Recently, a clip of a highly successful, highly evolved spiritual teacher went viral. In it, he was discussing the concept of good and evil, essentially arguing that they don’t exist. He took the beautiful concept that “we create our own reality” and applied it to extreme, horrific scenarios—suggesting that victims of severe abuse somehow attracted it for their own spiritual development.
It caused a storm. People were upset. The teacher then released a 45-minute clarification video, doubling down on his stance.
I took the transcript of that video and ran it through an AI tool I built called Sanctuary Scan. The results were damning.
The Power of Naming the Pattern
Sanctuary Scan is designed to look for behavioral patterns, cult dynamics, and coercive control in communication. When I ran this teacher’s transcript through it, the risk levels lit up.
High risk to emotional safety. High risk of boundary collapse. The AI noted that violent loss and severe harm were repeatedly reframed as “benefits” and “blessings,” with little to no room for raw grief, horror, or moral inquiry. It noted that the teacher positioned himself as the sole authority who could see the hidden order in the chaos, neutralizing trauma on the spot.
It is obvious to most grounded people that something isn’t quite right when a teacher says these things. But the problem is often labeling it.
Why We Need the Language
When you are in the presence of a charismatic leader using sophisticated, academic, or highly spiritualized language, it is incredibly difficult to pinpoint exactly why you feel uncomfortable.
You feel the knot in your stomach. You feel the cognitive dissonance. But without the specific vocabulary to define what is happening—”emotional manipulation,” “belief rigidity,” “power transparency”—you are left fighting a ghost. And usually, you end up turning that discomfort inward, assuming you just aren’t spiritually mature enough to understand.
This is where AI, used correctly, becomes a profound tool for integrity. It gives structure to the “off” feeling. It provides an objective mirror that says, “You aren’t crazy. This language is structurally coercive.”
The Mirror for the Rational Mystic
For practitioners, coaches, and healers, this isn’t just about calling out bad gurus. It is about auditing our own work.
I have run my own teachings through Sanctuary Scan. Sometimes it flags things. It might say, “This language leans toward authoritarianism.” And then I have to look at it, provide the context of my initiation and training, and ask myself: Do I need to clean up my language here? Am I leaving room for my clients’ autonomy?
How to Audit Your Environment
You don’t need an AI tool to start practicing this, though it helps. You just need to start paying attention to the structure of the communication around you, not just the content.
Are the teachings allowing for alternative perspectives, or is there high belief rigidity? Is the leader transparent about their power, or do they hide behind “alignment”?
Give Your Gut a Vocabulary
Your intuition is powerful, but it is infinitely more protective when it is paired with precise language. Stop accepting “vibes” as the only metric for safety. Learn the patterns of manipulation, name them when you see them, and refuse to participate in environments that require you to abandon your moral compass.
