Information about RMA from 1990 to 1991

[Snow Bird]

I would like to know as much information as possible in regards to RMA in Idaho from 1990 to 1991.  I have a brother who attended the school during that time.  If there is any literature in regards to abuse cases, please send me the info and/or links.

Thank you.

[try another castle]

Hi snow bird.

I got there in 87 and graduated in 89, but blownawaytheidahoway was there during part of the time you are interested in. He got there about a year after I did, so I think that would put his graduation at around Dec. of 1990.

He has a pretty amazing memory, too. I'd definitely recommend picking his brain.

[Nihilanthic]

I would like to know as much information as possible in regards to RMA in Idaho from 1990 to 1991.  I have a brother who attended the school during that time.  If there is any literature in regards to abuse cases, please send me the info and/or links.

Thank you.

I heard from a reliable source, that you liek mudkips.

[try another castle]

Just to kick the thread off could you, Try Another Castle, give her the low down on Propheets?

 

Wow.

I hate to do this, I really do, but I'm going to be lazy and post what I wrote in the CEDU lingo thread. It's much more articulate than anything I could write at the moment. My brain is kind of mushy from lack of sleep.

"Propheet": a 24 hour workshop. Named after Khalil Ghbiran's "The Prophet". Passages from the prophet are read at one point in each propheet. When I was there, there were 7 propheets and two workshops. The propheets employed sleep-deprivation, humiliation, occasional exposure to large variations in temperature, guided imagery, loud and repetitive music, regression therapy, bizarre ritual, forced emoting. This normally resulted in a feeling of euphoria and exhaustion after the experience. Certain propheets actually caused students to temporarily lose their voice. Each propheet, with the exception of the last one, also consisted of "disclosures" and a lengthy "rap" where everyone in the room was spoken to. After you complete a propheet, you are sworn to secrecy, however, you are allowed to speak to students who have already been through the experience.

The list of propheets are The Truth, The Childrens, The Brothers Keeper, The Dreams, The I Want to Live, The Values and The Imagine. The two, multi-day workshops, are the I & Me and the Summit. They employ similar techniques, but are significantly worse and more bizarre.

As for the definitions to "disclosures" and "raps" (referred to in the quote)...

Disclosures were things we were forced to tell the staff that we may (or may not) feel bad about. This could be anything from a broken rule (known as "dirt") to stuff we did in our past, to sexual feelings, to complete fabrications because we didn't have anything else to come up with. We were always under pressure to disclose. Perfect breeding ground for false confessions.

raps were confrontational, verbally abusive group sessions. They were based off of Synanon's "the game". They happened three days a week for four hours a day. (If memory serves.) and in all of the propheets except for the last one. The propheet raps were the worst because EVERYBODY gets talked to. It takes forever.

The CEDU lingo thread is very helpful, actually, because so much of the program is in the language, so you can get a real good picture of the way things worked there. I have a more complete list in my livejournal which isn't all broken up that I could paste in here as a quote if you like. (It would be a very looooong quote.)




...okay. Now you guys have me craving grape soda.

[try another castle]

BTW: What would happen if you refused to 'fess' up in a raps or a propheets session anyway?

You'd get yelled at. Screamed at. Browbeaten until you are a weeping, sobbing mess. If that didn't work, maybe they'd put you on bans from quest or discovery families down, or they'd stick you on a work detail, a living room restriction or a booth. It's the same way they dealt with any kind of resistance. Beat you up in a rap. Beat you up on restrictions.

Never happened to me. I rolled over nice and pretty when it came to disclosures. Not too proud of that.

Okay, I know this post is full of lingo. Dammit. It's so obnoxious trying to talk about what happened there without a glossary. After I watch Heroes tonight, I'll post my lingo list.

[try another castle]

Sorry, I know. My bad.

I'm hesitant to post the list, because it is huge. I don't want to overwhelm her.

I'll post parts relevant to what I just said to you.

"Families" was the phased system of progress through the school. The higher you got, the more privileges you were permitted, such as no longer having to have your mail or phone calls monitored. You graduated after you completed your last family. There were six families when I was there. Voyageurs and Discovery, which were the lower school, Quest and Challenge, which were the middle school, and New Horizons and Summit, which was the upper school. You were required to apply to summit, and make a summit portfolio. They announced your ascension in front of the student body.

"Bans" meant that there was a specific student, or a group of students (normally from a family on down) that you could not speak with. (You were "on bans" from them.) This also meant that you could not have any eye contact, or engage in any other means of communication, such as passing notes. If there are a group of students which were having a conversation, and you were on bans from one of the students within that conversation, you could not be allowed to participate in that discussion, even if you don't speak directly with the person you are on bans from.

"Work detail" meant that you were being punished, and you worked on your own on a particular project, such as digging up stumps, landscaping, building walls, etc. People on work details were on bans from the entire student body while working, and were not allowed a watch.

"Booth" a variation of a full-time. (I'll explain) Not as severe. I'm not sure about all of the differences, since I was never on one.

"Living Room" another restriction. A student is placed on bans from others and is forced to remain in the living room and write in their notebook.

"Full-time" was a method of punishment for more severe infractions against the rules. Such as running away, having sex, or a sex contract, self-inflicted injuries, such as carving. A student was to remain isolated at a booth in the dining room for x amount of days (mine was 14, which was a lot, back in my day. The lengths of time increased dramatically after I left). While there, they were supposed to be completing writing assignments in their notebook, as well as complete a reading assignment given to them by the staff that ran their full time. During the day, they were on a work detail. Normally it was a very long project that would last the entirety of their full time, and the student could not complete the full-time until they completed that project.. (I had to build a rock wall.) On non-rap days, they worked all day, on rap days, they worked half a day and then were in a rap. A full-time student would be on bans from most of the school, with the exception of upper school students. The only times they could speak with others was in raps. They could not leave their booth unless escorted by a staff or student. They were not allowed to smile or laugh. Your watch was also taken away for the duration of the full time. Staff and older students would occasionally sit down with the student and talk with them about their progress. Often, when a student got on a full-time, they would also have to move dorms. Once you were taken off of a full time, you were relieved, and sometimes felt that you had "learned something about yourself." My full-time, which happened when I was in Voyageurs, was the final straw that "broke" me and made me a full-blown programmie.

So hopefully, those will help with the crap I just said before.


But now... I really gotta go get some grape soda. Damn I'm suggestible.

[blownawaytheidahoway]

I would like to know as much information as possible in regards to RMA in Idaho from 1990 to 1991.  I have a brother who attended the school during that time.  If there is any literature in regards to abuse cases, please send me the info and/or links.

Thank you.

What do you want to know? Read my posts and some of the older strings from a couple of years ago also.
Any Information is here/there, it's just hard to take in.
CEDU education at RMA was very intense at times, and the experience does not leave you when you leave the campus for the last time.

Feel free to PM me Snowbird. Have a good day.

[try another castle]

CEDU education at RMA was very intense at times, and the experience does not leave you when you leave the campus for the last time.

They weren't kidding when they said "Here Forever".