Synanon Philosophy and Prayer

Moriah Ponder

May 4, 2016

Professor Delaporte

Blog #3

Synanon: The Philosophy and Prayer

Synanon was founded in Santa Monica, California in 1958 by Charles Dederich. Dederich was an alcoholic and was inspired by Alcoholics Anonymous and their methods. He decided to create Synanon as a place for addicts and individuals with character disorders to recover and get their lives established to re-enter society. Synanon was founded in California as a non-profit corporation. Eventually in 1968, Synanon opened their membership up to non-addicts. During this time, Synanon slowly changed their beliefs from a religious organization to a cult.

While living in Synanon members had to live by the Synanon Philosophy and Prayer. The Synanon Philosophy is a short, 265 word document that was written in October 1958 by Charles E. Dederich. This document is filled with the ideologies of Charles Dederich and was given to every member who joined Synanon. The philosophy contains ideas from Eastern Religious philosophies such as Buddhism and Taoism, especially in regards to the laws of Karma. The ideas in the philosophy, such as individualism and self- determination, were borrowed from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essays and the Transcendentalism movement of the early 19^th century. All members, new and old, read Emerson’s essay entitled “Self-Reliance”.  Humanistic Psychology was an idea talked about several times by American Psychologist Abraham Maslow. Maslow had a major impact on the beliefs and ideology of Synanon.

Many of Charles Dederichs ideas and philosophies came from when he was a member Alcoholics Anonymous. At one point, Charles Dederich signed up for an experiment with LSD. He says, "Taking LSD lead me to a different reality and generated many new insights" (Rise and Fall of Synanon) and although Dederich did not advocate the use of LSD for members enrolled in Synanon, the organization "entertained the possibility of controlled experiments" for therapeutic purposes to "increase levels of moral judgment" (Rise and Fall of Synanon, pg. 36).

Charles E. Dederich was the “wise and compassionate social scientist” (Patton, 1) who could tame, nurture, and train the dope fiend. Dederich believed Synanon was the place of development which could bring the dope fiend to civilization. In the 1960’s, there were no rehabilitation centers that focused on helping addicts get cleaned up and re-enter society. Many addicts would be committed to state hospitals where they would not get the help that was needed. Synanon has always been heavily influenced and committed to philosophical ideas. Synanon had what they called a “Noon Seminar”. This was when they would pick a philosophical concept and members would discus and debate their thoughts and opinions. Everyone would have a chance to offer their input or discuss disagreements with differing perspectives. Each Noon Seminar would end with a “capper” or “a kind of flip summary statement which placed everything in perspective and let it be known that none of us took any of it too seriously” (Patton, 5). Members would also read various other famous philosophers to establish their own philosophy of life. there were only a few who deeply influenced the Synanon philosophy, including, Kahlil Gibran a Lebanese-American poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson (who was Chuck’s favorite), Balthazar Gracian a 17th century Jesuit monk, Abraham Maslow the American psychologist, and Sigmund Freud the father of psychoanalysis. They read philosophical works over and over, each time re-evaluating what they believed was being said and more often than not, changing their ideas about the writers thoughts.

There were two ideas at the core of Synanon Philosophy. The first was The Notion of “Act As If” which can be described as the choice and action of using ones free will to overcome their character flaws and "deeply ingrained behavior patterns" (Patton, 10).
“Practice the Form to Achieve the Essence”
The second idea was in the concept of compensation. This idea was originally explained in Emerson's essay titled, Compensation, written in..... Seemingly a karmic view on action and consequences, the concept (Eastern Philosophy) Faith and Trust you will always be compensated
Line of Dichotomies (Maslow)
Pure Reality = Above the Line
State of Nirvana and Enlightenment
Everything is Everything
Life as we know it = Below the Line

Contradictions like Good and Evil
Must learn to live above and below the line when appropriate
T- Bar = Line Above the Line
“when philosophy becomes theoretical, or worse, sentimental” Tom Patton (1973)

            Synanon wanted their members to gain the element of religiosity and were encouraged to seek a spiritual connection with a higher power just like members of Alcoholics Anonymous. Change and transcendence to a certain level of self-realization was a large part of the Synanon philosophy. The prayer was said at the beginning of meetings to help members prepare for their group encounters and open themselves to different perspectives. Known as, The Synanon Prayer, it was written in the same vein as the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi: 

“Please let me first and always examine myself…Let me be honest and truthful…Let me seek and assume responsibility…Let me understand rather than be understood…Let me trust and have faith in myself and my fellowman…Let me love rather than be loved…Let me give rather than receive.”

Members of Synanon lived by the philosophy and prayer. It was part of their daily lives. Charles Dederich believed whole heartedly in everything he wanted his members to believe in as well.

Learning about Synanon has opened up my eyes to cults. I honestly didn’t think I would have any interest doing this research, but I have gained a new interest in it.

Patton, Tom. “The Synanon Philosophy.” Synanon University Press. San Francisco, CA 1974.

Janzen, R. A. (2001). The rise and fall of Synanon: A California utopia. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Reflection on the Synanon Game and Individuation

Blog #2: Reflection on the Synanon Game and Individuation

        Charles E. Dederich, the leader of the drug rehab turned religious cult, Synanon, asserted that the “development of the group interaction, known as the Synanon Game, preceded, and is directly responsible for the founding of Synanon” (Dederich, 2). The Game was the central ritual of Synanon residents, being first played in February of 1958, and can be described as an aggressive form of talk therapy where members of the group would expose inner thoughts and emotions “of all kinds concerning his actions, the actions of others, and the relationship of people to each other” (Dederich, 3), allowing their peers to examine and criticize these thoughts with the utmost freedom of expression. The Game was to be played at least once a week by the community members as a “condition of residence” (Dederich, 2) because it was “the key to the formation of their (members) beliefs” (Dederich, 4).

           He explained the Game to be “an educational tool” that was used to “accomplish a unification and healing of the personality, an appreciation and acceptance of new and more constructive forms of behavior, and the adoption of new and sounder value systems” (Dederich, 3). For Chuck, the process of internal and external examination lead to changes in an individuals behaviors and beliefs. The perspectives and advice that is offered through the group interaction allows one to think of things that one wouldn’t have thought on their own, opening the person to new ideas or understandings of certain situations. Through active contemplation and self-examination, the individual who participates in the Synanon Game is able to affirm or discount their personal beliefs, enabling themselves to make necessary adjustments to their behavior and ideology.

This process of self-examination is important and related to the idea of Individuation. The term individuation was coined by the Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist, Carl Jung, and the idea was, according to Charles E. Dederich, developed through the Synanon program "to levels and to heights that he (Jung) never dreamed of in his lifetime" (individuation excerpts; CED). Jung described his theory of individuation as "a process in which the individual self develops out of an undifferentiated unconscious". He felt that this process naturally developed the individuals unique personality and would bring themselves to a self-realization. Dederich believed that through the Synanon program, one would be able to go through the process of Individuation more quickly and comfortably than it happening naturally. The Synanon Game was the most important tool in this process.

The Game had opened individuals to differing opinions and understandings of the situations and scenarios that were discussed. Steven Simon, Ph.D. who was a member of Synanon since 1968 said that "the game should be an experience in contrasts" and that it was necessary to "challenge the group's opinion of what is good and what is bad" (Simon, 15). The idea that it was important to experience peoples differences and challenge the general ideas of good and bad so that individual beliefs could be formed. Game participants were expected to listen without judgment and think of new ways of addressing situations. There was constant conversation during the hours the game was played and individuals would take their thoughts as far as possible sometimes dropping the topic and moving to a different one that is completely unrelated.

References:

Dederich, Charles E. “Individuation Excerpts.” Edited by Jeanine Otto. Marshall, CA. 7 August 1977. Synanon Foundation, Inc. Sandra Barty research collection on Synanon.

Simon, Steven I. “The Synanon Game.” Harvard University. Cambridge, MA. 1973. Synanon University Press. San Francisco, CA 1974. Sandra Barty research collection on Synanon.

“Declaration by Charles E. Dederich on The Synanon Game.” Synanon v. The Hearst Corporation. No.651-749. Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. 1973. Sandra Barty research collection on Synanon. Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA. Print.

The Fall of Synanon and The Peoples Temple

In the first two blogs I compared Synanon and the Peoples Temple. Specifically I discussed the similarities between the leaders. We saw how the leaders charismatic and personable characteristics were able to attract a large following of individuals to join their organizations. These NRMs had leaders who seemed to have good intentions at first but would slowly change over time. In the second blog we looked at the transitions/changes in both Synanon and the Peoples Temple. Both Synanon and the Peoples Temple start out as a place that empowered people to a controlling religious cult.

In this blog we will look into the last phase of both new religious movements and ultimately the fall of both organizations. I believe that the fall of both Synanon and the Peoples Temple can be traced back to the public perception and the relationship with the media.

For the Peoples Temple, the public perception following the move to Guyana, was that Jonestown was a bad place. Some family members and relatives believed that their family members in Jonestown were being held against their will. As this perception spread, the media increased their reports and highlighted the concerns that the family members had. The media and public began to paint Jonestown as a place of secrecy. The family members formed a group called the Concerned Relatives and were able to get the attention of California congressman, Leo Ryan. Unable to convince the government to address the issue, congressman Ryan decided to investigate the matter himself. As the media attention and pressure from the congressman increased, Jonestown became even more separated from the outside world. The leader Jim Jones would become increasingly paranoid with the situation. As time passed, Jones would restrict all communication between the members and the outside world.

By comparison, Synanon faced a similar relationship with the public and media. In the beginning the media had a good relationship with Synanon. The media showed Synanon in a positive light as a revolutionary program. However, when Synanon moved to Marin County a small local newspaper would investigate the organization and raise concerns regarding Synanon. The local newspaper, the Point Reyes Light would portray Synanon as a violent cult that was a danger to its neighbors, community and the general public. In addition, the nation would became aware of Synanon after Time magazine printed a story about Dederich and Synanon’s beliefs.

As the media attention and investigations increased, both Synanon and the Peoples Temple would separate themselves from the outside world. During this phase there was an increase in abuse and violence in both organizations. For Synanon, this separation would lead to the formation of a militia. For Jonestown, contact with the outside world was restricted for its members.

It was during this separation from the outside world that both groups shifted to focus on control and reducing the individual’s rights. Some members began to realize that these beliefs were not in their best interests. Some members were able to distinguish between what was right and wrong. When senator Ryan and other media members visited Jonestown they were impressed at the village in the middle of the jungle. However, as the visit continued it became clear that there were several members who wanted to leave. These people knew that following the leadership of Jim Jones was just not right.

As the media attention grew on Synanon, violence would increase and spread beyond the property boundaries. Threats were made to neighbors and those opposed. People who traveled near Synanon were harassed. Synanon would be placed even more in the spotlight after several members placed a four-foot rattlesnake in a lawyer’s mailbox. At the time the lawyer, Paul Morantz was investigating Synanon and raising red flags about its practices. Paul Morantz was seriously injured from this incident but more importantly it brought more attention to Synanon’s questionable practices.

With the increased media attention and after the rattlesnake incident, the government and law enforcement decided to look into the situation and investigate Synanon and its practices. The investigations would lead to multiple arrests and lawsuits against Synanon and its members. Upon further investigation the Internal Revenue Service found some problems with Synanon. Ultimately the fall of Synanon would come as a result of the IRS revoking Synanon’s tax-exempt status.

By comparison, the end of Jonestown and the Peoples Temple would be much worse than the fall of Synanon. When the Peoples Temple moved to Guyana, there was very little concrete information about what was actually occurring in the jungle. The government did not have enough information to bring family members back to the United States. When congressman Ryan attempted to bring back those who were unhappy, they encountered an attack on the airstrip that had been ordered by Jim Jones. Following the attack Jones ordered his followers to drink a poison ending in a mass suicide of unprecedented proportions.

In many ways the fall of both organizations is a result of the leaders Jim Jones and Charles Dederich. Obsessed with pride both leaders would do whatever it took to demonstrate their superiority. As the media pushed to discredit these organizations, the leaders fought back, sometimes with violence and sometimes through hiding. But the fact remains that in both situations, the media, government and the public did not fully understand the nature of these organizations.

In the case of Jonestown, the tragedy was a result of the underestimation and misunderstanding of an apocalyptic society. The government, congressman Ryan, the media and the Concerned Relatives underestimated the beliefs. The result of the mishandling of the situation led to a mass suicide of 912 members of the Peoples Temple.

At first the Peoples Temple and Synanon were recognized as revolutionary and to be cutting edge. However as time passed the groups would turn to violence and today are remembered for their negative historical actions. Hopefully we can all learn from these events and work to create a society that ensures another tragedy such as Jonestown never happens again.

Work Cited

Cherry, H. (2011, April 29). They Called it Synanon. Retrieved April 25, 2016, from http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/hcherry/2011/04/they-called-it-synanon/

Dawson, L. L. (2003). Cults and new religious movements: A reader. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub.

Ostrow, R. (1985, October 02). U.S. Indicts Nine From Synanon in Tax-Exemption Effort. Retrieved April 26, 2016, from http://articles.latimes.com/1985-10-02/news/mn-16054_1_tax-exempt-status

Reiterman, T. (1997, March 28). Archive: Jonestown's Lessons Still Go Unheeded. Retrieved April 26, 2016, from http://www.latimes.com/world/africa/la-me-jonestownarchive28-1997mar28-story.html

The Beliefs of synanon

Moriah Ponder

April 24th, 2016

Professor Delaporte

Blog #2

The Beliefs of Synanon

            Synanon began as a very peculiar Rehabilitation Center that didn’t use doctors or medication. Over the years Synanon went from the first ever no doctor involved self help drug rehab, to a building of a new society in Synanon cities to lead the world into the 21st Century, to becoming a self-claimed religion. These changes occurred over the span of the life of the cult.

            Charles Dederich grew up living a rough life. He lost his father in a car accident at age 4. Then at age 8 he lost his brother from influenza. He felt very guilty and responsibly, he would never have a good relationship with children again. His mother remarried when he was 12, he turned to alcohol and rebelled. He dropped out of Notre Dame, got married twice but both relationships were ruined from alcohol. Even after having children of his own, he still had bad relationships with children. He almost died from meningitis but was saved by penicillin in the 1940’s when t was discovered. He was found passed out on a kitchen floor and was told, “Fatso,” if you do not go to Alcoholic Anonymous you will die.” (Morantz).

            Dederich joined Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and attended meetings every day; he even became a regular speaker. He read Emerson’s “Self Reliance” and it inspired him to devout his time to cleaning up other Alcoholics.  He lived off of a $35 unemployment check and donations and charity from others. He volunteered for an LSD experiment, during this time he thought he understood the world and that good and bad are the same. When he spoke at AA meetings, his speeches shift from more psychological topics to philosophical. He slowly began to gather a group of followers; they had meetings in an apartment, and then rented a small store for meetings because they grew. The original named for Synanon was The Tender Loving Care Club. The main form of therapy was the group session called “The Game”. This consisted of people yelling at each other about anything they wanted, it didn’t matter if it was true or not. Violence was prohibited during “The Game” and outside of it as well. Members of this group survived off of stale food from catering trucks, and hookers doing tricks and donations.

            Eventually, drug addicts began to attend and alcoholics objected. Dederich kicked out alcoholics because there was already AA.  A member’s slurring the words “symposium” and “seminar” led to name Synanon. While in Synanon members go through withdraws and are mentally and emotionally abused. Addicts’ behaviors and past lives were attacked viciously in games, members were told their lives depended on staying, contacts with family were prohibited, and a system of rewards and punishments was applied. Dederich preached “Act as If” which meant do not try to reason as to what Synanon asks they do; as thinking got them there, just trust what they were told and act as if it is right.” In 1962 Dederich moved to an empty National Guard building on the beach in Santa Monica. He was arrested and imprisoned for operating without a health license but Governor Edmund Brown Sr. signed a bill to save Synanon and make them exempt from health licensing  laws. The imprisonment made Dederich a public martyr. Monetary donations came in from the rich and Hollywood, as guys like Robert Wagner, Leonard Nimoy and Ben Gazzra came to Synanon to play the game with ex-addicts and ex-hookers. Synanon became an alternative community in 1964, attracting people with its emphasis on living a self-examined life, as aided by group truth-telling sessions known as the “Synanon Game.” With its new wealth, they started building its first “city” in Marin County (Tomales Bay) (Morantz).

            Charles Dederich believed that his program was unsuccessful. He realized that ex-addicts would revert back to drug without peer pressure. He believed that people should stay at Synanon forever. If members stayed forever they could build a Utopian world designed by Dederich. The organization developed a business that sold promotional items, a successful enterprise that eventually generated roughly $10 million per year of revenue. Synanon enterprises would run gas stations, pottery making, apartment buildings and other income businesses without having to pay workers or taxes. Dederich bought and sold real estate. 

            Synanon purchased in 1967 the Club Casa del Mar, a large beach side 1926 hotel in Santa Monica), and used it as a center and dormitory for drug treatment and business operations. The city tried to claim they owned the beach front but Dederich went to the press and declared Synanon would sue the city. At this point Santa Monica surrendered and Synanon became untouchable. It no longer obeyed zoning rules, sympathetic donations reheated and Synanon soon became Santa Monica’s largest land owner.

            Synanon began using other ways of treatment such as containment (keeping member separate from their families), The Trip, and The Stew ( a 72 hours Game).

            In the 70’s juveniles were sent to Synanon, but these juveniles did not want to be there causing the methods of Synanon fail. Synanon accepted juveniles to keep their tax free status. Violence was permitted on juveniles. This was the first time Synanon broke the “non violent rule”.

            On remote properties in California such as Tomales Bay in Marin County and Badger, Tulare County, the organization had built unpermitted buildings, a trash dump, and an airstrip. (Gerstel, Paradise Inc.) Beginning in 1974 the authorities began to question Synanon’s promises and practices.   Paul Morantz brought various issues to the Health department in regards to Synanon and some of the medical practices they did. This caused some tax problems. Dederich declared in l974 that Synanon was a tax exempt religious organization, the “Church of Synanon (Morantz).” Dederich declared no more children were allowed in Synanon because it took time away from Synanon goals. Men were forced to have vasectomies and women were even forced to have abortions. These were just some of the crazy beliefs Synanon had during their history

.

Morantz, Paul. "The History of Synanon and Charles Dederich." The History of Synanon and Charles Dederich. Paul Morantz. Web. 24 Apr. 2016. 

Paranoia in Communes

Blog #3

In my other two blogs that I have written, I’ve talked about the kinds of encounter groups that Synanon used which they believed helped the addicts recover from their drug addictions. As well as Synanon’s beliefs on relationships throughout its history and how it was changed from the beginning to end.

In this last blog before the semester comes to an end I will be talking about the beliefs and views on violence. 

At the beginning when Synanon was just starting out, Synanon was a non-violent community that did not put up with any violence what so ever. The agreement for everyone that was living there was that they would work hard, do their jobs and get along with others. Meaning if they had a problem with someone, it would be brought up through communication either in the game or just as an adult with someone else. If a person acted on violence they would be kicked out. Synanon would not put up with any acts of violence. 

This started changing in later years, in 1975 it went from absolutely not violence to using violence when needed. This was looked at as a way to keep members loyal and to keep them in line. Synanon started acquiring weapons, learning martial arts, and learning self defense methods. It was believed that this was a way to protect the group and religious community but it also started taking peoples rights away. But what did they need protection from? The outside world started questioning Synanon when it was found out that they had somehow bought over $300,000 in weapons as well as when stories started coming out about what they were doing inside the community. So did they have a reason to be afraid/worried or were they just a tad bit paranoid? 

When taking about paranoia it is interesting because a lot of communes felt that way and ended because of it. I think paranoia started off as a reason in Synanon and caused other things to happen causing Synanon to shut down in 1993. But we can look at other communes as well that ended because of paranoia too. 

One of the most known communes that ended because of paranoia is the People's Temple also known as Jonestown. Jim Jones was the leader of this commune in Guyana, South America. This was seemingly just like Synanon where everyone was there because they wanted to be, it was a place that made each person seem loved and like they were supposed to be there, and then it took a turn for the worst at the end. Jim Jones became very paranoid, started to not trust anyone, and believed everyone was out to get him and his group. 

Both groups seemed to end mainly because of paranoia. Jonestown was because Jim Jones knew the news and people had been talking about Peoples Temple and people in the community wanted to leave and would talk about how awful it was getting. So Jim Jones started lying and killing people that came to visit Guyana. Then when he came to his senses and realized that he would get into trouble when people would find out he ordered people to murder the visitors,he convinced 909 people that were with him to commit suicide with him by drinking cyanid poisoning in a juice. This was considered to be a mass murder even though people drank the poison themselves. 

At Synanon things were getting hectic but on a different spectrum. Charles Dederich was not trying to murder anyone but he was getting paranoid like Jim Jones was. The news was starting to write papers on Synanon, and he was starting to have his people retaliate. They were beating people up, putting snakes in peoples male boxes, and training to where from the outside world, it looked like a cult was being formed. Because of all of this the government had to get involved. Lawsuits were happening. People were leaving due to not wanting to be there anymore because Synanon was turning into something it wasn’t. Until it finally came to an end in 1993.

Could these communes stayed together and still be here today had the leaders not been so paranoid? Or was this fate of both Synanon and the Peoples Temple bound to happen?     

Change in Beliefs of Synanon and the Peoples Temple

In the last blog I compared the leaders of both Synanon and the Peoples Temple. We saw how the leaders charismatic and personable characteristics were able to attract a large following of individuals to join their organizations. These NRMs had leaders who seemed to have good intentions at first but would slowly change over time. These transitions/changes in both Synanon and the Peoples Temple would start as a place that empowered people to a controlling religious cult. These transitions/changes can be separated into three different phases.

The first phase of both NRMs is the founding and when both groups had good, well-intentioned beliefs and goals. The Peoples Temple began as a normal Christian church that was focused on building a better community through change. This new church attracted a large following of people who were searching for a place to belong. Inspired by the teachings of father Divine, Jim Jones a white reverend, preached racial equality in a time and place where both racism and poverty existed. The combination of both these factors were just what the people in the community needed as a group of people who felt as if they had no rights. The Peoples Temple provided these people with exactly what they were looking for, a place that was special and different than the norm. Besides just social change, the leader Jim Jones demonstrated that he had healing powers during church sessions by performing coordinated “acts”.

Similar to the Peoples Temple, Synanon was founded with the same good intentions to help others in the community. Synanons beliefs and goals intended to rehabilitate those suffering from drug and alcohol addiction. The original intent of Synanon was to rehabilitate individuals and return them back to society. The hope was that through Synanon, and through the support of other individuals, addicts would be able to quit their addiction and rejoin the normal society. As a recovering alcoholic, Charles Dederich understood the process and worked to create a place based around similar to Alcoholics Anonymous. At the time there were no institutions or forms of treatment for drug addiction or rehabilitation. Drug use at the time was considered a mental problem and the only form of treatment was through a mental institution. People were drawn to Synanon in the hopes of a successful recovery. In its early years, Synanon did not hide from the public. In fact it did just the opposite, every Friday was open house where outsiders were welcomed into Synanon.

During the first phase of both the Peoples Temple and Synanon, they were considered new and cutting edge to the society at the time. This radical new thinking was unlike anything the people had ever seen, attracting those who were searching for direction in their lives. During these early years, Synanon and the Peoples Temple attracted favorable attention from the community, media and the government. From an outside view, Synanon was viewed as a positive place to be, Synanon was even recognized by government officials. Synanon even received funding from outside private supporters. During their early years, these NRMs had a working relationship with the rest of society and the communities they were in. Both organizations did not hide from the public, in fact they loved the attention.

As both NRMs moved into their second phases, both had a change in beliefs and sought to create more of a communal society separate from the outside world. For the Peoples Temple this meant moving to Northern California, to create a utopia free from the threat of any nuclear war. In Ukiah, the Peoples Temple formed a self-sustaining community based around farming. The Peoples Temple distanced themselves from the outside world. However, despite its belief in communal living and separating themselves in a rural area of California, the Peoples Temple still was involved in the outside world. Because of their large following, the Peoples Temple a very influential power and became involved in politics. The fact is that the Peoples Temple could be mobilized to rally voters and even provided a large number of voters itself. In San Francisco, Reverend Jim Jones was even asked to be an advisor for politician George Moscone.

Similar to the Peoples Temple, Synanon expanded from its beachfront location in Santa Monica to Northern California, specifically, Marin County. Marin is a country/rural area that allowed Synanon to transition from a rehabilitation center to a community organization where people were expected never to leave. Charles Dederich now believed that addiction was something that could not be overcome and recover from, Synanon members were now expected to stay in the community forever. Similar to the People Temple, Synanon became a place where people would live communally.

As both organizations transitioned into the third phase, both NRMs had a change in the relationship with the rest of society. After allegations of abuse and after several changes to the beliefs both NRMs attracted further attention from the media and government. These changes and secrecy brought opposition from the community for further information and transparency. The new found attention would have negative effects on both Synanon and the Peoples Temple. In this last phase, both Synanon and the Peoples temple would further distance themselves from society to become organizations of mystery and secrecy. As time went on, both NRMs would become a violent and controlling religious cult. Both organizations would purchase guns and begin training their own military forces. Driven by the media coverage both organizations would act out in ways that harmed other individuals. This last phase and the fall of both Synanon and The Peoples Temple will be highlighted in detail in my next blog post.

Work Cited

A timeline of Jim Jones and his Peoples Temple. (2011, November 18). Retrieved April 18, 2016, from http://www.modbee.com/latest-news/article3138637.html

Biography: Jim Jones. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18, 2016, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/biography/jonestown-bio-jones/

Synanon:The Game

Moriah Ponder

April 15^th, 2016

Professor Delaporte

Blog #1

                                                              Synanon: The Game

            Synanon was founded in Santa Monica, California in 1958 by Charles Dederich. Dederich was an alcoholic and was inspired by Alcoholics Anonymous and their methods. He decided to create Synanon as a place for addicts and individuals with character disorders to recover and get their lives established to re-enter society. Synanon was founded in California as a non-profit corporation. Eventually in 1968, Synanon opened their membership up to non-addicts. During this time, Synanon slowly changed their beliefs from a religious organization to a cult.

Within Synanon, Dederich did not use any medication to rehabilitate anyone. Instead he used a method of group therapy that he created called “The Game”. This method of recovery offered addicts time to talk and express themselves.  Even though it was intended to be group therapy and help addicts, to a certain degree it was mentally and verbally abusive to the individual that it focused on. “The Game” was basically an attack on one person by a large group of people. This was the most influential “medication” that Charles Dederich offered in Synanon.

“The Game” was the core of Synanon; it was the center of everyone’s life while in rehabilitation. According to Charles Dederich, “The Game” was the seed of Synanon:

“First was the Game. Everything came from the Game. There was no thought of a foundation or giving any kind of a name to the community or group when we started to have meetings back in 1958. The Game produced the beginnings of the community. On the date of the first Game there was nothing that looked like it would someday be the ancestor of the community. I was occupying a little apartment in the Ocean Park, there was nobody who lived there that I knew and very shortly after I began to moderate these Games people began to move down and a community formed. No one formed the community. The community formed itself. The community formed because of the game.” (Simon, pg.5)

All residents of Synanon participated in “The Game” on regular bases- at least once a week. “The Game” wasn’t a choice; it was a condition of residence. Even children played “The Game” beginning at the age of four. As Synanon developed, so did “The Game”. While playing “The Game”, everyone was seen as equal.  “The Game” was designed to break down communications barriers between addicts. It was used to produce the maximum communication and flow of information. Employees, officers, other leader personnel would play along with the residents. It didn’t matter if you were young or old; every game consisted of various ages and ethnic backgrounds.   “The Game” began as concentrated attack and defends sessions, lasting an hour each. Synanon grew into the central procedure of management, education, recreation, religion, socialization, art and so forth.

            Synanon consisted of two different sets of norms. One was used outside of “The Game”, while the other set was used in “The Game”. The two norms were very contradictory to each other. The out of the game norms consisted of members being friendly, polite, supportive and helpful. While the other tended to be undisciplined, irreverent, attacking and impolite. All residents must agree to abide by all norms in Synanon.

            “The Game” was supposed to be an educational tool. When everyone participated fully, it helped accomplish unification and healing of the personality. It also helped residents be more appreciative and accepting of new and more constructive forms of behavior and the embracement of new values. When played correctly, “The Game” could become a very intimate session between members. During “The Game”, one’s deepest thoughts and feelings of all kinds of concerning his action, the action of others, and the relationships of people to each other, are exposed to the process of group examination. “The Game” is a ritual in Synanon resident’s lives and is key to forming their beliefs. Those participating in “The Game” are trying to live by what Jesus Christ meant by “to confess ye to one another”. Instead of the traditional relationship of penitent and confessor, Synanon uses an “Omni-confessional” in “The Game”. By participating fully and being trustworthy with others, residents are trying to move towards realizing their true potential as a human being.

            During a “Game”, people do not speak rationally or truthfully. Everyone speaks in anger or rage. They play with a person’s emotions and twist them every way possible. In “The Game”, people do not speak truthfully; the words are not spoken for the truth of their content. While in a “Game” those participating are supposed to exaggerate and distort everything they are saying. Lying occurs consciously and unconsciously during a “Game”, lying is acceptable. Those who participate are not required to speak rationally; in fact it is okay to be irrational. During every Game, those involved have freedom of speech and expression. It’s normal for Synanon Game participants to use language in the Game which they would consider shocking or obscene in other contexts.

            “The Game” was a cruel way to help rehabilitate addicts. Many residents believed it saved their lives. While others feel like “The Game” had a major negative effect on their lives and it didn’t help them at all. I believe this form of group therapy could be helpful if it was only a positive atmosphere, with very few negative aspects. Sitting and yelling cruel things at someone or lying about who they are isn’t going to help them. I feel like this would just tear them down further.  

Dederich. Charles E. "The Synanon Game From Synanon vs. The Hearst Corporations. Synanon Foundation Inc.

Simon. Steven I. "Synanon: Towards Building A Humanistic Organization. Synanon Press. San Francisco CA. 1974 

Simon. Steven I. "The Synanon Game: A Lecture. Synanon Press. San Francisco, CA 1974