Growing Together of Lake Worth, Florida

[Antigen]

Dear old uncle Joe Ya' know, this reminds me of the sad tale of my dearly departed great uncle Joe. It was just prior to prohibition and he had a job cleaning up at the brewery. One day, he fell into a full beer vat. Uncle Jim and Uncle Thom were there. They dove in and tried to fish him out, but he fought `em off and subsequently drowned.


Blopa, I heard it through the grape vine that you have far more concrete evidence of abuse than just the Program's lineage. If you fail to protect your son at this point, there's no going back. He may forgive you one day, but he'll never ever trust you again.  

[Blopa]

Re: Dear old uncle Joe Thank you very much all for your interest in helping my son and I. I am not in anyway downplaying what you been through (and still are) and I know you do not have any secret agenda as you have nothing to win or lose by sharing on your traumatic experience.  After clearly establishing that I will discuss the present situation that started this Topic. The first thing that comes to mind is that several of the most openly troubling practices of Straight are absent on the practice at GT: special diet, food and sleep deprivation, isolation (not access to Children and Family or police by phone), kids locked with key on bedrooms. Those I know to be true as I saw first hand while fostering out (visiting host family houses with the kids there). Other things I was told by kids and parents is that they do not sit on kids, they are never locked alone, they are not insulted, spited at or humiliated screaming at their faces, etc.


Another issue, central to the big picture, is the brain washing. In principle, I am personally against all forms of brain washing. The caveat is that my son (and probably most people with self-destructive behavior) have already been brain washed and that is why they are actively seeking to kill themselves (and others) by abusing drugs, breathing AC gases (freon?) and other toxics that are known to destroy brain cells and terminate their lives at different paces. Or by driving at very fast speed while high or drunk, etc.


So the starting point of this treatment is not a happy Kids that is having a safe life. We started with a kid that was way on his way to kill himself and maybe others. We did not chose to disrupt a life, our aim is to get him to stop killing himself.  Now, it is not an easy job to have someone abandon his most precious and valued beliefs: the entire drug culture, self mutilation and destruction, complete contempt for all the rules (right or wrong) that make his existence in the community possible, his absolute repudiation for any advice or even possibility of having a normal life (work, earn a living, stay sober and do whatever you chose to do with your life within the boundaries of the law).


How do you change all that without washing the Kid's mind?  I am speaking from my mind and for myself as no one in any of the treatment centers we visited (including GT) ever admitting to resorting to brain washing. But I think that some sort of serious re-programming of the mind (aka brain washing) would have to take place to make such a radical change in someone concepts, thinking process, feeling process, etc. I know that simply talking to that person does not suffice. We tried that, we used psychologists, psychiatrists, medication, outpatient therapy, church, gifts, contracts, treats, you names.  While doing all these, our son kept running in the opposite direction at an increased speed, doing more drugs, hanging out with very dangerous characters, getting in fights, cursing and screaming at us, breaking things, closing his mind more and more.


I do not think that we could just sit on the side hoping that he will get better by himself, as he was going to kill himself, possible others including us. It was impossible to talk with him about anything. He was deeply sad, even suicidal. He was stealing from us.  This is the scene in most homes of troubled teenagers of the other parents we spoke with.  So, with all honesty, what is there to do for a parent in this predicament?  Is easy to blame the medicine at hand, but is there any other REALISTIC medicine?  As ugly as it sounds, I think that you have to de-program and re-program the patient's mind to get them out of that rut. It sounds horrible, but what is the REALISTIC alternative. The person in on an accelerated path of self-destruction as thousands do die every year from this disease, drug abuse, suicide, etc.  Talking won't do it since he would not listen,  therapy as outpatient did not work either. Eckerd Youth Alternatives worked, but for a year or so. COPAC threw him out. La Amistad was a mad-house that he hated. South Miami Drug Rehab Center could not work with him. What else to try? Do I give up on him? And he is not seating still waiting for us to find a good solution, he is trying to kill himself with the drug use, etc. while we think and consider the alternatives. What will you do in such a case?


He will have to unlearn a lot of crap he learned, change his taste in music, friends, thought process, motivation, decency, etc. How in the world do you achieve all that?


I wish there was a pill he could take and get well, a book he could read or some magic words that someone can spell and make such fundamental changes as he needs to make to stay alive.  Short of that, I think that some serious reprogramming of the mind would have to take place and I am surely no expert to judge and decide what it would entail.  In the meantime I am glad he is safe and seems to be making progress.  


Worse case, if he survives this treatment and will take him (as you say) 15 years to get right again, that implies that we will be alive 15 years from now, and that is good news. It certainly beats the alternative.


Those are my considerations at this time.


Regarding allegations of abuse (I just read your posting), no, I do not have anything more than allegations and it will be very easy to convince me otherwise: I you know any case that resulted on a conviction against GT, and you care to, please give me the case number, decision on the case, judge,etc. I will research such case/cases. So far I found none.


Thanks again.

Edited by: Blopa at: 10/22/01 1:08:34 pm

[ramprato]

You just don't get it do ya??....... Those people that run GT prey on people like you. It's not because you're such a nice guy, it's not because they have a genuine concern for your kid, You have a couple of dollars in the bank and that' all they want, MONEY plain and simple. Look around the room at GT, and what do you see, you don't see kids from the SLUMS do you??


The majority of us that post here and on the other sites came from upper middle income backgrounds, that's who these Straight-like places target people with MONEY.


Here's a quote from you I found particularly special:


"I think that some sort of serious re-programming of the mind (aka brain washing) would have to take place to make such a radical change in someoneâ??s concepts, thinking process, feeling process, etc."


That to me that is plain disgusting, to read such garbage. Oh yes, it's OK as long as it's happening to somebody else and not yourself, hell, for that matter, it's OK even if it's your own kid, just throw him into the hands of complete strangers you've never met before and walk away??,well think again ace. Your child is your most precious resource and YOU have been given a RARE opportunity, an opportunity that most of our parents 20 years ago would of begged to have if it were available to them, a chance to talk to 20 year survivors of MIND RAPE MILLS such as GT who have given their very heart and sole to you about the aftereffects of untold pain caused by brainwashing. People like us who have had time to research these sickos, know their game, and all the steps they took along the way for some 30 years to perfect their scam on people like you, it amazes the @#%$ right out of me that you would trust them over us, I'm shaking my head right now in complete disbelief. I know guys, I shouldn't be, I realize we've only been exposing these bastards for a year or so now.


Just taking a stab here, did you ever read up on communist re-education camps?? They use the same sick MIND RAPING tactics in those camps, where do you think the brainwashing kids concept was "barrowed" from. I'm sure were also soon going to find out that this is how the kids in poor middle eastern families are recruited and "educated" to hate Americans, it's just a matter of time before this all comes out and makes the headlines, I'm sure then that you won't mind being the poster-dad advocating brainwashing centers for anything YOU perceive wrong with kids. Did YOU ever go through adolescence, were you ever defiant to your parents, EVER?? How did they correct you? Did they entrust you to strangers?, careful now, your halo is slipping.


Here's a good one from you:


"Worse case, if he survives this treatment and will take him (as you say) 15 years to get â??rightâ?? again, that implies that we will be alive 15 years from now, and that is good news. It certainly beats the alternative."


I think if I were able to turn back the clock, I would of rather find another way of dealing with whatever issues there were at the time concerning my adolescence. Sure, to the outside world, I am a "success", but why the hell is it that when the internet was introduced to this world did I find myself on it advocating the humane treatment of kids and exposing sick MIND RAPE MILLS such as YOUR kid is in??? hmmm? Must be for my health, my emotional health.


Now try to remember these next words I ought to send a recommendation to the AD Council for a public service announcement:


A MIND IS A TERRIBLE THING TO RAPE

[Blopa]

Re: You just don't get it do ya??....... Ken, I do not doubt that what you describe is true to the program you 'attended' (Straight), but I clearly established some differences between what you and others describe as taking place in Straight that DOES NOT match what goes on on GT.


Do you know what goes on on GT?


You keep insisting (and you are right) of how horrible the practices of the place you know, are.  But I am not talking about that place, since I have no direct knowledge of anything they did there.  I am not talking about Straight.


I do see similarities.  I also see fundamental differences precisely about the things I see you 'complaint' the most. Again, they do not lock people in isolation (alone or in groups), they do not sit on people hurting them, do do not deny anyone the use of the phone to call for help, they do not put them in ridiculous diets, they do not deprive them of food or sleep.  All this differences I know first hand and that is why I can talk about it. They don't mean anything to you?


BTW you still do not offer an alternative treatement.


Ken, I am not interested in winning any argument with you, prove you wrong, etc. as I understand you are only trying to help me and my kid.  It just surprises me that you refer to GT as if was a copy of Straight.  You know Straight, you do not not GT and you ignore the differences I point out to you.

[Antigen]

Psychic murder That's how the thought reform process is described by some scholars. And that's what it feels like. Your previous post said it all and I was horrified by the implications of it.


You know they're brainwashing your son. Did you know they're brainwashing you more? Think for a minute. All of the behaviors you describe as suicidal are, though troubleing, within the range of normal teen rebellion. Driving fast? That's a thrill for some kids, especially boys. Using illicit drugs? 70% of the adult population, dear, including your medical care professionals, your legal people, teachers, bus drivers, cops... you name it. Are they all suicidal? Do they all need to be thought reformed?


Deliberately carving on one's skin is NOT typical teen rebellion. Psyche guidelines usually associate sexual trauma with self mutilation.


Again, was he carving before you put him in the Program?


You keep asking for absolute proof of certain specific methods of abuse, otherwise you will not act to protect your son. If I found out that a neighbor might be a child abuser, I would FIRST eliminate any chance of their having access to my kids and then further investigate.  Mr., your response is just really bizarre for a parent. I'm not surprised, though. My own parents and plenty of others walked the same path.


Once again, let me remind you that in the State of Florida, if you suspect child abuse you have a legal obligation to report it or at least to intervene on behalf of the child. A few years ago, a mother went to prison on a homocide charge because she forced her teenaged daughter to work in a strip club. The girl was so humiliated by the experience that she killed herself. At this point, you probably don't care enough about your son to intervene on his behalf. But you might want to think carefully about any criminal investigations that might arise should it turn out that they are hurting children there at GT.

[ramprato]

Still don't get it... "BTW you still do not offer an alternative treatment."


My God, everything you have been told by all of us, and you still refer to that place as "treatment".


Why don't you try NOT locking him away from you, and talk to him instead of entrusting him to complete strangers for starts, sounds like he has had a smorgasbord of places to help "fix" him in his short 17 years of life, what the hell about you?, has he had YOU to talk to yet? or did that go to off to the side while you were piling up all the money? Go into family counseling, study the end affects of brainwashing and what survivors of brainwashing go through day to day because you're going to need the information to deal with you own kid's Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that you and GT have introduced to him. You might find a good therapist for him and you for that matter, one that is familiar with Synanon based MIND RAPING methods because that's the new thing you got to add to the list on top of all the rest of juniors "ailments" boss.


Level with me, when you first started lurking our websites and posted your first message (listing off all these things he did), did you list your son's "problems" off the 20 questions pamphlet they gave you? Do you honestly think that the 20 questions thing started in GT, lol.


"Ken, I am not interested in winning any argument with you, prove you wrong, etc. as I understand you are only trying to help me and my kid. It just surprises me that you refer to GT as if was a copy of Straight. You know Straight, you do not not GT and you ignore the differences I point out to you."


Well you right there, I am actually genuinely concerned amazingly for someone I never even met that I know is being tortured up in his mind, this is getting real personal, I am speaking for somebody that can NOT speak for himself, YOUR son. Pay close attention now.......GT was born out of Straight and uses the same mind raping methods that straight used on all us all those years ago, savvy?

"You know Straight, you do not not GT and you ignore the differences I point out to you."


I think your saying I don't know GT, only Straight, wrong, I know the methods GT uses, I know that there were homosexual abuse charges brought up against GT in a police report that I bet they didn't tell you upon you admitting you child, and entrusting him to. I know that you yourself have said that he has NO privacy and I know that this is a main brainwashing tactic right there not to mention the sheer humiliation of it, (bathroom ect...)


You are fixed in your beliefs, there is NO stopping you, they have you "convinced" another dollar in the pot for them, another ruined human being. I would NEVER put my kid in a place like that under ANY circumstances, those people who run places like that ought to be jailed. Don't worry though, I, like everybody here will do what they can to expose these sickos with or without your help.

[FaceKhan]

 Instances of attention and hundreds more are never seen My best friend returned from a wildnerness program that was supposed to help him. Well despite his big claims upon leaving that he was 'cured' and he loved his parents and all that @#%$. A few months later he is back to exactly where he was, sitting around, no school, no job, smoking lots of pot, @#%$ one girl, while trying to get back with a girl from years ago, and mooching off his rich alcoholic father and his nuerotic drug abusing mother. 20,000 dollars well spent, afterall isn't a forced hike through the woods with "experts" worth its weight in gold? It certainly "saved" my friend and cleared up his confusion. At best it was adolescence interrupted, and at worst, I don't even know but soon after he came home I was contacted by two former students both highly regarded by the program who had spent 3.5 and 5.5 months (its supposed to be a 84 day program) respectively and had quite an interesting tale of poor supervision, untrained staff, awful management, and violations of common sense and common decency.


When he came home, I felt too awkward to even speak to his parents, afterall he seemed fine (perhaps even happier than he went in) and I had seemingly made a big deal out of nothing. Two and a half months later, I am beginning to think his parents are avoiding me, as I have only seen his father once or twice and his mother not at all, even though I spend at least a few hours a week at his house.    


The only thing I hear about Alldredge Academy from Alex , who briefly raved about the program and how he was leaving pot and acid behind him, learning Ha-Kido and getting a job ( "any job" were his exact words) is "there are a lot of brilliant people there"


Kinda cryptic, like he is unsure if they are brilliant cause they helped him or cause they duped, manipulated, and controlled him. Alex, who I once described as the master manipulator who could get anyone to do anything was duped along with his parents.


They say GOD works in mysterious ways, but he is a third rate con man compared to these program operators. Someone who wished to remain anonymous said that "these programs are cults, they are frauds, and they are confidence games." They are also very dangerous.


I have read and listened to the stories of many former program parents.  Don't kidd yourself Blopa, the only true statement made by those program people is that you really are in the program, you may not sleep in the building with your son but, the same tactics they use to control your son are being used on you. Who do you trust, the son you have known all his life, your own gut instincts? Or are you going to trust a sly con man, someone you do not even know. You have a problem and you have money and suddenly you have a friend and he seems to know everything about your problem. He knows all the right words to say to get you to sign on the dotted line.  Read this Mother's story about her experience in the program's parent seminars www.intrepidnetreporter.c...eaking.htm


If you try to "break the rules" and pull your son out or perhaps broach the idea to them about a family vacation, watch their reaction, guranteed they will strongly resist any attempt to remove your son from the program's custody.


Lastly I know it may be heard to watch your son abuse drugs but, even legitimate drug treatment only works for people who are addicted or dependent, and most users of ecstasy, marijuana, and LSD are neither addicted nor dependent. Get him out of there, take him away show him you love him, and when things settle down, explain to him calmly why it is important to you that he quit the drugs.

[Antigen]

You are so level headed Thanks for that. If I were on better terms with my daughter right now, I'd be trying to set you up with her.

[Elle]

acceptance Before I went into "treatment centre" that was staight based, I'd been through many other places, therapists, psychologits, ect. My family percieved them as failing, because I hadn't stopped the behavoirs that worried them, however some of them were benificial and changed me quit a bit. An outreach worker who simnply met me for coffee weekly gave me someone to share with, and helped boost my self esteem. I stopped doing drugs, but my parents continued to accuse me of being on them.


I had anorexia, and had since childhood. I'd been severely depressed and suicidal most of my life. I had drug induced psychosis leaving me in a state of constant hollucinations, and was unable to even read for one year. So, certainly my parents had reason to worry, and certainly I was in severe emotional and physical pain. One would think, that things couldn't get worse.


Years after "treatment" I sadly remember those times on drugs and near death as the happiest times in my life, because I hadn't been exposed to the ugliness of a straight based program yet. I think that you need to accept that we are not anti treatment. We are anti straight/straight based treatment, and that is where your son is. You also need to accept that you really have no way of knowing what is going on when you are not in the room. He may start looking physically better because he's put on weight, and he may laugh or smile, but you don't know what's scaring him to make those outward changes. Inwardly, he may be being exposed to something so traumatic that he will never be himself again. That's called killing ones spirit.


I'd like to repeat that the place I was in did NOT use food or sleep deprivation against us. There was hidden physical/sexual abuse happening, but extremely well hidden. Many of the kids didn't even know it was happening to the others. Most kids got fat, and had color back in their cheeks again.


I know that you must love your son to say that you would rather have him brainwashed as long as he's alive, but who is that surving? Many of us will tell you that it might have been best if we'd died from a drug overdose, than gone through straight based programs. As a married woman with pets, a loving new family, and a comfy house, I still sometimes feel that living through it has been too hard, and wonder if it was worth it. I don't ever think that of my drug times. Those are much easier to recover from.


Alternative solution, is let live. I know it seems wrong to sit and watch your child self destruct, but subjecting him to mental, and even sexual abuse is the worst thing to do. A parent outside of your situation would understand that. You keeping him there, is making you feel better. It makes you feel as though you are doing the best thing for him, it let's you feel safe at night (falesly) knowing that he's alive. For his sake, maybe you should imagine what pain has come out of his self destruction, or what sadness may have led him to take it so far. Then, add the insult to the injury of him feeling commited, abandoned, and now probably abused. For the rest of his life he'll wonder why his parents, and everyone from GT thought that he needed to be changed so badly. He'll always feel that there must be something wrong with him, and be afraid to show his true self.


He may be young and niave, but he is a human being who should have equal amount of freedom in life that you do, and I know that you would not want to be commited and brainwashed because you've made bad decisions. And You know what? Knowing you're possibly subjecting him to abuse puts you in a place where that may happen.


Just trying to help you and your son here.


                                                   Elle.

[2dogs2]

You won't know till,you know.  I just wanted to tell you that when I was in straight, We were not locked in rooms. All we had were those silly little alarms too.  And I never got sat on or restrained. We weren't supposed to cuss when we were "applying" positive peer pressure to other clients.  My folks heard some horror stories about Straight but ,were told that it was a completely different deal while I was there.  And physically it was.  It's not all the stuff that would obviously scare you , that should be worried about.  It is the things that don't seem to be that big a deal compared to the alternative.  If you would stop pretending to be Mr.Open-mind and really have one, you would be with your son right this minute ,being a real father , saying the right @#%$ . The @#%$ that comes from your heart not some stupid book.  I love my dad , but I still to this day can't believe what a big @#%$ he was for paying some people he didn't even know, to do the job he should have done as my father.  I just can't believe that you are so afraid of feeling the pain that you WILL feel if you did the right thing and got honest with your baby boy, that you actual find it easier to take the risk of distroying his mind. I don't want to start sounding like the "paronoids"  But as a father you are the one who is to impress a life-style (brainwash) on your son. Don't be one of the statistic pussies who choose to  abandon the responsibility of being a father, until it becomes a problem and then pay someone else to be your boy's "Daddy".   You think your son does all the things he's done because he wants to die?  He's not serious about any of it. It's all about "Hey dad I'm right here...do the right thing". The harder you ignore your resposibility the crazier he will become. I know you think you've tried everything but sometimes the most obvious thing is too unbelievably easy. I wish I could sit down with your son and tell him that what ever he has done doesn't matter. He doesn't need to feel bad about who he has become. He doesn't need to feel overwhelmed about how hard it is going to be to change.   People can change completely in one second. Have you ever been changed completely in an instant by something? I would be willing to bet my life that your son could change his entire life in one second...If you found the right words...can't help ya there, only you can unravel that mystery...2-dogs

[Kathy]

To Blopa First, I wanted to ask you if you would allow me to visit GT., or attend an open meeting... (if that's what you still call them)  I could tell you immediately if GT was the same as Straight, Inc.  If you can arrange permission for me to visit, I have no problem traveling down there to Florida and giving you my observation of the program.


Next, you wrote:  ***Regarding allegations of abuse (I just read your posting), no, I do not have anything more than allegations and it will be very easy to convince me otherwise: I you know any case that resulted on a conviction against GT, and you care to, please give me the case number, decision on the case, judge,etc. I will research such case/cases. So far I found none.***



As you probably know, over the years, as with any business, the company's lawyers become more legal savvy.  After 3 decades of being bombarded with law suits, lawyers continue to learn how to find loop holes in the law that allow these operations to continue.  While I don't have a law suit, I can point you to the Police Report that was filed on GT.  It probably was settled out of court.  That's what has been happening in the recent years.

       *****************************

The Police Report filed with the Palm Beach Gardens Police Dept.


ORI>flo502600

Case Number:>78-97-18230

Booking date: Sept. 25, 1997

Booking Time: 1113

Booking No.: 97133613

Statute ?00.04  

CT: 1

Charge: Lewd Assault  2nd degree  Judge Martin 091597

No Bond Allowed

Charge Type: Felony

Charge: Sexual Battery

Charge: False Imprisonment


This case was filed with the State Attorney's office... Maybe you, 'Blopa', can figure out what happened to this case.  I'm in the DC metro area, and I don't have access to the Florida Law Libraries... Let me know what you find out.

[2dogs2]

BLOPA?  I just wanted to know why you haven't responded in a while.  Are you off the fence?  Which side did you get off on?  How's your poor kid doing?....2-dogs

[Blopa]

GT After 3 months in the program, fostering kids and participating, we are very happy with GT and we do not see any glimpse of the abuses reportedly common at other programs.  Thanks for your interest and input.  Should we change our minds, we will re-visit this site and post it.

[Blopa]

GT After 3 months in the program, fostering kids and participating, we are very happy with GT and we do not see any glimpse of the abuses reportedly common at other programs.  Thanks for your interest and input.  Should we change our minds, we will re-visit this site and post it.

[Antigen]

I wonder who wrote that for him? BTW, not sure if I'm at liberty to disclose identities, but it is rumored that two people who's situations have been discussed on this board have decided to leave the cult life behind in Orlando and to spend the holidays with family somewhere west of the Mississippi. I know of a certain grandma who's overjoyed.  http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/roll.gif' alt=':rollin'>