'I don't understand this guru ting? Can you explain what that is?'

This was my response, but I didn't find it easy, any feedback?
that's a tricky one Tiger, I got half sucked in cause I was searching for cosmic consciousness one love experiences without drugs, it was being so into the meditation that lessened my critical faculties around other areas of the thought control, namely influence of the guru, but that was 30 years ago.

Peoples reasons for being in that kind of environment, and thus susceptibility to thought control from a guru are very different.

In theory, I think the idea is not dissimilar to the projection role that therapists have placed on them by patients during therapy. The idea that the guru somehow mirrors your true state of self, and in the relationship you feel with them, you get heightened perceptions and realizations that otherwise wouldn't occur. That's the theory. The weaknesses are all too obvious, especially now after all the bad press.

They tend to gain their power because peoiple feel out of their depth going into spiritual experiences, with no real mapping facility of the territory and guru's come along all knowing.

Because of the projection (and there's usually a lot of subtle background to alter your thought patterns, groupthink, etc etc, all in the cause of freeing you from concepts that limit your experiences). the guru is not seen as an equal. dangerous territory.

But really I think there is only main reason they can get away with it, magic thinking, even nowadays there is plenty of magic thinking going around. More to life than this, spiritual experiences are an actual reality. If you are really sensitive, and find the human race/history of, oppressive, are going through a vulnerablke period of your life, and meet a group who are supportive of your more sensitive side and have similar spiritual beliefs, then you are really in a dangerous state. If a guru is there, and appears very confident at that point, you are even more vulnerable, and can get sucked into a co-dependency role before you've even realized it.

If you trust someone involved you are also starting on the slippery slope.

Just for throwaway, this was another comment.