Author:Steve Sanchez
ISBN: 0-9754803-3-2

The following review was contributed by: Jim  Curtiss: Click Here To Read More Of Jim’s Reviews

 
Have you ever wondered what kind of person joins a cult? Or what being
involved with such a group might be like? If so, Spiritual Perversion is
the book for you, because it faithfully captures precisely what cult
membership entails.

A thoroughly-detailed account of Steve Sanchez' 15-year involvement in a
spiritual/psychic cult in Berkeley, California, Spiritual Perversion is
an altogether harrowing tale of a young man who leaves his infant child
and new wife to join a cult. For years thereafter, Sanchez is
manipulated by the cult and its charismatic leader until his boiling
point is ultimately reached and he undertakes the painful steps of
extricating himself from the extended family which the cult has become. 

One of the most fascinating aspects of Spiritual Perversion is when
Sanchez recounts portions of Reverend Will's (the cult's leader)
diatribes. An excerpt, taken from Sanchez' first day of clairvoyant
class: "Then like a switch flipping, he [Rev. Will] suddenly barked out
loudly and with raw passion that looked like fury, "It's essential to
the survival of the planet! You must understand this! Reading is the
fastest way for you to gain a clear consciousness!" He glared at his
audience for a moment with devastating intensity. A silent hush or
respect went through the room as everyone but me sat with eyes closed
and turned inward. I was the only one with my eyes open, but he
completely ignored me. I felt offended, impressed, and competitive
toward him at the same time. I was impressed by the importance of what
he was saying and his passion, but the hair rose on my neck as if some
essential part of me were being threatened. I didn't know what to do."

Unfortunately for Sanchez, what he did was to stay involved with the
cult, and over the course of the next 15 years he continued to
experience brainwashing techniques in what must surely be their most
virulent form - those which are masked in the guise of spiritual
guidance.

On the back cover of Spiritual Perversion, Sanchez claims that he wrote
the book to "share his experience, raise awareness and advise others
about post-cult recovery". Hopefully, many people will benefit and be
warned from his experience.

But be well-advised: Spiritual Perversion is not the uplifting tale of
Steve Sanchez breaking out of a cult, although he does do this and the
final chapters are dedicated to it. Rather, the bulk of the story deals
with the corrupt inner workings of a cult of personality, and therefore
the bulk of the story, although well-documented and written in clear
prose, is both sad and disturbing.