Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > Vision Quest
My VQ boot camp experience
Ursus:
--- Quote from: "cindiford79" ---Your experience sounds absolutely awful. I can't believe they let adults treat children that way. I work for a facility here in Oregon that is a shelter for foster kids and a juvenile detention. The oversight we have is crazy. If anything our facility is opposite, the kids are allowed to abuse the staff and we have little we can do to keep ourselves safe. In my opinion there is a need for some types of facilities even if these kids are in this position because their parents have failed, they still need a place to be. Adults should never be allowed to abuse the kids though. Thank you for sharing your experience.
--- End quote ---
Ah... but Cindi, your whole website (link in your sig) is a veritable mega advertisement for abusive programs, edcons, transport agencies, etc., not to mention having a banner for former Daytop attendee James Lehman's DIY behav mod package "Total Transformation" ... clickable on every single page.
It seems that the whole concept of thought reform is not so adverse for you, just some of the more obvious, usually older, and possibly financially strapped ones, eh?
Cindi Ford's current sig:
--- Quote ---Cindi F.
http://www.rescueyouth.com
--- End quote ---
cindiford79:
--- Quote --- concept of thought reform
--- End quote ---
Anyone who lives in society has undergone "thought reform" in one form or another as society is something created with our minds and pushed on others to accept. There is not natural or real society. Just as their is no agreed upon human reality. If by making your kids mind that is thought reform...pretty silly. What kind of society do you want to create?
cmack:
--- Quote from: "cindiford79" ---
--- Quote --- concept of thought reform
--- End quote ---
Anyone who lives in society has undergone "thought reform" in one form or another as society is something created with our minds and pushed on others to accept. There is not natural or real society. Just as their is no agreed upon human reality. If by making your kids mind that is thought reform...pretty silly. What kind of society do you want to create?
--- End quote ---
I'm not sure what your angle is, but I'll just pretend that you're not a shill for the industry.
You asked about Thought Reform. It has nothing to do with parents disciplining their children. It doesn't even have anything to do with Marine Corps boot camp.
See here: http://www.rickross.com/reference/brain ... hing2.html
The Thought Reform/Coercive Persuasion/Mind Control tactics employed by programs is much more insidious. Listed below are just a few of the elements typically found at programs.
isolation
Deprivation
Restricted/Monitored Communication
A Level System w/ a Series of Rewards and Punishments
Forced Confessions - which are then used against the victim.
Humiliation - strip searches, reading impact letters, etc
Behavior Control which may include such things as Dress, When and What to eat, Control of Bodily Functions like having to seek permission to relieve oneself, forbidding and punishing masturbation, being observed while relieving oneself and bathing.
Control of Information: the victim is kept in the dark about important decisions, and isn't allowed to ask questions about the future which creates psychological stress.
The victim must buy-in to the program and accept that he needs to be there, and accept the program's version of the truth in order to advance and graduate.
These are just a few of the things that I could think of off the top of my head and they are common at all programs I'm familiar with.
You can read more about the process of mind control at the links below.
http://freedomofmind.com/Info/BITE/bitemodel.php
http://www.rickross.com/reference/apolo ... ist23.html
http://www.rickross.com/reference/brain ... ing19.html
You asked in another thread about what does work. Well how about respecting the basic rights of individuals for self-determination. Sure, there are a very few individuals who are active threats to themselves or others who need to be committed briefly until they can be stabilized. But there is no scientific evidence to support the efficacy of wilderness programs, TBS's, RTC's, or other behavior modification facilities. The research that does exist shows that local, family therapy is the most effective at reaching teens.
see here: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/m ... /sec7.html
and here: http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/12/troubled-teens.aspx
and here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maia-szal ... 15023.html
and here: viewtopic.php?f=24&t=38312
and this too: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_ ... tment.html
And if you really care about young people here are some questions you can ask programs before you start promoting them on your website.
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consume ... pro27.shtm
http://www.helpatanycost.com/questions.php
Let's say you ignore all that evidence above about programs not working and you still want to design a program that's not abusive. Well here are my suggestions:
1) No involuntary commitments without due process. No young person 13 years of age or older should be committed to a program against his will until all reasonable local options have been tried and he's been provided a lawyer and had a due process court hearing where all the facts are presented and he has an opportunity to defend himself.
2) No strip searches unless there is probable cause that a particular individual has some dangerous drug or weapon.
3) No monitoring of phone calls or letters. No blanket restrictions on who one may call or write. There might be circumstances when a patient can be restricted from contacting a particular person such as his drug dealer, but there shouldn't be a general prohibition on contacting friends or others.
4) There should be a clear easy process to contact lawyers and outside authorities to report abuse.
5) No level system and no group punishment for the actions of an individual.
6) No withholding of food or other creature comforts as punishment or to compel compliance.
7) No forced confessions
8 ) Protected right to refuse specific treatment modalities such as group therapy or 12 step.
9) The right to wear one's own clothes and to retain possession of personal property including money and ID.
10) No restraint or seclusion.
I'm sure there are other things I've missed, but the above would be a good start.
This guy has some pretty good ideas on the subject: http://cafety.org/index.php?option=com_ ... &Itemid=35
Ursus:
--- Quote from: "cindiford79" ---
--- Quote from: "Ursus" ---concept of thought reform
--- End quote ---
Anyone who lives in society has undergone "thought reform" in one form or another as society is something created with our minds and pushed on others to accept. There is not natural or real society. Just as their is no agreed upon human reality. If by making your kids mind that is thought reform...pretty silly. What kind of society do you want to create?
--- End quote ---
Mm. If you're saying that U.S. culture is currently pretty dependent on propaganda and manipulation of the media, I would agree with you whole heartedly.
However, I detect a whiff of derision, perhaps even of trivialization when it comes to the use of this term in describing the extremes that some so-called rehabilitative youth programs resort to ... in their efforts at reshaping and remolding the self identity of youth in their care.
Perhaps you believe its use is warranted or justified. Others, especially those who have experienced it firsthand themselves and feel damaged by the long term effects, might disagree.
cindiford79:
It is not that I believe any of this is trivial. It is just hard for me to accept having worked in a facility that they are all bad. Yes there were some asshole staff at our facility but their was no abuse going on. We were on camera 24/7 and the only thing that did happen in that facility that was listed above was they had a level system. It changed every day on the child's behavior from the previous day but the child's rights were never removed. It was more a way for staff to rate if the child was able to handle community outings or use the computer room. The doors were not locked in our facility and the kids were free to leave at any time day or night, and sometimes they did. Of course these were primarily foster kids so they really had no place to go but the streets most of the time. I just feel that the abuse kids do to themselves and have done to them by peers when they are living a drug addicted, or homeless life is just as harmful as these torturous places. Getting raped or murdered on the streets, or killing yourself on a heroine overdose is still a tragedy. Teens don't think rationally, at least most don't. They have under developed frontal lobes of the brain. It is adults duty, especially parents to protect their kids from themselves as well as others. The things I read on here make me sick and in no way do I believe that it is ever right to abuse someone. There are Programs like Children of the Night who are out helping kids though and those are the types of places I believe in. I will keep reading and learning. Maybe the way I feel will change, we will see.
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