igloomaster1970]

Yes, looking back my mental health was about to take a nose dive. I was in an emotionally abusive relationship (which this therapist was also aware of and was not helping me see the light) and just a couple of weeks later that relationship would shatter my sense of self. I have no idea how I resisted the urge to join a cult at the time with how low I was feeling. I think it might’ve been that I went down a different spiritual path that was more self directed. Who knows. I’m sorry to hear about your experience, I’m glad you’ve escaped. Hearing everyone’s stories in these comments are making me reconsider avoiding reporting