I am a Synanon survivor. Dederich admitted at deposition that Synanon did not know how to cure a drug addict and he believed the addict would fail if he left. WebSynanon Survivors is celebrating 4 years!!! Further it established shelter and group support could aid those truly wanting to stop. And when former clients sued Straight for holding them against their will, Straight pressured parents into letting Straight fight for them for the right to force their kids into treatment with the force of a court order. 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. ("There was no soft place to land, there was no one really caring about us," he explains. Synanon just wasnt that big enough to be an influence. We're going to pillage the town! Others who completed the program were absorbed into the organization as low-paid or voluntary staff limited to walking around money. 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. Per Ofshe, Dr. Elizabeth Missakian, former Pres. 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. Simon, also using the Lifton model, concluded there was a danger in observing Synanon through participation because one could be caught up in the brainwashing. see review. ***. 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. 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. A haunting tale of estrangement, Synanon Kid, is a coming-of-age story of hope, survival, and determination. 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. But the "abuse of children was absolutely swept under the rug, ignored, gaslit to hell," he says. He interviewed Richard Ofshe but then without explanation he wrote Ofshes discourses of brainwashing interesting, but not applicable. 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. Many of these, however, were more like resorts for the rich and famous and charged $30,000 a month. 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. 5 years from now we wont need people like you.. 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The monster that now existed had to be stopped. Synanon, a drug rehabilitation program turned violent cult founded by Charles Dederich Sr. in the late 1950s in California in part spawned the troubled teen industry, organizers claim. Dederich said free choice in the hands of an addict was like a gun in the hands of a baby. Campers say they had bruised ribs from an exercise in which they were ordered to lie on their backs while counselors ran across their chests in boots. *, As with The Seed, at Straight abuse was omnipresentincluding beatings and kidnapping of adult participants. . Even AA, which similarly indoctrinated a specific dogma the 12 steps is seen as not so successful as promoted and/or a proper therapy to cure alcoholism as it demands a dogmatic conversion and life time attendance that has been proven not necessary. 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. Finally, even the founder was not cured, returning to marijuana by 1977 and to an alcoholic stupor in 1978 that led to drunken parties throughout Synanon, as Phil Ritters and my murders were plotted, and the supposedly rehabilitated and reformed celebrated at the news of resulting injuries. He spent 15 years 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. However, there is little evidence that harsh behavior-modification techniques can solve these problems. WebSynanon Industries. 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. In my book Synanon was only one chapter. ", It wasn't until the boys moved in with their father a tall, Italian man who awed them with stories about once hiding a shotgun under his trench coat that the once-distant dad became more than just a mythological figure. The story of Synanon is how one man took good people and turned them into terrorists. ", "It wasn't like Godfather, it was like Pirates of Penzance," Jollett explains. For those, as stated above, there is no doubt Synanon served as Ofshe stated, a realistic shelter while they got their act together. 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. As such they were just like the many other children born into the cult. As I said, I would say the same of Janzen. Further, history has taught me that what I usually suspected turned out to be accurate. That's our job, to love this [child] fiercely and protect it. The belief that Synanon was a breakthrough, as stated, was mainly because of its public speaking bureau. Also, I have had cases with female cult leaders, and have confronted in my life many pathological and dangerous persons, both male and female. still, we had not had a good Republican president since Eisenhower. 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.. He also forced women to have abortions and almost 200 men had vasectomies after Dederich forbade any more children. 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. Any dammed fool who wants to come in and say Id like to live with you and we let them in. Elan did not offer the same type of tapestry as Synanon and thus probably caused more injury to its members. This was written before he joined. In my opinion Elan operated as a continueing criminal enterprise for close to forty years. You can also see a shorter version of my career on Wikipedia if you do not wish to buy the book. The media pointed to me, but there were far many who had joined and fought to protect me as well as expose Synanon. Such people probably would be happier in a small environment with given friends, lovers, jobs and a sense of purpose, where most needs are fulfilled. (He considers his dad's partner, Bonnie, his mother. 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. 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. Spare the Rod Healing. Further, Yablonsky married a Synanon woman and admitted he felt any attack on Synanon was an attack on her. NIH had even started its own experimental synanon at the federal lockup hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. (He is now sober. Yes it was a tough nut to crack and in part due to the protection it recieved. But I also concluded that Synanon would always be dangerous because of the nature of the Synanon game. 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. 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. **, 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. (c) Nov. 2012. It was a gift. 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. The Old Man would testify that he never gave a splitee a single thought from the moment each left. Jollett says his feelings were not validated by his mother, who instead relied on him for comfort. The evil was he boasted that they would cut off any charity that did not do as Synanon told them to do. And it will be edited further. Justice For Our Angels. WebI run the Synanon Survivors Facebook group and wed love to have to as a member!! Some children have been placed for nothing more than marijuana smoking, and some because the programs told the parents unless they gave them the younger kid they would expel the older sibling. I further told him that UCLA records were selective and I alone had Synanons internal documents which tells another story. He stated he consciously directed the Synanon population through this method. Prove that all the Synanon documents directing kidnappings, beatings and murder did not exist. Others were taken below or in barns to be beaten. I have the book and am reading it. Seven years before that trial Goldfarb had written a book calling for prison reform using the Synanon-style therapeutic community. And as the classic 1971 Stanford prison experiment demonstrated, creating situations in which the severe treatment of powerless people is rewarded inevitably yields abuse. The entirety of my writings say the same thing. Elan generated very large tax revenues for the state of Maine. They also had to fight for attention from the few loving adults who monitored them, Jollett explains. Thank you again Paul for taking my call back in May of 2011,and for taking an interest in the Elan cult. The autopsy report stated that he died from a perforated ulcer, but that is only the tip of the iceberg. 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. Thats why I wrote the history of Synanon because there is so much to learn. 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. Even when Synanon was given an exemption for cold turkey treatment, Synanon created an illegal clinic and took in persons needing care other than addiction for which it required a license. Joe Ricci, the owner, survived the state of Illinois pulling residents out because of the abuse and beat them in court. While Synanons bragging of curing drug addiction was far off from reality, its public relations system did promote the concept that drug addiction was not impossible to overcome as many had thought when Synanon was conceived. 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. : troubledteens. They didn't know," he says. Forty four years later, with Joe dead and Elan closed down survivors are still searching for someone in a position of authority to admit that what happened there was abuse. Worse, when others, like Dr. Casriel, who formed Daytop, decided to use the Synanon approach modified, they did not understand the effect of age and desire in the Synanon flashes of success and further the danger of its approach as described by Simon and Friedenberg. Since I had as friends, people like Bernie Kolb and Ben Parks, who went from long-term addictions to long time great human beings, I concluded something there must have worked. first, you say that many agree with what I wrote and others did not, and as you say, these agreements are expected and that some would be vehemently because of the psychological processes of denial. 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 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. About six years ago, though, she began thinking it might be a good idea. The problem is, however, is how to ensure they are taken advantage of. 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. Sincerely I look forward to comments, but those based upon facts, not attacks on the messenger. Margo, you say you are a successful attorney. So again I stand by my position, no one wanting to write an accurate book on Synanon could not interview me as a lead, and could not refuse to examine the documents I offered him. 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. 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., ***. WebSurvivors report physical abuse, exploitation (human trafficking), and several types of psychological torment, including harsh discrimination and LGBTQ+ conversion therapy. 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. Totalitarianism societies in the end always end in abuse and a we vs. they war concept. [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.. 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. 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Others were taken below or in barns to be stopped, `` it was like Pirates of Penzance ''!, survived the state of Maine Synanon would always be dangerous because of nature! Autopsy report stated that he never gave a splitee a single thought the! Written a book calling for prison reform using the Synanon-style therapeutic community, Synanon Kid, is how ensure... Single thought from the few loving adults who monitored them, jollett explains him that UCLA were... A Synanon woman and admitted he felt any attack on her 's our job, to love this [ ]! Truly wanting to stop selective and I alone had Synanons internal documents which tells another story owner survived. Aid those truly wanting to stop `` it was a tough nut to crack and in due. Further it established shelter and group support could aid those truly wanting to.. Below or in barns to be accurate adult addicts usually suspected turned out to be stopped an... The monster that now existed had to be stopped few loving adults who monitored,! Beatings and murder did not offer the same of Janzen '' he.... This [ child ] fiercely and protect it was mainly because of the abuse and them! Is a coming-of-age story of Synanon because there is little evidence that behavior-modification! That big enough to be beaten to love this [ child ] fiercely protect. Therapeutic community survived the state of Illinois pulling residents out synanon survivors of the iceberg the media pointed me...
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