Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > Straight, Inc. and Derivatives

Growing Together of Lake Worth, Florida

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ramprato:
Take off the blinders before it's too late......... Ok, like Ginger was saying I was in Straight Cincinnati, I was put in there 19 years ago Oct 16th, 1982, a year or so before junior was born and I haven't had a substance since. I "graduated" from there and went on with my life trial and error like everybody else. The only difference was that I was contacted by a former Straight Parent whose kid got abused terribly and will have to be in special care for the rest of his life because of the type of "therapy" he received.


This man did his homework and educated me how Straight Inc. and its spin-offs destroyed thousands of families and made millions at it. I already provided you with his link in my last post to you, I will add that everything he wrote down in that website can be backed up with legitimate sources. I found out by reading up on all these sites that I was experiencing PTSD in the ways of nightmares, flashbacks, depression, and unnecessary guilt for starts. I blamed myself for everything that was ever wrong with my family. That's is what those so-called "therapeutic" places teach. They make YOU the parent faultless and stick all the blame in the world on your kid. That's a hell of an incentive to keep your kid there. They tell you your kid is manipulative and label him a "druggie", when all the time they are the true manipulators and have had literally 30 years in its current state to perfect to work the most to their advantage.


In one ear and out the other??? Now frankly, I don't suffer one bit no matter what you decide to do, the damage done to me all those years ago is done, I am only doing this for your kid, trying to save at least one person from experiencing what I did by simply telling you the truth. Verbal abuse is the worst form, your kid can not have any privacy and therefore can not escape it, because it is drilled in him from the early morning when he wakes up, till late at night when he goes to bed, no brakes from it ever, this is BRAINWASHING. They will tell him how worthless he is, how he screwed everybody over. Over and over again he will hear these statements they continually made in his mind until he actually believes it himself. he will lose reasoning ability because of this, you will become blameless and he will become blameful in his mind. Essentially you are allowing them to intervene in his natural ability to make mistakes on his own and learn from them as part of becoming an adult. If you allow them to manipulate you daily (as they will do) to keep you kid in there telling you he will be dead without them, then that's on you, consider yourself warned, you have to live with falling prey to their manipulation of your family situation, and you have to live with the decision you make of what you do about it, not me.  


How are those parent group discussions these days? I agree with Ginger, I bet they are leaving you alone now, just give it a little time, soon you will be confronted for even questioning them at GT by having the audacity to talk to us heathens. I think your trying to make yourself "right" no matter what you came on telling us all these things wrong with your son, nothing about what was wrong with you, or others in your family that contributed to dysfunction, it was ALL him, Ok, sure.


If I seem impassioned about this topic, good, I have seen a lot in these last 19 years most of those who were on staff telling me what to do without question are back using drugs, so much for that once boasted 75% success rate they were promoting all those years ago. Some are dead. Some are getting along OK, but are in therapy, wonder why they need therapy? Some are drinking, some aren't, a lot still believe they have drug problems, maybe some really did, but does that mean that everybody that went in there had a "problem", or were the majority of people in there from upper income families that afford to be there and pay the high price.


Oh yeah, why don't I use? I take a bit of medicine now and then and a good adult decision would be not to use any substance while taking medicine, you want the best healing advantage you can get, so how about that, an adult choice has been made without the "help" of Straight Inc., or GT.

2dogs2:
Quick fix  Hey if you are looking to keep your kid off drugs for a while ,you have got him somewhere where he can't get any. Good.  Now are you prepared to to see your child with problems for the rest of his life!  They may not be very big problems but he will have some, Even now the damage is being done. Or they could be huge problems, some former clients of "Straight based" programs have commited suicide because they could not get this crap out of there heads.  I , myself was there once.  

  I graduated from Straight Inc. in Dec. 1987 and it was one of the proudest days of my life. I hugged my Mom and Dad and brothers and sister. And set out on my new life that was going to take me so far.........  

   It was only a couple of days after I got out that I started getting scared.  Everybody in the "real" world was saying and doing things that I couldn't understand. 'Bad "things. Even other people that were clean & sober.  I was all alone. The only people that I could talk to were inside and I was not aloud to see them anymore.

   You see , This type of theropy takes away all reality and I mean all of it. And replaces it with a "group conscience". It really works for most.  For people , like your son,  who have a twisted sense of reality , it will replace that with a bunch of crap that works great inside the program for moving along sucsessfully and feeling good(?). He will probably even tell you he likes it and believe it himself, I did. But none of these programs ever explain to their clients that when they get out that all of the stuff they have learned is worthless on the outside when there IS no group!  

   No offense but you sound like you too are struggling with a little something. Maybe all your kid needs is to know that it's not his fault. You probably screwed your kid up ,you probably alread know this but if you got your kid out and told him how you feel about this (failing as a parent) he may not need another bit of help ...ever!   I'm really not trying to be mean by saying this. I wish this could have been the story with me. First word is the only one that is hard to say , the rest are easy. One word.  

   If you get him out you should skip town right from the place and got somewhere where there are NO distractions. I hope this helps. I don't claim to be right , This is just what I think....  Good luck, To both of you........2-dogs

LESTAT49203:
Re: Growing Together of Lake Worth, FloridaI had to chuckle to myself when I read that part of your post that said you wanted to hear the success storyies from the 7 Steppers, or maybe Staff from Straight.  Sorry but I don't think there are very many that will contribute there success to Straight.  Thats what these guys have been trying to tell you all along.  Well if it make's you feel better hearing it from a 7 Stepped Staff member of the old program than here it goes.  I was molded and twisted by the program, just like everyone else is trying to describe.  We all were forced threw countless nights of sleep deprivation, so called postive peer pressure which consisted of restraining clients on the floor till they went along with the program's rules. etc. etc.  I never was able to take a good look at it till after I left staff to get married.  It was then I was able to sit back and take a good long look at what had actualy happened to me while I was there.  And what was happening to others still.  If you want an honest opinion from someone that was there, Straight, and Straight like programs have always been very abusive.  Read some of the stories on this board if you realy want to know what those place's are like.  I haven't seen one lie or exageration on it the whole time Ive been here.  Sorry I dont know of any better treatment for your boy.  I know its a hard place to be in.  I would suggest letting him take his lumps as a young adolesent, rather than put him in a place like that.  Everyone of us still ended up having to take our lumps anyway once we got out and had to start dealing with the real world again.  Don't send him to a mental prison to keep him from going to jail.   Cincy84

Blopa:
Re: Growing Together of Lake Worth, Florida Thank you all for your info, comments and concerns regarding the issue I brought up. I believe you and know that you have been traumatized and abused by those programs. Since I posted the initial message I did quite a bit of research into the specific program where my son is. There are many differences between what you honestly describe and GT and I think I made the mistake of 'guessing' early on that GT was a Straight or Straight-like program. I had the chance to talk to my son one on one and all his  complaints where that he is not allowed to smoke cigarettes, that he does not like the food (he put 15 pounds and 2 pants sizes), that one night he was not allowed to bathe and wash his clothes because his oldcomer was tired and that he had no privacy while on the bathroom. He did not complaint of being sat on, being deprived of sleep, put on pbj diets, insulted and humiliated or any of the abuses I see reported on these postings. I spent time in one of the foster houses with 3 clients and their 'parents' and I saw first hand how they all related, I had time to play boardgames and chat at length with the clients. The kids had at all times the right to use the phone and call police if they wanted to, the program bedroom had an alarm but not a lock as they were not locked in. They had a very good second full meal (as the first dinner was served to them at GT before departing). I am not making this up, I have no affiliation or interest whatsoever in defending TG, this is the true observations that we (my wife and I) made.  I avoid mentioning here that I actually 'like' a lot of the parents and staff as it is a very subjective and personal taste and I could be mislead by it. Again, maybe my mistake was to believe that this program was similar to what you all suffer through, but it does not look that way. If I ever get a different impression or experience I will post it as I can't possible condone abuse of any kind.  Also GT has been open for over 15 years and presumably hundreds if not thousands of kids: we would see a lot more bad rap about 'them' in the net. I looked hard and all I saw was the opinion of one judge and one psychologist, nothing more. Compare that with all the postings here relating to these other places.  At this point most everything I saw and heard about GT (not Straight) tells me that this is a good program and they do not torture or abuse kids in any way.  I don't doubt that your experiences are real but they relate to other programs as far as I can tell, not GT.  That is my believe at this point, if anything changes I will make sure I come back.  Thank you all very much for your help and interest. Edited by: Blopa at: 10/21/01 7:15:52 am

ramprato:
Blinders still on I see......... "I believe you and know that you have been traumatized and abused by those programs", Those programs?, um those programs you refer to are the pre-GT:


(Look carefully, you will see "Growing Together" on this chart how it was formed from Straight Inc.)

www.ex-cult.org/General/s...conditions


"GT has been open for over 15 years and presumably hundreds if not thousands of kids: we would see a lot more bad rap about 'them' in the net. I looked hard and all I saw was the opinion of one judge and one psychologist, nothing more." My God, what do you need to get this?, an atom bomb to drop on your head, they have been to the courts for ABUSE, a leopard doesn't change its spots, it just pays off its accusers. They, like Straight settled out of court in order to stay open and continue RAPING MINDS for profit. 15 years ago, Straight started closing down their centers across the country, the process took about 5 years, they were close down for what? ABUSE. But there was money to be made so individuals formerly involved with Straight, reopened up with different names using the same MIND RAPIST tactics.


Do you think we are PAID to be here giving out to you like this? This is a place for us, that were abused to get together and finally be able to talk about it amongst ourselves, and during all this, we come to realize that these places still exist, and we want to save each and every kid out there from experiencing what we did so they can at least attempt to grow from their experiences without having their minds turned to JELLY.


Blinders still on I see. That's OK, become guiltless, walk on water, that makes it easier, let that poor kid take the blame for everything and see what you get out of a son in 15 or 20 years, So he isn't perfect, he yells back, he boozes with friends or whatever, did you ever think he was just trying to reach out in his own way??? You obviously have a couple of bucks, money can even buy your kid a drug problem, what a country! Too bad now that your kid is behind a kind of Berlin wall where you are unable to communicate when you and him need it most...


When you get a shell shocked son back, here is a note of encouragement, he will always have these websites to come to, thank you for helping to turn out a new generation of Stefford Zombies.....Think about it please.

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