Tucked away at the exclusive Villa Boreh resort in Tejakula, North Bali, week-long “Spiritual Sexual Shamanic” workshops are being run by the International School of Temple Arts (ISTA). 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. ISTA’s 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?
ISTA 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 ISTA 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.
ISTA, which originates from the US and was founded by controversial sex guru Robert Nichols, who goes by the self-appointed honorific “Baba Dez”, hosts its workshops all over the world. Former participants describe high-pressure sexual rituals taking place. On the very first night of one ISTA training, for example, students were told to strip naked in a “removal ceremony,” purportedly to shed fear and inhibition. “It sounds freeing… but looking back, I realize it was about disarming you of your discernment, of your idea of what’s right or wrong,” one woman said of this initiation. From there, the exercises escalate. ISTA’s course materials indicate that a Level 1 may include a “self-love” ceremony – essentially a supervised session of public masturbation – as well as a “sacred spot” ritual in which women’s genitals (and sometimes men’s prostates) are massaged by a partner in randomly assigned pairs. In one such ritual, male participants were instructed to insert their fingers into female participants’ vaginas (or vice-versa) as a form of “energy clearing,” with partners picked via raffle. Even nightly social time at the retreat – dubbed “Temple Nights” – turns into a sexually charged free-for-all, where instructors and students freely intermingle for group sex or erotic “play” on mats and cushions. These practices, kept hidden from newcomers until they are already on-site, have raised serious questions about informed consent and transparency
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 ISTA 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 ISTA 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 ISTA’s elite inner circle could override one’s scruples.
Critics maintain that a lack of informed consent is fundamental to ISTA’s 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”, ISTA leader Laurie Handlers 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 ISTA into the international spotlight. The exposé documented ritualistic group-sex practices at an ISTA 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 ISTA’s 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 ISTA workshops, and Turkey appears to have effectively become off-limits for ISTA. (ISTA has not held any trainings in Turkey since the exposé; the organization told reporters it “vehemently disagrees” that what happened to Lina was rape, but ceased its operations in Turkey nonetheless). The scandal underscored the dangers of ISTA’s 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, ISTA 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 ISTA amid mounting complaints. In 2023, Thai police raided an ISTA 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 ISTA to abruptly withdraw from Thailand thereafter. At the same time, all ISTA courses in Israel were halted due to allegations of misconduct.
In Israel, ISTA’s events attracted strong condemnation from the Israeli Center for Cult Victims. In September 2023, the center publicly warned that ISTA’s “sacred sexuality” courses promoted exploitation and posed severe psychological risks. Facing escalating pressure and serious allegations against several Israeli facilitators, ISTA suspended its operations in the country. In January 2025, Israel banned senior ISTA facilitator Raffaello Manacorda from entering its territory. These incidents abroad show a pattern of legal and community pushback when ISTA’s methods come to light.
Disturbing Rituals and “Cult” Accusations
Beyond the immediate abuse allegations, ISTA has been accused of fostering extremely disturbing practices that are presented as spiritual rituals. The Israeli Center for Cult Victims has documented testimonials alleging that ISTA’s advanced “Level 2” trainings include rituals involving animal sacrifice and simulated death. According to the testimonials, Level 2 ceremonies included the slaughter of an animal, an act meant to symbolize confronting mortality, but one that, understandably, horrified many observers. The New York Magazine exposé also recounts a similar ritual. Other exercises described in the report and by ex-participants include the infamous “Carrot Ritual”, where students insert carrots into their anuses as a “grounding” exercise, and various ordeals blending sexuality with fear to break taboos.
Former ISTA attendees and independent experts have likened these rituals to cult initiation techniques. Dr. Steven Hassan, a renowned cult expert and psychologist, reviewed ISTA’s conduct and noted it fits the BITE model, a framework used to identify how cults systematically control Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotions. In a video statement, Dr. Hassan labelled ISTA a “problematic organization” exhibiting hallmarks of undue influence, and he urged greater safety and consent measures for anyone involved. Similarly, cult analysts in New Zealand have pointed out that ISTA leaders often hold quasi-religious authority over participants, who come to see the intense experiences as sacred and thus accept the abnormal as normal. New Zealand journalist Anke Richter described a “a covert harem culture” in her book “Cult Trip”, in which male leaders surrounded themselves with young female lovers from the workshops; these women are then fast-tracked into staff and leadership roles. The power imbalance and blurred boundaries in such an environment are textbook red flags for a high-control group or cult, experts say.
Bali’s Legal and Moral Crossroads: The Case for Action Against ISTA
Indonesia, and Bali in particular, is governed by deeply rooted cultural values and strict laws. ISTA’s ongoing retreats at Villa Boreh, appear to flout both the letter and spirit of these 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 ISTA 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. ISTA’s sexually charged ceremonies, marketed as healing practices, risk not only violating local laws but also disrespecting cultural values and creating tensions within the community.
However, more than cultural sensitivities are at stake. Survivors have raised serious allegations of coercion, psychological damage, and inadequate oversight. Given ISTA’s apparent lack of permits, local registration, or clear safety protocols, a critical question remains unanswered: If harm occurs, who will be held accountable?
Authorities in other countries have already acted; ISTA has been forced out of locations in Thailand, Turkey, and Israel. Bali must now decide whether to offer sanctuary to an organization facing global scrutiny. Local officials, law enforcement, and tourism leaders should investigate what’s happening behind closed doors at ISTA’s Bali events. By enforcing Indonesia’s laws and demanding transparency, Bali can protect its people, its visitors, and its spiritual sanctity.
As the global survivor network continues to monitor ISTA’s operations, one truth becomes clear: Bali must not be a blind spot. Sunlight is the best disinfectant and it’s time to shine it directly on ISTA.
Written by Leonard Sherman
