Therapists have left Sathya Sai Baba due to cover-up

A number of professional psychologists, therapists and sex abuse counselors were followers of Sathya Sai Baba. Being able to separate psychological fact from fiction, they saw through the cover-up of his activities. The obligation of duty of care and mandatory reporting of testified and suspected crimes like sexual abuse – especially of minors – was taken seriously by them, unlike the high office-bearers in the Sathya Sai Organization Dr. Michael Goldstein and Dr. Samuel Sandweiss. The fact, admitted even by several office-bearers, that Sai Baba rubs oil on boys penises and gonads etc. is itself sufficient to warrant a proper investigation, but no… these deluded worshippers are too frightened of losing their imagined spiritual boons from him even to raise the issue properly. See e.g., Barry Pittard’s article: Psychotherapist’s Note On Ullrich Zimmermann’s Sexual Abuse Allegation Against Sathya Sai Baba. The following telling account is but one example of resignation from the organization:-

“As a licensed therapist, I am a mandatory reporter of suspected child abuse as are doctors, nurses, teachers, psychologists, social workers, school counselors, clergy, and others. As I began to come to terms with the truth of Sai Baba’s pedophilia, I asked myself the following questions: Can I justify to the state licensing authority my worship of, and blind loyalty to, a guru in India who claims to be God on the one hand, and stands publicly accused by victims around the world of pedophilia? How do I justify the Baba organization’s efforts to suppress these accusations, when I am obligated by law to report them?

My journey to Baba started early in life. As a child I did not find God in the Christian faith of my family. Talk of God was there, but His spirit was absent. By the time I was 18 I had tried three different denominations. Disillusioned, I declared myself an atheist and gave up on religion, spirituality and God for 20 years. When I was in my late 30’s (the year was 1978) I took a philosophy course at my local community college and my professor, a former Jesuit, introduced me to Sai Baba. He was an honest man, an educated man, and a wise man. If he believed that Sai Baba was a divine incarnation, I was willing to take a look. I read and believed the testimonials of Howard Murphet, an Australian author, Dr. Jack Hislop, president of the Sai Organization of the Americas, Phyllis Krystal, a psychotherapist, Dr. Samuel Sandweiss, a psychiatrist, Dr. Kasturi, Baba’s official interpreter, and many others. These were, in my mind, very credible people. I relied on Sai’s representations, “I have not come to start a new religion” and “Where money is I am not.” I applauded his “Ceiling on Desires” program and the Education in Human Values program, when it came into being. Sai Baba is very godly in his demeanor. I made 3 trips to India, in 1985, 1995, and 1996. We were scheduled to go again in January, 2001. I was mesmerized by him and believed he could do no wrong. He was, after all, God incarnate.

I was writing a book, with seven chapters completed, about Baba, my spiritual journey and its compatibility with the practice of psycho/spiritual therapy. My husband and I were serving on committees organizing the Sathya Sai School in West Hartford, CT and the Sathya Sai summer camp in Woodstock, CT. I have also been a workshop facilitator at the regional retreats, and numerous meditation retreats held in our region. Both of us have been officers in our local Sai Center several times; I was vice-president before my resignation in July, 2000.

Dr. Goldstein and other officials in the organization are suppressing information, and attacking former devotees who have testified against Sai Baba. There is, for example, a letter from a woman in California which was sent to all Center presidents. In our center it was suppressed by the president and devotions coordinator because they were told to do so by the regional president. In the US freedom of speech and access to information are rights protected by law.  This material cannot be suppressed. People will eventually find out as we did and then feel doubly betrayed; first by Sai, and then by the organization and our fellow devotees.  Sai devotees resent the organization being labeled a cult, yet these are clearly cult practices and mind control techniques.

Since we first saw the information on the Internet, we have talked to three different mental health professionals. In three separate conversations, they identified the cult practices, mind control, and brainwashing techniques. These are truths we could no longer deny.

Elena A. Hartgering”

See also SB RUBS OIL VIGOROUSLY ON MANY BOYS GENITALS AND…

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PLEASE SEE THE SAI PETITION AND DECIDE WHETHER TO SIGN IT