Ex,
I will let go of the restraining disagreement since I was not there to witness what happened. My doubts spring from the fact that SAFE is a Straight created program and I find it hard to believe it changed that quickly and even more hard to understand why they would have quit while you were there only to resume once you left. I find a difference between a blatant lie and what people believe to be the truth. It is scientically proven that humans will repress things that are painful to see and acknowledge. I was saying I thought that could be a possibility but am happy to take your word that you do not fall into that category. I do now have a problem with your idea that the model works when applied right??? do you really mean that? The model is, essentially to strip a kid of every right, DIGNITY and sembelance of humanness, to surrender to the group mentality. If a kid is non-compliant, they are ridiculed, forced to withstand extreme mental confrontations and at times, physical restraint and even abuse. The model is taken from prison camps for god's sake. It is a modern day form of mental and psychological torture and abuse. Once the child has completely lost any sense of soul, dignity, respect and right and wrong, he is then welcomed by the group with open arms as they are the only ones who could ever possibly "redeem" him. It is a sick, twisted way of making group, staff and yes, the execs god-like figures. They progress on believing that they truly are worthless pieces of sh*t who are nothing without their 'gods' approval. Then they are cut loose into the world and find out that everything they had been taught is screwed and then really flip out and probably start using the drugs they heard about in treatment. Even though SAFE is a kinder version of Straight as far as spitting, unending standing, severe consequences, whatever, it is based on the same model and I find it repugnant that anyone can really defend its methodology. My interpretation is not just from my years at Straight but from SAFE material that describes its treatment model and the testimony of the survivors stories I have read here. It is worth reading some of the parents stories here who share the pain they feel for subjecting their kids to SAFE and the prices they have each paid due to the brainwashing they bought for a time. As I said in the start of this, I was not there so I cannot hold a true arguement about the restraint policies but I can about the treatment model as I got to experience it firsthand and can read the SAFE material to know it is the same one countless others in SAFE, Straight and many other programs have been subjected to.
Jennifer