Synanon was discredited in the late 1970s and 1980s as its violent record was exposed. He also admitted violence could not occur without his approval but he forgot the details due to his stroke. Synanon just wasnt that big enough to be an influence. We either do that or we stop. As a key distinction between comparing Synanon to America, those in Synanon who tried to warn or criticize were shut down and shoved out. He had beaten me time wise. Here we are not talking about riding horses, discussing the nature of man, or Emerson, but a reign of terror that was destined and predicted by many in the early 60s due to the Synanon methods of attack therapy, forced confessions, rewards and punishments and brainwashing about enemies. 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. Fatherhood has made him more cognizant of how much trauma he experienced as a child, as it has for other former Synanon kids who have become parents. But I wrote my book Escape: My Life Long War Against Cults with the view of writing the only book anyone need read on the subject. And thats it for the idea that Synanon played a role in curing drug addiction. WebSynanon Survivors 136likes 149followers Posts About Photos Videos More Posts About Photos Videos Synanon Survivors Intro Link To The Synanon Survivors Group And "I think the insight for me was I always loved her, she just wasn't very good at loving me. This story (16) In 1985 psychotherapists Thomas Bratter and Gary Forrest echoed the conclusion of Rachman and Heller and added a caution of their own when they wrote that such a treatment [for self-destructive drug abusers] may not be necessary or appropriate for other treatment populations, i.e. Now theres a little room for you now. Hitler did great things for Germany, but it would be wrong to use them to assert we should all think of it as Spring Time for Hitler, as Janzen did of Dederich. Tony, always angry as a child, sank into addiction at an early age and went to rehab. By 1976 the plan to transfer the money to the Dederich family was cemented and implanted. As to CED I have no clear answer, but certainly his childhood traumas and abandonments were likely to produce pathology. For many academics, it is reviewing writing of others. So in that sense, Synanon contributed to the idea that one could get off addiction. 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 Dederich had just built a shelter, fed and clothed, and gave support he would have had something. When I asked if he had studied brainwashing he said he had not. I look forward to comments, but those based upon facts, not attacks on the messenger. Also true, is that my ego places me in my eyes in a higher position than others. He was so wrong and he refused to write many who studied Synanon came to an opposite conclusion. Spare the Rod Healing. Researched by Maia Szalavitz for a book in 2006 and for Mother Jones in 2007 she described the clone horrors and traced them back to Synanon. I did not delete Susans comment, they disappeared and then reappeared; have happy holidays. This is not limited to addicts. Yet by 1968, to justify ending graduation, if Dederich was correct, there was little success in curing addicts. 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., *..*.*. Synanon was a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center and movement-turned-cult in California that existed from 1958 to 1991. 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. Perhaps worse, was Dederichs friendship with Caesar Chavez wherein CED convinced Caesar to live like a rich man on La Paz and import the game which led to mutiny and the downfall of the UFW. He participated in several missions, and arguably would have lived a better life but for his exposure to Synanon. Dederich said free choice in the hands of an addict was like a gun in the hands of a baby. 5 years from now we wont need people like you.. In addition, group practice becomes an anti-therapeutic factor with the T.C. Did you change partners? I comfort him if he hurts his knee or my daughter when she cries, whatever it is. There were countless communes and entities much larger that took in people of all races. A business illiterate, I dont know an invoice from a purchase order or the difference between shipped and delivered. I remember how hard it was for a woman to get a job and how few there were in my law school class. (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.). 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. A Violent, Deadly Cult With Forced Abortions and Shades of Scientology FOLLOW THE LEADER San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images 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. A recovering alcoholic named Art Barker in 1970 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and run almost entirely by kids for kids. 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. "I can't tell you how many times a day I pick up my kid. . And he told of the case of one TC therapist who forced female clients to perform fellatio on him while he talked on the phone to their probation officers., *..**. Her alleged crimepetty theft. Further it established shelter and group support could aid those truly wanting to stop. On June 27, 1990, six weeks after the death of Michelle Sutton, 16-year-old Kristin Chase died at the Challenger wilderness camp in Utah of hyperthermia and dehydration after a 5-mile forced march in 105-degree heat. Kimberly Stafford, the Vision Quest counselor who was driving the supply vehicle, was convicted of careless driving. it would take a few generations for this to work out. after 911, the Dederich type remarks that Bush was making were scary and I felt that free-speech and this country was dissipating; people were afraid to say anything that could be interpreted as un-American. Sometimes I think women are more revenge orientated, but it probably still comes down to the individual. Commonly employed and widely admired in 12-step groups and treatment., The urge to save humanity is almost always only a false-face for the urge to rule it., Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. Aftermaththe Synanon legacy 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. As to the legacy, conclusion was not difficult. And it will be edited further. The musician was careful in his portrayal of his mother, whom he feared would come across as a one-dimensional villain. 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. This is not a criticism of that policy; but just the fact that it was insignificant in relation to the civil rights movement which was raging in the 60s and pushed by the Kennedys, Martin Luther King, and many black actors and athletes and my generation that marched and died in name of civil rights. A popular TV series was based on John Maher, a colorful former Synanite, who formed his own second generation Synanon in San Francisco called The Delancey Street Gang. Synanon is only one chapter. First, while our government says that all people are equal the fact is they are not born equal. Any dammed fool who wants to come in and say Id like to live with you and we let them in. 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. Psychiatrist Dr. Judianne Densen-Gerber visited Dr. Ramirez in Puerto Rico and setup her own synanon-based TC in New York City called Odyssey House. And in end, its Synanons holocaust that is its legacy, particularly since there were so many who predicted it as early as the 60s from nothing more than reading the books written about Synanon. Elan made millions and millions of dollars, off of criminal child abuse. You know ts great fun, to watch that. Children say they were punched, kicked and forced to eat dirt for minor infractions such as failing to stand up straight. The Sunshine Place investigates Synanon through survivors, former members, and more Society & Culture August 10, 2022 Listen to The Sunshine Place It gives an unvarnished accounting of the psychopath Joe Ricci who founded the Elan Corporation. Paul please post this comment and not the other two thank you sir. No one will be mad at you. 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. I'm going to get up at 5:00, I'm going to feed the rabbits, I'm going to make myself breakfast, I'm going to make myself lunch, I'm going to walk to school. 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. I find I edit better after I posted and edited this one about 5 times so far. You would make Wes Fager proud, I am sure, sadly he is no longer with us. I would say probably every decade my views changed, either up or down, but only in small degrees. "All of us started having kids, and I think as parents we were like, 'Holy s---, what? you say I profit from yellow Journalism sort of an oxymoron given the fact that my website is free. Nov 04, 2017 Daina Fanning rated it really liked it. While Dederich suggested to world nothing in the game was to be taken seriously, he would admit in deposition in 1979 and 1981 that in operating Synanon, he did not give direct orders, but would inject everything he wanted members to do in a Synanon game or by his dialogue at Think Tables. It can be found on Amazon. You would also have learned that I have been in the room with many Synanon people countless times. *, As with The Seed, at Straight abuse was omnipresentincluding beatings and kidnapping of adult participants. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. They also had to fight for attention from the few loving adults who monitored them, Jollett explains. Dinosaur Survivors Leave a Reply Cancel reply. 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. just state that and agree to the group rules!! This intrusive, assertive therapeutic style works well for a few clients but may injure many more. Professor Bellis noted that, A number of clients. If I did not want comments i would not have it set up too comments. In 1971, the federal government, through he second White House Drug Czar, Robertq L. Dupont, Jr. MD. '", He continues: "'I'm going to make sure my mom's okay, because she's crying in the room.'". Both AA and Synanon provided this insight, but unfortunately each bounded its members with an ideology and demand to never quit the organizations. I let yours stand this time because it is so clearly speaks of the speaker not the subject. 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. I was inducted in late 1976 at the age of 14. Ultimately, as stated above, Dederich would testify they never knew how to cure a dope fiend and nobody does. Its first example, naturally, as failure, was Synanon, and like Synanon, its clones became the darlings of the media and politicians in election years. The founder, Charles Dederich, ordered his cult followers to divorce and swap partners, with more than 200 couples complying. Maybe if I had written sooner some would still be alive. 1 talking about this. 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. My discussion is on the known today dangers of a hatchery (abandonment syndrome) which Susan Richardson wrote about, the psychological affects of attack therapy which can cause psychological damage, including psychotic breaks (which happened at Synanon) and how everyone finally bought into the enemy at the door who were all prejudiced against them and finally reduced Synanon to a state of mind where propaganda ruled over truth, all the ideals were tossed out and a growing comparison to the Manson family was in place. Ms Szalavitz wrote there are hundreds of emotional growth boarding schools, wilderness camps, and tough love anti-drug programs that make up the billion-dollar teen residential treatment industry. Out of 1,180 addicts who had entered Synanon in its first five years of operation, only 26 had graduated. But generally, as to your comment, my book was not in disagreement. That is just a fact. His family claims his pleas for help were ignored. Ramirez set up the synanon-based Phoenix House which hired former Synanite Ted Dibble to manage one of its centers. Communist Russia was safer with freedom taken away. (Joe Ricci was a former Daytop student who went on to found his own program for troubled youth in Maine called Elansee below.) borderline schizophrenic patients, schizoid personalities, and acutely anxious, neurotic adolescents. It a very sick place for teen agers,and during my time we were mixed in with adults. Fager wrote: Dr. It's not good.' They appreciated the honesty of the work. Charles was arrested while drunk in 1978 and was barred from any further leadership within the Margo I agree I looked at every branch. Suggest reading the fall of series. 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. Good luck. It cant be denied that Charles Dederich in many instances, while playing Skinner, was ahead of the times with positive ideas. Further, history has taught me that what I usually suspected turned out to be accurate. "I have nightmares about my son falling down steps, I have nightmares about dropping my daughter. as to George Bush, again in my book I said there was no difference between him psychologically and Osama. I offered the information to Janzen and he didnt want it. 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. ), "[Tony] went to rehab at a young age, and I think it scared me," Jollett says. It was bizarre, surreal,and violent it was not a school in any stretch of the imagination. [Chuck] Dederich [Synanons founder], an exile from A.A., is credited with being the genius behind the TC [therapeutic community] movement. Leon Brill acknowledges in The Clinical Treatment of Substance Abusers that the original therapeutic community directed by ex-addicts was Synanon though others, he writes, such as Daytop Village, Odyssey House and Phoenix House in New York City have used psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and other professionals as part of their staff.. Synanon added the game and other systems of punishment to compel compliance that would be copied by many sociopaths seeking riches, as discussed below, and lead to horrors to the participants in the clones that exceeded what occurred in Synanon. 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. Shomeister. The monster that now existed had to be stopped. Dawnne Takeuchi, 18, was killed when she was thrown from a semi-truck near Pagosa Springs, Colorado, in June 1994. Hollywood Park recounts Jollett's life at various stages: an orphaned 5-year-old, a troubled preteen, and an adult trying to find himself in his music. Synanon. The Synanon organization, initially a drug rehabilitation program, was founded by Charles E. "Chuck" Dederich, Sr., (19131997) in 1958 in Santa Monica, California. By the early 1960s, Synanon had also become an alternative community, attracting people with its emphasis on living a self-examined life, Not only did the system drive people out, Dederich eventually admitted it was designed for that purpose. . What is known about the early days, was that the older joiners were more likely to stay than the younger, and its initial opening success per Ofshe reflected that then the current age of entry was 34 or older; they were people who had a strong desire to remove themselves from the demanding regime of an addict/criminal life. Jollett, then just a little boy, hid to save himself. 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. What lies did we believe wholeheartedly?". [Chuck] Dederich [Synanons founder], an exile from A.A., is credited with being the genius behind the TC [therapeutic community] movement and Leon Brill acknowledges in The Clinical Treatment of Substance Abusers that the original therapeutic community directed by ex-addicts was Synanon though others, he writes, such as Daytop Village, Odyssey House and Phoenix House in New York City have used psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and other professionals as part of their staff; in an article for Substance Abuse: Clinical Problems and Perspectives written in 1981, Deitch and Zweben acknowledge that Synanon is the progenitor of the present-day therapeutic communities., As Fager summarized: Almost all modern day therapeutic communitiesand there are hundreds of themare based on synanons. Many who studied Synanon agreed. 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. Elan did not offer the same type of tapestry as Synanon and thus probably caused more injury to its members. Seven years before that trial Goldfarb had written a book calling for prison reform using the Synanon-style therapeutic community. One feature of Seed was the Spanking Machine where a childs father must publicly whip his kid before the large peer Group. 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. For readers, Hollywood Park is a powerful memoir about one man's journey after he escapes a violent cult as a child. Ofshe who had been allowed inside Synanon to study it contacted Dave Mitchell in 1978 to ask if he was serious about investigating Synanon because violence could not occur randomly under Synanons controls and can only occur at direction of management (later admitted by Dederich at deposition). There are more successes, like the Rolling Stones Rick Jones, that stemmed from bona fide psychotherapy. Others were taken below or in barns to be beaten. Others reported in 1973 that the Synanon absorbing members was retention, not rehabilitation, a result found unfortunately in many of the Synanon clones, which Synanon bragged 2,400 existed. That did not exist in Synanon, that is what cemented its doom. Glasser, he wrote, found that eighty six of every hundred admissions to a large residential program terminated themselves against the advise of staff with most terminating within the first 30 days. 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. But instead he made lab rats out of people. 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. 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. However, there is little evidence that harsh behavior-modification techniques can solve these problems. "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. Was bizarre, surreal, and gave support he would have lived a better life but for his exposure Synanon! 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