Universal Medicine
Universal Medicine, abbreviated as UniMed or UM, is an organization, often described as a cult, founded and led by Serge Benhayon, a former bankrupt tennis coach from New South Wales Australia who has no medical qualifications. It sells "esoteric healing" products, music, publications, workshops and courses. None of the healing modalities are evidence based or have been proven effective by scientific research. Uruguayan-born Benhayon founded the group in 1999 after receiving what he described as an "energetic impress" while on the toilet. A NSW Supreme Court jury found it was true to say that he leads a "socially dangerous" and "socially harmful cult", "intentionally indecently touched" clients and "is a charlatan who makes fraudulent medical claims". In a British court ruling, UM was found to be "a cult with some potentially harmful and sinister elements".
The organisation and unregulated health service provider is principally located in Goonellabah and Wollongbar, near Lismore, NSW, Australia. Its European headquarters are known as "The Lighthouse" and is situated in the village of Tytherington near Frome, Somerset, England.
The signature treatments practised and taught by Universal Medicine are "esoteric breast massage", "esoteric healing", "ovarian readings", "chakra-puncture", "esoteric connective tissue therapy" and "esoteric ovary massage". All treatments were devised by non-registered health practitioner Serge Benhayon, who has claimed the business grosses at least AUD$2 million a year from courses and retreats.
The followers of its doctrine "The Way of the Livingness" are known collectively as "The Student Body". "The Teachings" are classified into meditation, self-care, nutrition, exercise, music, reincarnation, psychological wellbeing and the esoteric, and are supported by audio, books, and online lectures. Serge Benhayon describes himself as a "seer", calls himself the "Ascended Master", and followers call him the "new Messiah". They also believe he "was the one sent from Shambhala to awaken us all", is the only human to have achieved the "highest level of initiation" on earth and claim the NSW Supreme Court ruling against him is "totally untrue". In the British court ruling, the doctrine was said to be one of "erroneous and malign beliefs".
While Benhayon has denied engaging in unethical practices, significant evidence to the contrary has been documented.
Beliefs and teachings
Benhayon's esoteric healing belief system is based on the occult teachings of early 20th century theosophist Alice A. Bailey. Serge Benhayon has claimed to be the reincarnation of Leonardo da Vinci and Pythagoras as well as Alice A. Bailey, Imhotep and Saint Peter. He has written that Leonardo da Vinci is a "Claimed Son of God" and teaches that he is connected energetically to an ancient lineage of "living wisdom", and more "High Initiates" and Claimed Sons of God will reincarnate "over and over again until each and every single human is united as one, by their true light". Benhayon also claims that his daughter, Simone, a swimming teacher and head of Universal Medicine UK, is the reincarnation of Winston Churchill.Serge Benhayon devised Universal Medicine's healing practices based on the belief that disease is caused by energetic disharmony resulting from ill choices made in this and previous lifetimes. Benhayon teaches that there are two types of energy: prana and fire. Most forms of established wisdom, knowledge and belief, as well as most music and certain foods are believed to contain prana, which he regards as evil. Prana is to be rejected or cleared to be replaced with "fiery energy" which emanates from the "Atmic womb of God". Universal Medicine healing modalities and products, including teas, herbal elixirs, creams and laminated healing symbol postcards, aim to clear prana.
Benhayon teaches that people who abuse their authority, such as dictators and corrupt politicians, are reincarnated as children with disabilities "as are Down syndrome, as are spastic, or any other disabled child" and claims disabilities such as Autism and Down syndrome are karma for past life sins. He has also controversially stated on many occasions that sexual abuse, including that towards children, is karma from past lives and the universe attempting to stop a person from continuing to make non-loving choices.
He also teaches that illness is caused by the possession of the body by evil spirits, and is reported to have told a terminally ill patient that an evil spirit had entered her liver and kidneys. He reportedly teaches couples that when a man orgasms inside a woman she will take on his bad energy and he has said that if a possessed entity is of a sexual nature then they can invade a father's body and while he sleeps at night leave his body and rape his daughters.
On race he writes that skin colour evolution was a conscious choice and that Asians chose yellow skin, saying: "yellow signifies the intellect" and the "pursuit of a lighter complexion arose when Black became erroneously identified with the Darkness ". He taught his followers that if their children misspent their inheritance, or if they set conditions on their donations to UM, their "kidney energy" could be harmed in the next life.
During a sermon in September 2017, Benhayon stated he could "orgasm as a hermaphrodite ", claiming he had the ability to "orgasm like a woman" and ejaculate as a man simultaneously.
Universal Medicine and The Way of the Livingness has followers in Australia, the UK, North America and Europe. Critics have characterised it as a cult, which has left a "trail of broken families". An ex-partner of a Universal Medicine supporter complained that Benhayon "controlled every aspect of our lives". Benhayon, who is reportedly referred to as a "fifth degree initiate" and "The One", rejects these claims. According to the Chilling Effects website and other sources he has used legal threats to have cult allegations, including those within media reports, removed from Australian Google Search indexes. The organisation has at least seven lawyers as members and officially denies it is a cult. But when Australian Doctor questioned Amelia Stephens, a UM member and a Brisbane doctor, she responded "This depends on what your definition of a cult is".
Benhayon and other senior UM members have a history of calling the police on journalists, and claim to be victims of a media witch hunt and smear campaign. The group's devotees and practitioners reportedly inundate media organisations who publish stories about UM with angry letters and written complaints and denounce those in the media who critique them as "irresponsible journalists". UK based director Simone Benhayon coordinates and instructs followers to post favourable comments online at least five or more times a day, with exceptions for those European members who recently had a "time travel experience".
Devotees created the company 'Real Media Real Change' to combat unfavourable media coverage as well as the Universal Medicine 'Facts' website by the UM 'Facts Team' to combat UM critics. Serge Benhayon is the registrant of this 'Facts about Universal Medicine' website. UM labels non-believers as "detractors" with senior UM members claiming that these detractors are really afraid of them. In 2019 the Supreme Court published that "evidence tendered in the proceedings that there had been significant and persistent opposition to attempts to expose bogus healing claims and practices, often involving personal and professional attacks on any critics... There are problems associated with ongoing zealous support, including from health professionals who evidence a lack of insight into the dangers of Universal Medicine activities, the deceptive conduct engaged in by and Universal Medicine, and the risk that poses to vulnerable people."
Followers claim to be members of UM, which they assert is "like a religion" but Benhayon contradicted this saying he ran a business with clients and that there is "no group and no members". Benhayon's doctrine "The Way of the Livingness" is one which he currently operates under his Universal Medicine business and is a 'form of theosophy'. It was denied charitable status in the UK in 2011 as it did not meet the criteria of a genuine religion and is not registered as a religion in Australia. Helena Blavatsky - the founder of the 19th century theosophy that Benhayon's doctrine is based on - insists that is not a religion.
Critics say Universal Medicine places unreasonable pressure on followers to adhere to a severely restricted diet and to avoid most exercise for fear those things might "infect their spiritual alignment" and lead to poor health. After reviewing a diet chart from Universal Medicine, the Professor of Public Health at the University of Wollongong and former president of the Public Health Association of Australia Heather Yeatman said it was "a public health issue" when children were placed on such restrictive diets: "If a child is not having dairy or cereals they are likely to be low in energy intake and there could be the risk of stunting if children are not getting enough energy. It is critically important there is a balanced diet, especially at the weaning stage because it can impact overall growth and cognitive development. It's a public health issue." This came after the report of a baby of UM member parents was hospitalised due to diet-related illness.
Followers are reportedly told health problems result from wrongdoings in their past lives. Cult Counselling Australia director Raphael Aron said his organisation had a researcher working full time on Universal Medicine after counselling former clients who were concerned about its influence on their children. Aron said CCA had also counselled breakaway followers, who were still "battling" to withdraw emotionally from the group. He also says:
Benhayon denies he or the group interfere in "the students" personal lives but detractors say relationships become impossible when everything from music to sex must be "Serge-approved". Cult expert David Millikan was quoted as saying " knows what they should read, what they should wear, what they should eat, how they should exercise, what sort of sexual life they should have and so they end up in this closed world". The NSW Supreme Court found the statements that Benhayon "is sexually manipulative of his cult followers" and "engages in bizarre sexual manipulation to make money for his business" to be true imputations.