ISTA & Highden Incident of Harm Report

ISTA & Highden Incident of Harm Report

Please submit this form if you have been harmed at an ISTA (International School of Temple Arts) or Highden event, or by an affiliated teacher in ANY context. There are many types of harm, you will see some examples listed below. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SUBMIT YOUR NAME. YOU MAY PROVIDE A COMPLETELY ANONYMOUS REPORT. The information collected here is intended to be used to: identify causes and patterns of harm in these organizations, identify teachers that need to be held accountable so some form of justice for survivors can be achieved, spread awareness around harmful teachers and practices, and promote positive changes in our sex-positive and spiritual communities so less harm is caused to participants in the future.
Safer Sex-Positive & Spiritual Communities (SSSC)

We are a small volunteer group of survivors, allies and activists who believe that there are many teachings and practices within sacred sexuality, sex-positive, and neo-tantra communities that are useful and transformative, and many that are harmful.

We encourage and support organizations and leaders in these fields to radically update their structures, curriculum, policies, and practices in regard to harms caused by: trauma activation and reactivation, sexual assault and harrassment, student/teacher power dynamics, lack of informed consent, racism and cultural appropriation, and most significantly, the risks of high-demand group culture and coercive communication norms.

We are a transformative justice oriented group that values collaboration, inclusive community dialogue, and transparency. We are not currently facilitating mediations or accountability processes, but we can refer you to those who do, and to other helpful services and resources. For more information about our group, please visit: SaferSpiritualCommunities.org (Website COMING SOON!)
Please select the name of the teacher(s) who harmed you. If the name is not listed, select "other" and type it in. (IMPORTANT: Just because a teacher is on this list does not mean they have caused harm to anyone. This is a list of all current publicly listed ISTA and Highden teachers.) *

AARON KLEINERMAN AARON MANDELBAUM AMBER RA ANANDA AMIT ANGELO ARAMINTA BARBOUR ASHISHA ATILLA SIDHAM AYA KAMANAKI IWISAKI BABA DEZ BLAKE ZEALER BRIANNA CRIBEYER BRUCE LYON BUDDHI DANA BYNOI DESOULZA CAITLYN COOK CHEN MAIMON CLARE GOMEZ SANTOS CRYSTAL DAWN MORRIS DANE TOMAS DAWN CHERIE EZRAHI DIANA PREM SHAKTI ELAINE YOUNGE ELISA CARO EUGENE HEDLUND FRANK MONDEOSE FREDERIKA CLEMENTE JANINE MA-REE JASMINE HANA JAVI MARTINEZ JEREMY DAW JUAN ES ALZALTE MEJIA KAMALADEVI MCCLURE KARAM SATYAM DUC MINH KOMALA LYRA/JI LAURA DEVA LAURIE HANDLERS LIZ MORRIS LOUISE CLAIRE MARIANA FRANCA MARION ELLYARD MATEO TROUBA MICHEL MAAYAN DON NIMAI SUNRA NITEN DHYAN OHAD PELE EZRAHI OR KOREN PATRICK OLTERMAN PENELOPE GOLDMUNTZ PHILIPPE LEWIS RAFFAELLO MANACORDA REGAN PRYOR REX MCCANN REX RAFIQ RIA YOSHIDA RICH PRIDDIS RICHARD WIDOWS ROBBIE GRIFFITH ROEI SHAHAM RON OREN RONI MAKATU SEAN O’FAOLAIIN SEBASTIEN RECO SHACHAR CASPI SIMON MARVELL STEPHANIE PHILIPPS STEPHEN SOULOVE STEVEN WAGNER SUJAY SHAMESH SUPRIYA ERMIONE TAK'H DYANDEEPA TRIAMBIKA MA VIVE VEE DALINDO VERONICA CLARK VICKI GREY VICTORIA HILL WINTER JADE ICELY XAVIER DE FORCEVILLE ASSISTANT OR APPRENTICE (Please also select other and provide name.) A FELLOW PARTICIPANT (Please also select other and provide name.) Other
At what type of event, did this harm occur? *

ISTA event Highden event At another public event with an ISTA or Highden affiliated teacher, assistant, or apprentice At a private event or private session with an ISTA or Highden affiliated teacher, assistant, or apprentice Within the context of a personal relationship with an ISTA or Highden teacher, assistant, or apprentice Other
If applicable, what was the name and/or level of event(s) where you were harmed? (IMPORTANT: Just because these events are on this list does not mean harm has occurred at them. These are ISTA, Highden, and affiliated events that are publicly listed.)

ISTA SSSEX Level 1 ISTA SSSEX Level 2 ISTA SSSEX Level 3 ISTA Practitioner Training ISTA Living Level 1 ISTA Family Fusion ISTA Festival Highden Temple Training Highden Magdelena for Maidens Highden Brotherhood Highden Edge of Magic Highden online course California Tantra Festival East Coast Tantra Festival Tribal Tantra Training Other
In what country did this event (or first event)occur? *
What country is your primary current residence? *
What was the approximate date or start date of this event, harmful experience, or relationship? *

Month Day Year
Date
How would you generally describe the type(s) of harm that occurred? (check all that apply) *

Sexual assault or rape Physical assault or abuse Emotional or psychological assault or abuse (intense or repetitive shaming, blaming, gaslighting, threatening, name calling, or yelling) Lack of informed consent (not being fully informed of what you are agreeing to participate in ahead of time, being asked to give consent when in an altered or vulnerable state, required to sign contracts that are vague, overreaching, or restrict your recourse if you are harmed) Consent violation of any kind (stated boundaries were not respected, being told you can't leave the room, being required to partner with someone you don't want to, or participate in an exercise you don't want to, right to withdraw consent not respected, being uninformed of or not consenting to use of mind-altering substances by facilitators or participants) Manipulative or coercive communication (being convinced to do or not do something, veiled or explicit threats, promise or hints of rewards for compliance, being convinced that overriding your boundaries, concerns, or trauma response is spiritual progress) Sexual harassment (unwanted or excessive sexual attention, grooming, advancement explicitly or implicitly dependent on sexual interaction with leadership, teachers favoring those they are attracted to or targeting especially vulnerable participants with sexual attention) Narcissistic abuse (love-bombing, grandiosity of leadership, gaslighting, repeated deflection of responsibility, unable to bear critical feedback without significant defensiveness or manipulation) High-demand group abuse (power dynamic issues, sexual relations between students and teachers, spiritual bypassing of boundaries, pressure to conform, repeated high-intensity activities, suppression or spiritual bypassing of critical feedback, victim-blaming culture) Trauma-inducing or reactivating exercise or experience (the nature or intensity of an exercise or interaction deregulated your nervous system resulting in trauma response symptoms or mental health issues) Damage to existing relationships (monogamous boundaries not respected, encouragement to break relationship agreements, isolation from close relationships) Sexual health or general health related harm COVID-related harm Distress caused by irresponsible or under-skilled facilitation practices (insufficient response during participant crisis situation, under-skilled response to participant concerns or trauma response during event, official complaints not taken seriously or handled poorly) Lack of personal or cultural respect and care (being treated rudely by facilitators, unsafe conditions due to over-crowding, unsafe conditions due to a dangerous participant not being screened well or contained after an incident, being pressured to spend money on private sessions or other events, feeling disrespect toward any aspect of your identity, race, culture, or the culture where the event took place) Post event needs or requests for support were not met in a satisfactory way (in some cases contributing to serious mental health crises, including suicide or suicide attempt) Other
Please describe the incident of harm in as much detail as you feel comfortable with. We realize writing isn't for everyone. If you'd prefer to submit an audio file to tell your story, you have that option below. IMPORTANT: If you selected more than one teacher and/or type of harm above, please do your best to specify which teacher created which type of harm.
You may submit an audio description of your experience here. You may also attach any documents that are related to your experience such as screenshots or course materials.

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file types accepted: pdf, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, csv, txt, html, zip, mp3, wma, wpa, flv, avi, jpg, png, gif
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Did you report this incident of harm to anyone in leadership at ISTA or Highden? *

Yes, verbally to someone in leadership. Yes, in an email/text/direct message to someone in leadership. Yes, in a report form directly to the organization. Yes, in a report form to a 3rd party. No. No, I was too upset or traumatized to do so. No, I was too fearful of the reaction I might get from leadership and/or the community. No, at the time I believed I was the problem and should handle it on my own. Other
If you did report this harm to leadership at ISTA or Highden, describe your experience: *

Leadership handled my report well, I felt supported. Leadership handled my report somewhat well, I felt somewhat supported. Leadership handled my report poorly, I did not feel supported. Leadership handled my report horribly, I incurred more harm as a result. Other
In general, do you feel that ISTA and/or Highden creates an environment where participants feel safe and empowered to speak up about any harmful incidents or give critical feedback they may have about the exercises, agreements, or practices? *

Yes Yes, but only with select teachers or in isolated incidences No Not sure/Undecided
If you have anything to share about your experience in reporting this harm or why you decided not to, please share it here. :
If you did report this harm to ISTA or Highden leadership, was there anyone that you found to be helpful or that you had a positive experience with? If so, please provide their name(s):
By submitting this form, you automatically give us permission to ANONYMOUSLY publish the data we collected from your MULTIPLE CHOICE ANSWERS ONLY. As for the description of your experience, we take your privacy and consent very seriously. Please select the option(s) you feel most comfortable with below: *

Keep my experience completely confidential. I don’t want it shared anywhere with anyone besides the small group reading these reports. Share this report with Highden WITHOUT my name and contact info. Share this report with Highden WITH my name and contact info. Share this with ISTA WITHOUT my name and contact info. Share this with ISTA WITH my name and contact info. Share this with Safe Mediation (3rd party contracted by ISTA) WITHOUT my name and contact info. Share this with Safe Mediation (3rd party contracted by ISTA) WITH my name and contact info. I give you permission to share the narrative of my report (or quotes from it) on your website anonymously (WITHOUT my name). I give you permission to share the narrative of my report (or quotes from it) on your website WITH my name attached to it.
OPTIONAL: Name

First Name Last Name
OPTIONAL: Email (Please write it twice to verify you have entered it accurately.)

Confirmation Email example@example.com
OPTIONAL: Phone number
Please enter a valid phone number.
What is your age range? *

under 18 18-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50 and over
What term best describes your gender identity? *

Female Male Non-binary/Genderqueer Non-conforming/agender Transgender Female Transgender Male Would rather not say Other
What term best describes your race and/or ethnic identity? *

Black or African origin (Eg: African American, Jamaican, Haitian, Nigerian, Ethiopian, Somalian, etc) Hispanic, Latinx or Spanish origin (Eg: Mexican or Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Salvadoran, Dominican, Colombian, etc.) Asian (Eg: Asian American, Chinese, Filipino, Asian Indian, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, etc.) American Indian or Alaska Native (Eg: Navajo Nation, Blackfeet tribe, Mayan, Aztec, Native Village or Barrow Inupiat Traditional Government, Nome Eskimo Community, etc.) Middle Eastern or North African (Eg: Lebanese, Iranian, Egyptian, Syrian, Moroccan, Algerian, etc.) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (Eg: Native Hawaiian, Samoan, Chamorro, Tongan, Fijian, etc.) White or European origin (Eg: German, Irish, English, Italian, Polish, French, etc.) Multiracial or Biracial Would rather not say Other
If we have a question about your report, do we have permission to contact you? *

Yes, via email Yes, via text No
Would you like to receive occasional email updates from our group: *

Yes No
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