No religious or mystical tradition is immune from the presence of spiritual abuse, for wherever there are people who are seeking to become to closer to essential truths, purpose, and meaning, there will be individuals seeking to generate counterfeit currency to offer to those who are unaware, or incautious toward the dangers which lie in wait along the spiritual path.
Fraudulent teachers may call themselves a guru, shaykh, rimpoche, monk, priest, imam, apostle, avatar, or minister. They may also call themselves educators, revolutionaries, political leaders, and freedom fighters.
Whatever they may call themselves, if they seek to gain control over others through techniques of undue influence, then, they are propagators of spiritual abuse. This book is relevant to individuals from all spiritual traditions, but often focuses on the Sufi spiritual tradition.
