Tucked away at the exclusive Villa Boreh resort in Tejakula, North Bali, week-long “Spiritual Sexual Shamanic” workshops are being run by the. Marketed as edgy and transformative retreats, these events draw dozens of foreign visitors to Bali each year. But behind the enticing veneer of self-help and sexual liberation lies an organisation that has come under public scrutiny around the world for its disturbing practices. There have been credible accounts of animal sacrifice, death rituals, and abuse allegations including rape. Their activities have been shut down in multiple countries, due to either law enforcement or community alarm, which raises the question: why are such workshops still freely running in Bali?
This venue bills itself as a global movement for “sexual healing” and “spirituality” – a mystery school where the exact activities remain secret until one becomes an initiate. At a typical Level 1 training, attendees pay thousands of dollars to convene in private venues closed off to outsiders. They are then led through increasingly intimate rituals: from initial ice-breakers to nudity and sexually charged ceremonies that intensify as the week progresses.
Survivors Speak Out: Coercion, Manipulation and No Consent
Dozens of survivors, investigative journalists, and cult experts have come forward with disturbing accounts of emotional manipulation and sexual coercion at these trainings. They say the organization’s rhetoric of liberation masks a culture of pressure and control. Posts in online support groups (like the Facebook group “Tantra Not Trauma”) and media exposés describe participants being pressured into sexual acts and even having their vulnerabilities weaponized against them. In many cases, private confessions made during therapy-like group sessions were later cynically used by leaders to erode participants’ boundaries. “Students reported being pressured into sex and manipulated with the use of their private information,” notes New York Magazine, summarizing dozens of testimonies. Conformity was also incentivized through fast-track promotion into paid faculty roles. “Imagine getting $20,000 to $30,000 a week… and f**ing whoever you want. I wanted on that gravy train,” one former assistant admitted, explaining how the promise of joining elite inner circle could override one’s scruples.
Critics maintain that a lack of informed consent is fundamental to their methods. Participants receive no advance notice that explicit group sexual activities will be part of the course. By the time these “rituals” begin, powerful psychological forces such as peer conformity, fear of rejection, and the deep human need for belonging (further intensified by the substantial financial investment participants have already made) severely limit their ability to refuse. This effectively traps attendees in situations they might otherwise resist. “There was an implied-to-explicit pressure for sexual openness that did not match participants’ boundaries, under problematic conditions such as sleep deprivation,” stated a 2023 report by the Israeli Center for Cult Victims. Indeed, sleep deprivation, long days, and late-night ceremonies with minimal rest are reportedly used to wear people down mentally. Several survivors recalled being so exhausted and disoriented that they went along with sexual exercises they would never have agreed to otherwise. In a 2006 documentary called “Tantric Tourists”, their leader discussed her teaching methods, noting, “Being tired is a key element. So in weakening their defenses, even in getting a little sick, I mean, they start to get open to a myriad of things and surrender…”
New York Magazine Exposé: Rape Allegation in Turkey
In February 2025, New York Magazine published a bombshell investigative feature that thrust them into the international spotlight. The exposé documented ritualistic group-sex practices at a Level 2 training in Turkey, and the story of a young woman, identified as “Lina”, who alleges she was raped during a so-called ‘sacrifice’ ritual. According to the report, the May 2022 retreat in Turkey included a dark ceremony where participants, acting as “sacrifices”, were blindfolded and subjected to sexual acts by multiple partners in front of the group. Lina described how one man took advantage of the ritual to penetrate her without consent, an experience so shocking and shaming that she could not recognize or name it as rape until long afterward. “Rape is a very unpopular word to use in the sex-positive space. I was scared to use it”, she told the magazine. When she tried to alert facilitators, they did not call police or halt the event. Instead, she was guided through a cathartic exercise (kicking a tree while screaming) and then encouraged to continue participating as if nothing serious had occurred.
The New York Magazine piece detailed multiple allegations of sexual abuse and cover-ups within their global network, from Israel to New Zealand, but the Turkey incident was a tipping point. In the aftermath of Lina’s alleged rape, outrage spread on social media and within tantra circles. An online campaign pressured venues to cancel workshops, and Turkey appears to have effectively become off-limits for them. The scandal underscored the dangers of their practices: a self-described healing group that, according to New York Magazine, has reached over 15,000 people across 56 countries, yet has no mechanisms to prevent or properly address sexual assault within its events. Instead, as the article noted, they typically dismisses such incidents as mere personal “stories” or experiences that were “meant to be”, a response that left survivors like Lina feeling dismissed, unsupported, and re-traumatized.
Crackdowns Abroad: Police Raid in Thailand and Beyond
Authorities in some countries have started taking action against them amid mounting complaints. In 2023, Thai police raided a workshop in Koh Phangan multiple times. Thailand has strict laws against indecent acts and unlicensed educational courses, and residents had raised alarms about what looked like a sexual cult gathering on their island. The raid, reportedly during a Level 1 workshop with international attendees, led them to abruptly withdraw from Thailand thereafter. At the same time, all courses in Israel were halted due to allegations of misconduct.
In Israel, their events attracted strong condemnation from the Israeli Center for Cult Victims. In September 2023, the center publicly warned that “sacred sexuality” courses promoted exploitation and posed severe psychological risks. Facing escalating pressure and serious allegations against several Israeli facilitators, they suspended its operations in the country. In January 2025, Israel banned senior them facilitator from entering its territory. These incidents abroad show a pattern of legal and community pushback when their methods come to light.
Bali’s Legal and Moral Crossroads: The Case for Action
Indonesia, and Bali in particular, is governed by deeply rooted cultural values and strict laws. Under Indonesia’s anti-pornography statutes and updated criminal code, such activities could be prosecuted as public indecency, obscene acts, and potentially unlicensed work by foreign nationals. If the facilitators are entering on tourist visas but conducting paid sexual workshops, this may also violate immigration law.
Yet legal issues are only part of the concern. Bali’s Hindu community places great importance on spiritual integrity, and past controversies demonstrate sensitivity regarding inappropriate behavior by foreigners.
However, more than cultural sensitivities are at stake. Survivors have raised serious allegations of coercion, psychological damage, and inadequate oversight. Given their apparent lack of permits, local registration, or clear safety protocols, a critical question remains unanswered: If harm occurs, who will be held accountable?
Written by Leonard Sherman
