Greetings

[CHAR]

Hello Everyone:
My mother put me in the seed in Ft. Lauderdale in 71/72. I was 14/15. I had never done drugs. My mother was an alcoholic and I had depression problems and she didn't want to deal. She successfully convinced them when I got over my probation and became an old timer that I slipped because when I went back home to live I was still not the perfect daughter she wanted. That way she kept me in that hellhole for 3 years. In my high school I met some people from Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church and their counterpoint to the Seed, the Greenhouse or something absurd like that. I thought I would find some loving people there but it was just another Seed in it's own way. I was a confused and lonely young girl when I was thrown into the seed and came out a sad, angry, and confused teenager who for the past 25 years or so has been trying to redo the damage of the screaming maniacs in that place. It is good to know that there are others like me that were f***** over by that place and we are all trying to recover. I left Florida a long time ago but the memories still hurt. Cheers to all of us, survivors.

[GregFL]

And cheers to you for finding the site. I am so happy that we are getting so many people from the Seed. Please post your whole story and what you remember about the seed. We all look forward to your participation.
Greg.

[CHAR]

Hi Greg:

Excuse the meanderings but all I remember is flashes here and there. I was in the first building (as far as I know) when the Seed first started. A little building with dirt floors before the place moved out to Davie. I was there too. I remember biting into a licorice stick at meal time and there was a roach in it. I remember a butt ugly counselor named Phyllis who was a smart ass know it all and mean as hell. I remember them telling me I should throw away my record albums (I have no idea why). At the place out in Davie I remember a counselor named (I think) Susie. She wore big elephant leg pants. I remember getting yelled at and told what a piece of crap I was on a continous basis. I finally gave in and decided to play the game since my mom was just going to keep lying to them and telling them I slipped every time I showed her any type of thinking on my own. So I became a "respectful oldtimer" and remember getting in a car with others and chasing a poor girl who had gotten over that giant fence and I sat on her in the car and we dragged her back. GOD FORGIVE ME!!!!! The last thing I remember was when my my mother freaked because I got involved with born again Christians (another nightmare but I escaped that one too.) Anyway one of the big shots that my mother took me to see at the Seed was the daughter of James Kennedy of Coral Ridge Presbyterian. She hated her father as far as my young mind could see but she couldn't find a way to diss the church so my mother lost out and I escaped the Seed. I went through years of therapy, got the hell out of Florida and went into the health field working with Minorities. I got as far away from my childhood as I could. I will never go back to Florida. My mother is dead. Before she died she was broken over the fact that she sent me there. She found out what a horrible place it was. We talked but we always had a strained relationship. I am now in the process of writing a journal for myself to take a look at the pain in my life. That is what led me to this website. I do not want to be 70 and still not be able to reconcile this all in my heart. Take care

[GregFL]

That would be Suzy Conner. She became sr staff at the St Pete seed where I was held captive with my sister.
The building you refer to is I believe the building over by Los Olas Blvd. The Seed moved back in there and just recently closed. They had publicly stopped treating people under 18, and I think I know why.
Welcome again to this forum. Your opinions, thougts and ideas are all welcome here. I and others have a lot of information on the Seed and would be happy to share it with you, and look forward to learning a thing or to from you. In fact, I already have.
Greg.

[MommaDebi]

I think I remember Suzy Connor....thanks for sharing your tale, Char. I too have a holey memory....

[FueLaw]

Greg : The Seed was located in an old wharehouse in Davie, off State Road 84,  for a few years. They spent the last 15 years or so in a building on Andrews avenue in between State road 84 and Davie blvd. Also there was another Susie, I remember Connors but there was another Susie from New York who was a great singer. She could be a real bitch but I went to through the 10-10 with her and she never really bothered me.

[CHAR]

Hi Everyone:

This girl was kind of short with dark curly hair and she would walk up and down the side aisles a mile a minute and was always scowling at the people in the group. In fact the counselors liked to scowl a lot at everyone. I also remember a male counselor who used to sit up on the back of his chair and do face exercises (at the time I had no idea what he ws doing, I just thought he was weird) and I remember the heat in the damn warehouse. All our bodies in their sitting for 12 hours. As I look back on it I can't believe I survived for 3 years there with my mother getting them to put me back on 10 to 10. And that stupid song we had to sing. I wish I could wash my brain out sometimes. Well the good thing is I survived like we all did and it's a beautiful day and I get to be a grown up with no one telling me what to do except my boss and she does it in a nice way : - ) Have a good one everybody.

[Antigen]

Hey Char,
  I bet you were in with some of my family. I remember 1313 Andrews Ave before the 84 bldg. That's where they moved back to till last year. Art claims to have retired and shut the place down, but it's just hard for me to believe that a cult like that would just disperse. What would all the helpless cult members do? Probably join some thing like the Green Room or some damned thing? I dunno.

I finally got my family the hell out of So. Florida just this year. And I have no intention of ever going back either.

[CHAR]

Hey Antigen:

Yea, that was the building I was in. I can still remember Art Barker walking to the front of the group like Moses himself coming down from the mountain wearing those ridiculous windbreakers. I can remember thinking "Is he going sailing after he leaves here?" Slowly, now that I am writing a journal, I remember things about the place which I know will help the healing. Now that I have decided to face the past I realize that the seed was the first step in really making me a non functioning teen/young adult and the church took over where they left off. No offense to anyone, my mother-in-law is a devoted Catholic and one of the most incredible people I know. But the born again crap really messed me up also, just another form of mind control. Thank God for therapy. As far as Florida goes my last time there was when my mother died. I have nothing but bad memories of that state. Congratulations on your escape. I wouldn't remember any of your family, I was too freaked out to remember any of the other victims. Hopefully the place did close down. I am sickened by these people that create and support these places. My revenge fantasy is to tie them all up in the front row of an Eminem concert. :smile: Peace out.