Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > The Seed Discussion Forum

The Seed, Inc., a second generation Synanon for kids-only.

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heretik:
http://thestraights.net/theprogram/synanon-story2.htm


--- Quote ---You aren?t old enough to know what to do with it. You probably couldn?t even do it with a coke bottle.
A Seedling oldcomer confronting a 12 or 13 year-old girl in GROUP. [New Times, 9/6/74]
--- End quote ---

Criminal!!!!


--- Quote --- Some had warned of the potential dangers of using synanons on adults. Professor David Bellis was one. He wrote that, "High discipline programs usually employ the confrontive 'Synanon game'-a leaderless group encounter session to create aggressive and provocative interchange, using ridicule, cross examination and hostile attack. During these group assaults on individual residents in the 'hot seat,' especially newcomers, any castigation and ridicule appear to come from the whole community of clients. One either plays the game and is rewarded with privilege and favorable discharge, or one 'splits' from the program. Experience indicates that when these counselors use an especially intrusive, aggressive approach, frequently debasing and harshly confronting clients, they may do more harm than good. . . This intrusive, assertive therapeutic style works well for a few clients but may injure many more." Professor Bellis noted that, "A number of clients. . .relinquish all independence and subjugate themselves to these staff and senior residents, accepting humiliation and total control of their lives even to the extent of accepting complete direction of their sex lives. . ." And he told of the case of one TC therapist who forced female clients to perform fellatio on him while he talked on the phone to their probation officers.(14)
--- End quote ---

This is beyond sick.


--- Quote ---Others like Dr. Roger Meyer and psychotherapists Thomas Bratter and Gary Forrest warned about using synanons on kids. Dr. Roger Meyer, a professor of psychiatry at Boston University, and formerly the Acting Chief of the Center for Studies of Narcotics and Drug Abuse at NIMH, was one of the first to question the wisdom of subjecting kids to the brutality of the Synanon Game. In 1972 he reported on the case of a 12 year old boy who had been admitted, along with older clients, to a second generation Synanon called The Odyssey House in New York City. He noted that the child seemed lost in the "rigid hierarchy and confrontation tactics of the program."
He wrote:
As a clinician I am concerned about the effects of intense, violent verbal interaction upon young teenagers engaged in a sensitive process of identity formation. The effects of this type of interaction upon a fragile self-image and upon later impulse control in the world at large have not been determined. This issue obviously needs further elaboration and research, but there are suggestions that there are age limits below which this form of treatment is contraindicated. Arbitrarily, I would say that young persons under 16 years of age should be excluded from these programs and that careful evaluation be given admitting persons between 16 and 18 years of age . . .It is also clear that the psychological effects of this modality upon different age groups have not been adequately studied.(15)
--- End quote ---

If all these doctors were warning about using "synanons" on kids why was the Seed allowed to open and operate, (trying not to sound ignorant)???


--- Quote ---In 1974 Arnold Rachman and M. Heller warned about using the Game with kids when they wrote: "There is a serious shortcoming within the theory and the practice of the T.C. in the understanding and treatment of adolescents. The experiences with the original population of adult addicts still pervade the thinking and functioning of most T.C.'s. Many programs report a high dropout rate with younger adolescents, which is directly related to this factor.... In addition, group practice becomes an anti-therapeutic factor with the T.C. when the uniqueness of adolescent psychological development is not understood and incorporated into clinical practice.(16) In 1985 psychotherapists Thomas Bratter and Gary Forrest echoed the conclusion of Rachman and Heller and added a caution of their own when they wrote that "such a treatment [for self-destructive drug abusers] may not be necessary or appropriate for other treatment populations, i.e. borderline schizophrenic patients, schizoid personalities, and acutely anxious, neurotic adolescents.(17)
--- End quote ---

Hello....


--- Quote ---The evidence has shown that brutal, verbal confrontation sessions are no more effective in controlling drug abuse among adult hard-core heroin addicts than other methods of control. Some have shown that synanon confrontations can potentially be psychologically damaging and may not be suitable for all audiences-especially for adolescents. In 1974 Rachman and Heller had noted that many youths had dropped out of TCs because the methods were geared to curing adult addicts. S. B. Sells noted in 1976 that, "The more strict the program the lower the percentage of clients retained in the [TC] program.."(18) Current magazine had noted that clients in TCs give up all rights--except the right to leave. Former Synanite Dr. David Deitch, then a Phoenix House director, has stated, "A client must have the choice of leaving treatment, even if the youngster is on probation and the alternative is jail."(19) Richard Ashley wrote in Heroin that, "The only power of decision the member retains once he enters a TC is the decision to leave."(20) Dr. Efren Ramirez, founder of Phoenix House, has said that "you don't rehabilitate a person against his will."(21)
--- End quote ---


I love these comments from Deitch, Ramirez and Ashley clients on the ability for clients to leave. I guess the Seed, Straight, Cedu, Elan and the other programs must have missed those seminars these (3) attended. They must be different programs. ("even if the youngster is on probation and the alternative is jail") fucked choice but I guess it is still a choice.



--- Quote ---Dr. Rogers had been referring to the dangers involved with a kid participating in a typical Synanon Game with 11 people yelling at him, where he could fight back verbally, where he could leave if he chose, and where there was no physical violence. But nobody, especially Dr. Rogers, ever imagined children sitting in one continuous synanon 12 hours a day, 5 ½ days a week for several years--with 200 kids screaming and spitting at him, where the child could not verbally defend himself against his indicters, where he would be beaten and physically restrained, and, most importantly, where he could not leave--namely Straight, Inc.

--- End quote ---

Nope, they never saw this coming.  ::)  ::)


--- Quote ---In other words Straight took a program that had been designed (and poorly so) to control hard-core adult heroin addicts and used it to control kids who had experimented with pot and alcohol--sometimes worse, but sometimes no drugs at all. Straight used Synanon's vaginal and anal searches to search for contraband for years even though they never found any. Kids were assaulted and restrained without cause and all the rest. In short Straight took a bad treatment modality, made it worse, and then force their young subjects to endure it. And when former clients sued Straight for holding them against their will, Straight pressured parents into letting Straight fight for them for the right to force their kids into treatment with the force of a court order.
--- End quote ---

Can there ever be a reasonable restitution or apology for these crimes. WTF
My heart goes out to you all.

dragonfly:

Ursus:
It's amazing what a good PR man can do. Or is it called "perception management" nowadays?  :twofinger:

How the programmies flocked to get their two cents quoted in the press ... once the diabolical Synanon was labeled an evil cult, and their methods destructive and nefarious. Even though some of these folk were practicing the very same damn thing, with but minor alterations in form.

You might wanna be a lil careful about taking some of the above quoted material at face value. Or, at least, 'bout taking it too literally. Jes sayin'...

It kinda reminds of Sue Scheff's decrying that whole sordid mess of Carolina Springs Academy, yet recommending and extolling the virtues of Whitmore Academy to prospective marks desperate enough, or clueless enough, to seek out her "sage advice."

Some of those folks cited above in the OP are spewing a mother lode of hypocritical BS outta one side of their mouths while snorting Grade-A koolaid up the other nostril.


--- Quote ---...Others like Dr. Roger Meyer and psychotherapists Thomas Bratter and Gary Forrest warned about using synanons on kids.
--- End quote ---

--- Quote ---In 1985 psychotherapists Thomas Bratter and Gary Forrest echoed the conclusion of Rachman and Heller and added a caution of their own when they wrote that "such a treatment [for self-destructive drug abusers] may not be necessary or appropriate for other treatment populations, i.e. borderline schizophrenic patients, schizoid personalities, and acutely anxious, neurotic adolescents.
--- End quote ---
Bratter runs his own program - John Dewey Academy. Do a search on the forum, he's already discussed here. And no, he's not considered one of those mild, soft spoken touchy-feely types. Usually he's characterized as a poster boy for attack therapy. He's also had at least two sexual assault cases filed against him by former students... talk about a self-serving concept of "boundaries," or lack thereof! Geez Louise!


--- Quote ---Former Synanite Dr. David Deitch, then a Phoenix House director, has stated, "A client must have the choice of leaving treatment, even if the youngster is on probation and the alternative is jail."(19) Richard Ashley wrote in Heroin that, "The only power of decision the member retains once he enters a TC is the decision to leave."(20) Dr. Efren Ramirez, founder of Phoenix House, has said that "you don't rehabilitate a person against his will."
--- End quote ---
Riiiiiight. Someone oughta inform all those kids in Daytop (David Deitch) that there simply has been some kind of misunderstanding re. the concept of "choice." Along with similar misunderstanding re. the attack therapy... which must be called something else these days for perception management purposes. It's nothing short of surreal to read Deitch spouting this stuff in print.


--- Quote ---Dr. Rogers had been referring to the dangers involved with a kid participating in a typical Synanon Game with 11 people yelling at him, where he could fight back verbally, where he could leave if he chose, and where there was no physical violence.
--- End quote ---
Oh! Was Carl Rogers perchance thinking of progress towards a "kinder, gentler program" ...while his research was being funded by MKULTRA? Maybe Carl Rogers himself might personify a kinder and more humanistic approach towards therapy but... his research appears to have been utilized otherwise.

Which is worse? Abuse that is wholly recognizable for what it is? Or something more insidious, that you can never quite tease out of your brain, without destroying your sense of self along with it?

Just my cranky, miserable ol' tuppence, fwiw. Feel free to ignore...  :D   :dose:

Inculcated:
That (Ursus) post rocked. This
--- Quote ---Some of those folks cited above in the OP are spewing a mother lode of hypocritical BS outta one side of their mouths, while snorting Grade-A koolaid up the other nostril.
--- End quote ---
and the close were two of the best quotes ever and everything in between was spot on.

heretik:
I think if you folks around here taught me anything about this industry, if it walks like duck and quacks like a duck the Doctors and Directors must be DUCKS.
Thanks Ursus, you do have a flavor for getting your point across.

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