How is a program counselor going to force a kid to talk? Tie them down on a table and water board them until they admit their issues?
No. I never saw that one, but I sure they tried it in Elan at least once.
Umm... Positive Peer Pressure. That is whta it was called in Daytop. The whole program is designed to the end of not only making you talk about your problems, but thinking you are your problems. Here are just a few ways, in which counselors MADE people talk about their feelings.
1. Anyone who wanted to could go up to you and "confront" you at any time. It was a rule that you had to answer all of their questions, and you had to answer them honestly. The confrontation ended when the confronter said so. You were only allowed to answer with direct statements, and could not even say somethings such as "what do you mean?" . "Can you be more specific?" because then you were trying to "whip the focus". Confrontation, was always done with a hostile attitude. No answers were satisfactory, and more questions kept coming. "Confrontation was strongly encouraged in Daytop. In fact, when you were shotdown, one of the main ways to earn your 2 cigarettes breaks a day was to confront as many other people as possible.
2. Let's say you weren t talking much, in general, and it didn t seem that you were confronted much either. In this case, at a "FAMILY MEETING!!!!!" ( I can still hear the voices of the kids running through the halls screaming that shit), a counselor would say that you were " lying in the cut", and he wanted people to confront you more. " Hunting Season has begun"
or as was done to numerous people every single day - " And this morning's entertainment will be" - you are put up in front of the whole family, and the counselors start the ball rolling on some issue or another, and then everyone gets their shot at you. Anyone who wants lines up, and they question you, until they are done, and also, give you their commentary, on your thoughts and feelings... The bottom line to all of it - " YOU ARE WRONG!" " WE KNOW TYOU BETTER THEN YOU DO, AND THIS IS NOT YOU!" Some of the older members didn t even line up. They just shouted their questions and accusations right from their seats, and you dealt with it, because you had to. This happenned to a few people a day, every single day.
3. Oh.. one of the best ones is this. Let's say somebody isn t opening up, and is maintaining their personal identity. They haven t caused any problems or anything. They re just not really joining the pack... They usually have only been there for about a week or so, and they walk into their first encounter group.
" A BLOOD BATH"... Every mother fucker in the room starts attacking them. I have seen some tough ass motherfuckers break down and start crying. And that s the thing. They always started crying eventually, because that was the goal. I remember this one guy. he was an ugly motherfucker. But did he really need so many people telling him it. This girl he use to hang out with, was now a seasoned Daytopian. She was in teh group, and she went on, about how she hated him, and how she was only using him, when they hung out. " Did you really think I liked you?"
Therapy?
It was sick. It was disgusting....
and if anyone really thinks that it is good for people, how come you don t talk to your loved ones that way? Don t you want to help them?
All a bunch of fucking pussies, ganging up and attacking one vulnerable person, who was usually stronger then the lot of them added together.
After that a person breaks, they ll tell ya whatever you want to hear.
Paul
