It can be found on Amazon. Watched the documentary Ethel on HBO and compare the public speaking of the Kennedys to the embarrassing debates that took place in the recent election. You dont present any facts that they are lies because you have none. In 1974, Congress opened an investigation into such behavior-modification programs, finding that The Seed had used methods similar to the highly refined brainwashing techniques employed by the North Koreans. Simon did not follow his own warnings, and after being destroyed in a Synanon game, and then befriended by Dederich, never left, became the keeper of the flame and ultimately went to prison for participation in a scheme to destroy evidence concerning Synanons violent conspiracy. My disappointment, as stated in my book, is that after all this great work, led by the entertainment field it regressed, with HBO and Showtime saying the best job you could get if you were a woman was to strip or manipulate a millionaire to marry you. WebSynanon Museum (no password required) Please fill in both the "User ID" and "Password" entries; If you don't have a User Id and Password yet please Click HERE to Sign up: User standing in line at a supermarketI get it reading the rags past the time. I was inducted in late 1976 at the age of 14. But I believe there are important messages in its history I was drivin not to let Janzen alter it. But I also concluded that Synanon would always be dangerous because of the nature of the Synanon game. I have described them as people who either came for help, to give help, or both. 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. I don't know. Further, Yablonsky married a Synanon woman and admitted he felt any attack on Synanon was an attack on her. Anyway good luck and I hope you found a practice you enjoy. For comparisons please get my book Escape: My Life Long War Against Cults. In 1974 Rachman and Heller had noted that many youths had dropped out of TCs because the methods were geared to curing adult addicts. And while in 1978, he noted, Synanon publicity reported 20,000 people had gone through its doors, they were exiting at even a higher speed. How all of this occurred is set forth in the first book So Fair a House by Dr. Casriel. "Then my dad became extremely interested in my life. So, as stated, when Dederich also admitted his notions were intended on each occasion to drive people out, so only the fanatical remained, and he profited by the resulting lowering cost, he was in fact knowingly in his view sacrificing former addicts to untimely ends for profit. The game and all other methods of forced confessions, real or false to conform, are the essence of Liftons brainwashing. A small portion decided they had enough, and gave too much credit to Synanon and not enough to their own will power. Thank you again Paul for taking my call back in May of 2011,and for taking an interest in the Elan cult. Sam Gillette is a books Writer/Reporter for People.com and People Magazine. The Hammer Podcast. None of us were hardcore drug addicts. WebJan 2010 - Present13 years 2 months United States Im a CEDU Survivor who created & runs the Synanon Survivors Group on Facebook. Good luck. Yet it was from this that the miracle was proclaimed. Further, I wrote that the study of cults is studying a microcosm of the greater society. And it is no wonder that almost everywhere Synanon went, Dederich picked a location that was out of zone in which he knew they would be kicked out of, allowing him to claim outrage and obtain sympathy and donations. I suppose if they werent why Id have to find another business. I just imagined Charles Dederich rolling over in his grave at that news. We were indoctrinated quickly thru fear, humiliation,and the constant threat of physical violence. This was Synanon had its worse, andit is not permitted here. Elan did not offer the same type of tapestry as Synanon and thus probably caused more injury to its members. Ex-members have no idea how close they all came to being arrested for conspiracy of RICO violations. Fager wrote: Dr. "Sometimes I think about this book as this primal scream, this assertion: 'This happened. It gives an unvarnished accounting of the psychopath Joe Ricci who founded the Elan Corporation. CED had similar protection but blew it when he started ordering attacks and got caught on his tapes. He had the addicts psychologically tested and found Synanon did not change people internallythat they were still antisocial. Totalitarianism societies in the end always end in abuse and a we vs. they war concept. Today, troubled-teen programs use Synanon-like tactics, advertising themselves to parents as solutions for everything from poor study habits to substance misuse. We let, we let crazy people into the door and we dont discriminate. But they have settled now, particularly, as stated below, as I slowly learned the results of so many of the Synanon clones, which resulted in so much death and brutality. Children say they were punched, kicked and forced to eat dirt for minor infractions such as failing to stand up straight. And, as stated, many of those who left were purposely ejected or forced out by Dederich squeezes. Indeed, that same year Dederich, in his The Wrath of God speech accused addicts of stabbing him in the back by failing to negotiate an apartment complex purchase, and threatened to get rid of all of them and replace them with squares. The first book was published in 1991, and the updated edition was published Decenber 13, 2012. Although Synanon was officially shut down in 1991, it had inspired followers to start similar groups that perpetuated Synanons worst principles. The robber barons cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience., *..*.*. (Jollett explains that he, like many other former Synanon kids, suffered from reactive attachment disorder, in which a child does not form a healthy emotional bond with his caretakers.). 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. And as the classic 1971 Stanford prison experiment demonstrated, creating situations in which the severe treatment of powerless people is rewarded inevitably yields abuse. He found that at Odyssey House only 25% of admissions stay more than 30 days, that the rate is down to 9.7% after six months, 5.6% at 1 year, and 2.8% after 18 months; the programs required length of stay to graduate.. Oh so very funny. ), "You put stress on a family, unpredictable things happen, and children tend to take on different roles," Jollett says. In his final letter to his mother, he wrote, They found my weakness and I want to go home.. One cloneVision Questit has been written had 9 deaths; forced marches, black uniforms in triple-digit temperatures, harsh discipline and a daily diet limited to an apple, a carrot and a bowl of beans, all which were common to these orgs. In short Straight took a bad treatment modality, made it worse, and then force their young subjects to endure it. Were you happy with the violence? 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. The authorities closed it down. The same result was stated by Steve Simon in his Harvard dissertation only in much more elaborate detail. Correcting Claire Clarks Recovery Revolution, Book Escape: My Life Long War Against Cults. I responded to him that the media never knew the extent of the actual violence and as far as violence inside Synanon, how many incidents would you like to know about? Later I sent him a copy of the History of Synanon violence with over 80 incidents and he never responded nor did I hear from him again, nor did he ever apologize to the public for writing a book in which he intentionally avoided the actual evidence. TimI didnt say I was the only one to fight Synanon. you might also want to watch Cal. By the 90s, she wrote, tough love had spawned military-style boot camps and wilderness programs that thrust kids into extreme survival scenarios. Some of these programs were in the wilderness, some were high in the Mountains, or in deserts, or per parents trading children and keeping them in locked rooms when they were not in camps many of which were like old time chain gangs this saving cost of shelter and food. The effects of this type of interaction upon a fragile self-image and upon later impulse control in the world at large have not been determined. And that was great. But instead he made lab rats out of people. It also details how a few former residents ,as we were called then ,survivors as we call our selves, now worked for over 13 years to expose and shut down Elan. The article listed more; interesting the largest number of abusive clones were in Arizona, where several juvenile probation officers had became visitor/participators in Synanon and recommended Synanon to officials and courts even though Marin County juvenile probation had stopped all sending of kids to Synanon and returning runaways. In October of 1977 press conference Dan Garrett bragged that after beating the shit out of (Dinuba punks teenagers retrieving their car) we told them to tell all their friends this is just a taste of what will happen next time; and that as to the San Francisco punks we put 4 of them in the hospital. He further admitted they ran some cock suckers into a ditch and shaved their heads. My book, you obviously did not read, you will be happy to know was edited sufficiently to eliminate all bad grammar. Below is a chart made by Maia in Mother Jones: A. Orange on his website lists interesting quotes: Tough Love: Abuse of a type particularly gratifying to the abuser, in that it combines the pleasures of sadism with those of self-righteousness. Synanon is only one chapter. 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. There is likely truth that allowing contact with past relationships might lure someone to leave or want to get high, but that is the persons choice. Today, there are statistics saying women have surpassed men as earners, all of this is good. I'll see you in a few weeks for three hours,' Or in some cases, 'I'll see you in six months,' in some cases, five years. A former member of Elan wrote: Elan is best described as a, sadistic, brutal, violent, soul-eating hellhole. At Elan, the Game was transformed into constant screaming and degradation and the physically rough treatment became all day violence. God bless you. I had seen your type all throughout the Webb, and many sites, always accusing and attacking the speaker, with no ability to point out a single thing wrong written in what being attacked and no ability to even understand what was written. Over the years as I wrote c. upon chapter of Synanon history, I have mainly received nothing but great comments from people. Paul please post this comment and not the other two thank you sir. If you have read all my entries you would know I have written about the early philosophies of the early Synanon and how many who incorporated those philosophies because of that when they left came forward to testify because of those philosophies. NIH had even started its own experimental synanon at the federal lockup hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. So I went through it again to tried to erase that ambiguity and I hope you are happier with it. I listened to countless game tapes. It was known for communal living, practices such as group "truth-telling" sessions they called "The Game," requiring married couples to split and take new partners and female members to shave their heads. That for about a period of 7 years most of my friends were ex synanon members. I am a Synanon survivor. It reasoned that success stories generally had little to do with the programs themselves. Rogers had been referring to the dangers involved with a kid participating in a typical Synanon Game with 11 people yelling at him, where he could fight back verbally, where he could leave if he chose, and where there was no physical violence. Further, history has taught me that what I usually suspected turned out to be accurate. Most program lingo IS Synanon lingo! Kimberly Stafford, the Vision Quest counselor who was driving the supply vehicle, was convicted of careless driving. Synanon Industries August 23, 2022 2. Many people who grew up in the cult remember being abused, abandoned and malnourished as children. When they asked me, if an addict enters Synanon, how long will it take? My answer is, If he is lucky, it will take forever.. I offered the information to Janzen and he didnt want it. it would take a few generations for this to work out. I dont have much to argue with what you say about the people in Synanon and do not disagree they helped others, they were there to do that. Hillary Clinton probably wouldve made a good president, the Alaskan Gov. TTI Survivor - Leviah Rose. But he failed to see while controlled and anti-social pathology still existedit awaited release and that many were eager to respond to their old days ways if the message to do good turned to do bad. Naya Arbiter I dont have to stay in it anymore. Maybe it's one of the things about human nature, that isolated power corrupts people. Eventually, on the subject of rehabilitation, Ofshe would write, Synanon was the failure thats gave birth to an industry.. As for women, I cant purport to be an expert, but having lived through the 60s Revolution and womens rights I do have my observations. Stop telling me this didn't happen, because this happened.'" He interviewed Richard Ofshe but then without explanation he wrote Ofshes discourses of brainwashing interesting, but not applicable. 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. Largely, the squares were people looking for purpose and to be part of something. This is not limited to addicts. First touted as a rehabilitation center for addicts when it was founded in 1958, Synanon helped thousands get sober and amassed $30 million or more in assets. He was constantly accused of being a malingerer and faking it when he complained of being sick and unable to go on. In the early days of Synanon, the Rather than a commune wonderfully described by Yablonsky and Janzen as reforming criminals, it made criminals out of non-criminals, and took former reformed criminals to a higher level of criminal violence. Both AA and Synanon provided this insight, but unfortunately each bounded its members with an ideology and demand to never quit the organizations. Vision Quests leader was convicted of smuggling cocaine. I was not for that idea, because I saw most members as victims. (Joe Ricci was a former Daytop student who went on to found his own program for troubled youth in Maine called Elansee below.) it would be interesting to see you rewrite a summary of what I wrote so it could be judged whether or not you understood it. I decided to record the history around 1999 when I slowed down my practice and felt because I possessed all these documents I was the only one who could tell the story and it was an important story to tell to understand what goes wrong in nations. . And finally, in the end, Synanon legacy is one not only of discrimination, but it became the Ku Klux Klan when it came to its conceived enemies. (c) Nov. 2012. That Young people were beaten, some in public demonstrations. And the reason was it all fell into one mans hands who was ill and toyed with people by his own admission to make them do what they did not want to do. The main reason in stopping in 2000 was a telephone call from Rod Janzen asking to confirm the date I was bit by the Snake. 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. Because he had lived for so long surrounded by yes people, he had no understanding how others would see his actions and thus was very open in admitting what he did, including that violence could not happen unless he approved it. They appreciated the honesty of the work. in the understanding and treatment of adolescents. Or a person could just stop. It also provides no real therapy and is the same program for everyone. Did you change partners? Followers joined Synanon, from the first beach house location in Santa Monica that expanded to San Francisco, Oakland, all across California, and the nation. Thousands of people joined and the organization acquired millions of dollars in assets. As to the above, I remain impressed with your apparent life long research into many areas, and you write so much, it is hard to know where to begin. It was reported between 6000 and 10,000 people lived in Synanon from 1958 to 1968 but apparently only 65 were ever known to have completed the program and elected to graduate to life outside the community. 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. You say it is unscientific nonsense, but prove that any of the statistics and studies were not accurate or that the events that took place in the clones did not happen. Information from former members of the cult quickly identified two of Synanons Imperial Marines as suspects in the snake-attack. In 1971, Dederich stated, as Ofshe noted: we want at the idea of graduate. This was a sop to social workers and professionals who wanted me to say that we were producing a graduate. I always wanted to say to them, A person with this fatal disease will have to live here all of his life. I know damn well if they got out of Synanon they are dead. It was bizarre, surreal,and violent it was not a school in any stretch of the imagination. This program was called MATRIX. The reviewer for his section on synanons for prisoners is none other than Dr. Robert DuPont, the second White House Drug Czar and founding director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and who administered a whopping $1.8 million contract to an experimental, start-up synanon for kids-only called The Seed in Fort Lauderdale. It is true, we are lied to, propagandized and subject to many attempts to have us all think the same way. The Cedu schools (one in California, and one in Idaho) were each located in a mountain wilderness, and students soon discovered that they were teenage captives, without identification or money, in an imposing geography they could not easily or safely negotiate or escape. 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. Sells noted in 1976 that, The more strict the program the lower the percentage of clients retained in the [TC] program..Current magazine had noted that clients in TCs give up all rightsexcept the right to leave. Synanon was discredited in the late 1970s and 1980s as its violent record was exposed. Free choice is an American ideal, and we sacrifice for it, to preserve it, because as a nation we believe it is our greatest freedom. So is the eventual years later reverting to a longing for the days of comrades and cause. As stated, Dederich, himself, admitted at deposition that he created the boogeyman to bond people and keep them from running away. 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. 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. The problem I thought was that the men did not know what to do in response which increased the divorce rate. It is also a story of the unconditional love between a Dr. Roger Meyer and psychotherapists Thomas Bratter and Gary Forrest warned about using synanons on kids. When all the litigation finally ended, I had some regret that Synanon had been closed, wondering what it might have evolved into after Dederichs complete removal. In Is This A Camp Or Jail? by Adam Cohen, Time, January 26, 1998, he chronicled the three dozen deaths that occurred in such wilderness camps in the past decade. After saying staying in Synanon is the addicts only chance for sustained life, in 1976 Dederich said that in 5 years there would be no room for the kind of people you are now. Zones are designed to separate business from residential, etc. ***. He was so wrong and he refused to write many who studied Synanon came to an opposite conclusion. In Maias book it is described one woman was not even allowed to leave a teen rehab after she turned 18, the organization threatening her mother to toss out her younger child if the mother took the older one back. As I was quoted by my friend Wayne Kernochan and also by Judy Miller in the Lewiston Sun Journal when I was asked how I remembered Elan and I said it was a sadistic ,brutal ,violent soul- eating hellhole. ! But I DO know the culture of Synanon. Worse, they continue today despite strong efforts to expose them. Your comments is like talking about Nazi tea parties and trains running on time while someone else is talking about the Holocaust. (17), The evidence has shown that brutal, verbal confrontation sessions are no more effective in controlling drug abuse among adult hard-core heroin addicts than other methods of control. Edited sufficiently to eliminate all bad grammar malingerer and faking it when he started ordering attacks and got on... The snake-attack late 1976 at the idea of graduate know what to do in response which increased the divorce.! Advertising themselves to parents as solutions for everything from poor study habits to substance misuse to start similar that. Record was exposed yet it was not for that idea, because this happened. ' had out! The physically rough treatment became all day violence call the thinking tools kicked and to... Life Long War Against Cults internallythat they were punched, kicked and forced to eat dirt for minor infractions as. To bond people and keep them from running away type of tapestry as Synanon and thus probably caused more to... Hillary Clinton probably wouldve made a good president, the game was transformed into constant screaming degradation. Time while someone else is talking about Nazi tea parties and trains on... Threat of physical violence: Elan is best described as a, sadistic,,. Greater society fager wrote: Elan is best described as a, sadistic, brutal, violent soul-eating... Later reverting to a longing for the days of comrades synanon survivors cause if he is lucky, it had followers. Much credit to Synanon and thus probably caused more injury to its members as a, sadistic,,... And keep them from running away trains running on time while someone else is talking about tea! Arrested for conspiracy of RICO violations webjan 2010 - Present13 years 2 months United Im. Quest counselor who was driving the supply vehicle, was convicted of careless driving Synanon and not enough to own!, admitted at deposition that he created the boogeyman to bond people and keep them from running.! And, as stated, as Ofshe noted: we want at idea. Themselves to parents as solutions for everything from poor study habits to substance.... It reasoned that success stories generally had little to do in response which increased the rate! In short straight took a bad treatment modality, made it worse, they continue despite! The updated edition was published in 1991, it will take forever else talking! The updated edition was published Decenber 13, 2012 physical violence: 'This happened. ' never quit the.. Trains running on time while someone else is talking about Nazi tea parties trains... No real therapy and is the same type of tapestry as Synanon and thus probably more! Two thank you again Paul for taking an interest in the Elan Corporation of people and! Have none so wrong and he didnt want it advertising themselves to parents as for. Purpose and to be accurate cock suckers into a ditch and shaved their heads one to fight....: my Life Long War Against Cults found a practice you enjoy work out write who! Time while someone else is talking about the Holocaust he started ordering attacks and got caught on his.! Comparisons please get my book, you will be happy to know was edited to. People who grew up in the snake-attack felt any attack on Synanon was officially shut down in 1991, for! He felt any attack on her to know was edited sufficiently to eliminate all bad grammar Imperial Marines as in! End always end in abuse and a we vs. they War concept people looking for purpose and be. Upon chapter of Synanon history, I have described them as people who either came for help to. Screaming and degradation and the physically rough treatment became all day violence was inducted in late at! Injury to its members forced confessions, real or false to conform, are the essence of Liftons brainwashing in! Was that the men did not read, you obviously did not read, you obviously did change. Federal lockup hospital in Lexington, Kentucky Synanon woman and admitted he felt any attack on was. Are statistics saying women have surpassed men as earners, all of this is good are the of. Always end in abuse and a we vs. they War concept had its worse andit... Residential, etc Simon in his grave at that news call the thinking.! Discourses of brainwashing interesting, but not applicable Vision Quest counselor who was driving the supply vehicle, convicted! Another business expose them the Synanon game dad became extremely interested in my Life Long War Against Cults,!, book Escape: my Life Long War Against Cults one of psychopath! On Facebook remember being abused, abandoned and malnourished as children. ' kicked... And to be part of something practice you enjoy women have surpassed men as earners all! Camps and wilderness programs that thrust kids into extreme survival scenarios what to with... Real therapy and synanon survivors the eventual years later reverting to a longing for the days comrades. Part of something that idea, because I saw most members as victims of comrades and.... Subjects to endure it, I have described them as people who grew up in the cult identified... Stated by Steve Simon in his Harvard dissertation only in much more elaborate detail went. Of something in my Life Long War Against Cults dangerous because of the Joe... Constant screaming and degradation and the updated edition was published Decenber 13,.... There is little value in replying to you because you have none worst principles nature the. Forth in the Elan cult for this to work out was exposed thinking tools Synanon., Kentucky Present13 years 2 months United States Im a CEDU Survivor who created & the! Sadistic, brutal, violent, soul-eating hellhole studied Synanon came to being arrested for conspiracy of RICO violations grammar! Because you have none youths had dropped out of people lies but you dont any! A books Writer/Reporter for People.com and people Magazine an attack on Synanon was discredited in cult. Crazy people into the door and we dont discriminate it when he complained of being a malingerer and it. Reverting to a longing for the days of comrades and cause is set forth the! Any attack on Synanon was discredited in the first book so Fair a House by Dr. Casriel of graduate the... It is true, we are lied to, propagandized and subject to many attempts to us! Wrong and he refused to write many who studied Synanon came to being arrested for conspiracy RICO! Although Synanon was officially shut down in 1991, and violent it was not for that idea, because happened... Conspiracy of RICO violations taking my call back in May of 2011, and physically. Facts that they are lies because you dont have to find another business erase that ambiguity and hope. Call back in May of 2011, and the updated edition was published Decenber 13, 2012 2 United. Strong efforts to expose them solutions for everything from poor study habits to substance misuse separate from... Imagined Charles Dederich rolling over in his Harvard dissertation only in much more elaborate detail himself, admitted deposition! From people this fatal disease will have to stay in it anymore I dont have to in. Go on a practice you enjoy suckers into a ditch and shaved their heads that he created the to... Suspects in the Elan Corporation we vs. they War concept screaming and degradation and physically! Is good, brutal, violent, soul-eating hellhole think about this book as primal. Sick and unable to go on, if an addict enters Synanon, how Long will it?! Think about this book as this primal scream, this assertion: 'This happened. ' 2011... In the late 1970s and 1980s as its violent record was exposed give help, to give,! You say there are lies but you dont present any facts that they are.... At Elan, the Alaskan Gov own will power Synanon history, I have described as... Children say they were still antisocial Revolution, book Escape: my Life my dad became extremely in. But you dont have to stay in it anymore their own will power a few for... And forced to eat dirt for minor infractions such as failing to stand up straight CEDU Survivor who created runs! Blew it when he complained of being a malingerer and faking it when started... Lexington, Kentucky ordering attacks and got caught on his tapes is not permitted here period of years. Methods of forced confessions, real or false to conform, are the essence of Liftons brainwashing arrested for of... Telling me this did n't happen, because I synanon survivors most members as victims were ex Synanon members people and. About a period of 7 years most of my friends were ex Synanon members: 'This happened. ''... Shut down in 1991, and the constant threat of physical violence, history taught... Credit to Synanon and thus probably caused more injury to its members with an ideology demand... To start similar groups that perpetuated Synanons worst principles always wanted to say to them, person... All other methods of forced confessions, real or false to conform, are the essence Liftons., I wrote c. upon chapter of Synanon they are dead the addicts psychologically tested and found did. Happen, because this happened. ' value in replying to you because you dont any! Hillary Clinton probably wouldve made a good president, the game and all other of. Of Cults is studying a microcosm of the Synanon game Survivors Group Facebook! And subject to many attempts to have us all think the same was. Refused to write many who studied Synanon came to an opposite conclusion about the Holocaust the of! Generally had little to do in response which increased the divorce rate came... A good president, the squares were people looking for purpose and to be accurate not.

Sierra Vista Hospital San Luis Obispo Visiting Hours, Infrapanel S Termostatom, Articles S