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frodobaggins
Hi Knowledge is king

To answers your questions.

1) Should you be concerned?

My honest answer is Yes because an association with any cult is alarming no matter what stage the cult is at present. From where im sitting he is constantly changing the goal posts and i fear where it will end up. Secondly its a concern because despite the sweeping mandate of UM to be all loving and kind and caring its actually creating isolation for its members due to the very strict guidelines. Finally, he is charging people for products and services which have no solid foundation of truth or proof it works. So at the very least (forgetting the pyschological damage) he is feecing people of their money.

2) What are the risks?

* Isolation from family and friends. This can be a result of not only lifestyle changes but you will find members are highly judgemental of non followers and they are encouraged to speak openly and honestly with no filters. So be prepared to hear some home truths whether you like it or not ( and it will be regular)
* Severe financial loss
* Losing the ability to think (sorry feel) for yourself
* following blindly a person who cannot substaniate his claims and running the risk of adopting or submitting to even greater danges
* Ignoring the wonderful gift of the brain and relying on just "feeling" into things. Imagine going through life and only using the ability to "feel" to make critical decisions
* Living an incredibly boring life
* No exercise = potential long term health effects
* Taking serges advice on prescribed medication ( yes he now has a list of medication that he doesnt believe we should take and the list is growing) EG - if your brother suffers from depression he will be told not to take anti depressents.
* Usually illness is put down to the body cleansing itself and while serge hasnt yet barred UM members from seeing medical proffessionals - he does recommend UM professionals first. My ex was sick on many occassions and refused to see a doctor or physio because they werent UM members. That can potentially be a big risk.


3) What can you do to help

Great question and I dont have the answers - im still trying to work out how to help. I have tried everything from confrontation to calm questioning to rationalisation and it hasnt got me anywhere.


ps.... your experience of not getting good explanations is the norm. I have commented several times on here about it and you will never get a straight answer. Macready, concerned partner, herbertkane and corby have given the best explanations on here. You will get more on here then a UM member will give you. WHY? Because they dont really understand what they are believing in. Its the sweeping generalisations of love and kindness that get them in.... its almost like they are hooked on a fairytale and serge is like the fairy god mother who has all the answers..... but people need to realise he is nothing more then a conman

Sound advice, as always.

Knowledge, I would try and get your relative to read this thread and other blogs on the subject (listed throughout this thread), and hope he has the capacity left to step back and examine (or "feel") if what he is experiencing is real or is subject to being the presence of UM and it's isolationist techniques. I suspect he will dismiss this as pranic forces interfering, but it is a good place to start as many new 'recruits' don't have access to the info on here about the deeper workings of UM and what it actually is about and stands for.

Good luck and keep posting, this is an active community of people who care and are looking to help all.

Hey Frodobaggins, thanks for the response.
On the one hand it makes the concern more real by hearing that others have experienced the same thing.
On the other, I guess it is good that we can use each other's experience to build a more complete picture.
I am currently in the process of going through the 10 point checklist on my brother's behalf, and I will continue to update the responses as a way of guaging how far along he is in his "investment".

Some of the information that you have ammassed in this thread is essential in getting a bigger picture on this organisation, it would be great to get some more organised deconstruction going on it.
For example:
1. Who is Serge Benhayon, we know he was a tennis coach (or we believe he was) but from 1999 backwards there is no reference of him - what can we find out
2. Who are the rest of the people in the inner circle
3. What are the ABN's of his enterprise
4. What is the annual turnover
5. How many staff does he have
6. How many countries is he active in, what are the details
7. What do we know of his past - was he in any trouble with the law, has he been involved in politics
8. Has anyone raised any concerns with the Authorities - or with the local council where his seminars take place
9. What books was he reading around the time he dreamt up his philosophies
I think you have some of these answers but this is obviously not an exhaustive list.

I think there are a couple of good reasons for doing this.
1. It gives people a look behind the mask, at current the followers seem enamoured by the idea that one day he was a tennis coach and the next day he was bitten by a magical spider and turned into EnergyMan
a) but let's cut through the BS and find out who the real SB is.
2. He obviously doesn't like it when people look into him, it makes him uncomfortable which is why he keeps bringing Blogs and FB pages down
There is a few reasons why he would care
a) he's a sociopath
b) he is afraid what people will find - i.e. there is something worth looking for
c) he is a fraud
3. But in the very least it gives us some answers, and annoys him, because at the moment it feels like the reverse is true, he has the answers and we're the ones who are annoyed.

I don't know what the latitude is within this site for achieving this goal, but we should do what we can within the scope of the rules.

My Story -I am a partner of an ex UM student. We have survived as a family thru all the difficulties associated with this sinister cult.I would like to say though that it has been the hardest 2 years of my life battling and arguing against this ridiculous belief system. My partner who is very intelligent and very trusting finally realized that it was a dangerous organization.I can't thank this forum and it's posters enough for the strength and confidence they gave me in battle.I would like to warn people of this organization that I sense is controlled by a delusional individual who is constantly deified by his sycophantic disciples . Eric Dobbs

Something that occurs to me is why would a tennis coach - all out for fitness and success in his protegees suddenly take such a reversal on his views.

Tennis requires good diet, high level of fitness, competitive spirit, quick thinking and desire to win. From the few tennis coaches i know i cant imagine them encouraging students to become half starved, lethargic, unfit, uncompetitive and single tracked (Unable to constuct points with own thoughts). Maybe he was not a coach ... although he does seem to have his eye on the ball over his finances and money making ventures ....

I have ZERO proof but perhaps the reason we cant find anything on him pre 1999 is that he could have had a name change?????? I mean its just a guess.

ABN number can be found on one of the posts i did a few pages back.

I dont have any personal info on him as i chose to stay as far away from him as possible (despite my partners attempts to get me to meet him). All i know is he got divorced at the time of getting really involved in this stuff because his wife wasnt happy with it. But then i hear she is now back involved in the organisation?

I would encourage you to google the - fieryservice website and listen to his interviews.

I would like to say i dont find the switch from tennis coach to "preacher" that inconceivable. I think this was a part time hobbie of his and like anything - MONEY is a big driver. Tennis coaching ( unless you are on the pro tour) is not a lurative business. He could have been making just as much from a hobbie and soon realised the lifestyle he could lead if he went full time into preaching. And lets face it - Byron is a very affluent market.... full of people who are searching for answers and thrive on the alternative lifestyle. I know thats a sweeping generalisation and i mean no disrespect to those living in Byron. Its a great formula for success.... almost right time at the right place.

Business location of Byron + perfect cashed up target demographic + charismatic leader + catchy appealing buzzwords (energy, esorteric) = BOOMING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/18/2012 01:11PM by frodobaggins.

Hi Eric

Can you tell me how you convinced your partner? Any chance she would post on here about her experience? I know the second question is asking a lot but it would be great to hear from a past member. Totally understand if not though.

I also actually think while this presents a great business opportunity for Serge he actually believes what he is teaching. While money is a massive driver, so too is ones ego. It would appear he has progressively stretched his teachings and at the start i doubt he would have been as extreme as he is now. You could imagine as more and more people followed and worshipped the ground he walks on; the ego would have been stroked so much the guy now actually thinks he is literally gods gift. It doesnt take much support to give a person the needed kick to keep going and developing. Unfortunately in this case its for the worse. Now we have someone with money and ego.... a confidence that turns into arrogance and a belief that he now thinks he has the TRUE answers and supporters who continue to feed this both financially and emotionally. Vicious circle ( counter clockwise of course lol)

I agree with you Frodobaggins. The good friend I know who has been involved with UM from early days even told me once that Serge has become tougher or stricter. I can't remember the exact words. My friends are so into this that I can't even broach the subject of Serge with them. I did once after going to the workshop, saying it wasn't for me and that I didn't like Serge, and the friend was very upset. Since then when I have seen them we don't speak about Serge or UM. Its like the elephant in the room.

I think what Serge does really well is that the "enlightenment" or whatever you want to call it will always happen at a further point in time. He gives a little information away and then a little more later on, like he is dangling a carrot always enticing the followers. I remember when my friend first started they would meditate and then Serge said meditation was bad. Now they can't exercise (why is exercise bad?). They also cut back on carbs (which i know can be a good thing) but to the point I thought it was too much. They told them to stop eating potatoes and this woman was breast feeding. I remember seeing her and thinking you need to eat more especially when you are breastfeeding you have become so thin.

Serge borrows good bits from all sorts of traditions or lineages and then mixes them all up but has ultimately come up with a product or brand that his followers are hooked on, ironically they have given up drugs/alcohol/bad food etc etc to only be completely addicted to the UMbelief system. I wonder how much this UM brand or workshops and products is worth?. I find it strange that he talks about wanting to serve humanity but has he ever given anything away for free. Does he hold any courses or workshops or esoteric yoga that is free of charge? Does he donate to people in need ie starving children (even if they do eat wheat or gluten like most of the 3rd world population).

I just noticed that he has changed the wording of his webpage, it sounded very arrogant a couple of months ago and it isn't so arrogant now. There is a big spiel about free will on the first page. Very clever passive mind control. He will monitor the situation and any bad press and change the UM brand to suit.

Somehow I feel really cynical writing about UM. In someways its up to everyone to believe or do what they want, if they are happier then maybe following Serge is ok? who are we to tell anyone to live their life differently? ironically that is exactly what Serge does- tells everyone how to live their life.

Hi Eric
Can you tell us what was the thing you did, said, or what happened that helped your wife see through the "miasma fog" of the Universal Medicine Cosmic mind trap? I have tried logic, patient questioning, facts, being understanding, sharing values and goals but gently disagreeing with the path...and the end result is the same. Any puff of perceived questioning of Serge is seen as an attack on her judgement, her choices, and is imposing and unloving. Any tips for the unsuccessful would be appreciated. Cheers.

I don't doubt that Serge was a tennis coach. It was a long time ago so of course there are no websites with active business details, but traces remain if you look:
[www.cylex.com.au]

As far as how he 'transformed', according to an interview I read (which is no longer available on-line) SB claims he started hearing voices (from the Hierarchy) telling him who he had been in past lives and that he could be a great healer in this life.

On that note, it would be curious to know whether any of the UM students, particularly the long term ones, have started hearing voices as a result of connecting to the Hierarchy? It happened to Serge before he even began to change his diet and lifestyle habits so you'd think that after years of applying themselves to the 'Livingness' some of the students would be experiencing the same supernatural communications. If Serge is no different, greater or more special than any other person as his students always claim, why has nobody else made communication with the Hierarchy? Long-term followers of UM would do well to 'ponder on that'.

For a detailed account of Serge's transformation see here:
[www.universalmedicine.com.au]

Note that he states he undertook healing courses and immersed himself in New Age literature:

Quote:

"The ‘investigative’ nature or necessary part of the ordeal led him to having to read or look up books he would not normally choose in addition to choosing to participate in a series of ‘healing’ (so-called) courses. The books he had to read were not his cup of tea and, the awareness he was experiencing, very easily exposed the many hidden tricks, channelled delusions and plain old lies that presented themselves as truths in these ‘best-selling’ books. The unexplained knowing about subjects he did not know or cared about extended itself to those he sought expert understanding from and, whilst attending the courses he thought he had to attend, he likewise felt a deep dissatisfaction with their content, knowledge and integrity, something that to him made no sense at all since he was, after all, a novice learning the ropes, so to speak. Then, one day, at a course, he had an experience that was also witnessed by one other participant. The ‘experience’ was on one level profound, rather supernatural or phenomenal and yet, at the same time natural and, curiously, knowing, even if unusual for his healthy scepticism to contend with. This experience led to a deeper and more whole connection to and with his already developing deeply profound inner-feelings that were bringing the extraordinary level of awareness if not the re-awakening that was so astounding, but nonetheless weird at the same time."

The sceptical observer might suggest that this was done to familarise himself with the techniques and 'language' of the New Age milieu so that he could appropriate the elements that were to his liking (Alice A. Bailey's writings, for example), but also differentiate his own venture from the other, similar systems on the market.

An example of this would be the Hindu concept of Prana as adopted by many New Age teachings and modalities:
[en.wikipedia.org]

[www.pranichealing.com.au]

Serge inverts the information and deems Prana as bad, rendering all other systems teaching otherwise not only wrong, but harmful. Thus only the modalities offered by UM can truly help the individual seeking healing.