Lectures & Events
Wednesday, September 9th - 12pm EDT
Potential Risks of Involvement with Buddhist Sects
Abstract: Meditation is widely recommended for wellbeing and Buddhist ideas are woven into psychological therapies such as Dialectical Behaviour Therapy and Compassion Focused Therapy. However the potential risks and contraindications of different forms of meditation and contemplation are rarely acknowledged in spiritual and wellbeing settings. Adverse effects of the practices may go unnoticed or may even be spiritualised as signs of progress along a spiritual path. There are a growing number of testimonies of psychological pressure and psychological abuse via the groups teachings. Most of these testimonies have not yet reached the attention of the general public or are dismissed. Karma and equanimity teachings have at times been used to victim-blame and invalidate the impact of abusive experiences within these groups. Suffering, rather than being seen through a trauma informed lens, is often viewed as incorrect view, a deluded mind, attachment to self or self-cherishing. This presents a variety of challenges in help seeking and whistleblowing.
Cost is $40, sliding scale available.
This lecture has been approved for 1 APA CE credit.
Learning Objectives:
Recognise potential risks and warning signs associated with harmful or coercive dynamics in Buddhist groups
Identify a few potential adverse effects of meditation and contemplative practices when practiced within a spiritual community
Understand how religious fervor, authority, group culture and spiritual beliefs can contribute to vulnerability, dependency and abuse
Understand how Buddhist concepts, including karma and aversion, may be interpreted in ways that contribute to victim-blaming, self-blame or minimisation of harm
Dr. Michelle Haslam, DClinPsych, PhD, BSc is a senior clinical psychologist working in private healthcare in the UK. She qualified in 2014 and has worked in a variety of adult mental health settings, mostly within the National Health Service and more recently in private healthcare. Michelle was previously involved with two Buddhist sects, The New Kadampa Tradition and Triratna, in the UK and is a survivor of spiritual abuse within these contexts. She now raises awareness of the potential risks of adverse effects, psychological and spiritual abuse in meditation and Buddhist settings.
Cheetah House is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Cheetah House maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Questions:
email cheetahhouse.org@gmail.com to learn more.
Thursday, September 17th - 11am EDT
Letters to My Former Self: Sofia May
Sofia May is a former assistant to Lama Tsultrim Allione and the whistleblower of Allione’s high control Buddhist Center, Tara Mandala. Sofia is one of the key witnesses in Be Scofield’s exposé about Allione’s coercive control, the only survivor to come forward with their real name thus far and is the whistleblower for this cult. She has shared her story on prestigious platforms, such as: A Little Bit Culty, Cults to Consciousness, LA radio program “Mystic Pete Chronicles KLXU,” and is scheduled to share her story on more platforms and publications in the future. Sofia is also an award-winning New York city raised stand-up comedian, based in Berlin, Germany. On the tails of her rave-reviewed, award-winning, sell-out debut solo “9/11 Birds and the Bees” at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2025, Sofia is returning to the 2026 Fringe with a vengeance in a brutally incisive stand-up hour about her time assisting Allione at Tara Mandala called, “The Buddha Wears Prada.”
You can find Sofia’s whistleblowing material, touring schedule, and tickets to the Fringe at https://sofiamaycomedy.com/ and follow her comedic journey and whistleblowing rampage on instagram @sofiamaycomedy.
In her time working as Allione's assistant she experienced harrowing psychological and emotional abuse, in addition to exploitation of her work, and physically deteriorating conditions (including food deprivation and being forbidden from taking days off). Lama Tsultrim Allione is the founder and lead teacher/spiritual advisor of Tara Mandala Buddhist retreat center, which practices traditional Tibetan Buddhism. In this talk Sofia will speak of her harrowing experiences as Allione's assistant and how the tenants of Tibetan Buddhism thoroughly enabled Allione's abuse.
Cost is $40 with scale available.
Friday, October 2nd - 11am EDT
Can We Develop a Multidimensional Science of Meditation?
Abstract: Over the past century, we have witnessed the rise of therapeutic meditation practices such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Transcendental Meditation, developed to alleviate the pressures of modern life and enhance wellbeing. However, the scientific focus on wellbeing and self-enhancement has constrained our understanding of the remarkable diversity of meditation practices, their varied aims, and their potential risks.
In this talk I explore how to develop a multidimensional science of meditation that encompasses the diversity of practices and goals, as well as the systematic mapping of nonordinary states of consciousness, including both beneficial and adverse effects. I conclude by reflecting on the underlying beliefs about the power of meditation and argue for the importance of expanding research beyond a narrow focus on wellbeing and self-enhancement.
Cost is $40, sliding scale available. Use code EBSCIENCE for 60% off before September 16th.
Learning objectives:
Participants will be able to articulate the different aims of religious-based versus secular therapeutic techniques.
Participants will be able to describe the key beliefs people today hold about the power of mindfulness practices.
Participants will be able to understand how a multidimensional science of meditation can broaden our perspective on meditation and the study of consciousness.
This lecture has been approved for 1 APA CE credit.
Miguel Farias, PhD,is the lead editor of The Oxford Handbook of Meditation (2021/2025) and the co-author of The Buddha Pill: Can Meditation Change You? (2015/2019). He directs the Brain, Belief, and Behaviour Lab at Coventry University and lectures on the science and history of meditation at the University of Oxford. He has written on meditation for the BBC, New Scientist, and The Spectator. Learn more about Dr. Farias and his work at miguelfarias.co.uk.
Cheetah House is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Cheetah House maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Questions:
email cheetahhouse.org@gmail.com to learn more.