I stated my views, but I gave statistics and reports to back them, most unfortunate to learn of the great tragedy that have occurred in the clones are all these years. Synanon was a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center and movement-turned-cult in California that existed from 1958 to 1991. 1 talking about this. 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. 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. WebASTART is a community of professionals, family members and survivors working to protect children from abuse and neglect in residential programs, and ensure families have safe and effective community-based care. While a credit to Dederichs foresight, it also unfortunately was a feature of his harmful megalomania. If I did not want comments i would not have it set up too comments. This is due, in part, to many Synanites having left to form their own lucrative drug rehabilitation companiesa degree in medicine is not a requirement. And thats it for the idea that Synanon played a role in curing drug addiction. 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. By 1971 Dederich would submit that while 10 to 12,000 people had gone through Synanon only about 10% stayed free of drugs for as much as 2 years, which was similar to the statistics everyone else concluded, which were the same at Lexington Hospital when Synanon was founded. Died of dehydration. I just imagined Charles Dederich rolling over in his grave at that news. 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. 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. Synanons most important legacy was to fulfill sociologist Edgar Freidenberg prediction after reading Yablonskys book that the organization was punitive, brainwashed and would ultimately create a dangerous state of mind. Today as it is known that alcoholic recovery has a 40% success rate with no treatment at all; it is doubtful AA can surpass that. There is a book called Duck in a Raincoat it is by Maura Curley and this is the 2nd edition, an updated edition if you will. Dederich said those who left fell through the open manhole and would post descriptions of their calamities for all to see as a warning if they ever left. We're going to pillage the town! Zones are designed to separate business from residential, etc. And I think he saw I might be going down that path, too. Every time we let somebody into Synanon we assume an enormous liability and this is done consciously. While forced to admit the attack on me, there is no mention of Phil Ritter or Eidson, etc., in his book, Rise and Fall of Synanon (which was same working title I had) rather a statement that the media exaggerated the violence and that there was no violence inside Synanon. Maia wrote: No fewer than 50 programs can trace their treatment philosophy, directly or indirectly, to an anti-drug cult called Synanon. What is mysterious about this? He spent 15 years It exposes the cruel abnormal policies, practices and propaganda the Synanon children were forced to endure in a so-called modern America. But that dwindled as the joiners became younger and Dederich turned his attention to using the media and Hollywood to produce a flow of persons, goods and services to develop by 1976 over $30 million in assets and the start of large salaries and bonuses. What was it one in 25 days for 2 years? That Young people were beaten, some in public demonstrations. By the 90s, she wrote, tough love had spawned military-style boot camps and wilderness programs that thrust kids into extreme survival scenarios. The sicker he became, the more he was tormented and tortured by the staff. **, 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. The autopsy report stated that he died from a perforated ulcer, but that is only the tip of the iceberg. Many are dead, many are in prison ,and worse many roam the earth as emotional cripples from just having come in contact with Joe Ricci,and his henchmen that helped him run the Elan Corporation. WebSynanon was a religous community. Synanon is only one chapter. Another idea of merit was The Distribution Network which was to obtain distressed goods which would be distributed to charities. Ramirez set up the synanon-based Phoenix House which hired former Synanite Ted Dibble to manage one of its centers. '", He continues: "'I'm going to make sure my mom's okay, because she's crying in the room.'". 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. I comfort him if he hurts his knee or my daughter when she cries, whatever it is. That is not ego. Originally a nonviolent group, Diedrich created the Imperial Marines to maintain orderwithin and outside of the community. For author Mikel Jollett, the frontman for the indie band The Airborne Toxic Event, his book is a "primal scream.". People had to know its dangers before making choices to support or join. So is the eventual years later reverting to a longing for the days of comrades and cause. 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. Early on they selected former Synanite David Deitch to run Daytop but later released him when they claimed he tried to set up a Communist-based political action committee of ex-drug addicts. .It is also clear that the psychological effects of this modality upon different age groups have not been adequately studied., In 1974 Arnold Rachman and M. Heller warned about using the Game with kids when they wrote: There is a serious shortcoming within the theory and the practice of the T.C. It was clear, that like Yablonsky, decades prior, he was enamored by Synanon. Thats why I wrote the history of Synanon because there is so much to learn. 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. A business illiterate, I dont know an invoice from a purchase order or the difference between shipped and delivered. Posted by 6 years ago. Dawnne Takeuchi, 18, was killed when she was thrown from a semi-truck near Pagosa Springs, Colorado, in June 1994. A small portion decided they had enough, and gave too much credit to Synanon and not enough to their own will power. Most of what I wrote was a no comment description in detail of Synanons evolution taken from its own records. Like you I made an incorrect assumption, I complained to Ben you all deleted after I responded. And that Susan, is what differentiates us, from other countries where there is no freedom of press. 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. If you have a complaint it is with Yablonsky and Janzen who had no understanding of the Synanon system. 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. Per Ofshe, Dr. Elizabeth Missakian, former Pres. Joe Ricci, the owner, survived the state of Illinois pulling residents out because of the abuse and beat them in court. borderline schizophrenic patients, schizoid personalities, and acutely anxious, neurotic adolescents. is a different Spare the Rod Healing. Did you change partners? Another boy froze to death (given no coat or shelter), and the victims even included former Synanon children who were placed in these camps by parents still believing in the Synanon system. Fager wrote: Dr. If you want to really learn of how the inner controls were, you can contact me to get his depositions. Learning of all the horrors and deaths that occurred in the clones over the past decades I only wish I had, as you accuse a single career in criticizing Synanon. As I said, for years I basically hung out with former members. 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. *. Suggest you get my book on Amazonmy life was not limited to Synanon. Yet at the same time, the noise Synanon made did wake up people to the idea, not yet existing, that cure was possible. How everyone went along who stayed is the legacy of Synanon and a lesson in human behavior and warnings of the danger of secluded societies. In 1980, the cult leader received widespread attention when he pleaded no contest to charges of assault and conspiracy to commit murder after he and two other Synanon members attempted to kill Paul Morantz, a lawyer who had successfully sued Synanon, by putting a four-and-a-half foot rattlesnake in his mailbox. This was written before he joined. In 1971, the federal government, through he second White House Drug Czar, Robertq L. Dupont, Jr. MD. Jollett's father, though not in his life in the beginning, emerges as the hero in the book. Neither AA, Synanon, or those that followed, were based on any scientific studies. 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. For comparisons please get my book Escape: My Life Long War Against Cults. Totalitarianism societies in the end always end in abuse and a we vs. they war concept. The musician was careful in his portrayal of his mother, whom he feared would come across as a one-dimensional villain. I have countless books of interviews and depositions. . 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., *..**. Instead it is led to countless deaths, destruction of lives and still continues today. Out of 1,180 addicts who had entered Synanon in its first five years of operation, only 26 had graduated. The example story might be that of Joe Musico and Lance Kenton. 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. Maybe it's the leader's fault. That's our job, to love this [child] fiercely and protect it. First, Susan, good to hear from you again. "Mary Karr likes to say, 'You have to write about difficult relationships with great love.' 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. But there wont be any room for the kind of people you are now. 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. All Rights Reserved. It was far from being just Synanon. Both are real experiences, but which is more important to learn from. 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. 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. It is true, we are lied to, propagandized and subject to many attempts to have us all think the same way. 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. Need your help! In law, lawyers too much use the technique of attacking opposing counsel when they cannot attack the facts. Anybody. We have multiple groups dedicated to ending the TTI (Troubled Teen Industry) as well, that work in conjunction with mine, this is how I discovered this story! 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. As I said in the beginning, my views changed at different times, and it was only upon reading of what happened at the clones was my view finally shaped. Jollett and his older brother Tony were taken from their parents his father a recovered addict and former convict, his mother an anti-government activist from Berkeley when they were just 6 months old. He also forced women to have abortions and almost 200 men had vasectomies after Dederich forbade any more children. Casriel teamed up with Father William OBrien to form Daytop Village which today is one of the largest therapeutic communities in the world. Per Dr. Robert J. Lifton, this is what one would expect from any totalitarianism environment after removal. Both boys had to navigate poverty and abuse, but Jollett's experience was vastly different from his brother's. I offered them to him but he declined. Its goal was to take it to the context of greater society.I would appreciate you know your feelings. Or a person could just stop. He had the addicts psychologically tested and found Synanon did not change people internallythat they were still antisocial. 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