The practice of separating children from parents and sending them away to boarding school in India has spanned decades, since the early 1980’s. There are multiple age groups within the entire cohort. Below are some materials which may be useful in familiarizing oneself with the way this institution ginned-up, established and normalize these harmful practices.
3HO School-Related Materials & Ephemera
Photographs from Boarding School & Camps
- GNFC School
- GNFC School c. March 1984
- 3HO Children in India: Travels, Camps & Extra-Scholastic Programs
- India: 3HO Winter Interim Program, Rishikesh December 1984-January 1985
- KYC, KWTC & Solstices
In His Own Words:
- Excerpts from 3HO Kundalini Yoga “Library of Teachings” (Lectures by Yogi Bhajan, all of which were recorded, transcribed, and published by the organizations)
Critical Writing & Material
- From Maharaj to Mahan Tantric: The Construction of Yogi Bhajan’s Kundalini Yoga – scholarly paper by Philip DeSlippe, UC Santa Barbara
- Yogi Bhajan Left Generations of Victims of Alleged Sex Abuse in His Wake – Stacie Stukin, LA Magazine
- How “Siri Singh Sahib” Yogi Bhajan Created An Empire by Philip Deslippe & Stacie Stukin
- Report on Themes and Impacts of 3HO Childhoods Prepared for the Independent Healing & Reparations Program by Alexandra Stein, Ph.D. October 2022
Therapy & Counseling
- Open Path Collective – Sliding Scale Affordable Therapy
- Open Counseling – Free or Affordable Therapy
- Colleen Russell, LMFT: Leads a video-call support group for people raised in cults
General Articles, Journals, Media & Activist Groups:
- Generation Cult: A Podcast for SGA’s hosted by Dhyana Levy
- Stronger After: Free and accessible support for those harmed by toxic groups and relationships
- Survivors of Institutional Abuse
- Safe Passage Foundation
- TM Free Blog – blog by a SGA raised in Transcedental Meditation, or TM
- Escaping Utopia: Growing up in a Cult, Getting Out and Starting Over – book by author and sociologist Janja Lalich
- ICSA resources for SGA’s : https://www.icsahome.com/elibrary/topics/second-generation-adults
Related groups on Reddit:
- r/C-PTSD – a support group for those affected by Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- r/shambhalabuddhism – a support group for “Dharma Brats”, people raised in Shambhala International
- r/exMormon – ex Mormon support group
- r/exJW – ex Jehova’s Witness support group
- r/Troubled Teens – Discussions around Institutional Child Abuse
- r/adultsurvivors – Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse
- r/survivorsofchildabuse – (private group)
On Facebook:
What is an “SGA”?
An SGA is a Second Generation Adult raised in a group that requires a high demand of commitment to a particular cause, belief system or ideology. In this case the group is 3HO Sikh Dharma Kundalini Yoga.
Who counts as a 3HO SGA?
Any person who was raised in 3HO for any period during childhood is an SGA. Backgrounds among SGA’s can be diverse (one does not have to be an “indiakid” to feel the impact of being raised in this group). The thing SGA’s have in common is that they did not choose it for themselves during childhood. Because of the commitment required by 3HO to the faith, being brought up within it creates a unique set of challenges for navigating an independent life.
Those unique circumstances can include becoming distant or even cut-off from family and community. Sometimes 3HO family members and peers may want to help or provide companionship, yet are unable or incapable of providing critical support. Sometimes our family of origin wants to show love, but the capacity for it is limited to their cult-informed identity, and therefore falls short.