DAE watch a cult doc and then spot the same playbook at their own family reunion?
My cousin invited me to a 'wellness retreat' in Sedona last spring and I only went because the deposit was $250 and non-refundable, expecting some goofy yoga and cold pressed juice. Three hours in, a guy in linen pants was asking us to write down our 'money blocks' and hand over our phones for a 'digital detox' that never ended, which is straight out of the Twin Flames documentary I'd watched two weeks prior. Has anyone else caught themselves mentally ticking off cult checklist boxes at a normal event, and did you bail or stay for the free lunch?
That money blocks thing is a huge red flag, same with the phone grab. The phone thing is how they cut you off from anyone who might talk sense into you. If you ever get stuck in one again, make up a fake family emergency and walk out, dont wait for the free lunch cause there's always a catch. Also never give a retreat a non refundable deposit unless you've actually talked to someone who went.