At a new age festival in Byron Bay, Australia, German journalist Anke Richter is finding her spiritual awakening when she meets a woman - a survivor of the Centrepoint cult - who will change the course of her life and career.

Over the next ten years, Anke pursued a labyrinthine investigation into how and why cults attract, entrap and destroy otherwise ordinary people, asking what the line is between tribe and cult, participant and perpetrator, seduction and sexual abuse.

From the emotional and criminal carnage of Centrepoint in Auckland, New Zealand, to an anti-cult conference in Manchester, the infamous Osho's ashram in India, the tantric Agama Yoga school in remote Thailand and culminating in a visit to Gloriavale on the west coast of New Zealand's South Island, Anke uncovers a disturbing pattern of violence and suffering.

Cult Trip is a powerful exploration of what really goes on inside the groups we call cults, and how to reckon with their aftermath.

"'What a book and what a writer! Cult Trip is an incredibly immersive, intense and necessary reading experience put together with doggedness and skill. The stories are heart-rending, told with bravery and care.'" - Noelle McCarthy, author of Grand

"A 'powerful must read'" - Style

"'Cult Trip is incredibly painful and powerful - an eye opener, a tour de force and a call for justice. Those voices of survivors can't be silenced. Thanks to Anke Richter's courage and compassion, they will be heard.'" - Janja Lalich, author of Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships