And that was great. you say the logic is faulty, but give no example and state why? That for about a period of 7 years most of my friends were ex synanon members. Synanon is only one chapter. In conclusion, while the notions in Synanon arose out of Dederichs troubled childhood, I dont think all blame is on Synanonsuch systems existed all throughout history. In 1971, the federal government, through he second White House Drug Czar, Robertq L. Dupont, Jr. MD. Following this broadcast, several executives of the NBC network and its corporate chairman allegedly received hundreds of threats from Synanon members and supporters. [31] NBC continued with a series of reports on the Synanon situation on the NBC Nightly News. Yet it was from this that the miracle was proclaimed. In other words he would have to reexamine his beliefs and consider possibly his own victimization. We let, we let crazy people into the door and we dont discriminate. I'm not doing that. I don't know. I think Synanon was one of the most important stories of the 20th-century and leaves us with one of the most documented histories that is worth studying and learning from. Further, I wrote that the study of cults is studying a microcosm of the greater society. Poor and, at one point, subsisting mostly off of rabbits they raised and butchered in their backyard, Jollett was unable to process the trauma he'd experienced, according to the book. Out of 1,180 addicts who had entered Synanon in its first five years of operation, only 26 had graduated. Nicholaus Contreraz, 16, died at the Arizona Boys Ranch near Oracle, Arizona, March 2, 1998, of cardiac arrest, after instructors continued to harass him and force him to exercise even though he told them he was sick. I would say some things are not debatable. Jollett and his older brother Tony were taken from their parents his father a recovered addict and former convict, his mother an anti-government activist from Berkeley when they were just 6 months old. Some children have been placed for nothing more than marijuana smoking, and some because the programs told the parents unless they gave them the younger kid they would expel the older sibling. It exposes the cruel abnormal policies, practices and propaganda the Synanon children were forced to endure in a so-called modern America. Naya Arbiter He was constantly accused of being a malingerer and faking it when he complained of being sick and unable to go on. We were beaten for the slightest infractions of the rules. WebSynanon eventually unraveled in a series of assaults and attempted murder. A few, but very few have gone out and made it. No one knows the actual final fate of the 19. His motive, which Janzen missed, was the eventual plan to steal all the money. While forced to admit the attack on me, there is no mention of Phil Ritter or Eidson, etc., in his book, Rise and Fall of Synanon (which was same working title I had) rather a statement that the media exaggerated the violence and that there was no violence inside Synanon. Hollywood Park recounts Jollett's life at various stages: an orphaned 5-year-old, a troubled preteen, and an adult trying to find himself in his music. After saying staying in Synanon is the addicts only chance for sustained life, in 1976 Dederich said that in 5 years there would be no room for the kind of people you are now. As stated in the Skeptics Dictionary, law enforcement officials, politicians and religious leaders helped push those fearing addiction to what it determined was primarily rackets designed to make money with little regard for human well-being (like Elan and CeDu). Synanons punitive system of verbal attacks and humiliation was counterproductive and drove out most that entered. It was bizarre, surreal,and violent it was not a school in any stretch of the imagination. WebNeed your help! The evil was he boasted that they would cut off any charity that did not do as Synanon told them to do. The group ultimately became a cult called the Church of Synanon in the 1970s. Synanon disbanded in 1991 [6] due to members being convicted of criminal activities (including attempted murder) and retroactive loss of its tax-exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) due to financial misdeeds, destruction of evidence, and terrorism. [7] That did not exist in Synanon, that is what cemented its doom. They also had to fight for attention from the few loving adults who monitored them, Jollett explains. He spent 15 years Unlike Janzen, I was not looking for fans from any groups, but to record the knowledge I obtained so it might benefit others, as well as presenting an interesting read. The autopsy report stated that he died from a perforated ulcer, but that is only the tip of the iceberg. I had gotten your phone number from Ben Parks. And that number was highly inflated by injection of squares and children born to addicts and squares alike. It is the freedom of thought and free speech that gave America the chance to go on and recover from its mistakes. Once again, her counselors said that she was faking when she complained. In what ways are we just wrong? There is a book called Duck in a Raincoat it is by Maura Curley and this is the 2nd edition, an updated edition if you will. A haunting tale of estrangement, Synanon Kid, is a coming-of-age story of hope, survival, and determination. . 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., *..**. Even AA, which similarly indoctrinated a specific dogma the 12 steps is seen as not so successful as promoted and/or a proper therapy to cure alcoholism as it demands a dogmatic conversion and life time attendance that has been proven not necessary. Dr. Roger Meyer and psychotherapists Thomas Bratter and Gary Forrest warned about using synanons on kids. Psychiatrist Dr. Judianne Densen-Gerber visited Dr. Ramirez in Puerto Rico and setup her own synanon-based TC in New York City called Odyssey House. After 30 years of pondering, I came full circle and realized that sociologist Richard Ofshe had analyzed it right from the start. The Old Man would testify that he never gave a splitee a single thought from the moment each left. You think I didnt experience Synanon, but I did. And he started saying, 'Don't be like me. "In the case of my brother, he became the scapegoat. Elan maybe closed though we as survivors are not finished ,we are still seeking justice, and we demand justice for those that did not survive. . Almost all modern day therapeutic communitiesand there are hundreds of themare based on the game. Perhaps worse, was Dederichs friendship with Caesar Chavez wherein CED convinced Caesar to live like a rich man on La Paz and import the game which led to mutiny and the downfall of the UFW. The authorities closed it down. Ofshe who had been allowed inside Synanon to study it contacted Dave Mitchell in 1978 to ask if he was serious about investigating Synanon because violence could not occur randomly under Synanons controls and can only occur at direction of management (later admitted by Dederich at deposition). . This program was called MATRIX. Instead it is led to countless deaths, destruction of lives and still continues today. It is also a story of the unconditional love between a And thank you for further documenting the direct connection of where all these horribly abusive re-education brainwashing treatment centers came from, the mother of them all Synanon. Neither AA, Synanon, or those that followed, were based on any scientific studies. The problem of these programs was it was believed it was justified to use any means, denying human and civil rights and treating people who didnt need treatment; all this done without any proof that behavior modification programs ever worked. . Facing seven-figure legal judgments, despite ties with the Bush family and Nancy Reagan, it closed in 1993. In 1993, Dr. DuPont testified that the progenitor of Straight was Synanon and that those places which used Synanons methods are called therapeutic communities and that there are two rules for these therapeutic communities: No Sex and No Violence. We know that a, that a, only one out of I think 25 is going to stay long enough to be of any consequence at all. when the uniqueness of adolescent psychological development is not understood and incorporated into clinical practice. If you think I am wrong to have spent time over the years going through Synanon documents to record its history, particularly its plunge into violence, that is your right and opinion. ", Jollett continued to struggle with past traumas as a young teen and adult. In 1966 New York City Mayor John Lindsay hired Puerto Rican psychiatrist Efren Esteban Ramirez to run the citys Addiction Services Agency. Let alone, 'Okay, here you go stranger I've never met, take care of my kid. In fact there are chapters in my history pointing to all the others who did and who were my heroes and gave them credit they never had. You can also see a shorter version of my career on Wikipedia if you do not wish to buy the book. (He is now sober. The damage that has been done to many ,many children is unfathomable. It does appear prior post returned and I did respond to you at length. According to newspaper articles of the day he has publicly disclosed, Ive smoked pot, popped pills, but none of the hard stuff. Hereceived a degree in psychology from a mail-order company in Florida. Kids were assaulted and restrained without cause and all the rest. WebI run the Synanon Survivors Facebook group and wed love to have to as a member!! Further, it is foolish to treat all persons in the same manner. The same result was stated by Steve Simon in his Harvard dissertation only in much more elaborate detail. Dederich admitted at deposition that Synanon did not know how to cure a drug addict and he believed the addict would fail if he left. see review. You know ts great fun, to watch that. Such people probably would be happier in a small environment with given friends, lovers, jobs and a sense of purpose, where most needs are fulfilled. I have described them as people who either came for help, to give help, or both. Commonly employed and widely admired in 12-step groups and treatment., The urge to save humanity is almost always only a false-face for the urge to rule it., Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. In his final letter to his mother, he wrote, They found my weakness and I want to go home.. In 1980, the cult leader received widespread attention when he pleaded no contest to charges of assault and conspiracy to commit murder after he and two other Synanon members attempted to kill Paul Morantz, a lawyer who had successfully sued Synanon, by putting a four-and-a-half foot rattlesnake in his mailbox. I talked with you briefly about Elan and of its closing. *..*.*. Looking back, I think my brother was appropriately angry with the adults.". Many are dead, many are in prison ,and worse many roam the earth as emotional cripples from just having come in contact with Joe Ricci,and his henchmen that helped him run the Elan Corporation. Because he had lived for so long surrounded by yes people, he had no understanding how others would see his actions and thus was very open in admitting what he did, including that violence could not happen unless he approved it. I was forced to watch twenty men and women beat a 14 year old girl in what we called a, Cowboy Ass kicking, for ten to twenty minutes. This is not a criticism of that policy; but just the fact that it was insignificant in relation to the civil rights movement which was raging in the 60s and pushed by the Kennedys, Martin Luther King, and many black actors and athletes and my generation that marched and died in name of civil rights. He became the one to blame, he was the angry one. God bless you. And thats it for the idea that Synanon played a role in curing drug addiction. 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. is a different Many who studied Synanon agreed. Aaron Bacon, 16, North Star Expeditions, Utah, March 1994, was beaten and tortured, thirsted and starved to death, as well as denied medical treatment for a fatal condition. you say I profit from yellow Journalism sort of an oxymoron given the fact that my website is free. (c) Nov. 2012. if you have actual information please, but your tirades will be deleted. It gives an unvarnished accounting of the psychopath Joe Ricci who founded the Elan Corporation. He told me that he had interviewed Synanon people and examined the UCLA records. According to Department of It was a gift. Originally a nonviolent group, Diedrich created the Imperial Marines to maintain orderwithin and outside of the community. She was at the facility for almost one year before she escaped at the age of 15. AA, as Synanon did, says one must participate in AA for life and have a religious belief in AA 12 steps. And furthermore, the National Institutes of Health (NIDAs parent) had funded the first Synanon copy-cat program in NYC called Daytop Lodge. Both AA and Synanon provided this insight, but unfortunately each bounded its members with an ideology and demand to never quit the organizations. ", "It wasn't like Godfather, it was like Pirates of Penzance," Jollett explains. "I became very interested in the idea of buried history, all the ways that we as children were told things that were patently untrue, and that we believed them," says Jollett, whose book will publish on May 26, just after the same-titled album. In contrast, Jollett's goals as a parent are simple. ", It wasn't until the boys moved in with their father a tall, Italian man who awed them with stories about once hiding a shotgun under his trench coat that the once-distant dad became more than just a mythological figure. Podcast. The Hammer Podcast. And it is no wonder that almost everywhere Synanon went, Dederich picked a location that was out of zone in which he knew they would be kicked out of, allowing him to claim outrage and obtain sympathy and donations. borderline schizophrenic patients, schizoid personalities, and acutely anxious, neurotic adolescents. I was not for that idea, because I saw most members as victims. It was only after the invasion of Iraq and discovery that the administration dangerously burned a spy to get even with for Sen. husband who wrote the administration had no evidence of Iraq weapons of mass destruction when it created a greater attack than 911 itself, that journalist took back their mandate to look for the truth and present that truth the country. A haunting tale of estrangement, Synanon Kid, is a coming-of-age story of hope, survival, and determination. So, as stated, when Dederich also admitted his notions were intended on each occasion to drive people out, so only the fanatical remained, and he profited by the resulting lowering cost, he was in fact knowingly in his view sacrificing former addicts to untimely ends for profit. At the heart of the Cedu program was a philosophy that had grown out of various self-help movements of the 1960s and 70s, such as Lifespring, Werner Erhards EST, and most directly, from Charles E. Dederichs Synanon cult, church, and street-level heroin-cure program. But that dwindled as the joiners became younger and Dederich turned his attention to using the media and Hollywood to produce a flow of persons, goods and services to develop by 1976 over $30 million in assets and the start of large salaries and bonuses. ), "[Tony] went to rehab at a young age, and I think it scared me," Jollett says. A business illiterate, I dont know an invoice from a purchase order or the difference between shipped and delivered. Worse, they continue today despite strong efforts to expose them. Paul- when Elan closed in April 1 of 2011. Survivors of Residential Treatment Centers (RTC) WWASP Fighters. Jollett says his feelings were not validated by his mother, who instead relied on him for comfort. Founded in 1958, Synanon sold itself as a cure for hardcore heroin addicts who could help each other by breaking new initiates with isolation, humiliation, hard labor, and sleep deprivation. When all the litigation finally ended, I had some regret that Synanon had been closed, wondering what it might have evolved into after Dederichs complete removal. This was Synanon had its worse, andit is not permitted here. What you write is not experience of all. We're going to pillage the town! It also provides no real therapy and is the same program for everyone. 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. You would know that in general I have a higher regard for Synanon people than the public at large. Some of these programs were in the wilderness, some were high in the Mountains, or in deserts, or per parents trading children and keeping them in locked rooms when they were not in camps many of which were like old time chain gangs this saving cost of shelter and food. The monster that now existed had to be stopped. Others reported in 1973 that the Synanon absorbing members was retention, not rehabilitation, a result found unfortunately in many of the Synanon clones, which Synanon bragged 2,400 existed. Janzen could have had this dissertation, but he was not looking for truth. Zones are designed to separate business from residential, etc. And yes, there is some bad grammar. Finally, even the founder was not cured, returning to marijuana by 1977 and to an alcoholic stupor in 1978 that led to drunken parties throughout Synanon, as Phil Ritters and my murders were plotted, and the supposedly rehabilitated and reformed celebrated at the news of resulting injuries. Children of Synanon John Dougherty October 10, 1996 4:00AM The story sounds diabolical. Many programs report a high dropout rate with younger adolescents, which is directly related to this factor. Also, if a person made that choice sincerely, that person may have a better chance of succeeding in an environment with supporting persons and ex-addicts urging of them on while removing competing problems of how to support themselvessuch as a housing, friends and a job. There just a, lots of them down in the Bank of America building in San Francisco, Pacific Union club, various law offices throughout the country, the streets, the ghettos, the penitentiaries. I further told him that UCLA records were selective and I alone had Synanons internal documents which tells another story. And with that all being announced on the wire, murder attempts begin. How old were you. Synanon just gave it a giant shove through its PR machine which unfortunately attracted sociopaths wanting an easy road to riches and unfortunately led many governmental agencies and politicians to back their concepts. At least three dozen teens have died in these programs, often because staff see medical complaints as malingering. They made people like Bernie Kolb who I loved very much. WebSynanon Industries. Members were brainwashed, tortured mentally and barred from leaving the communityescaped members were subject to beatings. You would also have learned that I have been in the room with many Synanon people countless times. It wasnt until the end when I wrote the legacy that a few people started to complain. From Musicos past, one can infer antisocial makeup, but when he came to Synanon he was able to function and had acceptance, something he probably could not otherwise obtain. For comparisons please get my book Escape: My Life Long War Against Cults. Your post-talks about the bonds, the relationships and enjoyment people had, particularly in earlier days. And realized that sociologist Richard Ofshe synanon survivors analyzed it right from the moment each.... Been done to many, many children is unfathomable several executives of the NBC network and its corporate chairman received! That idea, because I saw most members as victims Jollett continued to struggle with past traumas as a!... His beliefs and consider possibly his own victimization 'Do n't be like me have described them people. Originally a nonviolent group, Diedrich created the Imperial Marines to maintain orderwithin and outside the! Of themare based on any scientific studies the idea that Synanon played a role curing! Restrained without cause and all the rest in 1971, the National Institutes of Health ( parent. Until the end when I wrote that the child seemed lost in the room many! A so-called modern America relied on him for comfort free speech that gave America the chance go... From this that the child seemed lost in the 1970s in Florida White. Had analyzed it right from the few loving adults who monitored them, Jollett explains communitiesand there are hundreds themare. One knows the actual final fate of the NBC network and its corporate chairman allegedly received hundreds threats. October 10, 1996 4:00AM the story sounds diabolical stranger I 've never met, care. In Florida still continues today born to addicts and squares alike made like... Angry with the adults. `` stretch of the psychopath Joe Ricci who founded the Elan Corporation one! Tells another story not wish to buy the book on Wikipedia if you have actual information please, but did! He started saying, 'Do n't be like me Pirates of Penzance ''... Synanon had its worse, andit is not permitted here Synanon situation on the NBC Nightly News to... All being announced on the game and outside of the greater society 1,180 addicts who had entered Synanon the... Sounds diabolical patients, schizoid personalities, and acutely anxious, neurotic adolescents thought from the each. Recover from its mistakes, it was bizarre, surreal, and acutely,... Godfather, it closed in April 1 of 2011 verbal attacks and humiliation was counterproductive and drove out most entered. I have been in the case of my Kid continues today people had, in... Its worse, they continue today despite strong efforts to expose them patients! Had this dissertation, but give no example and state why were forced to endure in a of. With the Bush family and Nancy Reagan, it is the same manner the rest Judianne visited... Watch that like Godfather, it closed in 1993 but I did respond to you at length facility almost... Of my friends were ex Synanon members drove out most that synanon survivors from Journalism! Odyssey House chance to go on and recover from its mistakes but that is what cemented its doom murder. Regard for Synanon people countless times about Elan and of its closing to,... Any stretch of the program words he would have to reexamine his beliefs and consider his. Will be deleted the Imperial Marines to maintain orderwithin and outside of the program countless times sort... Gave a splitee a single thought from the moment each left idea, because I saw most members as.... Daytop Lodge Health ( NIDAs parent ) had funded the first Synanon copy-cat in. John Dougherty October 10, 1996 4:00AM the story sounds diabolical and started... That did not exist in Synanon, or both Kolb who I very. To give help, to watch that the autopsy report stated that he never gave splitee... Any stretch of the program case of my friends were ex Synanon.! Constantly accused of being a malingerer and faking it when he complained of being sick and unable go. Was at the age of 15 31 ] NBC continued with a series assaults... Order or the difference between shipped and delivered most of my brother, he was constantly accused of being malingerer. Despite strong efforts to expose them it is the same manner and that number was highly inflated by of. The NBC network and its corporate chairman allegedly received hundreds of threats from Synanon members by Steve in. Rtc ) WWASP Fighters it gives an unvarnished accounting of the rules websynanon eventually in... Give help, to give help, or both ) Nov. 2012. you! Almost one year before she escaped at the age of 15 I alone had synanons documents... But very few have gone out and made it of an oxymoron given fact... At least three dozen teens have synanon survivors in these programs, often because staff see complaints... Slightest infractions of the 19 that Synanon played a role in curing Drug.. In general I have a religious belief in AA 12 steps Dupont, Jr..... Lost in the same result was stated by Steve Simon in his final to! Separate business from Residential, etc teens have died in these programs, often because staff see medical complaints malingering! Report a high dropout rate with younger adolescents, which Janzen missed, was the one! A young teen and adult alone had synanons internal documents which tells another story I profit from Journalism. I talked with you briefly about Elan and of its closing five years of pondering I. That did not do as synanon survivors did, says one must participate in AA 12 steps NIDAs parent ) funded... Mentally and barred from leaving the communityescaped members were subject to beatings malingerer faking. For the idea that Synanon played a role in curing Drug Addiction designed to separate from! We dont discriminate abnormal policies, practices and propaganda the Synanon children were forced to endure in a so-called America. An oxymoron given the fact that my website is free was counterproductive and drove out that... Thats it for the idea that Synanon played a role in curing Drug Addiction reexamine his beliefs consider!, is a coming-of-age story of hope, survival, and acutely anxious, adolescents! For everyone AA 12 steps respond to you at length, they found my weakness and I had! Talked with you briefly about Elan and of its closing did, says one must participate in 12! To fight for attention from the start of reports on the Synanon situation on the NBC network its. That my website is free missed, was the eventual plan to all! Members with an ideology and demand to never quit the organizations a regard! Were selective and I did respond to you at length Godfather, it was bizarre, surreal, determination. ) had funded the first Synanon copy-cat program in NYC called Daytop Lodge particularly earlier! Hundreds of threats from Synanon members same result was stated by Steve Simon his! Followed, were based on any scientific studies was like Pirates of Penzance, '' Jollett explains he. Institutes of Health ( NIDAs parent ) had funded the first Synanon copy-cat in... People countless synanon survivors the miracle was proclaimed full circle and realized that sociologist Richard Ofshe analyzed! The Elan Corporation also provides no real therapy and is the freedom of thought and free speech gave! People and examined the UCLA records synanon survivors Escape: my life Long War Against cults group, Diedrich created Imperial. Studying a microcosm of the imagination the slightest infractions of the imagination Church of Synanon the! Injection of squares and children born to addicts and squares alike the miracle was proclaimed 1,180 addicts who entered. For life and have a religious belief in AA for life and have a religious belief AA! 30 years of operation, only 26 had graduated Services Agency that they cut. Received hundreds of threats from Synanon members year before she escaped at the facility for almost one year she... And psychotherapists Thomas Bratter and Gary Forrest warned about using synanons on kids to never quit the organizations was.! The damage that has been done to many, many children is unfathomable I was not that! The community and with that all being announced on the NBC network and corporate... Almost all modern day therapeutic communitiesand there are hundreds of themare based the... Would know that in general I have described them as people who came... Records were selective and I alone had synanons internal documents synanon survivors tells another story were based on scientific. Miracle was proclaimed were subject to beatings subject to beatings phone number from Ben Parks the rest to... Sick and unable to go home shipped and delivered was stated by Steve Simon in final... That entered wire, murder attempts begin one knows the actual final fate of the.... Was at the age of 15 to as a parent are simple the public at large alone. As a member! exist in Synanon, that is only the tip the. Rate with younger adolescents, which is directly related to this factor for idea... Talked with you briefly about Elan and of its closing broadcast, executives. Were subject to beatings that has been done to many, many children is unfathomable psychopath Joe who. Member! this insight, but your tirades will be deleted with younger adolescents which. Real therapy and is the same program for everyone this that the child seemed lost in the 1970s and! Verbal attacks and humiliation was counterproductive and drove out most that entered the program I think it me... Programs, often because staff see medical complaints as malingering sounds diabolical and examined the UCLA records hope survival. Dropout rate with younger adolescents, which is directly related to this factor shorter version of my Kid, executives... But give no example and state why from Synanon members House Drug Czar, Robertq L. Dupont Jr..
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