A British businesswoman was found dead in a hotel room after she was “brainwashed” by New Age gurus at a spiritual retreat in Bali, an inquest has heard.
Josephine Tabor, 30, spent two and a half years traveling the world before her death, including a visit to the Indonesian province for a spiritual getaway.
Tabor’s family told the court they believe she was influenced by cult-like groups after they found entries in her diary in which she described being administered “truth serum.”
The 30-year-old became interested in spiritualism after meeting her then-American boyfriend, who was “very interested” in zodiac signs, tarot readings, retreats and other new age practices.
And in a tragic final diary entry, Mrs. Tabor wrote: “I have tried everything except suicide. It’s my last roll of the dice.
Josephine Tabor, 30 (pictured) was found dead by a hotel cleaner on the morning of December 30, 2021.
Ms Tabor graduated in psychology from Cardiff University and was also a qualified yoga teacher with a social media page dedicated to her teaching.
In statements given to Taunton Coroner’s Court, his family said: ‘These retreats claim to offer answers, they have thousands of followers, this does not make them qualified or altruistic.
‘We know that an investigation cannot apportion blame, however, there is a cult side to many of these retreats.
‘When a vulnerable person is told that a higher force can help them and that the universe is looking out for them, not their friends and family, they have no one to turn to because they have been brainwashed and told that the answers They are not here but somewhere else. universe.’
Tabor’s parents, farmers James and Elizabeth, said that “the family was united” in the belief that the vulnerable Josephine had been a victim of these retreats and that she recounted the experiences in her diaries.
They said she had attended a retreat in Bali for three weeks in the month before her death in December 2021, adding that they felt her daughter attended another retreat in Turkey, but they could not be sure.
She was found dead in a Turkish hotel room after committing suicide on December 30, 2021.
Although Ms. Tabor’s family said they had been worried for years that “she was trapped in a spiritual world,” they did not want to criticize her lifestyle.
The court heard how Ms Tabor was an “independent and capable woman” who ran a successful online marketing and branding business with a large following, including more than 15,000 social media followers.
She was found dead in a Turkish hotel room after committing suicide on December 30, 2021.
Although Ms. Tabor’s family said they had been worried for years that “she was trapped in a spiritual world,” they did not want to criticize her lifestyle.
She graduated in psychology from Cardiff University and was also a qualified yoga teacher with a social media page dedicated to her teaching.
Her family told the court that Ms. Tabor had no apparent stresses in life that they knew of, was not short of money and had no dependents.
The evidence from Ms Tabor’s GP, at her home in Yeovil, Somerset, was that she had no known mental health problems and that there were no physical health problems that could have contributed to her suicide.
An investigation by Turkish authorities found no evidence of alcohol or drug use.
Excerpts from Mrs Tabor’s diaries were read in court, where she wrote about the Hindu goddess of death and destruction, and said: “I have done all the inner work possible and I am being called to a true calling.”
Assistant coroner Steve Cavell said the books contained a “pseudo-mystical religious theme”, which made mention of past lives and “spoke of suicide as a freedom”.
In a final tragic diary entry, Mrs. Tabor wrote: “I have tried everything except suicide. It’s my last roll of the dice.
Ms Tabor was found dead by a hotel cleaner on the morning of December 30, 2021 at the Atik Hotel in Istanbul, just days before she was due to return to the UK to visit her sister who had just given birth.
Relatives said when they spoke to Tabor on December 18 that there was no cause for concern and she had even promised to bring back Turkish delight.
In a final tragic diary entry, Mrs. Tabor wrote: “I have tried everything but suicide. It’s my last roll of the dice.
Cavell said that Tabor had “developed an interest in the spiritual world.” His diaries contained references to what appeared to be Hindu and Buddhist themes, concepts of birth and rebirth, of finding oneself, of fulfillment, and of leaving the past behind.
‘Her family believes she attended one or more retreats that may have affected her, but I am not making any conclusions about this because I have no evidence to do so and it is outside the scope of the investigation.
‘Towards the end of her life the diaries take on a darker tone and there is a suggestion that she became disillusioned with her relationships and that she felt she had been mistreated and that she had been naïve in looking for goodness in people.
‘I find that she intended to do what she did (and that) not only did she intend to perform the action she did, but that the action was intended to end her life.
‘This is supported by the entries in his last notebook, where he clearly indicates that he is thinking about taking his own life.
“This contradicts what he told his family in previous days, which is that he intended to see them again, particularly his sister who had just given birth, and I can’t explain it.
It is very possible that after talking to his family his mood darkened.
‘We don’t know Jo’s movements over the Christmas period. We know that he was in his room without anyone else between December 29 and 30, 2021.
‘While there are wider questions that remain unanswered in relation to his movements generally and in the months leading up to his death, I consider that I can answer legal questions.
“It would be wrong for me to speculate on other matters and I have no evidence to do so.”
- For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116123 or visit www.samaritans.org
