It started with a massage — but soon she was paying thousands to a sect that preyed on the lonely. Years later, she still fears they’re watching her
As I slipped into the freshly made bed, it occurred to me that no one who knew and loved me had any idea where I was. I left the bedside light on for reassurance and tried to relax, but was shocked when, just minutes later, the door to my room was suddenly opened. I sat bolt upright in bed. ‘What is it?’ I asked.
‘We prefer guests to turn the lights off,’ the woman replied, before telling me my bedroom door would be locked ‘for my own safety’ until the morning.
I was so frightened I barely slept a wink that night, asking myself repeatedly why I’d been reckless enough to come to a weekend retreat under the control of an organisation I knew nothing about.
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Close encounter: Samantha Brick was once drawn into a group that had all the hallmarks of a cult
This unsettling experience came flooding back to me when I read about claims that Tom Cruise’s devotion to Scientology had contributed to the marriage break-up with his wife Katie Holmes. Sadly, I know what it’s like to be in the control of a cult.
I became a follower of Sathya Sai Baba — an Indian guru and mystic, who died last year — for 12 months, during which time I spent close to £10,000 on various ‘services’.
