Wellness / Multi-Level

Australian wellness organisation founded by Serge Benhayon (1999). The 2018 NSW Supreme Court defamation case Benhayon v. Rockett resulted in a jury finding that he ran a 'socially harmful cult' and was 'a charlatan who makes fraudulent medical claims'.

Healthy, Happy, Holy Organisation (3HO) and the Kundalini Yoga lineage founded by Yogi Bhajan / Harbhajan Singh Khalsa (1969). Multiple post-2020 investigations (Olive Branch, Premka Pamela Saharah Dyson memoir) documented systematic sexual abuse by the founder and senior teachers.

Umbrella for the documented high-control segment of the 'Troubled Teen Industry' (WWASP, Provo Canyon School, Élan, etc.). Documented patterns of forced confinement, physical abuse, and severance from family of origin.

Brazilian 'faith healer' João Teixeira de Faria, who claimed to channel deceased spirits at his Casa de Dom Inácio in Abadiânia. Multiple Oprah-Winfrey-promoted appearances. Convicted of rape in 2019; over 600 women have alleged sexual abuse.

Online 'enlightenment teacher' running Trinfinity Academy and various retreats. After follower Brent Wilkins' 2017 suicide and a major Be Scofield exposé, multiple wellness-press and academic critiques have characterised the operation as a high-control online cult.

Korean-origin yoga and brain-training network founded by Ilchi Lee (1985, Korean operation; US 1991). Subject of 2009 Julia Siverls death lawsuit and ongoing US civil litigation over staff conditions and financial demands.

Mexican former physician who popularised the inhalation of vapor from the Sonoran Desert toad (Bufo alvarius / Incilius alvarius, 5-MeO-DMT) globally. Multiple in-ceremony participant deaths and Mexican criminal investigations.

'Hot yoga' system created by Bikram Choudhury in the 1970s. Multiple women won civil sexual-assault judgments against him in the 2010s. Choudhury fled to Mexico to evade enforcement; the surviving Bikram Yoga community has fragmented. ESPN '30 for 30' and Netflix's 'Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator' (2019) are major documentaries.

Loose umbrella for therapeutic-community (TC) addiction-treatment programmes derived from the Synanon model. Multiple successor TCs continue documented patterns of 'attack therapy', forced labour, and severance.

Indian movement founded by Kalki Bhagavan and Sri Amma offering 'Deeksha' (oneness blessing) and a path to 'enlightenment in this lifetime'. Heavy financial investments, lavish leader lifestyle, and 2019 Indian tax raid uncovering substantial unaccounted wealth.

Yoga and meditation centre headed historically by Amrit Desai, who resigned from Kripalu in 1994 after admitting affairs with several disciples. Modern Kripalu is a reformed wellness centre; Desai's separate Amrit Yoga lineage continues. The 1994 Kripalu reckoning is a key wellness-cult case study.

Florida-based ayahuasca church (founded 2015) at the centre of Soul Quest Church of Mother Earth Inc. v. DEA — the leading post-2018 federal-court test of religious-exemption claims for ayahuasca. 2018 in-ceremony death of Lindsey Poulson.

Umbrella entry for the diverse online 'ascension' / 5D / starseed parasocial communities. Substantial overlap with Love Has Won-derived splinters and QAnon-adjacent eschatology.

Extreme raw-food and fruitarian online communities. Multiple documented physical-harm cases including child-malnutrition deaths. Various influencer-led online cult dynamics.

Cross-reference entry — see primary 'various-online-mlm-spiritual-cults' entry.

Umbrella entry for the documented online trading-influencer parasocial communities (Andrew Tate Hustlers University adjacent, various crypto / forex / day-trading 'mentors').

2021 NFT play-to-earn project marketed by YouTuber Logan Paul. Exposed by Coffeezilla's investigative video series in 2022 as a failed 'rug pull'-adjacent scheme. 2023 class-action lawsuit and settlement followed.

Umbrella entry for the diverse set of Western-facing ayahuasca retreat facilitator circles (often Peru, Costa Rica, USA) that exhibit high-control patterns. Distinct from the established Brazilian Santo Daime / UDV churches.

Umbrella entry for high-control Western 5-MeO-DMT facilitator circles (the powerful psychedelic from Bufo alvarius toad secretions). Multiple documented sexual misconduct and severance patterns.

Umbrella entry for the diverse 2020s online 'wealth coach' figures whose paid mastermind communities exhibit cult-like patterns. Substantial fees, parasocial loyalty, family-severance documented.

Founded by Rich DeVos and Jay Van Andel (1959). The largest direct-sales MLM company globally. The motivational-organisation (AMO) subculture under upline 'Diamond' distributors has been documented as exhibiting cult-like patterns of severance from non-Amway friends, mandatory tape/seminar purchases, and impossible-income-claim psychology.

Two largest essential-oil MLMs. Both have received FDA warning letters for unproven medical claims by distributors. Distributor culture documented as cult-like in 'The Dream' podcast and 'LuLaRich'-adjacent reporting.

Successor to Werner Erhard's est ('Erhard Seminars Training', 1971–84). Three-day intensive seminars combining transformative-language with high-pressure recruitment of friends and family. Members pressured to bring 'guests'.

Quixtar was Amway's 1999–2007 separate online branding for North America. Now reabsorbed into Amway. Same MLM structure as parent.

Umbrella for documented online wellness-influencer parasocial cult communities (food, fitness, anti-medical). Substantial subscription costs, parasocial loyalty, family severance documented.

Online carnivore-diet influencer communities around figures like Shawn Baker, Mikhaila Peterson, Paul Saladino. Documented anti-medical protocols and parasocial cult dynamics.

Tony Robbins' higher-tier programmes — Business Mastery ($10K+), Date With Destiny ($5K+), Platinum Partnership ($85K+). Substantial parasocial commitment; documented community dynamics.

Umbrella entry for online polyamory / relationship-coaching parasocial communities. Distinct from the broader polyamory community.

Umbrella entry for online 'trauma-healing' influencer parasocial communities. Distinct from mainstream trauma-informed clinical therapy. Specific figures (Gabor Maté-derived, Bessel van der Kolk-derived without clinical credential) build parasocial communities.

Umbrella entry for the various modern channeling networks (Bashar / Daryl Anka, Lee Carroll / Kryon, etc.) beyond named entries.

Online pickup-artist (PUA) parasocial communities (RSDNation, etc.). Documented misogyny patterns; overlap with manosphere extreme figures.

Umbrella for celebrity-led wellness parasocial communities (Goop adjacent, various celebrity-endorsed wellness brands).

Umbrella for online dating / attraction coach parasocial communities. Includes PUA-adjacent and women-focused dating-coach niches.

Cross-reference — see wealth-affirmation-coaches-2026.

Cross-reference entry — see primary Landmark Forum / EST entry. Tracks 2020s shift to online-cohort delivery.

Cross-reference entry — see parent doTERRA / Young Living entry.

Cross-reference entry — see parent doTERRA / Young Living entry.

Umbrella entry for documented online body-positivity / HAES influencer parasocial communities. Distinct from the academic / clinical Health at Every Size movement.

Arizona-based 'spiritual nutrition' and fasting retreat centre founded by Gabriel Cousens. Multiple documented patient deaths during extreme fasts and licence-related disputes.

Clothing MLM founded by DeAnne and Mark Stidham (2012). Subject of Amazon Prime's 'LuLaRich' (2021) documenting recruitment at scale, ruined women's finances, defective merchandise, and patriarchal Mormon-tinged company culture.

Joe Dispenza's meditation/neuroscience workshops and retreats. Substantial multi-thousand-dollar event fees; parasocial community dynamics.

Umbrella entry for the Instagram-native spirituality influencer parasocial communities. Aesthetic-driven spiritual content monetised via subscription tiers and paid courses.

Umbrella for TikTok-native spirituality / WitchTok influencer parasocial communities. Algorithm-driven discovery has produced rapid genre proliferation since 2020.

Major online personal-growth platform founded by Vishen Lakhiani. Most courses are mainstream consumption; specific high-control sub-communities around individual instructors (transformation coaches) have been documented.

Multi-level marketing nutrition company. The 2016 FTC settlement ($200M) restructured the business model after Bill Ackman's high-profile short-selling campaign. Some distributor 'Nutrition Club' networks exhibit documented cult-like recruitment.

Financial-services MLM (founded 1977) selling term life insurance and mutual funds. Documented downline saturation and term-life over-sale patterns.

Umbrella for documented CrossFit-adjacent extreme-fitness cult communities. Mainstream CrossFit affiliates are low-control; specific high-pressure boxes exhibit moderate cult dynamics.

Umbrella for documented corporate workplace cult patterns — specific tech, finance, and consulting firm sub-cultures with documented cult-like dynamics.

Esther Hicks claims to channel 'Abraham', a non-physical entity teaching the 'Law of Attraction'. Substantial paid-workshop ecosystem; husband-and-wife founder duo (Esther + Jerry, who died 2011). Moderate-low control with documented financial-extraction patterns.

Stanislav Grof's intensive hyperventilation practice. Mainstream training (Grof Transpersonal Training) is non-coercive; specific high-control facilitator-led communities have produced ex-participant accounts.

Umbrella entry for online energy-healing (Reiki, biofield) influencer parasocial communities. Most mainstream Reiki / energy work is low-control; specific online influencer figures more controlling.

Umbrella entry for online fitness influencer parasocial communities. Most mainstream fitness influencers are low-control; specific high-pressure subscription programmes have parasocial dynamics.

Umbrella entry for online intuitive-eating / anti-diet influencer parasocial communities. Distinct from clinical intuitive-eating practice (Tribole, Resch).

Umbrella entry for online self-improvement podcast parasocial communities. Most mainstream (Tim Ferriss, Lewis Howes, Mel Robbins, etc.) are low-control; specific sub-currents exhibit moderate parasocial dynamics.

Tony Robbins' flagship multi-day 'Unleash the Power Within' intensive features fire-walking, peer-pressure recruitment, and substantial upsell to higher-priced programmes. Multiple documented hot-coal-walk burn injuries.

Byron Katie's 'The Work' four-question self-inquiry method. Substantial multi-thousand-dollar retreat and certification fees.

Binaural-beat audio meditation programme by the late Bill Harris (Centerpointe Research Institute, founded 1989). Substantial multi-year subscription costs. Moderate-low control with documented parasocial dynamics.

Florida-based haircare multi-level-marketing company founded 2014 by Luis and Rayner Urdaneta. ~200,000+ 'Market Partners' at peak. Multiple class-action lawsuits, hundreds of FDA MedWatch complaints alleging hair loss and scalp injury, and the standard MLM income-disparity pattern in which the great majority of distributors lose money.

Deepak Chopra's mind-body wellness organisations. Substantial books, retreats, certifications. Mainstream low-moderate control; large parasocial readership.

Iyanla Vanzant's spiritual teaching, Inner Visions Worldwide Network, and OWN 'Iyanla: Fix My Life' (2012–2021) media platform. Mainstream low-moderate control.

Wim Hof's cold-exposure and breathing practice has a global mainstream following. Specific extreme franchise instructor sub-communities have produced ex-participant accounts of cult-like dynamics including physical harm.

Home-fragrance wax-warmer MLM (founded 2004). Standard MLM patterns; less aggressive than Amway / Herbalife.

Nail-polish-strip MLM founded 2017. Ceased operations May 2024 after parent company filed for bankruptcy.

Skincare MLM founded by Proactiv creators Katie Rodan and Kathy Fields (2008). Multiple US class actions over Lash Boost vision-loss claims.

Fitness MLM (P90X, Insanity, Shakeology). Transitioned away from MLM structure in 2024 after years of declining performance.

Skincare and health MLM (1980). One of the larger US wellness MLMs.

Human Design 'body graph' personality / spiritual system founded by Ra Uru Hu (Alan Krakower) in 1987. Mainstream low-moderate; specific high-control sub-currents.

Umbrella for online astrology influencer parasocial communities. Mainstream astrology is non-coercive; specific influencer-led communities exhibit moderate parasocial dynamics.

Eckhart Tolle's contemporary spiritual teaching ('The Power of Now', 'A New Earth'). Mainstream low-control; large parasocial readership but no organised hierarchy.

Marianne Williamson's ACIM-derived spiritual teaching and 2020/2024 political following. Mainstream low-control reference.

Hay House publishing company founded by Louise Hay (1984). Major New Age book publisher; many subsequent New Age figures (Wayne Dyer, Doreen Virtue, Cheryl Richardson) launched through it.

Mainstream older MLM founded by Mary Kay Ash (1963). Less coercive than newer wellness MLMs but still produces majority distributor losses per FTC analysis.

Mainstream older direct-sales / MLM (1948). September 2024 Chapter 11 bankruptcy after years of declining sales.

Late Wayne Dyer (1940–2015) self-help legacy. Among the bestselling US self-help authors ever. Mainstream low-control reference.

Mainstream older direct-sales company (1886). Very low-tier MLM compensation. Among lowest-pressure direct-sales models.

Mainstream evidence-based therapy modality developed by Richard Schwartz (1990s+). The IFS Institute provides certification. Very low-control reference for the therapy industry.