How to Prevent Another NXIVM: Allison Mack’s Licensing Solution

Allison Mack’s Raniere Solution: License All Spiritual Teachers

During Allison Mack’s conversation with her former Smallville costar, Michael Rosenbaum, she told him the solution.

She spent twelve years evangelizing for a group built on sexual servitude, coercive hierarchy, and the eroticized worship of a square-footed, strabismus-stricken, vanguard of small proportions, Keith Alan Raniere.

The problem was that both she and he lacked a license to do what they did.

Mack’s Proposal

“People should not be messing in your brain unless they have seven years at least of an education behind them,” Mack stated, her blink rate increasing as she spoke. “Teaching them how to be careful, how to be respectful, how to allow you your autonomy.”

She continued explaining to Rosenbaum: “There are so many self-help things out there now, which I think, you know, some of them are really good and are really helpful, but if somebody is insisting on getting really deep into your psyche, they should be licensed.”

Allison Mack by MK10ART

What Mack Did in DOS

Mack served as Raniere’s slave within NXIVM’s sorority, DOS (Dominus Obsequious Sororium). There, she followed Raniere as he commanded her to recruit women to be her unlicensed slaves, who would then be indirectly his slaves.

She, also without a license, probed deeply into their psyches to get them to be slaves for female empowerment.

Mack ushered women into branding sessions, where, unbeknownst to them, they were branded on their pubic region with Keith Raniere’s initials.

At Mack’s insistence, they provided blackmail-worthy material, like nude photos and confessions to foul deeds, whether they be true or false.

Mack also assigned them to seduce Raniere (which he found to be a charming feature of the teachings), and of which she told the women that they could obtain a higher order of spiritual consciousness.

Professional Standards in Mental Health

“Just because someone is good with a knife in the kitchen doesn’t mean they should be a surgeon,” Mack told Rosenbaum. “Just because someone is good at listening or good at talking doesn’t mean that they should be a therapist.”

“Just be wary of self-help gurus and the power that they say they have that’s unregulated.”

Mack sought her master-slave-master arrangement with Raniere. She wanted someone to provide the answers. She recruited women to be her slaves for life, and from whom she expected the same surrender for her to probe their psyche deeply.

Now she wants to see gurus like her (and Raniere) licensed.

She told Rosenbaum, “The mental landscape is so nuanced and delicate and we’re so flippant with it because we can’t touch it and see it.”

“There’s just there’s too much sensitivity to our psychology. That we don’t take care of in the way that we should.”

Current Licensing Framework

We license plumbers, contractors, doctors, lawyers, architects, and pilots.

Mack said, “I mean there’s so much regulation involved in being an LMFT or an LCSW, you know, and that those those safeguards are put in place for a reason so that people don’t get psychologically messed with.”

If we have LMFTs (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist) and LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) we would have:

LMT-S — Licensed Mindfulness Teacher (Spiritual) LDPA — Licensed Deep Psyche Advisor LCI — Licensed Consciousness Influencer LSP — Licensed Soul Practitioner LGM — Licensed Grand Master.

We license surgeons. Why don’t we license people who perform surgery on the mind?

And plumbers. Codes dictate pipe materials, joint methods, slope angles, and fixture placements. If Raniere had been licensed, the state could have told him what kind of spiritual pipeline he had to use, like branding with his full name spelled out instead of initials.

Shit flows downhill, as Raniere taught.

Mack on Brainwashing

Rosenbaum: “If I say to you, do you think you were brainwashed?”

Mack: “100%. 100%. 100%.”

She admits to being 100% brainwashed. But who brainwashed Raniere?

Still, it would have been ok if he were licensed: Keith Raniere, LCBW.

Mack lived on 500 calories a day because Keith brainwashed her. She ran five miles every morning. She slept three to five hours a night, recruited slaves, probed deeply into women’s psyches, and brainwashed them into branding.

In the end, she wasn’t disappointed because his teachings were stupid and manipulative. The problem wasn’t disillusionment. She was in it for life. Then she caught a break. The FBI arrested her. The state brainwashed her into taking a plea deal.

In 2019, Mack pleaded guilty to racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering. Her sentencing guidelines called for 14 years. The judge sentenced her to three years in prison. Now she is on probation. Her cooperation with prosecutors secured a punishment far lighter than what she might have faced.

Constitutional Considerations

Mack’s big challenge is the First Amendment, which prevents licensing religion or speech.

To overcome it, Mack would need to demonstrate that the state can license roles defined not by speech or conduct but by influence. A licensing system to ensure that only state-approved ideas about consciousness, meaning, and human potential reach the public because otherwise it might probe too deeply.

Defining the Scope of Regulation

The state must draw a legal line between licensed and unlicensed speech. Does a priest giving a sermon need a license? Yes. A rabbi teaching Torah? Yes. A life coach discussing purpose? A philosopher lecturing on meaning? Yes. Because what if he brainwashes you into doing something you later regret?

A friend offering deep advice over coffee? Maybe. What if this advice got deep into your psyche and you decided to change your life, chose not to marry and go to a monastery?

All 50 states license technical trades (doctors, lawyers, plumbers) with minor variation.

Each state could define “legitimate spirituality.”

There are things to work out, sure.

What if you sold all you had and gave it to the poor and went to Ethiopia to nurse the needy and feed the hungry with no thought of your future? But there are no licensed gurus in Ethiopia.

Establishing Standards

Which beliefs are safe to teach? The licensing board must answer questions such as: Does God exist? Is there an afterlife? What is the government-sanctioned path to enlightenment?

This could lead to licensing others who can get deep into your psyche:

Writers, Journalists, Publishers, Artists, Filmmakers, Songwriters, Photographers, Historians, Preachers, Rabbis, Motivational speakers, Podcasters, Comedians.

Historical Examples of Unlicensed Practice

Look at all the trouble unlicensed gurus caused in the past:

Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, Moses, Confucius, Socrates, Gandhi and many more.

International Best Practices

History offers examples of how societies have addressed the challenge of unregulated gurus.

The Soviet Union approached the issue systematically by identifying forms of thought that fell outside authorized frameworks. By doing so, it reduced ideological uncertainty and ensured that citizens operated within a shared understanding of reality.

In the 1930s, Germany refined the process by establishing formal boundaries for spiritual and intellectual authority. Clergy and psychologists were brought into alignment with approved principles, and speculative teachings that conflicted with prevailing doctrine were curtailed. This helped maintain coherence and prevent confusion.

China has adopted a jurisdictional model, requiring spiritual movements to function within recognized state structures. This approach promotes order, accountability, and social harmony by ensuring that belief systems operate transparently and under supervision.

Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan have further developed this framework through state-licensed clerical systems, supported by enforcement mechanisms designed to preserve doctrinal integrity. These measures reduce ambiguity and protect the public from unauthorized interpretations.

Proven Enforcement Models

Earlier enforcement efforts were demonstrably effective.

Jesus was formally addressed for deviations from accepted teaching and removed from circulation.

Socrates underwent a legal review for improper instruction and was required to comply with the prescribed outcome.

Joan of Arc was found to have engaged in unsanctioned spiritual communication and was removed following formal proceedings.

In America, it has worked too. The witch trials substantially reduced unlicensed practice. Today, witches no longer pose a meaningful social problem.

Oversight and Credentialing Authority

Standards would be set by those most qualified to do so.

Expert administrators within government agencies would evaluate eligibility. State licensing boards, staffed by experienced lawyers and regulatory professionals, would ensure consistency.

Legislative committees would provide democratic legitimacy. Regulatory officials would oversee compliance and continuous improvement.

Guaranteed Outcomes

Rather than each person struggling to find a guru or religion, the government would determine which beliefs are acceptable.

Outcomes long promised by figures such as Buddha or Jesus would no longer be left to chance.

Just as income redistribution ensures economic security, licensed belief redistribution would ensure spiritual results. The final destination—nirvana, heaven, or an approved alternative—would be administered fairly and delivered consistently, with guidance from qualified professionals.

Enlightenment would be guaranteed to everyone.

Related story: Body Language Expert: Allison Mack Shows Signs of Lying About NXIVM Branding

Frank Parlato

Frank Parlato is an investigative journalist, media strategist, publisher, and legal consultant.

Frank Parlato

Frank Parlato is an investigative journalist, media strategist, publisher, and legal consultant.

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