Sharon Stern 'driven to suicide' by Katsura Kan who made her his 'sex slave' | Mail Online

Cult like thinking and indoctrination doesn't necessarily equate to a strict "religious" setting as evidenced by this article. The use of mind-control tactics and mental abuse to exploit and manipulate for personal gain can be seen outside the church as well.

Butoh in and of itself though a bit avant-garde and darkly themed is not the issue in the case. As Butoh is dance, it is expression it "is Japan's most startling cultural export does not aim to charm. Instead, it sets out to assault the senses. The hallmarks of this theater of protest include full body paint (white or dark or gold), near or complete nudity, shaved heads, grotesque costumes, clawed hands, rolled-up eyes and mouths opened in silent screams."

"There are about 30 soloists and dance companies, most of them based in Tokyo, that share the Butoh esthetic. To take audiences on a backward journey to primordial states of being,,,."

Did Butoh lead to Stern's death? IMHO no, Kan's cult-like tactics are to blame., but in and odd sort of way it may have contributed. Think of a runners high, when one is breaking through that wall of pain, that is when one is most vulnerable to injury. I know when I drum, when I "let loose," I am in a whole different world. Same with meditation. Kan took advantage of that.
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A married woman from Florida was allegedly driven to commit suicide by a 'cultish' Japanese dancer who made her his 'physical and sexual slave and plied her with drugs', her devastated family claimed today.

Sharon Stern, 32, of Hollywood, Florida, was drawn into butoh, a Japanese style of contemporary dance also called the 'dance of darkness' which explores the taboo themes.

Her family claim the married yoga teacher lost her sanity and committed suicide, allegedly driven to despair by her butoh master, Katsura Kan.

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'Katsura Kan brainwashed her against her family and her life,' her heartbroken father told MailOnline, echoing the claims he made in the lawsuit.

He alleged: 'He made her forget everything that was happy about life, and told her she needed to experience pain and suffering, until he had full control over her. She called him god.'

The lawsuit, which Kan has not responded to, alleges that Kan 'systematically stripped away Stern's human dignity, free will and self-respect by subjugating Stern to Kan's total control.'

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According to Tibor Stern, 'Kan's teachings were based on pain, suffering and death; on the denial and erasure of the self; on the destruction of one's ego; on the denial of one's family and friends; and ultimately on the complete erasure of everything you know and all that you are as the only way to become a true butoh master.'

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The Stern family brought Sharon home to Florida and for three weeks tried to convince her to enter a mental health facility. After suffering about ten psychotic attacks, she finally agreed.

Two days before she was due to check in, Kan reached Sharon by email and Skype.

'He told her that he didn't believe she was sick and that she should run away from her husband and family,' Tibor Stern said. 'He even went so far as to send her a prepaid ticket to Thailand to meet him.'

Kan urged Sharon to 'escape from your family,' so she snuck out and flew to Thailand in September 2011. When Kan saw how sick Sharon was, Tibor Stern said, he soon sent her back to San Francisco.

Sharon's family then brought her to Boulder, Colorado for psychiatric care. Even under care, she twice attempted suicide.

Sharon's psychiatrists and psychologists, her family, and the family's lawyers all demanded that Kan leave her alone. But they claim Kan refused to let her go.

Sharon Stern 'driven to suicide' by Katsura Kan who made her his 'sex slave' | Mail Online

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