Pseudo-therapists, anthroposophists, return of Scientologists... Miviludes alerts

The health crisis continues to make its consequences felt. The questioning of science, confinement, the time spent on social networks, or even the increased search for well-being have given wings to “gurus 2.0” and sectarian movements. In its annual report published today, the Miviludes (interministerial mission for vigilance and the fight against sectarian aberrations) indicates that it received 4,020 referrals last year, an increase of more than 33% compared to the previous year. . “We know that the number of reports is much lower than the number of real facts, because many victims do not come forward. This is really the tip of the iceberg”, indicated Sonia Backès, the Secretary of State at Citizenship during a press briefing to present the report.

Among the areas that generated the most reports: health (744 referrals, including 520 related to unconventional care practices), the “Christian movement” (293 referrals) with in particular evangelicals, personal development and coaching ( 173 referrals), shamanism and psycho-spiritualities (159 referrals), the antivax movement (148 referrals), or even meditation and yoga (116 referrals). The rise of conspiracy is also particularly worrying: “Everyone has of course the right to believe what they want, but we find that these theories are often used as an entry point to practices that can lead to control” , recalled Sonia Backès, who announced the holding at the beginning of next year of Assizes of sectarian excesses and conspiracy.

The objective of this conference, which should bring together the various ministries concerned (Interior, Justice, Education, Health, etc.) but also victim support associations and various experts? “Develop an action plan to adapt the state’s response to these new threats,” continued the Secretary of State. Among the avenues that will be discussed: action as close as possible to the territories, possible legislative changes if they prove necessary, learning “gestures that save” when a loved one seems trapped, education in critical thinking, to help the youngest to distinguish proven facts from fake news, or even a possible toll-free number for victims and their loved ones.

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If the threat becomes more diffuse – “gaseous” say the Miviludes experts in their report – due to the Internet and social networks, which many gurus and pseudo-therapists know how to take advantage of particularly well, other more organized and believed by some to be losing momentum, continue to cause concern.

Pseudo-healers: “a public health issue”

Miviludes is concerned about “the importance taken by pseudo-medicine within the French population in recent years, and the positive image that the French have of it”. Because if “any therapeutic drift or unconventional practice is not sectarian”, these methods “are regularly used to place under the influence of individuals who are losing their bearings”.

Mission experts detail some of the most worrying practices. Thus, the Hamer method and the new Germanic medicine, and its variations. This doctor of German origin, who was rampant in the 1990s and 2000s, claimed that cancer, and more generally any disease, resulted from an intense psychological shock experienced by the patient. He claimed to cure all pathologies through psychotherapeutic approaches. The man was convicted in France in 2004 and has since died. But unfortunately it has many emulators, who use various terminologies: total biology, biological decoding, psychogenealogy, psychobiology, clinical psychosomatics, cellular deprogramming, cellular memory…

Miviludes also warns of the dangers of fasting, the therapeutic effectiveness of which “has never been scientifically demonstrated”. Worse, proposed by malicious individuals, this practice can facilitate control due to the psychological and physical weakening caused by food deprivation. Finally, the mission once again puts the spotlight on the practices of “slippers” such as the champion of “raw food” Thierry Casasnovas or the “guide” Jean-Jacques Crèvecoeur. They continue to extend their influence through social networks, and represent a threat to their audience that they “weaken by the rejection of traditional medicine”.

Scientology: “Multinational of spiritualities”

Scientology, created by Ron Hubbard in the 1950s, seemed to be on the decline in recent years. Driven by the health crisis, the group relaunched its proselytizing actions last year, which can take different forms, more or less easy to link to dianetics. “Volunteer ministers have multiplied in several cities to distribute “happiness notebooks”, with stands on the public highway bearing the slogan “we can do something about it”, note the experts of Miviludes. They also alert on the targeting student residences, where Scientologists distribute flyers offering free online courses to deal with depression, anxieties and feelings of failure.

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Scientology has also carried out destabilization operations against French psychiatric hospitals, through an organization called the “Citizens’ Commission for Human Rights”, which it fully controls. It also targets people suffering from addiction through an association called “no to drugs, yes to life”. The group also invests in the internet, with sites that can attract people in pain, such as aypikoo.com, defining “the social network for the atypical: hypersensitive, gifted, HPI, HPE, Zebras, Empaths…” “This renewed activity reflects an organized and structured strategy of the movement to regain a strong influence on French soil”, notes the Miviludes.

Anthroposophy: a multifaceted movement

Anthroposophy is a spiritual and philosophical doctrine, invented by the Austrian Rudolf Steiner, who died in 1925. Perceived by many as a simple “alternative” current of thought, this movement nevertheless presents risks, according to the authors of the report: “If Miviludes does not have to pass judgment on a belief, it must however be able to identify a sectarian drift when a movement materializes its ideology through activities likely to present a danger to the population”.

The mission was therefore interested in two of the many ramifications of anthroposophy: anthroposophical medicine and the Steiner-Waldorf schools, which affect particularly vulnerable populations, the sick and children. In the first case, “anthroposophical conceptions of the disease, as for the karma of the sick, can lead to dangerous treatments for the patients (mistletoe to cure cancer…) or even to refusal of treatment”, note the authors. Miviludes experts. As for the Steiner-Waldorf schools, they apply the pedagogical principles of Rudolf Steiner, and have spread all over Europe. France has about twenty. In its document, Miviludes relies on the testimony of a former anthroposophist, Grégoire Perra, who denounced what was happening within these establishments, evoking “the risk of indoctrination practices”, and processes “by which pupils are introduced to adhere to a sectarian logic”. Attacked for defamation by the representatives of the movement, Grégoire Perra was released.