First, Susan, good to hear from you again. I am very aware of the early philosophies of Synanon. And that Susan, is what differentiates us, from other countries where there is no freedom of press. So I asked him how he could then discount it and he responded because if it existed, he would have to consider it occurring in religions (he is a Christian and lover of utopian communities) and other groups. 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? Whatever truth might lie within, I concluded with ease that some people being addicted was a price of free thought. 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. "'Ha, ha! Before moving in, Jollett had always considered his dad a "badass," a "criminal," a "pirate. Jollett says his feelings were not validated by his mother, who instead relied on him for comfort. Out of 1,180 addicts who had entered Synanon in its first five years of operation, only 26 had graduated. 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. Im so grateful, thankful & PROUD of everyone who made this happen!!! 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. when I was growing up I thought world would be a better place if women were in control. Since I alone have the records (UCLA has only what Synanon chose to give it) I felt obligated. Synanon was not unique. If I did not want comments i would not have it set up too comments. In his final letter to his mother, he wrote, They found my weakness and I want to go home.. But, Ms. Szalavitz writes, the shuttered programs simply changed their names and reopened, often with the same staff, in the same stateeven in the same building. But he was tapped for his past violent tendencies and unleashed like Russell Crowe in L. But he ruled them out as heretics, not ever once, as did Janzen, do, as Deep Throat suggested to the Watergate investigators: follow the money.. Nov 04, 2017 Daina Fanning rated it really liked it. We were indoctrinated quickly thru fear, humiliation,and the constant threat of physical violence. 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. Further, it is foolish to treat all persons in the same manner. [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. He told me he was completing a book on Synanon. 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. The musician also remembers the period with his mother and brother in Oregon, where they went to hide. While a credit to Dederichs foresight, it also unfortunately was a feature of his harmful megalomania. Founded in 1958, Synanon sold itself as a cure for hardcore heroin addicts who could help each other by breaking new initiates with isolation, humiliation, hard labor, and sleep deprivation. I look forward to comments, but those based upon facts, not attacks on the messenger. This program was called MATRIX. Although Synanon was officially shut down in 1991, it had inspired followers to start similar groups that perpetuated Synanons worst principles. Society would have to catch up with Dederich on his ideas of dieting, exercise, and no smoking. The Old Man would testify that he never gave a splitee a single thought from the moment each left. Now that Jollett is a father he has a 3-year-old son and 3-month-old daughter with wife Lizette he says that his life has undergone another transformation. As stated in earlier chapter, one study on encounter groups in 1971 found the Synanon methods of attack therapy was the most likely to create psychological injury, and the experiment led to mental breakdowns and one suicide. 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. Kenton, through no fault of his own, was placed in the Synanon school by square musician parents and at age 18 became the youngest member of the Imperial Marines. In 1966 New York City Mayor John Lindsay hired Puerto Rican psychiatrist Efren Esteban Ramirez to run the citys Addiction Services Agency. 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. In the introduction I asked the question was Charles Dederich just another sociopath who rose to power or was he a Jedi Knight seduced by the Dark Side. 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. Ex-members have no idea how close they all came to being arrested for conspiracy of RICO violations. Further, Yablonsky married a Synanon woman and admitted he felt any attack on Synanon was an attack on her. Dr. Roger Meyer, a professor of psychiatry at Boston University, and formerly the Acting Chief of the Center for Studies of Narcotics and Drug Abuse at NIMH, was one of the first to question the wisdom of subjecting kids to the brutality of the Synanon Game. one, it was a hard fought battle. Per Dr. Robert J. Lifton, this is what one would expect from any totalitarianism environment after removal. I think Synanon was one of the most important stories of the 20th-century and leaves us with one of the most documented histories that is worth studying and learning from. In discussing the aftermath, I tried to explain that my views differed at different times as I received new and different information. According to newspaper articles of the day he has publicly disclosed, Ive smoked pot, popped pills, but none of the hard stuff. Hereceived a degree in psychology from a mail-order company in Florida. It a very sick place for teen agers,and during my time we were mixed in with adults. He stated he consciously directed the Synanon population through this method. Ben had told me you felt I had added more to what you had written and your excellent children study, and when I went back and read it I saw there was ambiguity between when I was quoting you and when I was adding my own additional comment. Many have the support of state agencies, because of the past publicity for Synanon, unaware of what happened in California and assuming therefor these programs worked. Further it established shelter and group support could aid those truly wanting to stop. "I am not bound by the rules," Dederich said, according to a 1978 PEOPLE story. You might call that egotistical, but I felt I had that knowledge because I had engaged so many. How all of this occurred is set forth in the first book So Fair a House by Dr. Casriel. NIH had even started its own experimental synanon at the federal lockup hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. Some of the kids when graduated became counselors for cheap wages, and there is probably nothing more vicious than an 18 year-old who was abused and now given the power to abuse. That is not ego. I dont have to stay in it anymore. The methods the religious community used to break down the members are still used in rehab facilities across the United States. Jollett, 45, tells PEOPLE about the abuse he and many other children experienced while growing up in the "school" of the infamous Synanon cult. But it is mans nature to flock together and unfortunately war with each other. S. B. I wrote that cults are just microcosms of greater societies. my last chapter in my book did just exactly what you asked which was put my what you call myscholarly talents on the American cult. 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. He told me that he had interviewed Synanon people and examined the UCLA records. And with that all being announced on the wire, murder attempts begin. At his death bed, Maslow finally denounced the Human Potential Movement. 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. The musician was careful in his portrayal of his mother, whom he feared would come across as a one-dimensional villain. The story of Synanon is how one man took good people and turned them into terrorists. Were you happy with the violence? The problem is, however, is how to ensure they are taken advantage of. by 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. In the early days of Synanon, the It can be found on Amazon. It did make news. But I also concluded that Synanon would always be dangerous because of the nature of the Synanon game. A haunting tale of estrangement, Synanon Kid, is a coming-of-age story of hope, survival, and determination. While I cop to an ego in this area, my comments to Janzen had nothing to do with it. It quotes statements I did not make but Dederich did. Jollett, then just a little boy, hid to save himself. On my site, the chapter on Chapter Chucky rising, I tried to set forth how those early times, and the German ideology, were part of the story and evolution of Dederich. (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. WebSynanon Industries. Further, I wrote that the study of cults is studying a microcosm of the greater society. 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. also, to write a good book, you have to think that is what you are doing or it will not be a good book. That's crazy,'" says Jollett, reflecting back on cult-members giving their children away at 6 months old. Synanon was discredited in the late 1970s and 1980s as its violent record was exposed. 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. Please buy the book. Now, if it is not very God damn profitable, I would go into another business. Saying his death was caused by cardiac arrest, said Cohen, is really sugar-coating the pill as he was tortured to death and also denied medical treatment. You would make Wes Fager proud, I am sure, sadly he is no longer with us. 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. WebSurvivors report physical abuse, exploitation (human trafficking), and several types of psychological torment, including harsh discrimination and LGBTQ+ conversion therapy. Both boys had to navigate poverty and abuse, but Jollett's experience was vastly different from his brother's. 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. Arbitrarily, I would say that young persons under 16 years of age should be excluded from these programs and that careful evaluation be given admitting persons between 16 and 18 years of age . TimI didnt say I was the only one to fight Synanon. Justice For Our Angels. Dederich said free choice in the hands of an addict was like a gun in the hands of a baby. 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. ", 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. I was inducted in late 1976 at the age of 14. In what ways are we just wrong? "Mary Karr likes to say, 'You have to write about difficult relationships with great love.' Have a merry. 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. 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. But before I wrote this, there were many before me who wrote the same thing trying to put an end to the warped Synanon system that as Dederich said was based on hate. The game and all other methods of forced confessions, real or false to conform, are the essence of Liftons brainwashing. Casriel teamed up with Father William OBrien to form Daytop Village which today is one of the largest therapeutic communities in the world. 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. Further, while brainwashing might be a form of keeping a person from drugs, leaving all decision making to the masters was a recipe for disaster. As a key distinction between comparing Synanon to America, those in Synanon who tried to warn or criticize were shut down and shoved out. You think I didnt experience Synanon, but I did. Its wonderful. Both are real experiences, but which is more important to learn from. A recovering alcoholic named Art Barker in 1970 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and run almost entirely by kids for kids. 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. We have a freedom of the press, and when it does its job, and people do theres, there is hope. gave a grant to a Florida organization called The Seed, which applied Synanons methods to teenagers, even to those only suspected of trying drugs . 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. For Jollett, experiencing his dad's love was a life-changing experience. 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. Rocker Mikel Jollett's Memoir on Cult Childhood Is 'Primal Scream' Those who chose to reject his ideas were removed. As such they were just like the many other children born into the cult. 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. Jollett's father, though not in his life in the beginning, emerges as the hero in the book. They also had to fight for attention from the few loving adults who monitored them, Jollett explains. So lets say you wanted to give the Third Reich some credit, which could be done, what positives can you say about Synanon? The founder, Charles Dederich, ordered his cult followers to divorce and swap partners, with more than 200 couples complying. WebJan 2010 - Present13 years 2 months United States Im a CEDU Survivor who created & runs the Synanon Survivors Group on Facebook. Every time we let somebody into Synanon we assume an enormous liability and this is done consciously. Sam Gillette is a books Writer/Reporter for People.com and People Magazine. Per Ofshe, Dr. Elizabeth Missakian, former Pres. Some children were taken to foreign countries, or islands, although foreign countries have done more to stop them than our government. Shomeister. The leader, Chuck Dederich, decided we wouldn't have parents, and then we just didn't.". This is especially true when punishment is viewed as a healing process. Most of what I wrote was a no comment description in detail of Synanons evolution taken from its own records. 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. And I still do. 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. I am a Synanon survivor. To me there is good reason why Elan was not on the the map. And thats it for the idea that Synanon played a role in curing drug addiction. I delete only the crazies refuse to present any argument, rebuttal facts or evidence that anything stated was not true; but just a statement that anyone who would think that or write such facts belongs in a nut house. I have it. 65-pound Michael Wiltsie, 12, at Camp E-Kel-Etu, a private Florida facility, in 2000 was suffocated to death by a 320-pound counselor who sat on him until he stopped breathing. You would also have learned that I have been in the room with many Synanon people countless times. None of us were hardcore drug addicts. As stated, Dederich, himself, admitted at deposition that he created the boogeyman to bond people and keep them from running away. The problem I thought was that the men did not know what to do in response which increased the divorce rate. *..**. Facing seven-figure legal judgments, despite ties with the Bush family and Nancy Reagan, it closed in 1993. In 1993, Dr. DuPont testified that the progenitor of Straight was Synanon and that those places which used Synanons methods are called therapeutic communities and that there are two rules for these therapeutic communities: No Sex and No Violence. 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. Sincerely We know that a, that a, only one out of I think 25 is going to stay long enough to be of any consequence at all. Anyway good luck and I hope you found a practice you enjoy. Stop telling me this didn't happen, because this happened.'" Maybe it's the leader's fault. 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. if you have actual information please, but your tirades will be deleted. I suppose if they werent why Id have to find another business. As I said, I would say the same of Janzen. borderline schizophrenic patients, schizoid personalities, and acutely anxious, neurotic adolescents. I listened to countless game tapes. But I DO know the culture of Synanon. Eventually, on the subject of rehabilitation, Ofshe would write, Synanon was the failure thats gave birth to an industry.. 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. Matt C. Hoffman I am very grateful that you have included in writing your blog about Joe Riccis version or interpetation of Synanon. 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. 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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 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. 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, 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. Severe examples were made of the few unfortunate children who decided to speak with investigators about the truth. "Our parents weren't bad people, they didn't choose to turn their children into orphans. Charles was arrested while drunk in 1978 and was barred from any further leadership within the 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. lawyer magazine paul Morantz on you tube. A. Confidential. Ordered by the court out of Synanon, he returned to a life of crime and was murdered. 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. Largely, the squares were people looking for purpose and to be part of something. A haunting tale of estrangement, Synanon Kid, is a coming-of-age story of hope, survival, and determination. 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. I just imagined Charles Dederich rolling over in his grave at that news. Synanon did not even keep it from the public. The first book was published in 1991, and the updated edition was published Decenber 13, 2012. That Young people were beaten, some in public demonstrations. Synanon was the first therapeutic community devoted to the treatment of the drug addicted according to the Encyclopedia of Drugs and Alcohol, which is edited by the first White House Drug Czar; Dr. Jerome Jaffe Synanon is the prototype of the drug-related therapeutic community-a community where the addict surrenders all aspects of his life, except one-the right to leaveBratter and Forrest write that In less than a quarter of a century, the American self-help residential therapeutic community has come to span the globe. In conclusion, while the notions in Synanon arose out of Dederichs troubled childhood, I dont think all blame is on Synanonsuch systems existed all throughout history. 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., ***. I have the book and am reading it. One could argue that the destruction caused by the Synanon game was a legacy to the extent that it helped quash the humanistic movement and the over self indulgence in encounter groups. 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. 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. The media pointed to me, but there were far many who had joined and fought to protect me as well as expose Synanon. This was written before he joined. And you quite accurately describe the reason, it was protected. ), "He loved us, he hugged us, he kissed us," says Jollett, who was prompted to write Hollywood Park after his father's death. "All of us started having kids, and I think as parents we were like, 'Holy s---, what? He participated in several missions, and arguably would have lived a better life but for his exposure to Synanon. 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. 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. 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. ", Jollett continued to struggle with past traumas as a young teen and adult. Children say they were punched, kicked and forced to eat dirt for minor infractions such as failing to stand up straight. TTI Survivor - Leviah Rose. standing in line at a supermarketI get it reading the rags past the time. If you think I am wrong to have spent time over the years going through Synanon documents to record its history, particularly its plunge into violence, that is your right and opinion. 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