Periods of intense spiritual involvement or living in tightly controlled communities can have a profound psychological impact, especially when they involve isolation from family. These themes emerged in a recent account by Kavita Khanna, who described a period in her late husband, Vinod Khanna’s, life when he stepped away from his film career to join spiritual leader Osho’s commune in Oregon.
That chapter, also explored in the documentary Wild Wild Country, unfolded during a period when Osho’s followers were building a self-contained community. Kavita recalled that during this time, Osho was largely withdrawn and silent, while his secretary, Ma Anand Sheela, assumed significant control. She said, “As he became more withdrawn, his secretary (Ma Anand Sheela) took complete control and charge of what was happening. They built a city, and I think they even wanted to win elections. Just crazy things were happening there. They had their own army with, I think, AK-47s or the equivalent. No one could understand what was going on.”
Kavita described the environment as tense and fearful, recalling an incident where the commune’s water supply was allegedly poisoned. “Then there was the whole issue of the water supply being poisoned, and Vinod had fallen ill. So there was a lot of fear. And it wasn’t just fear for him. For him, a very, very critical issue was that he hadn’t seen his children. He used to tell me that he would just cry, and he couldn’t go back to India because if he did, he wouldn’t be able to return,” she shared. According to her, he eventually left before the commune’s collapse, but the experience left a deep emotional imprint.
Returning to regular life after that period was not easy. Kavita said he struggled with visible emotional distress even as he resumed work. “When he left Oregon, he was very, very traumatised, not just internally, but it showed externally as well. He told me that he would go on set, deliver an amazing shot, come back into his van, and then just sit there weeping and weeping.”
She also recalled that he once declined an offer to assume leadership of an ashram upon returning to India, marking a turning point in his relationship with his spiritual mentor. “When Osho came back from Oregon, he came to Delhi. Vinod drove him to Manali. They spent a month there. Then, when they returned, Osho told Vinod that he wanted him to take charge of the ashram in Pune. Vinod said that, for the first and only time, he said no to his guru. And that was it. Vinod never met Osho after that. He went back into the film industry and was doing extremely well.”
So, what kind of psychological impact can prolonged involvement in a highly controlled setting have on an individual?
Sonal Khangarot, licensed rehabilitation counsellor and psychotherapist, The Answer Room, tells indianexpress.com, “Prolonged time in a highly controlled environment, especially when someone is cut off from family, friends, and familiar routines, can quietly erode a person’s sense of identity and emotional stability. As a therapist, I often see individuals swing to extremes: either becoming overly compliant and numb, or suddenly rebelling with anger, anxiety, or impulsive choices. Human beings need both structure and autonomy. When control is excessive, it can lead to learned helplessness, chronic stress, loneliness, and difficulty trusting one’s own judgement.”
Several psychological ideas echo the principle that “too much of anything” is harmful. Khangarot notes, “The Yerkes–Dodson Law suggests performance and well-being decline when stress or pressure exceeds an optimal level. Similarly, psychological reactance theory posits that when freedom is restricted, individuals experience an intense urge to regain it. Balance is key, healthy environments offer guidance without suffocation, and connection without dependency.”
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Why someone might experience lingering trauma, grief or emotional breakdowns after leaving such an environment
Even after someone returns to a stable routine or a successful career, the nervous system may still be living in the old environment. “Trauma isn’t only a memory, it’s a body experience. When a person spends extended periods in fear, control, or isolation, the brain becomes wired for survival mode. The amygdala stays hyper-alert, the body stores tension, and reminders, small sounds, authority figures, loneliness, can trigger the same emotional reactions,” explains Khangarot.
She says, “In therapy, I often see people confused because ‘life is fine now,’ yet grief, panic, or breakdowns appear suddenly. This happens because the brain has not processed or integrated what happened; it keeps replaying unfinished emotional loops.” Healing requires time, safe relationships, and gradual processing so the nervous system learns that the danger is truly over and it is safe to live in the present again.
