RSC

[jason999]

Does anyone remember RSC?

Rational Self Counseling!

Honestly, I think that was the only constructive thing I ever got out of straight.  The whole thoughts cause emotions, emotions being only an urge to act, though, now sounds a bit dehumanizing.  In my uber-sensitized brain, though, that stuff really sunk in and I can recall many times in my early adulthood that it did provide at least momentary coping skills.

These days- and indeed, ever since I got out of Straight I never felt very "victimized" although I am (and always have been) of the opinion that the whole place and what they did to kids us (& kids) is beyond f*cked up. I'm distraught to know that Straight still operates under another name.

It causes me to remember all of those intense, intricate escape fantasies. Breaking my oldcomer's arm when i stepped out of the car by slamming the hinged cardoor on him.. how I'd pray desparately to myself, God, Satan, whomever would listen before going to bed at every night.  The absolute intensity of sexual frustration without outlet that turned me into a sexfiend for years after I got out..

and I don't think that RSC mitigates any of it.

-j

[AdamWasInYorbaLinda]

What year were you in Dallas? I was there for almost 2 months I think in Aug/Sept 1990. I remember now very well those diffrent painted square shapes on the wall from restraining someone and THROWING them into the wall. Then the next day there would be some guy there painting over the hole. I think I blocked RSC outta my head where it probably belongs.

[jason999]

I was in there (calculating my age at the time) from about 87/88 thru 90 I believe.

[kpickle39]

the RSA (as it was called when I was in), may have been a beneficial way to analyze our selves, but the way it was twisted did us no good.  It only made me and many others paranoid about our thoughts.  So....as was everything else at Straight, it was all crap.

[METALGOD8]

:smokin:

[Shelby]

Yes, Metalgod8 learned the hard way that the Straight-induced Sigmund FRAUD shit doesn't work on me.   :flame:

Shelby

[jason999]

I actually thought it was cool.  For whatever reason, separating thought and emotion was a novel concept to me..

Although, I laugh when I remember staff treating it like some forbidden knowledge because "lower phasers could use it to justify their consciences."

[METALGOD8]

Jason, I have been hit with another memory flash. Now that you have mentioned it, THANK YOU! I would never have remembered otherwise. Now I think that it is interesting that the RSA was for, I believe, 5th phasers only (?) Sorry, may have been 4th phase too. I remember a feeling of awe and that creepy weird sense of anticipation when the Sr. Staff guy Scott Proffitt brought us into the room and introduced us to this RSA CRAP. Man, this is weird. Why were we not allowed to do this stuff before 4th or 5th phase? You may have the key Jason. This is like proof of something bigger, like the brainwashing thing. If we were not allowed on lower phases, but "forced" into this on the higher phases, it seems to me to indicate a calculated psychological manipulation of some sort. CREEPY!!! ::cheers::

MG8

[gduncan]

RSC: Rational Self Counseling or Rationalized Straight Crap?

I was going through some files the other day and came across the RBT Self Acceptance Script we were given in the early ?80?s when we started the RSC sessions.  It?s interesting to read after all these years.

The opening line, ?I am a person with human dignity?.  What a novel concept.  It?s a shame that Straight forgot this notion.

Or how about this, ?Many times things happen that I don?t like.  I will accept this by remembering that I can not control everything.?  Well, this wasn?t exactly comforting when I was put on a third phase refresher for things I did not do.  

Who can forget this, ??I can calmly remember that I have a choice.?  Let?s be honest, did we really have choices?

And my personal favorite, ?Sometimes I make mistakes; this doesn?t mean I?m bad or wrong?No one knows everything.?  How many times did egomaniacal staffers who thought they knew it all berate us for mistakes we made?  Oh my God, Straight was cultivating mini Millers!  I have this Austin Powersesque vision of Miller Newton- he?s sitting at his desk, he?s diabolically plotting and planning and he has a demented vision of what therapy should be and he says, ?I will call them mini me??

So, what did I learn from RSC?  How to rationalize some of my irrational behavior.  Well, I could go on, but I won?t.  So, here it is in its entirety:

RBT Self Acceptance Script

I am a person with human dignity.  What I do does not change me.  Sometimes I make mistakes, and sometimes I do things very well, but I?m the same person.

I will continue to make some mistakes throughout my life because I?m not perfect: I am a fallible human being.  However, because I?m a person, I also have the ability to learn.  I can work on mistakes and learn to do what is necessary to change them.  I can strive to ?do? better; I can not ?be? better.  I already am a human being.

Past is in the past.  I cannot change that.  I regret some things I?ve done.  I don?t like some things that have happened but I can?t change the past by staying upset and worried.  I can?t guarantee the future by being worried either.  I can change my feelings right now.  I?m probably going to handle situations better if I?m calmer and more clearheaded.  I am remembering that I am in control of my feelings.  I control myself.  I can?t always control the situation.  Many times things happen that I don?t like.  I will accept this by remembering that I can not control everything.  If I don?t like it, I can do my best to do something about it, if I want to.  If I don?t want to, I can calmly remember that I have a choice.

Other people control their decisions about their behavior.  I am not responsible for what other people think, feel or do.  I want to do my best to help others but their behavior is in their control.  They decide what they do.

I do what I do because I can only act in light of my own experience, my own learning, and my own attitudes.  Sometimes I make mistakes; this doesn?t mean I?m bad or wrong.  Mistakes mean I don?t know everything.  No one knows everything.  I am a human being who has the ability to learn from my mistakes.

What people think or do cannot make me less of a person.  I am me and no one can change me.  I will continue to do things I do and make the mistakes I make until I change.  I want to begin to change right now.  I am accepting myself by remembering I am a fallible human being, just as good, just as worthwhile as other people.

Sometimes people do what I?m not expecting them to do.  Sometimes it seems as if they don?t care.  This is my interpretation of their behavior and I could be mistaken.  However, even if it were true that some people are inconsiderate of me, and don?t really care about how I feel, I still do not have to get so upset about it.

Other people have a right to do what they do, and to think what they think.  They do not have to care about me in order for me to be calm or even happy.  Other people?s thought do not control or define my feelings; other people?s actions do not control or define my feelings.

I am a person with human dignity no matter what other people think of me.  Even if they don?t think of me the way I would like, I can stand it.  I don?t need the approval or caring of others in order to feel good about myself.  I am the most important person in my life because I control my life.

I control my thoughts, feelings and behavior.  I feel good about the things I do well and regret some things I don?t do well.  I accept all those behaviors and myself.

I feel calm about myself; I feel acceptable to myself; I feel good about accepting myself.

[hedwigfan]

...I'm good enough...I'm smart enough...and, goshdarnit, people like me!

[ehm]

Good one hedwigfan!

I am a very emotional person with little rational thinking when I need it the most. It's something I've struggled with my entire life. Maybe that's why I'm an aggressive large scale abstract painter who listens to Punk Rock music. I was doing portraits too, but it became too painful after I started painting people that had died. Loved ones... I did four since '99. I stopped them two years ago, it was morbid. My stuff all looks violent/industrial now...

RSC was only offered to people who were going on staff trainee. I remember being curious and envious of people who took it. Staff treated it as though only certain people were privliged enough to learn it. I didn't want to be on staff. I was never encouraged to go on staff. Staff knew I had no intention of sticking around... :flame:

[85 Day Jerk]

I agree with Mike.  We were both there at the same time.  I set the record for writing the exact same RSA 179 times in a row.  It was'nt discovered until I had reached 5th phase and by then it was too late to do anything about it.  Liz Cassidy took on trying to win me over on them but it just would'nt work.  What was weird was that I could show other people how to write them really well to where they could use it as a tool, but for myself, I could not apply the shit to myself because I did not think like the way they I was "supposed" to.  After all, I was a closet manic/depressive right?

[Don Smith]

Of the tools we were taught, this is the one I remember the least about.  I know we were taught how to write them after 50 days on 4th Phase. But for the life of me don't remeber how to do them nor do I have any of the ones I wrote, (I have all but 7 of my MI's)I can't help but think after a few weeks, I stopped writing them all together and threw the ones I did have away.  

Don

[Anonymous]

I remember hearing something about rsc, but I think Straight had forgotten that one over the years. I remember the five principles that we had to memorize 1. based on objective reality 2. goal producing. I don't remember them now, but I think I benefitted from them in the sense that I analyzed my situations and made more informed decisions, but it doesn't change the fact that we were abandoned to a very controlling drug treatment program only interested in manipulating us. So, any good things that came from the program were besides the point. Jesus said that we ought to judge a tree by it's fruit, and Straight had all sorts of rotten and rancid fruit and chaos amidst all the hypersenstationalism about sobriety. I am sober today, but it's way overrated. Most of you have probably learned this and stay as high as you possilby can to avoid the overrated boredom that is sobriety. Like Ozzy said about sobriety, "It sucks."

[Anonymous]

*rolls a joint and lights up* Ozzy, your the man.