Used to teach at CEDU middle and high school

[Anonymous]

Okay not attacking you personally (no disrespect here, just curious) but:
As a therapist how did you see Cedu's practices categorized?  What form of psychological practices were they teaching and did you ever attend a rap?  Did you realize that it was a cult?  As a therapist, how can you help other students that still have problems after many years of leaving the school?  Any advice on why so many students are traumatized and most are diagnosed with PTSD?  What was the biggest psychological damage that you saw there?  Do you know that there are hundreds of programs that are still going on and just spring up under different names (just like the straight programs). Because it is a greedy multi-billion dollar industry, how can it be stopped?  What happened to america's dream of the free when these children had less rights then someone sent to prison for horrific crimes, and then treated worst then a prisoner on death row?  I say in this case of Bush's new initiative EVERY CHILD GETS A WARPED MIND because they are all left behind with the joke of the educational system in these WWASP schools. And lastly what can we do collectively to stop it?

[former CEDU therapist]

Oh, well - I'm no expert on this stuff. I am not in that business anymore. Not at all. And my time there was short, so I really don't know much.

1) I felt it was a cult.
2) I recognized it as using what I knews of synanon from reading about it.
3) I would say they used shunning, social pressure, shaming, blaming, histrionics, sleep deprivation, and it almost seemed that there was some Stockholm Syndrome going on.
4) I saw kids who were floridly psychogic there and that was a real issue. I put it into writing on a daily basis. I sent these letters to all of the administrators as well as the owner of the private practice I worked for there. These letters said that it was my legal and ethical duty to report to them that the kid was psychotic and it was an inappropriate placement. I also hunted down the main administrator of my campus and told him EVERY DAY that so-and-so was psychotic and inappropriately placed. He would say, "okay, thank you - you told me." They did not give a damn. It was all about the money.
5) I certainly would NEVER participate in a Profeet. That would be inappropriate.
6) I don't know how to stop any industry.
7) The best revenge is living well. I would recommend that anyone harmed by CEDU go live their life with passion and vigor. If a person is injured by it, they should talk to an attorney and sue Brown Schools. They are rich. Sue them. You would have to prove it, and proving psychological injury is difficult.

I did not feel attacked by anyone. I was thinking about the teacher.

On 2005-12-21 12:30:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Okay not attacking you personally (no disrespect here, just curious) but:

As a therapist how did you see Cedu's practices categorized?  What form of psychological practices were they teaching and did you ever attend a rap?  Did you realize that it was a cult?  As a therapist, how can you help other students that still have problems after many years of leaving the school?  Any advice on why so many students are traumatized and most are diagnosed with PTSD?  What was the biggest psychological damage that you saw there?  Do you know that there are hundreds of programs that are still going on and just spring up under different names (just like the straight programs). Because it is a greedy multi-billion dollar industry, how can it be stopped?  What happened to america's dream of the free when these children had less rights then someone sent to prison for horrific crimes, and then treated worst then a prisoner on death row?  I say in this case of Bush's new initiative EVERY CHILD GETS A WARPED MIND because they are all left behind with the joke of the educational system in these WWASP schools. And lastly what can we do collectively to stop it?"

[Anonymous]

Man, call that shithole cedu what you want, but a cult? Cedu was not a damn cult. Synanon was a cult. Cedu was a damn boarding school. Sure they made you stay up late, eat shitty sandwiches, and yell at the floor 9 (or 8, depending on when you were there) times during your stay. I hardly think that qualifies as a cult.

[Son Of Serbia]

On 2005-12-22 09:59:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Man, call that shithole cedu what you want, but a cult? Cedu was not a damn cult. Synanon was a cult. Cedu was a damn boarding school. Sure they made you stay up late, eat shitty sandwiches, and yell at the floor 9 (or 8, depending on when you were there) times during your stay. I hardly think that qualifies as a cult. "

Are you serious? Because if you are, then please tell me, how long have you been smoking crack?

The truth is that every part of the Cedu program was inspired by Synanon.  Raps for instance were taken directly from a daily ritual practiced by Synannon's followers called "the Game".  Synanon's founder: Charles E. Deidrich would gather his followers around him and then would proceed to verbally attack anyone he felt was "drifting outside of the group." (ie. thinking for themselves).  In turn, the remaining participants would follow Deidrich in unison, and attack who ever he turned on.  

Does any of this sound familiar to you?  It should!

It is a well known fact that Mel Wasserman lived with Synannon during the sixties, and left with their blessing to start Cedu.  Cedu originally stands for Charles E. Deidrich University, in honor of Mel's mentor.

What was that stupid saying staff always had? Hmm..Oh yeah, "You are what you do, not what you say you do."  Well it seems to me that since
Cedu acts like a cult, then we all should call it one!

   


[ This Message was edited by: Son Of Serbia on 2005-12-22 12:21 ]

[Anonymous]

Shit, Strugglingteens doesn't even seem to consider Synanon a cult.


http://www.strugglingteens.com/archives ... erview.htm

..........?I met Mel in San Francisco several years before he started CEDU, while I was working for Synanon, a drug rehabilitation center,? Bill said. ?I remember talking with him about his ideas and thought he might have a better way of working with teens and younger students. But as the years passed, we went our separate ways with Mel moving to Palm Springs, and I never really thought much more about it, until I began hearing about a new non-profit organization that had opened a school in Running Springs, CA.?

According to Bill, Mel started the first program in about 1966, but it was several years after that when Mel approached him about working for CEDU.

?A few years after the program opened, I started reading and hearing about it, and we began communicating back and forth, but I was pretty content at Synanon, which was how I became involved in working with all ages, from teen to adult,? said Bill. ?However, when Mel asked me to come down and take a look at CEDU, which at the time consisted of a very small school in Running Springs and an office in Los Angeles, I agreed and was pretty excited about what I saw at the program. He offered me a job and I started working for Mel in January 1974, ?I was only nine at the time,? he joked.?

In the early days of his work with CEDU, Bill?s expertise was in public relations/ fundraising and he traveled all over the country to locate whatever the program needed........."





That last paragraph does speak volumes though.  Most of these people's "expertise" is in fundraising from what I've seen.

[Anonymous]

There is a lot of money in these places.  The contradiction of a school that is supposed to have its focus on selfless sacrifice in order to help critically troubled youths publicly stating it is a profit based industry is inexplicable, but somehow these guidelines were allowed to exist for a number of years.  Naturally, there were very few accidents in the design for dealing with student/parent relations.  If the "program," or whatever terminology you want to use to categorize CEDU, is geared toward profit then the students are no longer individual people but mere products, and the retention of the product in this industry is what garners said profits.  Therefore, it is essential to retain the product for as long as possible, in order to collect the exorbitant fee the parents must shell out in order to "save" their faltering children.  So you get to talk your parents once every two weeks for fifteen minutes while a "counselor" (and you can't really call them a counselor, because they are not focused on helping the individual function in society as fast as possible, that would counteract the basic policy of generating as much tuition as possible) hovers nearby monitoring the discussion.  If any type of dissent is voiced by the product, it becomes the "counselor's" (PR representative's) job to negate any concerns the parents may incur from the conversation by painting a desperate image of the products state of mind.  The worse off CEDU could make the child seem, the more likely the parent is to sink even more money and resources into the institution, in the hopes that they can somehow salvage and redirect what is apperently an impending implosion destined for their child.  I used to to be furious with my parents for not deducing this simple, economic formula that seems so blatent now, but with the benefit of time I can see their hopeless situation.  I fucked up pretty monumentally, and by the time I ended up at the reality warp that was CEDU, I'd already been arrested so many times, and nearly died in a car accident.  So they couldn't really trust any assertion that came out of my mouth.  And how could they suspect the degree of manipulation and deception that CEDU practiced?  In retrospect, they probably should have realized that for the amount of money they were spending, perhaps they should have been able to speak to their child more than 24 times a year, at fifteen minutes a pop.  But such was the deliberate propagnada machine of CEDU.  Its brilliant, really, in a sinister and heartless way.  Take children who have fucked up so badly that they have shredded the last inkling of trust between them and their parents and clearly cannot exist unfettered in a high school environment without incurring a whole nest of scars of arrests, expulsions, drunken injuries, etc.  Convince them with the aid of a soothing and persuasive video showing kids "really breaking down the barriers of dysfunction, and getting to know the real person inside themselves," get the kid into the school under the guise of a fairly painless transitional process, and then call them immediately after the products arrival and say, "Jesus folks, it's much worse then we could have imagined."  Because for the industry to work, you have to keep to product sufficiently cowed to be obedient, and you have to keep the beneficiaries of the product (who are no longer parents, they are the source of income that need to be stroked and swayed in whatever a way necessary in order to keep writing those checks) fearful enough to believe they can't afford not to remove their child from the "program."  Or whatever. The top brass of CEDU aren't really a special breed in our society, incidentally.  Though their formula was particularly devious, (and, admittedly, fairly genius in its duplicity,) there are numerous others who benefit from this same general genre of a profession.  We call them con men.  Generally, society imprisons such individuals.

[Anonymous]

You said ?Man, call that shithole cedu what you want, but a cult? Cedu was not a damn cult. Synanon was a cult. Cedu was a damn boarding school. Sure they made you stay up late, eat shitty sandwiches, and yell at the floor 9 (or 8, depending on when you were there) times during your stay. I hardly think that qualifies as a cult.?

Yeah, pretty hard to believe and my jaw dropped finding that out, but let me enlighten you:

First of all CEDU doesn?t stand for ?See yourself as you are and do something about it? that?s Cedu?s propaganda and advertising pitch to lure parents into believing that that will help their children.  CEDU actually stands for Charles E. Dederich University, the founder of Synanon http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia. ... nanon.html for more information.  Which became a spin-off of Straight, Inc. >> Mel Sembler http://thestraights.com/index.htm and Mel Wasserman was a part of that who founded CEDU.  

Here are some warning Signs of a cult:
http://www.factnet.org/headlines/destru ... signs.html
Ask yourself if the following criteria apply to the group you are concerned about.
1.A destructive cult tends to be totalitarian in its control of its members' behavior. Cults are likely to dictate in great detail not only what members believe, but also what members wear and eat, when and where members work, sleep, and bathe, and how members think, speak, and conduct familial, marital, or sexual relationships.
DOES THIS RING A BELL: DRESS CODES, WORK DETAILS, SLEEP DEPERVATION IN PROFEETS, ?THINKING?, I?M ON A BAN, SEX AGREEMENTS.
2.A destructive cult tends to have an ethical double standard. Members are urged to be obedient to the cult, to carefully follow cult rules. They are also encouraged to be revealing and open in the group, confessing all to the leaders. On the other hand, outside the group they are encouraged to act unethically, manipulating outsiders or nonmembers, and either deceiving them or simply revealing very little about themselves or the group. In contrast to destructive cults, honorable groups teach members to abide by one set of ethics and act ethically and truthfully to all people in all situations.
DOES THIS RING A BELL: REVEALING AND CONFESSING IN RAPS/PROPHEETS, MANIPULATING PARENTS TO KEEP US THERE AND TELLING THEM OUR CONFESSIONS TRUE OR MADE UP TO KEEP WITH THE PROGRAM.
3.A destructive cult has only two basic purposes: recruiting new members and fund-raising. Altruistic movements, established religions, and other honorable groups also recruit and raise funds. However, these actions are incidental to an honorable group's main purpose of improving the lives of its members and of humankind in general. Destructive cults may claim to make social contributions, but in actuality such claims are superficial and only serve as gestures or fronts for recruiting and fund-raising. A cult's real goal is to increase the prestige and often the wealth of the leader.
DOES THIS RING A BELL: STAFF MEMBERS GOT BONUS? TO REFER STUDENTS TO OTHER SCHOOL FUNCTIONS IE PROVO.  HELLO BILLION DOLLAR BUSINESS.
4.A destructive cult appears to be innovative and exclusive. The leader claims to be breaking with tradition, offering something novel, and instituting the ONLY viable system for change that will solve life's problems or the world's ills. But these claims are empty and only used to recruit members who are then surreptitiously subjected to mind control to inhibit their ability to examine the actual validity of the claims of the leader and the cult.
DOES THIS RING A BELL: YEAH THE WHOLE PROGRAM, DID IT ACTUALLY HELP OR HINDER ANY OF YOU?  FEEL BRAINWASHED ANYONE? WHAT DID IT ALL MEAN?
5.A destructive cult is authoritarian in its power structure. The leader is regarded as the supreme authority. He or she may delegate certain power to a few subordinates for the purpose of seeing that members adhere to the leader's wishes. There is no appeal outside his or her system to a greater system of justice. For example, if a schoolteacher feels unjustly treated by a principal, an appeal can be made to the superintendent. In a destructive cult, the leader claims to have the only and final ruling on all matters.
DOES THIS RING A BELL: BIG SISTERS/BROTHERS UPPER HOUSE PUPILS?.OH AND DIDN?T THE FORMER TEACHER AND FORMER THERAPIST TRY TO TELL PEOPLE ABOUT IT AND NOTHING WAS DONE?
6.A destructive cult's leader is a self-appointed messianic person claiming to have a special mission in life. For example, leaders of flying saucer cults claim that beings from outer space have commissioned them to lead people away from Earth, so that only the leaders can save them from impending doom.
DOES THIS RING A BELL: PROFEETS, WITHOUT CEDU YOU WOULD BE ON THE STREET WHORING AROUND AND BEING ADDICTED TO CRACK, ETC.
7.A destructive cult's leader centers the veneration of members upon himself or herself. Priests, rabbis, ministers, democratic leaders, and other leaders of genuinely altruistic movements focus the veneration of adherents on God or a set of ethical principles. Cult leaders, in contrast, keep the focus of love, devotion, and allegiance on themselves.
DOES THIS RING A BELL: GET WITH THE PROGRAM! USE YOUR TOOLS.  BTW, DID ANYONE GO TO CHURCH WHILE AT CEDU?
8.A destructive cult's leader tends to be determined, domineering, and charismatic. Such a leader effectively persuades followers to abandon or alter their families, friends, and careers to follow the cult. The leader then takes control over followers' possessions, money, time, and lives.
DOES THIS RING A BELL: RESTICTIONS, I?M ON A BAN, LACK OF FAMILY IMPUT, WAITING MONTHS TO WRITE A LETTER OR MAKE A PHONE CALL AND HAVE IT CENSORED.  YEAH I THINK THEY TOOK COMPLETE CONTROL OF OUR LIVES AND MINDS.

BUT WAIT THERE?S MORE:

http://www.isaccorp.org/warningsigns.html

?  The facility is not licensed. YEAH SO MANY QUALIFIED STAFF MEMBERS THERE AND WASN?T ACCREDITED UNTIL THE NINETIES.
?  Verbal and/or written communication between the child and his parents, siblings, grandparents, etc. is prohibited, restricted, or monitored on any level.  YEAH HELLO?
?  The facility requires that the parents and/or child sign a form releasing the program of liability in the event of injury to the child. AGAIN WE WERE IN THEIR CARE.
?  The program requests/demands/recommends that they have legal custody of children. THAT DIDN?T HAPPEN THAT I KNOW OF.
?  The program requires that children live in foster or "host" homes instead of allowing them to reside with their parents. LIVE IN PROGRAM, DORMS
?  The child or parent or forbidden from discussing the daily happenings at the facility. Often this policy is called "confidentiality." HELLO?
?  The child is denied access to a telephone. VERY VERY LIMITED ACCESS!
?  Phone calls between children and parents are monitored. YEAH HELLO!
?  The program uses confrontational therapy. LETS RAP SHALL WE!
?  Parents must fulfill requirements of the facility before being permitted to visit their own children. UM YEAH DID PARENTS EVER SHOW UP NO, IT WAS ALL PLANNED.
?  The facility is located outside the jurisdiction of the United States. FAR AWAY FOR MOST PARENTS.  
?  Children are restrained or otherwise physically prevented from leaving the facility.  WELL SOME OF THAT DIDN?T STOP US BUT WE ENDED UP BACK THERE, FULL TIMES.
?  The staff includes former students/clients of the facility. YEAH I REMEMBER A FEW.
?  Staff members claim that self-injury or cutting/carving on ones body is normal behavior for a child in treatment. WELL THAT DIDN?T HAPPEN.
?  Parents are not allowed to remain with their child during the entire intake/entry process. THAT DID HAPPEN.  REMEMBER STRIP SEARCHES?
?  The program inflicts physical punishments on children such as exercising for extended periods of time, bizarre cleaning rituals (ie scrubbing floors with a toothbrush) or food restrictions. WORK DETAILS , DISHES, CAN?T TALK, SING AND HAVE TO DO IT ACCERATED LIKE RUNNING THE TRASH TO THE DUMPSTER.
?  The program uses humiliation to "break them down." OHHHHH THE BIGGEST ONE OF ALL!!!!! RAPS CAUSE SERIOUS DAMAGE TO A LOT OF PEOPLE.
?  The program forces children to remain in solitary confinement/isolation/time-out for an unspecified amount of time.  FULL TIMES, WORK DETAILS
?  The facility considers homosexuality to be a behavioral problem.  OH COP-OUTS
?  The facility claims to be able to "treat" homosexuality. UM OKAY.
?  Reading materials are prohibited or severely limited.  2-3 DAY CLASSES FOR LIKE 4 HOURS EACH OF THOSE DAYS? WOW WE LEARNED GOOD!
?  The facility does not have a clearly visible sign outside the building or descriptions of their location are vague.  IT WAS THERE BUT ABOUT THREE MILES DOWN THE ROAD FROM THE MAIN ENTRANCE.
?  The facility claims to modify behavior, yet has no licensed therapists on staff.  OHHHH ANOTHER BIG ONE!  
?  A licensed doctor or registered nurse is not present at any time during normal operating hours.  NOT SURE ABOUT THIS ONE BUT I DON?T THINK SO.
?  Current clients/students participate in the intake/entry process. BIG BROTHER/SISTER
?  Staff members offer to help parents obtain a court order forcing the child into, or keeping the child in, the facility. WELL SOME WHERE SENT THERE BY THE COURTS
?  Children are observed while bathing, dressing, or using the toilet on any level of the program.  WE WERE ALWAYS OBSERVED AT MOST POINTS BUT THIS MIGHT HAVE BEEN A LITTLE EXTREME.
?  The facility claims to treat drug abuse, but does not conduct a drug screen prior to entry.  YEAH HELLO HOW MANY WERE SENT THERE BECAUSE OF THIS?  HELP SOME BECAUSE THERE WERE NO DRUGS THERE BUT DIDN?T TREAT IT.
?  The facility does not allow children to follow their religion of choice.  DID ANYONE GO TO CHURCH?
?  Staff members must "approve" family members, siblings, friends, or employment. UM IT TOOK ME AT LEAST A YEAR TO BE ABLE TO TALK TO MY SISTER AND GRANDMA.
?  Children are not afforded an education in accordance with state requirements. HELLO HOW DEMEANING WAS THIS 2-3 DAYS 4 HOURS, IF WE WERE LUCKY.  OR ON A WORK DETAIL OR FULL TIME.
?  Medication is recommended, prescribed, approved, or dispensed by anyone other than a medical doctor (MD). NOT SURE ABOUT THIS ONE.
?  Children are denied medications that have been prescribed by an MD. NOT SURE ABOUT THIS ONE EITHER.
?  Staff members, admissions personnel, referrers, etc. make statements indicating that "your child will die without" the program. UM OKAY WE WILL LIVE ON THE STREETS WITH HEROIN INJECTED CONSTANTLY AND BE CRACK WHORES.
?  Children escort/supervise other children. FULL TIME WORK DETAILS BIG BROTHER/SISTER.
?  Children have to "earn" the "right" to speak during group/therapy sessions.  I?M ON A BAN?
?  Children are denied outside activities on any level/phase. DID WE EVER GO ANYWHERE?  EXCEPT THE WILDERNESS PROGRAMS?
?  Staff members must approve the withdrawal of children from the facility.  YEAH UNLESS YOUR YANKED BECAUSE INSURANCE WON?T PAY FOR IT OTHERWISE YOUR PARENTS ARE BRAINWASHED INTO MAKING YOU STAY, ?FOR YOUR OWN GOOD?!
?  The facility expects total and unquestioned support of parents.  YEAH AND THEY EVEN GAVE THEM BABY PROFEETS SO THEY COULD GET WITH THE PROGRAM.
?  Children on any level/phase are forbidden to speak to other children in the facility.  WELL THAT DEPENDS ON WHO YOU WERE ON A BAN FROM.

The following is a list of common characteristics of cults.
If you know of any juvenile facility that fits these descriptions, please contact us immediately.
1.Limitation of communication with those outside the group. Books, magazines, letters and visits with friends and family are discouraged or even banned.  DID WE HAVE A TV TO HEAR THE NEWS?  DID WE EVEN KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THE OUTSIDE WORLD?  YEAH SELECTED BOOKS, I DON?T REMEMBER ANY MAGAZINES AND LETTERS FROM MY GRANDMA WERE WITHHELD FROM ME FOR  AT LEAST A YEAR.  NO FRIENDS FROM THE OUTSIDE WERE ALLOWED AND FAMILY WAS ALSO LIMITED.
2.New members become convinced of the higher purpose and special calling of the group through a profound encounter, i.e. an alleged miracle or the prophetic word of the group.  ONCE YOU GOT WITH THE PROGRAM. AND THE MIRACLE OF THE PROFEETS AND THE TRUTH ABOUT OURSELVES.
3.An explicit goal of the group is to bring about some kind of change, be it global, social or personal. UM YEAH SEE YOURSELF AS YOU ARE AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
4.Use of the practice of self-disclosure to members in the group. In the context of a gathering of the group, converts are encouraged to admit past sins and imperfections, and doubts about the group. LETS RAP AGAIN SHALL WE BECAUSE 3 DAYS A WEEK FOR 4 HOURS WASN?T ENOUGH.  WOW THAT IS ALMOST MORE TIME THAN CLASSES.  ISN?T IT SUPPOSE TO BE A SCHOOL WHERE YOU ARE SUPPOSE TO LEARN THINGS.
5.The group's perspective is absolutely true and completely adequate to explain everything. The doctrine is not subject to amendments or question. Absolute conformity is required. KAHLIL GIBRAN AND THE PROPHEET, OH AND GET WITH THE PROGRAM!
6.A new vocabulary emerges within the context of the group. Group members "think" within the very abstract and narrow parameters of the group's doctrine. Loaded terms and cliches prejudice thinking. OH HELLO WHOLE PROGRAM!  COP-OUT, BANS, DISHES HAD A WHOLE NEW MEANING, LETS RAP, INDIGHTMENTS, AGREEMENTS (OH HOW WE LIKED TO AGREE TO THOSE) SIT WITH THAT?.AND MUCH MUCH MORE!
7.Pre-group experience and group experience are narrowly interpreted through the absolute doctrine.  YEAH I HAD SEX ONCE BUT WAS I  A WHORE?
8.Salvation is possible only in the group. Those who leave the group are doomed. HOW MANY TIMES DID WE HEAR THAT ONE!
HOPE THAT ENLIGHTENS YOU, I WAS SHOCKED TO FIND THIS OUT AFTER 15+ YEARS OF TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT HAPPENED THERE.   NOW I KNOW, WE WERE ALL BRAINWASHED INTO THINKING IT WAS A GREAT PLACE.  MOST OF US HAVE IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE THAT EFFECTS US IN OUR DAILY LIVES.  AND IF YOU THINK YOU DON?T HAVE PROBLEMS BECAUSE OF CEDU YOU MUST BE WITH THE PROGRAM AND THE PRO-CEDU-RE.  HOPE THAT?S WORKING FOR YOU!

[Anonymous]

Mr. Therapist I never went on the attack I simply asked if there was a problem then why didn't you do something about it.  If you can face the heat then to bad.  If the state was suspicious and you knew that what they were doing was breaking the law then why didn't go to the local authorities.  Have you ever heard of citzens arrest, or the Department of Children Services.  I am sorry that you did get fired, but to know that were traumatized for your stay there I find to be full of shit.  You were not yelled at 2-3 days week for almost three years. you did not have to rake and haul animal crap, cut wood, and have almost know form of an education.  About 20percent of my so called school credits from Cedu would not transfer and when I graduated I was a grade behind my normal level.

[Anonymous]

Boy oh boy these assertions really clarify what this site is about.  And the kind of paranoia rampant among its frequent posters

CEDU was and is a business.  Some of us think that it's a useful business which delivers structure, self-examination and changed social functioning in a way that helps oppositional self-destructive kids.  Others think that the whole program is useless.  Probably the truth is somewhere in the middle.  I think that CEDU education clearly helped many of the kids that attended.  They will tell you the same.  It seems reasonable to assume that other kids were not helped by the CEDU method, there are many reasons why this might be so.

But a cult?  That's sort of la-la land thinking isn't it? The earlier poster is right, the CEDU schools were and in fact are, simply boarding schools with a program that is advertised as being helpful to troubled teens.  

You can agree or disagree with this premise without getting hysterical and talking about cults.

[Anonymous]

"Boy oh boy these assertions really clarify what this site is about. And the kind of paranoia rampant among its frequent posters

CEDU was and is a business. Some of us think that it's a useful business which delivers structure, self-examination and changed social functioning in a way that helps oppositional self-destructive kids. Others think that the whole program is useless. Probably the truth is somewhere in the middle."

That was my assertion; paranoia is a matter of perception.  There are always people who will respond favorably to manipulation, coercion, or outright intimidation.  People like Jim Jones will always appear periodically, and the Marines will always have eager recruits.  But the simple fact remains, at least in my humble opinion, that any institution ballsy enough to undertake the task of physically harboring wayward youths under the declared intent of altering their apparent degenerate behavior damn well better pursue the quest with purely ideological motives, because it is a risky undertaking fraught with incalculable potentialities for disaster.  And if money exists even as a footnote for incentive the experiment is doomed to fail from the very fucking beginning.  Either the counselors genuinely possess purely humanist motives, or they simply become prison guards wielding a dangerous and combustible amount of power and influence.  Research any sociological study done on purely neutral individuals separated into a prisoner/guard distinction, and without fail the initially passive volunteers chosen as guards will begin to act with disdain and elitist empowerment towards the randomly selected prisoners.  And anybody who went to CEDU RS and had the pleasure of interacting with Russ Decker knows the degree of professionalism and selflessness CEDU demanded from their employees. (Read- Not, to, fucking, much.) The place was a business, absolutely.  But you?re unintentionally highlighting the degree of depravity CEDU eventually sunk to.  A cult at least strives for legitimate dedication and devotion from its converts towards the doctrine set forth from the leaders.  CEDU didn?t give a fuck what the kids enrolled believed or felt.  The only item of relevance came down to mere numbers at the end of the month.  And playing with the lives of adolescents at a crucial stage in their development under the paltry pursuit of expanding currency is fucking unacceptable.  And if you truly wish to defend the methods employed by CEDU, I genuinely feel a degree of sympathy for you.  Those counselors had such a Caesar syndrome, its laughable and frightening at the same time.  CEDU is the apex of the ageless axiom: Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Christ. Fucking Russ Decker.
-Kim H

[Anonymous]

On 2005-12-22 15:47:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Boy oh boy these assertions really clarify what this site is about.  And the kind of paranoia rampant among its frequent posters



CEDU was and is a business.  Some of us think that it's a useful business which delivers structure, self-examination and changed social functioning in a way that helps oppositional self-destructive kids.  Others think that the whole program is useless.  Probably the truth is somewhere in the middle.  I think that CEDU education clearly helped many of the kids that attended.  They will tell you the same.  It seems reasonable to assume that other kids were not helped by the CEDU method, there are many reasons why this might be so.



But a cult?  That's sort of la-la land thinking isn't it? The earlier poster is right, the CEDU schools were and in fact are, simply boarding schools with a program that is advertised as being helpful to troubled teens.  



You can agree or disagree with this premise without getting hysterical and talking about cults."

Are you fucking kidding me?  Did you actually GO there and experience all of CEDU's wonderfulness?  I tend to think not, either your a parent who thinks that it helped their kid and still does, a therapist who was sucked in by the advertising and believes in the propaganda OR a pro-cedu staff member from the past or currently re-organizing the "new schools".  Either way you have no idea what you are talking about. I know of several kids who did not do drugs, were not sexually active did not do anything wrong and still got sent there and there were a handful of kids that did do that stuff (or made up lies that they did do that stuff even if they didn't - false cop-outs)?  It's simple, none of the parents could handle thier children, so they made someone else do it under the gist that it would help their child.   Either way we all ended up with the same vindicative programming, and there was no individialization.  Before you diss the fact that it was a cult consider the fact that it was programming and mind control.  If it was "emotional growth" there should have been QUALIFIED counselors
or therapist to handle kids INDIVIDUALLY.  Since it was not individualized and we all went through this same "programming" don't you think that is a little bit suspicious? Considering the fact that mental health is based on person to person basis and not all people are the same. I went there and anyone else who went there knew in their gut what they were doing was wrong and just flat out wierd.

OH and you're right on the aspect that it was a business.  A multi-billion dollar fraud.  

As for paranoia, several organizations classify it as a cult. Those who experienced CEDU's mental brutality, that sought to attack the young mind at such a tender developing age and then viciously mutilated into some stepford children.  Kids are kids and they make mistakes just like adults only they don't know better.

If it wasn't a cult and a real "School" why are there so many former students that were behind the rest of the age bracket in real school when they got out? The educational system was a joke 2-3 days a week and only 3-4 hours to read about stuff we already knew but the staff didn't and no homework!  The basis of education and a school should be to learn about things educational not emotional. Learning in any school should have been educational with the basis of mathematic, science, english, etc. How much can you really learn about farm science and horse shit.  Oh and being able to watch the news and discuss politics and find out what was going on in the real world would have been educational as well, but it was forbidden!  

Oh one more thing, tell me why if most of the people that attended CEDU and its affiliate schools are now diagnosed with PTSD?  Oh maybe because of years of mental abuse with cult-like standards!

BTW this website and these postings are meant to discuss and find meaning in what happened to us all.  For most of us Cedu was hell.  If you weren't a student you have no way of understanding what we went through.

[try another castle]

I agree that the CEDU schools were fucked up, but I believe it is missing some key components that would make it a cult.

1. Cults try to keep you with them forever. At CEDU, you did eventually graduate. When I was there, it was very easy to get kicked out, even. However, I heard that later on, it became more difficult, and kids would get shuttled around between schools, which makes it much more cult-like.

2. Cults deprive you of nutritional sustenance. Most of them will provide you with low protein meals that you can barely get by on. RMA had huge meals. You needed them in order to do the physical labor.

3. Cult members would "witness" others to try to join. While educational consultants would get paid to refer a parent to CEDU schools, it lacks the fervor that normally comes along with true cult members trying to recruit followers. Especially since the students were not a part of this process. They would sing the praises during tours, sure, but they were not compensated. Nor would they be so wrapped up in the process that they would adamantly talk to friends on the outside, trying to get them to join. The very structure of the school prohibited students from speaking to anyone on the outside about anything, which includes recruitment. They were not out on the street passing out pamphlets, nor were they pressured to reach a recruitment quota that ensured them better status within the cult. This, however, may have changed after I left. I don't know.

As a result, I found the schools to be very cult-like and it used cult tactics, but I don't believe it to be an actual cult, IMO. Mainly because of point 1. You did eventually graduate, and one of the key things about cults is that they want you with them indefinitely. For instance, many kids stayed with Synanon indefinitely by choice, and if memory serves, there was no structure in which you proceeded your way through the program until you reached a point where you graduated, unlike CEDU, where, after the Summit, it was time for you to go.

As for paranoia, several organizations classify it as a cult. Those who experienced CEDU's mental brutality, that sought to attack the young mind at such a tender developing age and then viciously mutilated into some stepford children. Kids are kids and they make mistakes just like adults only they don't know better.

Which organizations? I'm curious. I know that ISACCORP doesn't even formally have the CEDU schools on their watch list. This is all they mention:

"The CEDU Schools were founded by Mel Wasserman after he spent time sponsoring a participant of Synanon. Experts have classified Synanon as a cult as well.

Former students of the CEDU schools have complained of "brainwashing" and other cult tactics."

(Link: http://www.isaccorp.org/cults.html )

All it does is quote alumni. CEDU is not on their big watch list of schools to avoid. (List here: http://www.isaccorp.org/watchlist.html )It used to have King George on there, but I just checked and it was taken off. I have no idea why none of the CEDU schools are listed, because they really need to be. It's not because they closed, either, because they list Tranquility Bay on there, and mention that it is closed, but trying to reopen. And King George is also still open.

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[ This Message was edited by: sorry... try another castle on 2006-01-14 19:02 ]

[Anonymous]

"Oh one more thing, tell me why if most of the people that attended CEDU and its affiliate schools are now diagnosed with PTSD? Oh maybe because of years of mental abuse with cult-like standards!"

What are you talking about?

What evidence do you have that most of the people who attended CEDU school are now diagnosed with PTSD?  

Face it, you have no evidence at all. If you did in fact have evidence that a majority of the students who attended these schools had PTSD,  then the schools would be closed. Even outlawed.

What you do have, in total reality, as far as I can see, is a few persistent posters who feel that they were hurt by these programs.

I see no evidence that most CEDU attendees have PTSD or any other mental illness. If you have that evidence, please present it.

At the minimum, try to be a little bit rational in your critiques of these schools.

[Anonymous]

Well I have PTSD from Cedu.  I have nightmares that I am still at the school.  When ever I get near a farm my heart starts to beat real fast because when I was at Cedu the days we work on the farm were rap days and it was time that we were going to get yelled at,  When ever I am pulled aside I get nervious that I will be yelled at, I have to walk on egg shells with many people because I am afraid that I will make them made at me and thus yell at me.  I was yelled at by faculity at Cedu who were not trained and they have caused much damage in my life.  At Cedu they made you feel like you were worth nothing and they expected you to use their tools to fix it.  Well most of their tools are common phrases that you can find on the internet.  None of the shit that Cedu preeched ever worked on the outside for me.

[Anonymous]

On 2005-12-22 20:46:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Face it, you have no evidence at all. If you did in fact have evidence that a majority of the students who attended these schools had PTSD,  then the schools would be closed."

Well the last time I checked, almost all of them are closed!  

Cedu Highschool(RS).....CLOSED!
Cedu Middleschool.......CLOSED!
Cascade.................CLOSED!
Amity School............CLOSED!
Cedu Milestones.........CLOSED!
Rocky Mountain Academy..CLOSED!
Northwest Academy.......CLOSED!
Boulder Creek Academy...CLOSED!

Now I realize that yhe provo people bought and "reopened" the Idaho facilities, but as I understand it, the current combined total student body of all 3 of them is like 8 kids
right now. Eight kids might be enough to form a gang, but they still don't constitute a "school", let alone several.

The fact is, the only one of your kid prisons that hasn't been shut down yet is King George
School.  What more proof do you need?