During the human potential movement, California saw the rise of several cults including Sinanon. Sinanon started offering their game as a general self-help program, rebranding themselves from a drug treatment program, and attracting middle-class people.
The cult, Synanon, used their nonprofit status to become a promotional products company that made millions selling branded merchandise to corporations for retreats and events, all the while using the structure of a cult to their advantage.
Sinanon, a drug treatment program, started to make money by opening its services to outside members through the Sinanon Game, which was a general self-help program in the 1970s and was popular among middle-class people.
This podcast discusses the various counterculture movements that emerged in California during the 60s and 70s, including alternative communities, religions, and cults, and how the city often cracked down on them.