Quote
John lazuras
Hi All,
A Registered Psychologist who works from and for the Universal Medicine Clinic at Goonellabah has made some comments on the “Truth about Universal Medicine” web site.
I am not too sure where he gets his information from about UM but I need to share my experience with UM here.
His comments are in black bold:
In recent weeks, there have been a number of articles written by the media stating that Universal Medicine may be a cult organisation. However, these articles have not provided any evidence to this claim, and obvious facts about Universal Medicine have not been published. The intention of this article is to outline the true facts about Universal Medicine. In doing so, the reader will have an opportunity to be more informed in making up his or her own mind.
The facts about Universal Medicine are:
• All Universal Medicine events are publicly open to all, and there is no prequalification to attend entry-level events of any kind.
– Wrong to attend a UM EDG / EWG meeting you must be approved by the Practioner that is running the area. No one can attend and the followers are discouraged in bringing anyone along that has not been “approved” to attend.
Also for next year’s retreat when a follower books in, UM is asking who their Practioner is so they can check if the person is authorised to attend.
• There are no recruitment methods used by Universal Medicine. This is in contrast to cults, as world-renowned cult-expert Dr Margaret Thaler Singer states ‘contrary to the myth that those who join cults are seekers, it is the cults that go out and actively and aggressively find followers’ (Singer, 1995, p. XXIII).
– Wrong UM has a very good recruitment system in place to get the followers into the cult.
1. The use of Chris James as a recruitment specialist – this guy promotes singing but he is a major recruiter of UM he gets you in thinking you are learning how to sing and use your voice but this guy takes you into UM.
2. The use of various practioners around the country – the followers go to these practioners for “counselling for some problem” and after time the practioners introduce the followers to the dangerous beliefs and teachings of UM ….these people introduce the followers to the next step of attending EDG, EWG, retreats, charak puncture.
3. The constant bombarding of emails from UM and Chris James to the students email accounts advising them about UM.
4. The constant need in attending monthly visits to the clinics, monthly EDG and EWG meetings,
• People who attend Universal Medicine events are clearly informed of what the organisation is that they are becoming involved with. For example, extensive information can be gained from the public website, which states key messages presented by Universal Medicine. Instead, cults typically use deceptive recruiting methods and often exhibit secret stages within the organisation (Singer, 1995).
– Wrong - when my partner attended the practioner it was not about all the way out their teachings of UM and Serge. She attend to fill a void in her life that I believe the practioner gained her trust in exposing this void and then introduced her to the evil / bad / teachings of UM when she was at a very vulnerable point in her life . The website only shows the basic information that UM want the public to know, get a sign in as a student to the UM web site and look into the students areas on the web site and you will see the dangerous teaching and beliefs of this group.
• People are free to attend none, some or all of the events presented by Universal Medicine. To attend an event, each person is required to individually register for every event they wish to attend. For example, some people attend only the Friday evening lectures, held once per month, at $5 per person. In contrast, cults have an expectation if not a requirement that attendees at cult events become members of the cult (Singer, 1995; Singer, 1996).
– Wrong it is stated that if a student do not attend the various courses / sing a longs/ EDG – EWG/ Chris James concerts then they are not “into the livingness of the Esoteric way” to the point the UM get rather annoyed that the students are not attending the UM events.
• There are no recurring fees or memberships at Universal Medicine.
- Wrong to get a log in you have to sign up as a member and pay a fee through pay pal. Then there are the constant charges for EDG – EWG meetings and the constant money paid out on a regular basis for sessions at the practioners.
• People are free to leave an event at any time. For example, the events are held in public rented venues and the entrance door remains unlocked at all times. Events are not held in communes, and Universal Medicine publicly announces that any attendee can obtain a full refund and exit the premises at any time without penalty of any kind.
Wrong – to work as a cult events do not need to be held in communes (though I would suggest the yearly retreat is like a commune meeting). Also the various Chris James retreats are usually held in a place away from the general public.
• There are no rituals, no mantras, and no exceptional practices.
Wrong - I will leave this to CP to address.
• Universal Medicine publicly advocates freedom of choice. For example, people are encouraged to make up their own minds with regards to their chosen religion and political views, as well as whether they accept or reject some or all of what Universal Medicine presents.
Wrong – Serge does not like the Catholic Church along with many other religions and constantly bags them to the followers. My partner stoped our children from getting their confirmation as she stated the Church is evil as she had learnt from Serges teachings about the church.
• People attending Universal Medicine events are free to choose their friends and family associations (including their selection of a partner or spouse). There is no restriction of access to information in relation to television, radio, telephone, mail or reading material. This is in contrast to cults which typically isolate their members from their loved ones, and from society in general (Singer, 1995; Singer, 1996).
Wrong – UMers socialise with mainly other UM followers – as it is stated that they are in the “livingness” and the “brotherhood” and they are encourage to have only UMers as friends as they are living a better life than those that are not practising UM.
• Universal Medicine does not tell people what to eat or wear or where to work, sleep or bathe. Universal Medicine presents the importance of regular exercise and a sleep rhythm that honours the body’s natural rhythms. This is in contrast to cults that rarely encourage members to maintain good health practices or fitness (Singer, 1995). For example, Universal Medicine presents that the body functions well with an earlier bedtime (e.g. 9 or 10pm) and an earlier rise time, rather than doing things at night when we are tired. However, no bedtime is prescribed. Similarly with food, Universal Medicine presents the importance of discerning for oneself what food is right for you. Universal Medicine openly states that the food that one person eats will not necessarily be right for another. It is up to each person to feel this for themselves. If a person decides to make dietary changes, the main changes may include ceasing consumption of alcohol, gluten, and/or dairy. Alcohol has been well researched and scientifically documented as a chemical poison to the human body. There are also large numbers of people worldwide who do not eat gluten or dairy, as evidenced by the many restaurants that include gluten and/or dairy free meals in their menus.
Wrong – UM have classified the majority of foods into various foods groups and have a rating for the foods and followers are told at the retreats and from practioners what they should eat and what they should not. If they eat certain foods they are ‘comfort eating” ….”What emotions are happening” …they are made to feel guilty if they eat a food source that has not been approved by UM.
They are told that the best sleep is between 9.00 pm and 3.00 am and followers are told this is when they should sleep.
• Universal Medicine publically encourages medical treatment. For example, many people who attend events are themselves medical and allied health professionals. The Practitioners Committee of the Esoteric Practitioners Association consists mainly of medically-trained professionals, such as General Practitioners, Dentists, and Surgeons. This is in contrast to cults which typically discourage or forbid medical treatment (Singer, 1995).
Wrong – when a UMer is sick they will try and clear the sickness by having charka puncture, a healing session with the practioner who will try and rid the bad energy from the body, they will sit on healing cards, burn candles to rid the bad energy and after all this fails they then reluctantly go off to a Doctor for treatment.
This is one of my biggest problems as by the time the followers does this by the time they go to the Doctor for treatment the sickness has got worse. Read the Medical Observer story on “Jenny” who was getting Esoteric treatments and told her condition was improving then she found out she had cancer.
My Summary:
We have seen the various readings on the student blogs all being positive about UM and Serge and here we see someone like this person defend the UM teachings and beliefs. All we see is a positive spin on the organisation but yet no one from UM will write publically about the very negative teachings and beliefs of UM.
I have unfortunately listened to a EWG meeting and read various notes from these meetings and I do not understand how at these meetings Serge and a young Natalie a person with little life experience or no formal education can talk so disrespectfully about women in general. E.g. - the use of tampons (wearing a tampon is like a dirty man’s penis inside you).
I do not understand where topics like this find their way into what is supposed to be a loving and caring organisation. I have known UM practioners who are mainly unqualified followers (they only have Esoteric Practioner Training) advise people on numerous concerns:
1. Marriage problems
2. Work problems
3. Health issues
4. Diets
5. Children issues
6. Past traumas in one’s life
7. Relationship issues
The majority of practioners are not qualified to give advice on the above issues yet day in and day out they are and in many cases giving the wrong information to people that has a major effect on a person’s life.
Any finally I have read notes from the yearly retreats that the faithful take down word for word over the 5 days and let me say the Retreats are very manipulative and dangerous to the followers. They get them in a very loving environment, make them feel all warm and fuzzy and then fill their heads with a whole lot of pure crap about the perils of life. At this year’s retreat Serge spoke about if your partner is not with you on Esoteric beliefs what you need to do, what will be the consequences when you leave the relationship (e.g. family intervention) and what you as a student need to do to get on with your life………………..and yes Brendan at UM I have a copy of these writings stating this and much more……. contradicting to your spin on events.
UM a loving organisation and supportive of families I do not think so … you are involved in a very dangerous cult ….take your skills and your reputation and go and practice elsewhere away from UM where you can be of a real benefit to society.
Hi John,
Well observed. I don't think you could expect less from a psychologist who works at the clinic and believes all of Serge's ramblings. I think that she also would believe that UM is not a cult, just like the majority of the followers who turn their noses up and look disgusted at the mere mention of the word.
It is interesting that Caroline uses Margaret Singer to back up her story, without any circumspection at all. Clearly this is not a psychologist you want to see. She is totally unaware or a total liar. I will give her the benefit of the doubt and call it the former for now.
As you rightly point out, all of the points are manifestly untrue. Probably the biggest [self] deception they are indulging is the nature of UM, which at its core is OCCULT teachings. True to the nature of UM, they preach one thing and do another. While they speak of non-separation, the whole doctrine lends itself to being the total antithesis. How can it not when they believe that they are a 'soul group' who have found their way 'back to the work' and presumably each other; with a narrative of having lived in different times in history together, and may I add, generally under persecution from the 'ignorant' (that you and I now JL)
All of this is contained in Serge's 'books' and available on his recordings, so the fact they wont speak about it or admit to is very curious. All of their PR activity has been about trying to normalize the group, I think to the public at large and themselves. Try and get one of the members to admit what they really believe; nigh on impossible. They will just start babbling on about healthy choices and being more loving to themselves in some sort of somatic self deluded justification for the actual fact that they are stuck in a quagmire of extreme beliefs and practices. Which brings me to the part you called me on...
Yes, they most certainly do have special practices, rituals and even mantra's of a type. We all know that they practice
livingness ( or try to as it is meaningless attempt to quell emotions and critical thinking), walking a certain way, not lifting weights, exercising vigorously, making love a certain way ( or not at all) eating certain foods, listening to certain music...etc etc. ( Caroline Rafael, these are known as
practices love. Please take that certificate off the wall!) We all aware of the rituals of burning candles on blobs to clear the energy, rubbing in an anti clockwise motion, impressing energy correctly ( when you go to bed, get up, fart, etc)
Recently, Serge gave them all their 'word' - a sort of mantra for them to contemplate. They also memorize his pithy 'sayings' to 'clear' [ auto-indoctrinate] themselves, which is one purpose of a mantra.
Unfortunately, Caroline is totally incorrect and clearly needs to have a look at her powers of perception.
I think underlining her response, besides not being aware of herself, is this idea that the members and the public have of a cult. They imagine it is a compound or a commune with shaved heads, wild eyes, robes, strange music ( well, that certainly exists) with people outside luring in unsuspecting recruits. This is very simplistic. A cult generally does not behave like that. Most cults ( Google them UM'ers and esp. Caroline) have members in the world doing what they always do, but with a new world view. The walls, as such, are in their minds in the way of a 'choice' which they self enforce. The design of the walls is given to them by the group or the leader- usually as a so called choice ( or as UM calls it 'presentation')
UM has it all; The 'choices', the controls, the music, the group ( which they freely admit they belong to which you have to say a tad usual for an 'alternative healing organization') a leader, a confused doctrine, predictions, exclusivity, control of social environments recruitment ( schools, women's groups, Chris
offkey James, practitioners dotted across the country proselyting- that's why it has gained momentum of late Caroline), a focus on making money ( yep even Sergey boy admits to it even if he conveniently cant add up) and on it goes.
It takes an outsider a while to realise it is a cult, so for a member it might take a lifetime. For someone sitting 4 feet from the crazy man himself, I think you are in for the long, long haul.
And remember Serge, Caroline and co, what use is their denying something you have written down, notarized and recorded? as JL says, he has the notes from last years retreats. We, and others, have the notes too.
thanks for post JL.