Testimonials.A call received by the Sikh HelpLine 2.  
“I was so lost due to their manipulation”
- received by the Sikh HelpLine We hear of people from different faiths trying to manipulate the minds of the Sikh people, by being cunning and deceitful, but such things are taking place within our own faith. There are some Sikhs who not just carry out anti Sikh behavior, but also promote it.
I had met such people in my life, they were cunning and manipulative and very convincing that they made me believe in that the way they were living and behaving was the right way for a Sikh to live. They convinced me so much that I turned against the values of my family, without realising it I broke all relationships with all the people who truly cared for me. I left my parents, my siblings and my future partner. These people knew exactly what they were doing and the reason they turned me against my loved ones was so that they could control me and my mental state. I was so absorbed in to their way of thinking that I was being told that nitnem and doing bani was a waste of time. I knew my Sikhi and my gurus’ teachings, but when being told by those who are supposedly following and living the Sikh way of life, it did make me think and question Sikhi in a way that I had never before, and things began to play on my mind.
The things they were telling me and making me do went against everything that I had been taught about my faith from my family; I was so lost due to their manipulation. As time went on my life was changing but not for the better, they were slowly mentally breaking me down and controlling all aspects of my life. I had nowhere to turn, my family and loved ones were no longer there to support me, so I spoke to some Gursikh friends, and I approached the Gurdwara about this matter and explained the things that were happening to me and what I was being told about the Sikh faith. But no one seemed to take this matter seriously, the people at the Gurdwara just laughed at me and thought it to be ridiculous. I knew what I had seen and heard but no one wanted to listen to me and all I wanted to do was to stop people from going through the mental torture that I was being put through.
Eventually a very good friend of mine listened to me, and empathised with the mental torture I was going through and knew I needed help, they put me in touch with the Sikh helpline who took this matter very seriously. The Sikh helpline listened to me when no one else did, when  I was telling them about what had happened to me and the actions I took as a result of the manipulation ,they did not judge me for my actions and being a lost Sikh. I did not feel scared or lost anymore I was able to freely speak about my problems and I know I was not been frowned or looked down upon. The Sikh helpline were very understanding and respectful and responded well, they began an investigation to the claims I had made about my experience with these people.
The Sikh helpline put a lot of time and effort in to the investigation and remained impartial and no judgments were made until full proof was available. The Sikh helpline was very supportive and eventually solved the issue by putting a stop to it. I felt a great sense of relief that the truth was finally out about these people, and to expose the truth about how they were manipulating vulnerable people for their own personal gain. I thank the Sikh helpline with all my heart, they have helped me get through the most difficult time of my life and they have saved many other people from going through the pain and the suffering that I had to  experience, but also there are many other unknown victims who also went through the same torture.                    
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