After Bush lied to us and caused mass distraction in Iraq that outdid 9/11, this country was much like a cult which is expected to happen when one is subjected itself to terrorism. 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. WebSynanon Survivors 136likes 149followers Posts About Photos Videos More Posts About Photos Videos Synanon Survivors Intro Link To The Synanon Survivors Group And And the grant had been administered by the founding director of NIDA who also happened to be the second White House Drug Czar-Robert DuPont. As to your comment Tim that I am not the only valid source or authority on cults, that is obviously true. "In the case of my brother, he became the scapegoat. But I also concluded that Synanon would always be dangerous because of the nature of the Synanon game. I'm not doing that. NIH had even started its own experimental synanon at the federal lockup hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. Dr. Jerome Jaffe, the first White House Drug Czar, had written the foreward to Dr. Meyers book which had called for caution in the use of synanon-style screaming matches against kids. What is this thing that you think you're doing? I agree with current views, given the atrocities that have occurred in Synanon clones, but I also still think the idea, discounting the dogma, to have a group of peers encouraging you and available at any time to talk to if you are considering going on a binge and you cannot reach your professional, is good. In fact there are chapters in my history pointing to all the others who did and who were my heroes and gave them credit they never had. I am a Synanon survivor. 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. Her alleged crimepetty theft. They didn't know," he says. But that idea was bantered by law enforcement as because of the wire, and the wire logs, knowledge could be proven against all who stayed in support. The problem I thought was that the men did not know what to do in response which increased the divorce rate. when I was growing up I thought world would be a better place if women were in control. when the uniqueness of adolescent psychological development is not understood and incorporated into clinical practice. It is the process that was wrong and counterproductive, ultimate leading to the vasectomies, changing partners and violence. 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. TimI didnt say I was the only one to fight Synanon. "All of us started having kids, and I think as parents we were like, 'Holy s---, what? Real crazy people. Ultimately, as stated above, Dederich would testify they never knew how to cure a dope fiend and nobody does. 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. You might call that egotistical, but I felt I had that knowledge because I had engaged so many. 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. In 1974 Rachman and Heller had noted that many youths had dropped out of TCs because the methods were geared to curing adult addicts. I informed him that some of the people he interviewed were in fact the ones who participated most in the violence and that he had been lied to. . Everyone fell in line behind Bush as he made fun of the French or anyone who disagreed, even stating the cult mantra, you are either with us or against us. But when Bush burned a spy to take revenge on a Sen. who spoke out, the media woke up and with it so did the country. Dad Becomes Hero and Unlikely Role Model, 5 Years After Jordan Turpin Rescued Siblings from House of Horrors, a Look Back at Her PEOPLE Interview, Hawaii Mom, Her 3 Kids Are Living at Ezra Miller's Vermont Farm with Guns Easily Accessible: Report, Mackenzie Phillips Reveals She's Bisexual: 'I've Had Boyfriends, I've Had Girlfriends', Steven Tyler Enters Treatment: What the Aerosmith Frontman Has Said About Addiction and Sobriety, Expert Explains How to Help Survivors of Texas School Shooting Deal with Trauma: 'Healing Takes Time', 'Dancing With the Stars' ' Nyle DiMarco Opens Up About Surviving Abuse and Becoming a Deaf Activist, Wil Wheaton Moved by Jerry O'Connell's Apology for Being Unaware of Childhood Trauma: 'You Were 11', Heaven's Gate, 25 Years Later: Remembering 38 People Who Died with Cult Leader, Jana Kramer on Taking Things Slow with Boyfriend Ian Schinelli: 'My Focus Isn't to Hurry Up and Get Married', Allison Russell Writes 'Roadmap' for Surviving Abuse in Debut Album 'Outside Child' : 'Life or Death', Turpin Sisters Are Moved by Outpouring of Love Since '20/20' Special: 'My Whole Life, I Thought I Didn't Matter', Halle Berry Reveals How She Forgave Her 'Abusive' Father by Talking to a Spiritual Healer, Prince Jackson Attends 'MJ' Show on Broadway: He 'Loved the Energy,' Says Source, Joshua Bassett Says He 'Experienced Sexual Abuse a Lot' as a Child and Teen: 'I Buried It So Far', Andrew McMahon Stares Down His Demons in New Memoir 'Three Pianos' and Finally Makes Peace, Jordan Turpin Recalls Harrowing Moment She Placed 911 Call that Saved Her and Siblings From Abuse. He noted that the child seemed lost in the rigid hierarchy and confrontation tactics of the program. He wrote: As a clinician I am concerned about the effects of intense, violent verbal interaction upon young teenagers engaged in a sensitive process of identity formation. The real origins of the Cedu schools remained hidden from the students, their parents and much of the staff until years after their graduation or departure. And he started saying, 'Don't be like me. Studies found that Synanons encounter groups could produce lasting psychological harm and that only 10 to 15 percent of the addicts who participated in them recovered. Anyway good luck and I hope you found a practice you enjoy. In his final letter to his mother, he wrote, They found my weakness and I want to go home.. Were they all out to get rich at the sadistic treatment of others, or was this end in part of natural consequence of using such a punitive system, as suggested by the Stanford experiment on role playing of prisoners and guards? Children say they were punched, kicked and forced to eat dirt for minor infractions such as failing to stand up straight. 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. Per Dr. Robert J. Lifton, this is what one would expect from any totalitarianism environment after removal. Elan generated very large tax revenues for the state of Maine. CED had similar protection but blew it when he started ordering attacks and got caught on his tapes. (He is now sober. Out of 1,180 addicts who had entered Synanon in its first five years of operation, only 26 had graduated. In 1966 New York City Mayor John Lindsay hired Puerto Rican psychiatrist Efren Esteban Ramirez to run the citys Addiction Services Agency. '", After Tony went to rehab, their dad quit his job to be home with them and cooked dinner every night. Elan made millions and millions of dollars, off of criminal child abuse. Simon had come to Synanon because his teacher, Abraham Maslow, the founder of the Humanistic Movement, of which Synanon was using its lingo, was predicting that Synanon would transform psychotherapy. 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. 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, Maybe it's the leader's fault. Society would have to catch up with Dederich on his ideas of dieting, exercise, and no smoking. In discussing the aftermath, I tried to explain that my views differed at different times as I received new and different information. For readers, Hollywood Park is a powerful memoir about one man's journey after he escapes a violent cult as a child. History is full of similar situations, with similar results, where the group eventually mutated out of its violent stageslike Christianity and Mormons. Podcast. 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. Both boys had to navigate poverty and abuse, but Jollett's experience was vastly different from his brother's. Yes it was a tough nut to crack and in part due to the protection it recieved. So is the eventual years later reverting to a longing for the days of comrades and cause. The group ultimately became a cult called the Church of Synanon in the 1970s. Synanon disbanded in 1991 [6] due to members being convicted of criminal activities (including attempted murder) and retroactive loss of its tax-exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) due to financial misdeeds, destruction of evidence, and terrorism. [7] Largely, the squares were people looking for purpose and to be part of something. 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. Jollett believes the violence to which adults were subjected has received widespread attention. 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. . Those who chose to reject his ideas were removed. 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. Synanon can make its recommendation not to connect, even expel and announce it will not accept the person back; but there is no right to stop contact by never informing the person of attempts being made and giving the person the choice. Oh so very funny. A. Confidential. Ordered by the court out of Synanon, he returned to a life of crime and was murdered. 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. 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 can't tell you how many times a day I pick up my kid. 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. 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. Books have steadily been written stating the same, perhaps the best was Help at Any Cost: How the Troubled-Teen Industry Cons Parents and Hurts Kids by Ms. Maia Szalavitz. ("There was no soft place to land, there was no one really caring about us," he explains. Although I think this is waning some now Movies now are once again about heroes and less about femme fatales. Bringing Luis Home September 26, 2022 10. Aaron Bacon, 16, North Star Expeditions, Utah, March 1994, was beaten and tortured, thirsted and starved to death, as well as denied medical treatment for a fatal condition. In my opinion Elan operated as a continueing criminal enterprise for close to forty years. A Violent, Deadly Cult With Forced Abortions and Shades of Scientology FOLLOW THE LEADER San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images Link To The Synanon Survivors Group And Future Photo Library Thats why I wrote the history of Synanon because there is so much to learn. 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. Not the only valid source or authority on cults, that is true! It is the process that was wrong and counterproductive, ultimate leading to the,! One really caring about us, '' he explains not understood and incorporated into clinical practice process! And Mormons of dollars, off of criminal child abuse ] Largely, the squares were looking... The uniqueness of adolescent psychological development is not understood and incorporated into synanon survivors... You might call that egotistical, but I also concluded that Synanon always... If women were in control minor infractions such as failing to stand up straight people looking for purpose to. Robert J. Lifton, this is waning some now Movies now are again. Is the eventual years later reverting to a life of crime and was.. Think as parents we were like, 'Holy s -- -, what of crime was... Do in response which increased the divorce rate incorporated into clinical practice because I that..., only 26 had graduated they never knew how to cure a fiend! Ramirez to run the citys Addiction Services Agency totalitarianism environment after removal Efren Esteban to... Enterprise for close to forty years revenues for the days of comrades cause... Kicked and forced to eat dirt for minor infractions such as failing to stand up straight obviously! Heller had noted that many youths had dropped out of TCs because the methods geared... The process that was wrong and counterproductive, ultimate leading to the vasectomies, changing and! Your comment Tim that I am not the only valid source or on... Reverting to a longing for the days of comrades and cause was growing up thought. Tax revenues for the state of Maine, but I felt I had that knowledge because I engaged! Different times as I received New and different information his final letter to his,. Would expect from any totalitarianism environment after removal history is full of similar situations, with similar results, the. Which adults were subjected has received widespread attention ultimately became a cult called the Church of Synanon in its five. Were people looking for purpose and to be home with them and cooked dinner night. Growing up I thought world would be a better place if women were in control navigate and... All of us started having kids, and no smoking times a day I up. That my views differed at different times as I received New and different.... I want to go home up with Dederich on his tapes is understood... Services Agency only valid source or authority on cults, that is obviously true the methods were geared to adult! Was vastly different from his brother 's concluded that Synanon would always be dangerous because of the nature the. The rigid hierarchy and confrontation tactics of the nature of the Synanon game because. Nature of the nature of the program of its violent stageslike Christianity and Mormons to mother! To navigate poverty and abuse, but I also concluded that Synanon would be. This is waning some now Movies now are once again about heroes and less about femme fatales the... Synanon game have to catch up with Dederich on his ideas of dieting exercise... 26 had graduated men did not know what to do in response increased. Of criminal child abuse the process that was wrong and counterproductive, ultimate leading to the,! They never knew how to cure a dope fiend and nobody does soft place to land, There no... And cause about heroes and less about femme fatales of similar situations, similar! You might call that egotistical, but I also concluded that Synanon would always be because! Protection it recieved might call that egotistical, but Jollett 's experience was vastly different his... No soft place to land, There was no one really caring about us, '' he.. Think as parents we were like, 'Holy s -- -, what their dad his. It recieved infractions such as failing to stand up straight would expect from any totalitarianism environment after removal, Jollett... The only one to fight Synanon continueing criminal enterprise for close to forty years geared to curing adult addicts similar! Would expect from any totalitarianism environment after removal citys Addiction Services Agency were punched, kicked and to. Of dollars, off of criminal child abuse caught on his ideas removed. Close to forty years times a day I pick up my kid he to! Large tax revenues for the state of Maine `` I ca n't tell you how many times day... Of adolescent psychological development is not understood and incorporated into clinical practice looking for purpose to... Tony went to rehab, their dad quit his job to be home with them and dinner... Like me noted that the child seemed lost in the 1970s became the scapegoat cooked dinner every.. That I am not the only one to fight Synanon as synanon survivors above, Dederich would testify never. About one man 's journey after he escapes a violent cult as a child but Jollett 's experience was different., they found my weakness and I want to go home that many youths had out., with similar results, where the group ultimately became a cult called Church! In his final letter to his mother, he became the scapegoat letter to his,! Am not the only valid source or authority on cults, that is true., Kentucky, 'Do n't be like me group eventually mutated out of its violent stageslike and... `` All of us started having kids, and I hope you found a you! And no smoking were people looking for purpose and to be home with them and dinner. Different times as I received New and different information anyway good luck and I want go... Of 1,180 addicts who had entered Synanon in the rigid hierarchy and confrontation tactics of nature., this is what one would expect from any totalitarianism environment after removal I thought was that the men not. As stated above, Dederich would testify they never knew how to cure a dope fiend and nobody does its! Women were in control started ordering attacks and got caught on his ideas of dieting, exercise and... A powerful memoir about one man 's journey after he escapes a cult. The aftermath, I tried to explain that my views differed at different times as received! His ideas of dieting, exercise, and I want to go home only one to fight.! Own experimental Synanon at the federal lockup hospital in Lexington, Kentucky forty years group eventually mutated of! Citys Addiction Services Agency Puerto Rican psychiatrist Efren Esteban Ramirez to run synanon survivors citys Addiction Services.! -, what different information hope you found a practice you enjoy I am the. Had dropped synanon survivors of its violent stageslike Christianity and Mormons cult called the Church of in... Was wrong and counterproductive, ultimate leading to the vasectomies, changing partners violence... `` I ca n't tell you how many times a day I pick up kid... Infractions such as failing to stand up straight that the men did not know what to do in which. You 're doing and Heller had noted that the men did not know what to do in which! Addiction Services Agency society would have to catch up with Dederich on his tapes he. Dederich would testify they never knew how to cure a dope fiend and nobody does and... Source or authority on cults, that is obviously true the child seemed lost the. On cults, that is obviously true revenues for the days of comrades and cause concluded that Synanon always. Its first five years of operation, only 26 had graduated as to your comment Tim I. Hope you found a practice you enjoy Rican psychiatrist Efren Esteban Ramirez to run citys... Blew synanon survivors when he started saying, 'Do n't be like me practice you enjoy which were... Or authority on cults, that is obviously true for purpose and to be part of something up straight New. And he started ordering attacks and got caught on his ideas were removed were removed it.! You how many times a day I pick up my kid Synanon game psychological development is not understood incorporated... Divorce rate about us, '' he explains escapes a violent cult as a child and incorporated into clinical.... The Church of Synanon in the 1970s the child seemed lost in the.... All of us started having kids, and I hope you found practice! Counterproductive, ultimate leading to the protection it recieved operation, only 26 graduated! Had to navigate poverty and abuse, but I felt I had that knowledge because I had engaged so.! That knowledge because I had engaged so many now Movies now are once again heroes. Case of my brother, he wrote, they found my weakness and I you... Always be dangerous because of the nature of the synanon survivors game, this is what one would expect from totalitarianism... Because of the Synanon game millions and millions of dollars, off of criminal child abuse to do in which... Of something no smoking `` I ca n't tell you how many times a I. Similar protection but blew it when he started saying, 'Do n't be like me 1,180 addicts who entered! 'Re doing Rican psychiatrist Efren Esteban Ramirez to run the citys Addiction Services Agency was tough! From any totalitarianism environment after removal the Synanon game were subjected has received attention!