Key takeaways
- In March 2026, a federal judge sentenced OneTaste founder Nicole Daedone to nine years in prison for a forced labor conspiracy run through a company that sold “orgasmic meditation” classes.
- Sociologist Janja Lalich’s research describes how a group can slowly narrow the choices members can even imagine, a state she calls “bounded choice.”
- The FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule gives you three days to cancel many purchases made at a hotel, convention center or other temporary venue, and it covers training courses.
- In a national cancer database study, people who chose alternative medicine alone for cancers that had not spread had two and a half times the risk of death of similar patients who had standard treatment.
- Use the scorecard and leader’s checklist below: a healthy group gives you time, written terms, a real choice about touch and an open door.
On March 30, 2026, a federal judge in Brooklyn sentenced Nicole Daedone to nine years in prison1. Daedone co-founded OneTaste, a company that called itself a sexual wellness education business and taught classes in “orgasmic meditation“1.
The company promised that its classes could help people recover from sexual trauma1. According to prosecutors, its targets were young women hoping to heal and grow spiritually1.
A jury convicted Daedone and her former head of sales, Rachel Cherwitz, of forced labor conspiracy in June 20252. Prosecutors said members were urged to open lines of credit to pay for courses, watched constantly in shared homes, kept short on sleep and worked long hours for little or no pay1. Cherwitz was sentenced to 78 months1.
At sentencing, Daedone’s lawyers said they were focused on an appeal, and the company’s current owners said its work had been misunderstood, the Associated Press reported3. U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. summed up the government’s view: “Coercion disguised as wellness or empowerment is still exploitation”1.
Most yoga studios, herb circles and healing groups look nothing like this. But the tactics in this case did not begin with control. They began with a promise of healing, a close community and a teacher people trusted.
This guide shows how coercion grows and how leaders can make consent the norm.
Coercion usually starts with trust, not force
Coercion is pressure that replaces free choice: threats, fear, guilt or debt that push you toward what someone else wants. Undue influence is its quieter cousin. A trusted person uses that trust to steer your decisions toward their own benefit.
Janja Lalich, a sociologist who taught at California State University, Chico, has spent years studying high-demand groups, including Heaven’s Gate45. She knows the subject from the inside. She was part of the inner circle of a political group, the Democratic Workers Party, and left it in 19865.
Lalich describes four forces that lock together in such groups4:
– Charismatic authority: an emotional bond with a leader that makes the leader’s word feel legitimate.
– A transcendent belief system: a total worldview with a set path to personal transformation.
– Systems of control: the group’s formal rules and procedures.
– Systems of influence: the culture and daily social life that reshape how members think and act.
Over time, these forces produce what Lalich calls “bounded choice”4. Members still make choices, but only inside limits the group has drawn and the member has absorbed. Eventually a person may be unable to picture a life outside the group4.
She calls the result a self-sealing system, closed to the outside world and to any real test of its claims4. A reviewer of her book credited it with challenging the stereotype that members are weak-willed or poorly informed5.
Court records show the pattern up close
Keith Raniere founded NXIVM in 1998 in Albany, New York, and thousands of people enrolled in its self-help courses7. In late 2015 he created a group called DOS6. Women were recruited under the false pretense of joining a women-only mentorship group, then learned they had taken vows of obedience6.
Members handed over what the group called “collateral”: damaging confessions, rights to financial assets, and sexually explicit photos or videos6. The collateral was meant to stop them from leaving or telling anyone the group existed6. CBS News reported that Raniere was also accused of having some women branded with his initials7.
A jury convicted Raniere in June 2019 of racketeering, sex trafficking, forced labor conspiracy and other crimes6. On October 27, 2020, a judge sentenced him to 120 years in prison and fined him $1.75 million6.
Pressure can also flow from the top of a studio empire. In January 2016, a jury found that yoga guru Bikram Choudhury had sexually harassed and unfairly fired his former lawyer, Minakshi Jafa-Bodden8. She said he fired her after she tried to look into one woman’s complaint and refused to cover up a student’s rape allegation8.
The jury awarded her about $924,000 in compensatory damages and nearly $6.5 million in punitive damages8. After he failed to pay, a Los Angeles judge issued a warrant for his arrest, according to a wire report8.
These are extreme cases. The right-hand column below is our own illustration of how the same tactics can look early on in an ordinary group.
| Tactic in court records | How prosecutors described it | An early, milder version to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Financial pressure | Members urged to open credit lines for courses1 | “Most people put it on a card. You can’t put a price on healing.” |
| Leverage over members | NXIVM’s “collateral”6 | Being pushed to share secrets or trauma in front of the group before you feel ready |
| Exhaustion and watching | Constant surveillance and lost sleep in shared homes1 | Dawn and late-night sessions that leave no room for outside life |
| Unpaid labor | Long weeks of work for little or no pay1 | “Volunteering” that turns into a second job you can’t decline |
| Silencing | Collateral meant to keep members from revealing the group6 | Doubts treated as proof you are “resisting the work” |
Sales pressure runs on urgency
Sales pressure is far more ordinary than the crimes above. The pitch at the end of a free workshop, the “today only” price on a coaching package and the upline who wants a bigger order all pull the same lever: urgency.
The Federal Trade Commission warns that scammers push you to act before you have time to think9. Its advice is to slow down and talk with someone you trust first9. In the agency’s words, “Honest businesses will give you time to make a decision”9.
Multilevel marketing adds a twist. The FTC says most MLM participants earn little or no money10. It warns about inventory loading: buying products to qualify for rewards or rank, often under pressure from people higher up, rather than to meet real demand10. Our article on wellness MLMs covers the business model.
One federal rule helps. The FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule lets you cancel certain sales within three days for a full refund11. It covers sales at your home or workplace and at a seller’s temporary location, such as a hotel room, convention center, fairground or restaurant11. Training courses count11.
The rule has limits. It doesn’t cover online, mail or phone sales, or purchases at the seller’s permanent place of business11. Sales under $130 at a temporary location and home sales under $25 are also excluded11.
You have until midnight of the third business day, and Saturdays count but Sundays and federal holidays don’t11. The seller must tell you about your right to cancel and give you two copies of a cancellation form11.
A coaching certification sold during a weekend retreat in a hotel ballroom is likely covered. A package bought at the studio’s own front desk is not.
A script for when you feel pushed:
– “I don’t make spending decisions on the same day. I’ll sleep on it.”
– “Please send me the written terms, including the refund policy.”
– “If the offer can’t wait a few days, it isn’t the right offer for me.”
A healthy group accepts any of these without argument. A group that answers with guilt, a shrinking deadline or a story about people who “missed their chance” has told you something important.
A group should never ask you to drop your medical care
Natural health is mostly about adding good things: whole food, movement, sleep, plants and community. Choosing complementary practices alongside medical care is your right. A group that tells you to stop treatment for a serious illness is asking you to trade your safety for its beliefs.
The stakes can be high. Researchers writing in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute used the National Cancer Database to study 281 people who chose alternative medicine alone for breast, prostate, lung or colorectal cancer that had not spread12. They matched 280 of them with 560 similar patients who had standard treatment12.
Those who relied on alternative medicine alone had two and a half times the risk of death during follow-up12. The gap was widest for breast cancer, where the risk was more than five and a half times higher, and for colorectal cancer, at more than four and a half times12. For prostate cancer, the difference was not statistically significant12.
The study was observational, so it shows a link, not proof of cause. It also did not record which alternative therapies people used12. Still, treat any push to stop proven care for a serious illness as a major warning sign.
Isolation works in a similar way. A group that calls your doubtful spouse, sister or doctor “toxic” or “not on your level” is shrinking your world. That is how a self-sealing system protects itself4.
Touch needs a yes, every time
Hands-on work can be part of a good class: a yoga teacher guiding a hip, a bodyworker easing a shoulder. Touch also carries power. The person giving it usually has authority, and the person receiving it may be lying down, partly undressed or unsure how to object.
A researcher at Queen’s University in Canada interviewed 11 yoga teachers in Kingston, Ontario, through focus groups and interviews13. The teachers had no consistent way of getting consent before hands-on assists13. They decided whether to touch based on their own intentions, their relationship with the student and what they saw in the student’s body13.
A teacher’s good intentions do not reveal what a student wants today. Some studios now use consent cards or tokens, which a student flips on the mat to signal “assists welcome” or “no touch today.” We found no research testing whether these cards reduce unwanted touch, so their benefit is unproven. They are still a cheap, visible way to ask.
SAMHSA, the federal mental health agency, lists “empowerment & choice” and “trustworthiness & transparency” among its six principles of a trauma-informed approach14. In a class, that means saying what you plan to do before you touch, asking each time, and making “no” as easy to say as “yes.”
If a licensed practitioner, such as a massage therapist or chiropractor, touched you in a way you did not agree to, you can file a complaint with that profession’s state licensing board. Our article on state licensing explains how boards handle complaints.
A scorecard: how much pressure is in your group?
Answer each question yes or no. This is our own tool, not a validated test.
- Have you been pushed to buy something the same day, or to use credit you hadn’t planned on?
- Are your doubts described as “resistance” or a sign you’re “not ready”?
- Has anyone discouraged you from talking about the group with family, friends or your doctor?
- Have you been urged to stop or skip medical treatment?
- Are you pressed to share secrets, trauma or sexual history in ways that feel forced?
- Has anyone touched you without asking, or after you said no?
- Do you work for the group for little or no pay and feel you can’t refuse?
- Is the leader beyond question, with no one they answer to?
- Are people who leave described as failures, traitors or “lost”?
- Do you fear losing friends, income or spiritual progress if you leave?
One “yes” may be a misunderstanding worth raising. Three or more, or any “yes” to questions 4, 6 or 10, is a reason to step back and talk with someone outside the group.
A leader’s consent checklist
If you run a class, circle or online group, build consent into the structure so no one has to rely on courage. These are our recommendations, drawn from the cases above.
- Publish prices, refund terms and cancellation rights in writing before anyone pays.
- Never close a sale on the same day as an emotional session or ceremony.
- Ask before every hands-on assist, and offer a visible no-touch option.
- Describe what you’ll do before you touch: “I’m going to place a hand on your lower back.”
- Make it normal to sit out, skip a practice or leave early, with no comment.
- Never ask members to cut off family, stop medicines or keep the group secret.
- Keep personal sharing voluntary, and never record it.
- Give members someone besides you to raise concerns with, and tell them who.
- Treat questions and criticism as feedback, not disloyalty.
- Welcome back people who leave, without penalty or gossip.
What the evidence can and can’t tell you
| Question | Evidence level | What it rests on |
|---|---|---|
| Can wellness and self-help groups become coercive? | Federal convictions and sentencing records126 and a civil jury verdict8 | |
| Does “bounded choice” explain how members get stuck? | Detailed case studies by a sociologist, not controlled trials4 | |
| Do consent cards reduce unwanted touch in classes? | No studies found; teachers lack a shared consent method13 | |
| Do warning-sign checklists help people leave sooner? | Sensible practice that hasn’t been tested | |
| Is alternative medicine alone safe for cancer that hasn’t spread? | Large observational database study12 |
How to leave, and where to get help
Leaving a group you loved can feel like losing a family, so plan it.
- Tell one trusted person outside the group what’s happening before you go.
- Keep copies of contracts, receipts and messages.
- Cancel recurring payments and change any shared passwords.
- Expect pressure to return, and decide in advance what you’ll say. “I’ve made my decision” is enough.
- Give yourself time to trust your own judgment again.
| If this happened | Where to turn |
|---|---|
| Sexual assault or abuse | National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN), 1-800-656-467315 |
| Abuse or control by a partner or household member | National Domestic Violence Hotline, 1-800-799-7233; TTY 1-800-787-322415 |
| Any crime, and you want to understand your options | VictimConnect Resource Center, 1-855-484-284615 |
| Native American or Alaska Native survivors | StrongHearts Native Helpline, 1-844-762-848315 |
| Immediate danger | Call 91115 |
| High-pressure sales or refused refunds | ReportFraud.ftc.gov and your state attorney general11 |
| Misconduct by a licensed practitioner | That profession’s state licensing board |
Many natural-health traditions rest on the idea that your body holds its own wisdom. Coercion asks you to override that wisdom: your tiredness, your doubt, your flinch at a stranger’s hand.
A group that honors autonomy gives you time, information and an easy way out. That is respect, and it is what lets trust last.
Questions readers ask
Is every group with a strong leader a cult?
No. Many healthy groups have charismatic teachers and firm beliefs. Lalich’s model describes what happens when authority, ideology, rules and social pressure lock together and shut out reality checks4. Watch for a closed system, not just a strong personality.
My teacher adjusts everyone without asking. Is that normal?
It’s common, but common isn’t the same as consent. Teachers in the Queen’s University study had no shared method for asking13. You can say “Please don’t adjust me today” at any time, and a good teacher will thank you.
I signed up for an expensive program at a retreat and regret it. What can I do?
If you bought it at a temporary location such as a hotel and it cost $130 or more, the Cooling-Off Rule may let you cancel by midnight of the third business day11. After that, check the written refund terms. Report deceptive or high-pressure sales to the FTC and your state attorney general11.
The bottom line
Coercion in wellness spaces rarely begins with threats. It begins with trust and then narrows: a purchase you didn’t plan, a doubt brushed aside, a relative pushed away, a touch you didn’t agree to. The court cases are extreme, but their tactics have small, early versions you can learn to spot.
Healthy groups give you time, written terms, a real choice about touch and an open door. If yours doesn’t, step back and talk with someone outside it.
Related reading
About this article
This article was researched using U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission records, federal health agency guidance, peer-reviewed research, a university thesis and major news reports, all listed below. It was reviewed in October 2026. It is general education and not medical, legal or financial advice.
Sources
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York. “OneTaste Founder Nicole Daedone Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Forced Labor Conspiracy.” U.S. Department of Justice, 2026. justice.gov
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York. “Founder of Sexual Wellness Company OneTaste and Former Head of Sales Convicted of Forced Labor Conspiracy.” U.S. Department of Justice, 2025. justice.gov
- Associated Press. “Founder of ‘orgasmic meditation’ company gets 9 years in prison in forced labor conspiracy.” WTOP, 2026. wtop.com
- Lalich J. “Using the Bounded Choice Model as an Analytical Tool: A Case Study of Heaven’s Gate.” Cultic Studies Review, 2004. library.internationalculticstudies.org
- Cultic Studies Review. “Book Review: Bounded Choice: True Believers and Charismatic Cults.” International Cultic Studies Association, 2005. bookreviews.icsahome.com
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York. “NXIVM Leader Keith Raniere Sentenced to 120 Years in Prison for Racketeering and Sex Trafficking.” U.S. Department of Justice, 2020. justice.gov
- CBS News. “NXIVM founder Keith Raniere sentenced to 120 years in prison.” CBS News, 2020. cbsnews.com
- IANS. “LA judge issues arrest warrant for yoga guru.” Free Press Journal. freepressjournal.in
- Federal Trade Commission. “How To Avoid a Scam.” FTC Consumer Advice, 2023. consumer.ftc.gov
- Federal Trade Commission. “Business Guidance Concerning Multi-Level Marketing.” FTC, updated 2024. ftc.gov
- Federal Trade Commission. “Buyer’s Remorse: The FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule May Help.” FTC Consumer Advice, 2025. consumer.ftc.gov
- Johnson SB, Park HS, Gross CP, Yu JB. “Use of Alternative Medicine for Cancer and Its Impact on Survival.” Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 2018. academic.oup.com
- Partyka B. “Exploring the Consent to Touch in the Modern Postural Yoga Class: Perspectives in the Era of #MeToo.” Thesis, Queen’s University (QSpace). qspace.library.queensu.ca
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office of Readiness and Response. “6 Guiding Principles To a Trauma-Informed Approach.” CDC.
- U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women. “Local Resources.” U.S. Department of Justice. justice.gov