Summary of Amanda Montell's Cultish

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#1

The first time Tasha heard the buzz of their voices was at a Kundalini yoga studio in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She was 13 years old. The group was called the Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization, or 3HO. Their leader, Harbhajan Singh Khalsa, claimed to be the official religious and administrative head of all Western Sikhs.

#2

3HO’s secret mantras and code words were meant to be used to attract your soul mate, acquire lots of money, and look better than ever. But they could also be used to threaten and intimidate others.

#3

In 2009, Tasha arrived in Southern California to give her life to 3HO. She met Alyssa Clarke, who had come down the coast from Oregon to start college. Alyssa was captivated by how tightknit all the CrossFitters seemed, and she became devout.

#4

Alyssa and Tasha’s stories are similar because they were both under cultish influence. They were both pushed to extremes, and ended up broke, friendless, and riddled with PTSD. But what they shared was that they were both under the influence of language.