Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > Mission Mountain School
Didn't we all used to be friends?
Star:
I am not trying to be malicious to any of you by saying this, but it's seems as though some of you are missing the point. If you think about the whole aspect of John's work......he did make himself out to be like a therapist..he analyzed us and told us what we were, and weren't, or atleast convinced us.
I have no right, no matter what type of leader I am or claim to be, to analize anyone or place judment upon them unless I am a proffesional because these things are very sensitive, and can cause great damage to people. But John was not a simple person like me. He was a person in charge of an entire school having clear influence on every single person there. Yes John was a very intelligent person. He was very powerful. But his direction in leadeship did not lead everyone towards the right road..and he should have made it clear to parents and even students that his way might not be the right way for everyone, but he made us believe "His way or no way at all."
I still feel like I keep on repeating myself. Please please look at this from all perspectives. As I would, you would, parents would, inspectors would,lawyers would, friends would, even GOD would. After all he is my only judge.
Anonymous:
Anonymous
Posted: 2005-05-13 13:35:00 John doesn't need to have a liscense to practice therapy---He is the ehad master of the school, and he was a teacher, not a thearapist---it alwasy felt much different in group with him rather then Gary. Anyways, just want to put that out there.
Group felt different with John because he was intimidating and unprofessional. John yelled at me more than any other girl while I was there. He told me I would end up a crazy homeless woman on the street if I didn't go on medication and stop questioning the schools methods. I never trusted him for a second, because someone who does not support open communication of the thoughts and feelings people have about the community they live in, is clearly bent on control. These are methods used all throughout history to keep people from overthrowing thier rule. These tactics are the same as those used by Moa Ze Dong, Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, and George W. Bush. Obviously the intensity of the tactic is scaled down a lot, since instead of being punished with death or jail time, we had to do physical labor and be yelled at, which still sucks but not nearly as bad.
The point is, scaring children with threats of isolation, physical labor, or even the promise of a dead end future is wrong, whether you consider that abuse or not, it's wrong. I was not made to work for hours in sub-zero weather simply because I had a lesson to learn, it was more so to keep me from critisizing the school again, it was to make an example of me. John wanted to make a clear, direct correlation between questioning your superiors and misery and pain.
I completely understand how some of you still hold on to the idea that Mission Mountain was not corrupt. When you hear something enough, you begin to internalize it. Didn't they always used to tell us that? I even had a hard time seeing through thier facade at times, but when I told people at home about some of the things that went on there, I could see a look of pure disgust on thier faces, because unless you've been convinced over and over for two years that that MMS was a wonderful place, there is no way you could believe it. That is the most dangerous part about MMS, they say they treat thier students better than all the other boarding schools because thier supportive of your growth and personal recovery. But a man on the street who yells at you then tells you to get in his car is much less dangerous than one that lures you in with candy and a sweet smile.
Anonymous:
The point is, scaring children with threats of isolation, physical labor, or even the promise of a dead end future is wrong, whether you consider that abuse or not, it's wrong.
Posted by anon above...
I was scared before John ever started talking or raising his voice to get his point across. All three of these consequences taught me more then talking about how I am hyper sensitive and people need to realize this so I can live my life better....
Life scared me and beleive it or not these were metaphors for my life to help us. He never promised me a dead future probable because I figured that was a given.
Life gets cold.....ANd we need to keep going
Life is painful......that doesn't mean that I get to just check out from my life.
Life is full of shit.... SO keep dealing with it.
Life is lonely........And I deal with this stuff everyday....
I don't disagree with your perception... I disagree, with you claiming this abuse and no one can say that it isn't because to me....It wasn't and it isn't...
I was worried that MMS was harmful, especially about a year after I got out. I was pissed off. And I had to work through this stuff on my own, with my new community. It was really hard, because no one understood my experience, and I was unable to really ever tell anybody the whole story, because there was no way I could. And I realized after I get through stuff like this every time I relearn, that MMS, challenged me, and helped me to appreciate life and the world, through this stuff that is being called abuse.
Anonymous:
Read the posts of the horrible experiences some had at MMS and you can clearly understand why it would be considered abuse by anyone! Anyone who is not brainwashed by MMS and others like them, that is. Just like the person above said, when she told people in her community some of the things she experienced, people who have never been under the "spell" of these programs, they all agreed what she described was abuse.
You may not have suffered abuse, good for you. But some others did and to discount what they experienced is again plain wrong. Why would you want to make people feel they need to defend their postition? It's rediculous and hurtful.
Abuse is abuse, no matter how your slice it. Funny, when I was a kid my mom never thought I was abused by my dad. She would simply not accept it. No matter how many times I told her he would beat me with a belt she just said it was normal spanking and tell me to get over it. She did not want to face it, plain and simple. We have gone around and around about this issue many times during my lifetime because it is very difficult not to be heard when you know something that happened to you was abusive.
Intersting thing happened. Recently my sister-in-law divorced my brother and is dating. My niece and nephew don't particularly like this guy nor do they get along. My mother is worried because he yelled at my nephew once.
I asked my mother if she would think it was abusive and what she would do if this new guy would take my niece, put her across the bed, panties down, and beat her repeatedly with a belt. Would you consider that abuse, mom? Now, seeing it this way, yes, she said, and apologized for the many years I felt I could not get my point across. I just wanted her to acknowledge it happened, that it was abuse, and it would have made it easier to move on.
Do I spend my life worrying about it? No. Have I for all these years? No. Do I want people to challenge me when I say I was abused? NO!!
So stop, everyone, challenging those who were abused at MMS. To them that is what it was, you cannot convince them otherwise. Just as no one could ever convince me that I was not abused as a child. Emotional and phsychological abuse can leave more scars than physical abuse, so they say. It is far more recognized today than ever before.
Anonymous:
Please quit calling those of us who had a good experience there "brainwashed".
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