Trapped in a Cult: How One Woman Finally Broke Free

My journey into the hidden world of cults began with an intriguing book titled Forbidden, which tells the story of a cult leader who exploits and manipulates his followers. As I read, one question kept coming back to me: How often does something like this actually happen in real life?

The book’s author, Michal Boni, encouraged me to investigate further, eventually leading me to the Center for Victims of Cults. There, I connected with Michal Lebkovits, a former cult member whose story left me with few questions and many tears.

Michal was just 24 when she became involved with the group. She was not searching for a cult, nor did she believe she was joining anything dangerous. She was simply looking for emotional healing during a vulnerable period in her life.

It Began With a Search for Emotional Healing

"I was a successful Pilates instructor," Michal recalls. "I felt fulfilled in my career, until a sudden breakup left me shattered and confused. That was when one of my employees told me about a spiritual healer whose methods had inspired her."

Initially hesitant, Michal eventually agreed to meet with one of the healer’s female disciples for emotional guidance.

Without realizing it, she had taken her first step into the group.

Did you have any concerns about the woman’s qualifications?

"I was young and naive. It never occurred to me to check her credentials. My only concern was that I didn’t want to become fully religious. I had no idea what was actually waiting for me."

For approximately a year, Michal met regularly with the woman. The sessions combined spiritual themes with guided imagery and initially appeared harmless.

Gradually, however, conversations about faith and a supreme being became part of the sessions. Michal began developing a new sense of belief and a feeling that she was discovering divine love.

What she did not know, she says, was that information from those sessions was being passed to the leader of the group. He was learning about her vulnerabilities and personal struggles, information that would later make his apparent insight into her life seem almost supernatural.

Eventually, Michal was encouraged to attend Torah classes led by the group.

She resisted at first. Then a chance encounter with another follower, who spoke enthusiastically about her own experience, persuaded Michal to give it a try.

"I Was Overwhelmed by the Warmth"

What did you think when you attended your first Torah class?

"From the moment I walked in, I was overwhelmed by the warmth and acceptance the group offered. Their kindness made me feel at home. Within that embrace, I became captivated by the speaker, who seemed to know me unbelievably well. It reinforced my mistaken belief that he possessed extraordinary abilities."

As Michal became increasingly involved, the group’s intense sense of unity and shared purpose began to overpower her doubts.

"We believed we were the chosen ones," she recalls. "We thought we were enlightened in a world of darkness and that we had a mission to help bring redemption."

Life within the group gradually became all consuming.

Michal began distancing herself from the people and routines that had previously defined her life. Her contact with family and friends diminished. She also changed her work after being discouraged from continuing her Pilates career, moving instead into a job she found far less fulfilling.

How did your family react?

"From the outside, it looked as though I had simply become religious. My family was upset by how much I had changed, but they had no idea that I felt trapped. To them, it looked like I was simply living the life of a religious person."

That appearance made the reality particularly difficult to recognize. The external signs could be mistaken for ordinary religious observance, while Michal says something very different was happening beneath the surface: growing control, isolation, and dependence on the group.

The First Cracks Begin to Appear

Michal remained in the group for approximately three years.

Eventually, serious psychological distress among members began to shake the certainty that had held the group together. Michal herself was struggling, and she watched as others began to leave.

What caused the group to start unraveling?

"Seeing people leave after experiencing severe psychological distress created doubts among the rest of us. Then outside investigations began validating some of our concerns. Inquiries were opened, and the group’s overt activities were shut down."

As outside pressure increased, internal divisions began to emerge as well.

For Michal, another major turning point came when she was finally able to pursue marriage, something she says had previously been subtly discouraged.

She met the man who would become her husband.

Through that relationship, she gradually began to recognize how deeply she had been manipulated.

"With pressure mounting from outside religious authorities, cracks started appearing inside the group," she explains. "When I was able to pursue marriage, I met someone who helped me understand the manipulation I had been living under. That helped ignite my departure."

Rebuilding Faith After Leaving

Leaving the group was not the end of Michal’s journey. She still had to rebuild her life, her independence, and her relationship with faith.

What helped you recover?

"Physical distance and the unconditional support of my husband were incredibly healing. In the quiet, away from all the pressure I had lived under, I was able to reconnect with faith on my own terms. I learned to appreciate every genuine spiritual practice."

That distinction became essential.

Michal’s experience had intertwined religion with control, but leaving the group did not mean abandoning faith. Instead, she had to rediscover a spiritual life that was not based on fear, manipulation, or another person’s authority over her.

Nearly a decade after leaving the cult behind, Michal now shares her story with others. What began when a vulnerable 24 year old woman sought emotional help became a years long experience of manipulation and isolation. Her life today is also a reminder that leaving such a group is possible, and that identity, relationships, and faith can be rebuilt afterward.

Perhaps one of the most unsettling lessons from Michal’s story is how ordinary the beginning appeared. There was no dramatic invitation to join a cult. There was an emotional crisis, a recommendation from someone she knew, a seemingly harmless form of guidance, and a welcoming group that made her feel understood.

Only gradually did the boundaries of her old life begin to disappear.

Today, by telling her story, Michal hopes to help others recognize those warning signs and understand that there can be a life, and a path forward, after leaving a controlling group.