OneTaste
OneTaste is a business dedicated to teaching the practices of "orgasmic meditation" and "slow sex". Though it embraces ideas based in Eastern philosophy, OneTaste's central focus is female orgasm through a practice called Orgasmic Meditation. The organization and its leadership have been accused of cult-like operations, similar to Lafayette Morehouse, which influenced Daedone. OneTaste is currently under investigation by the FBI for sex trafficking, prostitution, and violations of labor law. In 2018, OneTaste closed all of their U.S. locations and stopped hosting in-person classes. History. OneTaste was cofounded in San Francisco by Robert Kandell and Nicole  Daedone in 2001. Daedone stated that a "Buddhist Monk" introduced her to orgasmic meditation before she started OneTaste, though she did not name the monk nor the lineage the monk studied under. OneTaste originally operated two communal-style "urban retreat" centers, one in San Francisco's Soma District and another in Lower Manhattan. OneTaste then expanded to Los Angeles and London. They produced media, workshops, weekend retreats, and a coach training program. In 2014, OneTaste was listed as an Inc. 5000 fastest growing company. In 2018, OneTaste closed all of their U.S. locations and stopped hosting in person classes. After  the FBI investigation they have rebranded and are operating as The Institute of OM and the Unconditional Freedom Project. Description. The organization's stated goal is "to create a clean, well-lit place where sexuality, relationship, and intimacy could be discussed openly and honestly." The community is centered around a practice known as Orgasmic Meditation, which is a mindfulness practice in which the object of meditation is finger to genital contact, specifically stimulation of the female clitoris. OM is practiced in pairs, with one practitioner stroking the female's genitals, while both focus their attention on the sensation with the  stated goal of developing connective resonance between pairs. Daedone described her own work as "one that places a near-exclusive emphasis on women’s pleasure — in which love, romance and even flirtation are not required." After, both partners discuss their experiences verbally. Orgasmic Meditation borrows from other traditions including yoga and meditation. Daedone draws parallels between slow sex and the Slow Food movement associated with chef Alice Waters. With sex as with food, she says, people can overindulge without getting nourishment, or go from one extreme of consuming mindlessly to the other extreme of self-denial. Proponents state that orgasmic  meditation encompasses more than just orgasm and that it encourages greater emotional awareness, connected relationships, and sense of fulfillment. Others describe the sensation as "a heady buzz, mixed with equal parts wooziness and intensity of focus." Practitioners of orgasmic meditation claim the practice nourishes the limbic system, the area of the mammalian brain responsible for emotion, empathy, and motivation but these claims are unsubstantiated by any source outside their organization. Controversy. OneTaste drew international media attention, controversy, and then an ongoing FBI investigation. Several journalists have compared OneTaste to a cult and pyramid scheme. "As with many a commune before  it, the leader of One Taste, Ms. Daedone, is a polarizing personality, whom admirers venerate as a sex diva, although some former members say she has cult like powers over her followers... Much of the community’s tone revolves around Ms. Daedone, a woman of considerable charm, although detractors regard her as a master manipulator." In a "New York Times" interview, Ms. Daedone insists she does not aspire to guru status, while acknowledging that "there’s a high potential for this to be a cult." A "New York Times" article led to several critical blog and opinion columns. A 2013  Gawker article referenced online cult accusations, which documented the reporter's experience at a weekend conference hosted by OneTaste. An article in "GoodTimes Weekly", 'The Big OM', refers to "cult allegations" by posters on Yelp.com, as did one on Vice and on Salon. A 2016 episode of the podcast Love + Radio is dedicated to the experience of a woman who had increasingly fraught relations with OneTaste. An article in The Cut stated that "some cult experts have linked Daedone with Victor Baranco," the cult leader who ran Lafayette Morehouse, and also suggest that it may be a pyramid scheme . Similarly, an article in The Frisky described OneTaste as "Landmark Forum for the clitoris." A Refinery 29 article cited the organization's "potentially aggressive sales tactics." "Playboy Magazine" compared OneTaste to Scientology and Landmark Forum, saying it had a "pyramidal pricing structure". For example, a week-long training with Nicole Daedone was advertised at $36,000. Daedone was quoted "All I can think about is how easy it is to start a cult. ... the way the volunteers serve the leaders, jumping at their every demand to "get me water” and “move that stool”... the full-court sales pitch from the  minute you walk in... I leave early and I'm furious". The author implies she was gaslighted when she disagreed with the leaders. She writes that she was re-traumatized "for weeks" as memories of her past sexual trauma were triggered by a business promising female empowerment but "people probably just want your money." The book "Sensation" by Isabel Losada ends with a "Warning" about "'hard sell" techniques... 'One Taste' (like many businesses) offer a wide range of courses which are outside the price range of most bank accounts. I'll say it again. Please don't spend money that  you don't have." In 2015, a former employee received a 6-figure settlement for sexual assault and harassment. Around universities, students are drawn to free OneTaste events with ad boards such as "Tired of Swiping Left? Let’s Talk Real Intimacy!" or "You Do Yoga. You Meditate. Now try #OrgasmicMeditation". A year-long, $60,000 premium membership is sold by the company since 2014. OneTaste teaches their members that money is just an emotional obstacle, which led some of them down to thousands of dollars in credit card debts. In June 2018, "Bloomberg Businessweek" published an article chronicling recent  training changes and that was critical of how the company treated its employees and consultants, often pressuring them to take expensive courses, programs, and retreats that drove them into debt. Former members of the organization testifying about their experience at OneTaste said it "resembled a kind of prostitution ring", where managers frequently ordered staffers to engage in sexual relations with customers. After the Bloomberg article, the Federal Bureau of Investigation opened a probe into OneTaste for prostitution, sex trafficking, and violations of labor law. In November 2020, BBC Radio 4 released a 10-part investigative podcast entitled "The Orgasm Cult  that spoke to former workers of the company, detailing allegations of emotional, financial and sexual abuse, with some saying that OneTaste’s teachings and practices gaslit many women, leaving them with symptoms of PTSD. The podcast also spoke to experts about how the medical establishment’s dismissal of women’s health concerns pushes many women towards the growing and unregulated wellness industry and companies like OneTaste. The Unconditional Freedom Project, the group’s quasi-Buddhist prison ministry that aims to “turn prisons into monasteries,” currently does ministry at the Mendocino County Jail in Ukiah and the Central California Women’s 	OneTaste
22659531	Facility, according to emails sent to and from the prisons. According to their website, members of the Unconditional Freedom Project correspond with inmates via mail and provide them with spiritual guidance as outlined in two books from the organization that appear to be written by Daedone.