The Guru Wears Prada - Sofia May on Surviving Tibetan Buddhism at Tara Mandala

Recently, a survivor of abuse within Tibetan Buddhism was featured on A Little Bit Culty, the podcast hosted by former NXIVM whistleblowers.

In this episode, she speaks openly about her experience of abuse at the hands of Lama Tsultrim at Tara Mandala. She also explores something that is rarely addressed in public conversations: the psychological and spiritual mechanisms that can normalize or conceal abuse within certain interpretations of Vajrayana Buddhism.

This matters.

Not because it is about one teacher. Not because it is about one community. But because it helps us better understand how power, devotion, hierarchy, and “spiritual authority” can combine in ways that silence victims and protect institutions.

Survivors speaking publicly is never easy. It requires courage. It requires clarity. And it often comes at a personal cost.

Podcasts like A Little Bit Culty create space for these conversations — and for the patterns that connect different groups, traditions, and communities to be examined without denial or spiritual bypassing.

If you care about:

understanding coercive spiritual dynamics

how psychological influence operates in high-control environments

why intelligent, sincere people can become trapped in abusive systems

how survivors reclaim their voice

I strongly encourage you to listen to this episode.

The more we listen, the harder it becomes for silence to protect abuse.

Youtube :

Part 1 Part 2

Spotify :

Part 1
Part 2