But today, as will be discussed below, it is the general professional view these rehabs were, and are, not necessary, many people went to them for escape, without really major addiction, fueled by the publicity when Nancy Regean unnecessarily went and Green Bay quarterback Bret Farve went to one believing he was addicted to pain pills. That's our job, to love this [child] fiercely and protect it. Even today, some ex Synanon members, including many who had claimed they were harmed and/or were critical upon leaving, have played an on-line version with each other that slowly brought them back into the fold, confessing what others want to hear and afraid to say what they dont. I also believed that Synanons many clones, adding doctors, and other proper variations, had established successful drug rehabilitation. For Jollett, experiencing his dad's love was a life-changing experience. Spankings with paddles often drew blood and Phil Williams was beaten to death in the ring. It was bizarre, surreal,and violent it was not a school in any stretch of the imagination. But it is a calculated risk we take. There were countless communes and entities much larger that took in people of all races. WebSurvivors report physical abuse, exploitation (human trafficking), and several types of psychological torment, including harsh discrimination and LGBTQ+ conversion therapy. This issue obviously needs further elaboration and research, but there are suggestions that there are age limits below which this form of treatment is contraindicated. Today there is argument, but generally it only comes from true believers like Janzen or long time residents who once condemned Synanon, , but now in their old age, as is generally the final stage for victims of brainwashing, per Dr. Lifton, rewrite their memories so each night they are at peace with what they took part in, including, if not outright participating, knowing of the Imperial Marines and all the beatings. I am also assuming that you have learned some of these things since you wrote this post-as I have seen some things you have written since that I was quite impressed by. **, Guy Endores book, Synanon, noted ex-members very early complained that Dederich had forced out the original Board of Directors and replaced them with hand picked trained seals. . Many people who grew up in the cult remember being abused, abandoned and malnourished as children. "I think the insight for me was I always loved her, she just wasn't very good at loving me. Originally a nonviolent group, Diedrich created the Imperial Marines to maintain orderwithin and outside of the community. The example story might be that of Joe Musico and Lance Kenton. It gives an unvarnished accounting of the psychopath Joe Ricci who founded the Elan Corporation. Further, history has taught me that what I usually suspected turned out to be accurate. The problem of these programs was it was believed it was justified to use any means, denying human and civil rights and treating people who didnt need treatment; all this done without any proof that behavior modification programs ever worked. First, while our government says that all people are equal the fact is they are not born equal. "I became very interested in the idea of buried history, all the ways that we as children were told things that were patently untrue, and that we believed them," says Jollett, whose book will publish on May 26, just after the same-titled album. Further it established shelter and group support could aid those truly wanting to stop. At the heart of the Cedu program was a philosophy that had grown out of various self-help movements of the 1960s and 70s, such as Lifespring, Werner Erhards EST, and most directly, from Charles E. Dederichs Synanon cult, church, and street-level heroin-cure program. I find I edit better after I posted and edited this one about 5 times so far. Kimberly Stafford, the Vision Quest counselor who was driving the supply vehicle, was convicted of careless driving. The entirety of my writings say the same thing. While Jollett's time in the cult was traumatizing, he reveals that after his mother escaped with him and his brother when they were 5 and 7, life didn't get much better: He recounts watching their roommate, a man who'd also escaped Synanon, being beaten nearly to death in broad daylight. Elan generated very large tax revenues for the state of Maine. Further, Yablonsky married a Synanon woman and admitted he felt any attack on Synanon was an attack on her. The Hammer Podcast. In the introduction I asked the question was Charles Dederich just another sociopath who rose to power or was he a Jedi Knight seduced by the Dark Side. It is true, we are lied to, propagandized and subject to many attempts to have us all think the same way. Looking back, I think my brother was appropriately angry with the adults.". History is full of similar situations, with similar results, where the group eventually mutated out of its violent stageslike Christianity and Mormons. still, we had not had a good Republican president since Eisenhower. When Michelle ran out of water, a counselor told the other hikers not to share, and joked that Michelles parched mouth was so white it looks like youve been eating marshmallows. After complaining she couldnt see, Michelle collapsed and died of dehydration. .relinquish all independence and subjugate themselves to these staff and senior residents, accepting humiliation and total control of their lives even to the extent of accepting complete direction of their sex lives. WebNeed your help! As such they were just like the many other children born into the cult. According to newspaper articles of the day he has publicly disclosed, Ive smoked pot, popped pills, but none of the hard stuff. Hereceived a degree in psychology from a mail-order company in Florida. You might call that egotistical, but I felt I had that knowledge because I had engaged so many. The truth is Santa Monica was enforcing a valid zoning prohibition. Synanon was the first therapeutic community devoted to the treatment of the drug addicted according to the Encyclopedia of Drugs and Alcohol, which is edited by the first White House Drug Czar, per Wes Fager, who also noted Dr. Jerome Jaffe stated Synanon is the prototype of the drug-related therapeutic community-a community where the addict surrenders all aspects of his life, except one-the right to leave. Fager further noted Bratter and Forrest write that In less than a quarter of a century, the American self-help residential therapeutic community has come to span the globe. Unlike Janzen, I was not looking for fans from any groups, but to record the knowledge I obtained so it might benefit others, as well as presenting an interesting read. Barker had been arrested at age 16 for burglary and when he was 18 he was charged with assault and robbery, for which he joined the Army a few days later and then went AWOL. Arbitrarily, I would say that young persons under 16 years of age should be excluded from these programs and that careful evaluation be given admitting persons between 16 and 18 years of age . Chosen Survivors, regia di Sutton Roley (1974) Inn of the Damned, regia di Terry Bourke (1975) Aquila grigia il grande capo dei Cheyenne (Greyeagle), regia di Charles B. Her alleged crimepetty theft. WebSynanon eventually unraveled in a series of assaults and attempted murder. While the abuse in Synanon was bad enough, it pails in comparison to a stream of sociopaths who hijacked the system to become Millionaires through the abuse of children; in some cases even as morally deprived as organizations that kidnap children and sell them for profit. They covered his mouth with a hand and forced him to inhale ammonia, which caused spasm of his vocal cords and prevented him from being able to inhale. Being a journalist, I find this approach, which was not just unique with him, disappointing and when we realize there are a lot of people like that, he creates a problem for researchers trying to ascertain history. He had beaten me time wise. When he begged to see a doctor, the staff sneered at him and called him a faker and asked him if he were homosexual.. That is, she was forced to run in the summer sun until she collapsed, and then she was left laying in the hot sun until she died. Nov 04, 2017 Daina Fanning rated it really liked it. No one knows the actual final fate of the 19. And I still do. Despite this, despite the warnings of so many other notables, despite Art Barkers total lack of credentials and less than admirable past, The Seed received a $1.8 million U.S. government grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) soon after it opened. I listened to countless game tapes. In 1971, the federal government, through he second White House Drug Czar, Robertq L. Dupont, Jr. MD. Elan was known of using such standards as haircut, pull- up, the game and humiliating signs; but added a boxing ring for resisters to be plummeted by bigger guys until a bloody confession was extracted, regardless of its truth. Students quickly found themselves in a new, strange, uncomfortable and often frightening world of intense group relationships and heightened, invasive and violent group therapies. Posted by 6 years ago. And that was great. It just seems monstrous.". Congratulations. I further told him that UCLA records were selective and I alone had Synanons internal documents which tells another story. is probably the most clear and present danger the presidential office ever faced. I was also impressed by stories I was told about the early days and when the Synanon website first started it had lot of anger expressed towards Dederich. Nonprofit Organization. I immediately sensed he was writing a book in which he was avoiding obtaining information that might challenge his view. I am still not in the same league with Dr. Robert Jay Lifton, nor the late Margaret Singer, but what all of us shared was a hands-on experience. A Violent, Deadly Cult With Forced Abortions and Shades of Scientology FOLLOW THE LEADER San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images A scheme that was illegal, it led to arrests in Arizona. But generally, as to your comment, my book was not in disagreement. The methods the religious community used to break down the members are still used in rehab facilities across the United States. And of course, this was what was best in early Synanon, i.e., peers to talk to and help if the craving starts; also support when kicking cold turkey, food and a roof. Education website. Now that Jollett is a father he has a 3-year-old son and 3-month-old daughter with wife Lizette he says that his life has undergone another transformation. No doubt their belief in Synanon was so strong that they had a good influence on others, but unfortunately they were also subjected to the Synanon system which from the early days warned of the enemy at the door (which Dederich eventually confessed at deposition he made up to bond followers), and later declared that you could never go home or contact outsiders. Unfortunately as I learned what happened in clones and wilderness programs, people not only did not learn from that history, a book like Janzens can help fuel the continuation of its tragedies. A 15-year-old boy died from a staph infection at a Colorado wilderness program. All throughout history when the same mix occurs so do the same results. In 2007 I did a report for the court on how generations of children in one-family were disordered from the German background of the grandmother who went from aristocratic to holocaust survivor. At one time, the view I had was believing that brainwashing was probably an ideal cure, but at what cost? ), "He loved us, he hugged us, he kissed us," says Jollett, who was prompted to write Hollywood Park after his father's death. How all of this occurred is set forth in the first book So Fair a House by Dr. Casriel. My generation while agreeing with womens rights, still suffered from being raised in families where the mother was to obey the man, and frankly didnt know what to do. WebSynanon sought religious status in 1974, with Diedrich as its leader. A business illiterate, I dont know an invoice from a purchase order or the difference between shipped and delivered. The bad publicity led some supporters, Melvin and Betty Sembler of The Seed to create a copycat organization under a different name Straight Inc.but employed Du Point as a consultant. If you examine the full context, Janzen avoided anything that might lead him to information contrary to the views he wanted to present. Both are real experiences, but which is more important to learn from. But acts I have stated, the comments on the site are limited to questions, the presentations of facts, challenges to events, additions and/or support, but but attacks on people who present their information will not be permitted. Elan maybe closed though we as survivors are not finished ,we are still seeking justice, and we demand justice for those that did not survive. I think he recognized, 'Oh, is this one going to become an addict, too? It was far from being just Synanon. In 1984 a federal jury in Alexandria, Virginia awarded Fred Collins, Jr. $220,000 for being falsely imprisoned at Straight.Inc. Those who chose to reject his ideas were removed. The founder, Charles Dederich, ordered his cult followers to divorce and swap partners, with more than 200 couples complying. And I really try to do that," Jollett says. Further, I wrote that the study of cults is studying a microcosm of the greater society. As to the last presidential election, I agree that bigotry raised its ugly head. Comments here are for input, questions, and providing of facts. Im so grateful, thankful & PROUD of everyone who made this happen!!! I let yours stand this time because it is so clearly speaks of the speaker not the subject. I'm going to rise up above all this kind of stuff, and I'm going to take care of everyone. Kids were assaulted and restrained without cause and all the rest. In the book The Tunnel Back Yablonsky, Dederich and another Dr. discuss that the Synanon system is similar to Dr. Liftons discussion of Chinese brainwashing. there is little value in replying to you because you dont have what Dederich would call the thinking tools. You say there are lies But you dont list them. Brill studied 2,100 admissions to Phoenix House and found a 96% drop out rate, and of the 4% who graduated, 25% had become staff there. And in March she went, flying into Georgetown with her family, a few friends, and Jordan During these group assaults on individual residents in the hot seat, especially newcomers, any castigation and ridicule appear to come from the whole community of clients. But before I wrote this, there were many before me who wrote the same thing trying to put an end to the warped Synanon system that as Dederich said was based on hate. Also, if a person made that choice sincerely, that person may have a better chance of succeeding in an environment with supporting persons and ex-addicts urging of them on while removing competing problems of how to support themselvessuch as a housing, friends and a job. 479 members Join group About this group Anybody who's been touched by The SYNANON Cult as well as anybody who's suffered ANY TTI programs or institutional abuse youre welcome, as well See more Private You think I didnt experience Synanon, but I did. Ofshe further pointed out Dr. Casreil who wrote the first Synanon book also reported similar short-term stats: 102 stayed 3 months and most who stayed longer were gone within a year. Ultimately, as stated above, Dederich would testify they never knew how to cure a dope fiend and nobody does. He wrote that, High discipline programs usually employ the confrontive Synanon game-a leaderless group encounter session to create aggressive and provocative interchange, using ridicule, cross examination and hostile attack. Many of these, however, were more like resorts for the rich and famous and charged $30,000 a month. I wrote that cults are just microcosms of greater societies. For more than a decade, a Tucson nonprofit drug-treatment center Children of Synanon John Dougherty October 10, 1996 4:00AM The story sounds diabolical. I don't know. By 1975 Barker had opened four expansion Seeds, but in 1974 both houses of the US Congress had investigated and made the brainwashing charges., Wrote Fager: Despite the fact that the only way Synanon Church could keep addicts off drugs was to keep them at Synanon foreverthat is Synanon was a cultand despite Synanons sordid pastSynanon was a violent cultthe idea of the Game became the basis for a new breed of therapy where the addict himself helps in his own recovery just as Chinese thought reform students help in their own recovery. Couples complying not had a good Republican president since Eisenhower federal jury in Alexandria, Virginia awarded Fred Collins Jr.... Challenge his view comments here are for input, questions, and other proper variations, had successful! Synanons many clones, adding doctors, and I 'm going to take of! Was appropriately angry with the adults. ``, Yablonsky married a Synanon woman and admitted he any. 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