Yeah, I don't know how meticulous the staff planned anything when I was CEDU RS (98-99)
I'm pretty sure that by that time, the initial mind-fuck masters had scattered off one by one like crabs, slinking off before the dam could break on top of them and leaving mostly unrefined brutes in their place. They still had the formula, because Guy Bonnano was still there when I arrived, but for the most part, you could tell the staff just didn't have the ability to fully integrate the intricate needles necessary to evoke that absolute dependence and subserviance the true cults generate. I mean, I think you're right about smushing in theory, and the cults that overwhelm individuals enough to convince them to die utilize the careful deprivation of human contact, followed by a subtle, meager allotment of scripted contact that is carefully kept under surveillance. So, I think maybe smushing wasn't as effectively utilized as a controlling device when I was there, although it was still unorthodox, uncomfortable, and unnatural.
One thing, though. There was a guy named Martin at CEDU RS in 98-99 who was a bonafide predator. I don't know if he ever actually did anything inappropriate, I want to make that clear. But this fucking guy sent up screaming red warning flags to me. I'm a fairly diminuative guy, 5'7" and not a centimeter taller, and thin. (Well, I was. Did not have back hair then, either. Life sucks.) But this guy was ALL over me RIGHT after I arrived. And I'm no genius, but I'm not a fucking idiot either. Right off the bat, he tried to let me know that "things were done differently around here," as he rebuked me for some thing or other after I had been in the office for all of 5 minutes from Ascent. And man, I knew, just KNEW, that later on this guy would approach me privately and ask how I was holding up. You know, to sort of position himself in such a way that I would trust him, and then after opening up (no pun intended there, gack) I would feel vulnerable as well as tightly conjoined with the guy...and would feel obligated to do as he suggested. That stopped immediately, as the second or third time he nuzzled (apt, I mean, NUZZLED his FACE into shoulder and then the side of my neck) into me, I flat out shrugged him off and said quietly looking straight at him, "Man, what...the...fuck? Don't do that shit again ever, I'm fucking dead serious." And he looked at me kinda confused about how to respond, but I just kind of gave him a cold smile, got up, and left. And he never did anything like that again, to me anyways. But everytime a new kid (male, always) who looked frazzled and a little scared and was small in stature, there was Martin, all over the poor bastard in some corner. It was fucked up, especially because he never said a single word to any of the counselors or other staff or anyone else about the incident. Ever. I'd been there like 2 days, and I told him not to do "some shit ever again, I'm dead fucking serious." That's not tolerated at CEDU, especially looking straight at a counselor and basically making an ill defined but unquestionably threatening statement. But, because I said it very quietly and with a straight tone of voice, no one heard anything or even picked up on any tension, and I did that on purpose. And that allowed him to slink away from the situation as if it didn't happen. I'd bet my last fucking cent on the fact that given the chance, that dude would have gently stroked my balls.
CEDU was great. It makes me laugh that it even existed in the first place. People are retarded. Sure! You have my kid! You seem credible! Christ. -KH