What Happened to Orgasmic Meditation (OM)?

Orgasmic Meditation (OM) emerged in the early 2000s as a practice centered on a 15-minute clitoral stimulation, aiming to foster mindfulness, connection, and sexual wellness. It was popularized by OneTaste, a company co-founded in San Francisco in 2004 by Nicole Daedone and Robert Kandell. The company quickly gained traction, attracting media attention, including a 2009 New York Times profile, and endorsements from celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Khloe Kardashian, expanding its reach with locations across the United States and in London.

However, OneTaste's rapid growth was shadowed by mounting controversies. A 2018 Bloomberg exposé detailed allegations of 'sexual servitude and five-figure debts' among former members, triggering an FBI investigation into potential sex trafficking, prostitution, and labor law violations. The company subsequently closed all its U.S. locations and ceased in-person classes, eventually rebranding as 'The Institute of OM' by 2022. The controversies were further highlighted in the 2022 Netflix documentary, 'Orgasm Inc: The Story of OneTaste,' which explored the company's rise and the disturbing allegations from former participants.

The legal consequences escalated in June 2023 when Nicole Daedone and Rachel Cherwitz, OneTaste's former Head of Sales, were indicted on federal charges of forced labor conspiracy. Prosecutors argued that Daedone and Cherwitz orchestrated a years-long scheme, employing psychological, emotional, and financial coercion to manipulate vulnerable individuals into performing labor and sexual acts for the company's benefit, including servicing prospective investors and clients. The defense maintained that OneTaste promoted women's empowerment and that the consensual acts were part of a wellness practice.

Following a five-week trial, a federal jury in Brooklyn convicted both Daedone and Cherwitz of forced labor conspiracy in June 2025. On March 30, 2026, Daedone was sentenced to nine years in federal prison and ordered to forfeit $12 million, the amount she received from selling her stake in OneTaste in 2017. Cherwitz received a sentence of six and a half years, and seven victims were awarded approximately $890,000 in restitution. The presiding judge, Diane Gujarati, noted Daedone's apparent lack of remorse, stating that her actions were 'criminal.'

As of August 2026, Nicole Daedone remains incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn, while her legal team focuses on appealing her conviction. Despite the convictions and imprisonment of its key figures, the practice of Orgasmic Meditation continues to be promoted by entities operating under names like 'The Institute of OM,' 'Eros Platform,' and 'Team Nicole.' These organizations reportedly leverage social media, virtual reality, computer-generated imagery, and large language models to feature the image and likeness of Daedone and Cherwitz in their ongoing promotional efforts. The legal outcome has sparked debate regarding the boundaries of consent and the criminalization of beliefs, with some legal experts raising concerns about the precedent set by the forced labor conviction. There are also reports of efforts to seek a presidential pardon for Daedone.