For ex-clients: What type of abuse goes on at Pathway?

[Anonymous]

Mr. Schadel, is that you. Ahh, you old bugger. Give it up buddy. Yes, Mel did have a gradson in PFC. He graduated, and he now lives in Florida.

[nakid2003]

i just wanna say to all the pathway simpathizers...cut the shit! you fucken idiots. how can you deny that their are the most unethical practices going on in that hell hole. 99% of the kids that come out of that place, graduated or not know that pathway was fucked up and think them to be idiots. you are sick to try to defend this unhealthy place. mr. shadel(however you spell it) if you are posting shit on here, you ought to stop trying to defend your little sanctuary of control and sickness. actually do post stuff because i think its funny to try and hear you say your pompously ignorant remarks on the greatness of pathway. and none of you will know the people i'm about to list off since i graduated from the indy pathway. but i wanna give a shout out to all of these fuckers who contributed to my hell. fuck you alice mcdermott, jennie o'conner, mr. franz, tim youngblood, mary ann, the client chad. i trusted you all but you betrayed me, you assholes. by the way my name is chris, i had a brother that came in with me to pathway the same day up in michigan and then trasfered to the indy one once it opened up.  :smile: fuck you, you stupid fuckers you. P.S. look what pathway did to me the limit my vocabulary to swear words, yuo fucked me up...actually i know i cant blame you for that or any decicions i make now but i can still say fuck you, so fuck you.

I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I'm a human being first and foremost, and as such I am for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole

--Malcolm X

[Antigen]

:rofl: Yeah, that's pretty much how a lot of us felt coming out the other end. Yes, it would be a mistake to blame anyone for any deciscision you make now. But facts is facts, li'll brother. And you probably have some catching up to do in your formal education as well as in other areas of growing up. This is not your fault.

You didn't do the 'necessary things' to get put in Pathway and treated to their bizarre version of therapy. The program people did the recruiting and your parents bought it.

But now I'm curious about something. Some of these branches develop into personality cults. KIDS and AARC, for example, seem to have done that. For awhile, SAFE seemed to be one. Others didn't. Would you say that in PFC there is or is not a central person who really drives the thing?

When a well-packaged web of lies
has been sold gradually to the masses
over generations, the truth will seem
utterly preposterous and its speaker
a raving lunatic.      

--Dresden James

[Anonymous]

" i just wanna say to all the pathway simpathizers...cut the shit! you fucken idiots. how can you deny that their are the most unethical practices going on in that hell hole. 99% of the kids that come out of that place, graduated or not know that pathway was fucked up and think them to be idiots. you are sick to try to defend this unhealthy place. mr. shadel(however you spell it) if you are posting shit on here, you ought to stop trying to defend your little sanctuary of control and sickness. actually do post stuff because i think its funny to try and hear you say your pompously ignorant remarks on the greatness of pathway. and none of you will know the people i'm about to list off since i graduated from the indy pathway. but i wanna give a shout out to all of these fuckers who contributed to my hell. fuck you alice mcdermott, jennie o'conner, mr. franz, tim youngblood, mary ann, the client chad. i trusted you all but you betrayed me, you assholes. by the way my name is chris, i had a brother that came in with me to pathway the same day up in michigan and then trasfered to the indy one once it opened up.  fuck you, you stupid fuckers you. P.S. look what pathway did to me the limit my vocabulary to swear words, yuo fucked me up...actually i know i cant blame you for that or any decicions i make now but i can still say fuck you, so fuck you."

Chris, my heart goes out to you. I was in Straight getting my mind raped in Straight 20 years ago at this time. It tears me apart to see this still happening all over again, what these abusive clowns do to people like you. Don't worry though, you will come out of this and heal a lot faster that those still in the Pathway cult. The key is to expose these bastards and sue the hell out of them so they (and others who are thinking of getting into the mind raping business) will get the message that this kind of garbage will no longer be tolerated in our society. We will no longer tolerate kids being placed in buildings where Neanderthal/experimental brainwashing methods are used on them attempting for them to 'conform' because someone else is unhappy with them. I think young people do a better job growing up naturally, it's been happening that way for millions of years now.

I'm glad Chris that you had the courage to address your abusers, it's ok to do that. It's OK to 'talk behind backs'. They have it coming, they brought all that on themselves the minute any of them started their mind-rapist processes on you. They are now reaping what they have sown.

[Anonymous]

No he did not graduate unless they sent him to another program.

[Anonymous]

Talking about Schadel, I once saw a client walk by him and he clapped his hands like "hurry up" like she was a little child and gave her a nasty look like shape up.  It REALLY bothered me, but she had the last laugh because at 4th level she copped out.

[Anonymous]

What is this about Sex Raps on the Straight site. Is this something that goes on at Pathway too???

[Anonymous]

From what I have seen of alcohol or drug addicts, they still have a n inner rage that never healed. Psychotherapy could help this but so many have only dealt with the twelve step program.  Instead of learning that they do have control over themselves they tragically limit their social life and relationships to only others involved in AA.  Pathway only makes this rage worse in the long run. Behavioral therapy  is not the answer. Life has so much to offer when you really learn all about yourself.

[Anonymous]

there is more than one exit. In fact my child has used both to bolt. Another client tackled in pursuit, but was told by staff to "let go". Only certain staff have been legally trained in safe restraint and they have repeatedly told parents, clients, and staff that they may not use physical restraint.  
I have no doubt that verbal abuse goes on between clients. As I know my child and his friends would verbally abuse each other. It is not allowed. Though my experience has been that the clients can be very "careful" about who is listening.  
Also its been said in the ISAC report that Pathway deams homosexuality a mental disorder.
Thats news to me since my client says they are gay, and not only does family accept this fact. Staff has been very supportive of personal sexual choice. And client group is expected to accept others.
Just one families current experience.

[Anonymous]

As for being "clapped" at to hurry up. As if that is sooo disrepsectful and abussive? Thats funny, have you ever been in a public or private High School and see how kids have to:
1)Ask permission to go to the bathroom, at"unscheduled times" We all have stories of the kid denied bathroom access in school.
2)Have heard and or experienced "verbal abuse from our so called peers" And from school staff.
3)Have been subjected to the "liberal political agenda" without the other views taught.
4)Have watched and or experienced being ostracized, bullied, put down, etc. because we were not part of "the group". ex: football team, pom-pom team, "popular" crowd.  

WOW lets start a group to close down public education. There is serious abuse going on there.

[Anonymous]

The problem is:  Pathway has made this place the childs' FAMILY.  In the outer world he is expected to run into bullies, verbal abuse and it is something we have learn to deal with.  We learn how to deal with this within our family as a child and adolescent.  Disrespect, being bullied, being verbally abused within your FAMILY will give a child no safe place to be and that is how he will learn to be and how he will view the world.  It causes anger, neurotic behavior in the least.  Is this how it is within your family? I feel for your children.

[Anonymous]

Then the other exit was just opened. What is legally trained in safe restraint? How are they legally able to do this at all?  Arming is a restraint! How would you like it.  How degraded would you feel?

[Anonymous]

No bullying has never been allowed in my family.  In fact I made the big mistake of always being there to help protect my kids and didn't do a good job of teaching them to protect themselves.  I believed and trusted in that " just tell and adult" and they will protect you.  Man I set my kid up for serious disappointment from adults in charge!  Principals, teachers, etc.  Maybe thats one of the reasons why my kid turned to drugs.  But you know what, I don't disagree that changes need to be made in these programs. And that is happening. I personally think arming is dumb. Guess what they do not do it in the building anymore. Just to and from outside.  Its a start and the changes are not stopping there. Remember Rome wasn't built in a day.  
Changes in medicine, behavioral psychiatry, the world, etc. are constant. Not always at the speed at which some of us would like. But try not to "throw the baby out with the bath water".  And I also have talked to many professionals; psychiatrists, Medica doctors, social workers, parents in other programs, etc.  Have given them the info and the all the pros who specialize in adolescent drug abuse said "unfortunately not much else works".  Yeah I have to admit part of my theory was that my child, after having everything taken away, and contact removed. They would realize just how good they had it.  suddenly compared to others my kids perspective is more realistic.  Gee its so hard growing up  in a home in the country with horses, and pets to care for. You know hottub, pool, personal car, not expected to get a job if grades are kept above a C (this for a kid so bright they took there SATs in 8th grade) so maybe we just spoiled the hell out of them.  And yes both parents there at all special events. Reading at night, hugs goodnite. Loving are child for who they are. Flaws and all. Just wasn't enough, youngest of five and all went through their teen crap and drug experimentation.  We all lived through it and love each other. No programs before this,  maybe some kids do not belong in Pathway, does. Would have been dead or arrested for sure. Yeah I know youre going to say "same old script", but that was what we told Pathway when we first checked it out, not what they told us afterward. Did not want to send "the problem" away. Know better than that. Everyone in the family has to deal with this.  Luckily even all 4 older siblings are willing.  
I told my child once that "you know, you think the worst thing you could do to me is hate me. But the worst thing you could do to me is hate yourself and harm yourself."  That is beyond horrifying for me as a parent.  Thought about psychiatric hospital, checked it out. Talked to our family counselor and Psychiatrist specializing in adolescents.  Unfortunately that was not going to be the answer for us.

[Antigen]

This is one of those questions that absolutely stumps therapy cult ppl. Even though it's a very simple and basic question, it's such a difficult one for them to even wrap their minds around that, if you're going to ask it, you usually have to ask it several times, phrased slightly differently each time to clarify the meaning.

Exactly how does the Program work? By what mechanism does this regimen bring about change in the client?

For example, if you have a cold and you take vitamin C, it helps cure the cold by stimulating your bodie's natural hystamine response. If you have a bacterial infection and you take an antibiotic, it helps heal your infection by directly killing off the bacteria. If you have debt problems, you can solve them by making more money, consolodating at a lower interest rate or extending debt over a longer period of time to reduce periodic payments.

So, after the same form, please explain exactly what it is about the Program that effects change in the client.

If you're able to wrap your mind around what is going on there, it comes down to changing your kid's behavior against their will. The only way to do that is to break their will. And, no matter how nice you try to be about it, there simply isn't any way to do that except by emotional, physical and psychological abuse.

If you manage to make PFC non-abusive, the cult will fall apart and it won't 'work' anymore. But, fear not, lots of high-strung and wreckless kids survive and grow up to be perfectly wonderful, even exceptional adults. The same can be said for very few Program veterans. I seriously doubt the world will miss it.

For three days after death, hair and fingernails continue to grow but phone calls taper off.  
-- Johnny Carson

[Anonymous]

Once again, Mel's son Mark Sembler DID graduate the program. I was involved with Pathway at the time. The ironic thing is that his family attempted to pull him. but seeing as he was 18 and they had paid up to a certain deadline, he was able to make the insane choice to stay.