--- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In [email protected], "curtisdeltablues" > <curtisdeltablues@> wrote: > > > > "> Another form of addiciton that lends itself to > > > this interpretation is the anti-cult cult. In my > > > experience, *most* of the leaders of this anti- > > > movement movement, when they tell their personal > > > stories, come to a pivotal moment for them that > > > goes something like this: "In meditation I got > > > to a point where I lost all sense of who I was. > > > This scared me so much that I never wanted that > > > to happen again, so I quit meditating, and now > > > I work to warn others that they might get to > > > a similar place." What if the "work" they do as > > > an "anti-cult counselor" is their way of not > > > only avoiding full transcendence/loss of self, > > > but a way to prevent others from going further > > > than they dared to go?" > > > > I never met anyone who did exit counseling who fits this pattern. > > I understand, and I applaud your good luck. :-) > > > I don't know of any cult counselors who live in conditions that > > could be manipulated by cult techniques. For the most part they > > live in hotels on location trying to help families without a lot > > of emotional support from peers. It is a pretty tough job. > > And in the past, a very lucrative one. > > I am *not* disputing your experience, or the counselors > who do what they do in good faith. However, that is *not* > how it's always been. During my time with the Rama trip, > because Fred himself was so flamboyant, his students' > parents became targets for the *for-profit* "exit > counselors." I personally know three people who were > literally kidnapped during that period, kept tied up > in dingy motel rooms, threatened with beatings and/or > rape, and generally subjected to coercion that was *far* > worse than that which they were supposedly being "saved" > from. All for $25,000 a pop, paid by the parents to the > deprogrammers. > > Since the demise of CAN and since a few of these slimes > got convicted, this practice has probably been curtailed > or ended. But it really *was* how things were done in > the "exit counselling" biz for a while. Those of us who > have friends who are *still*, decades later, trying to > get over the post-traumatic stress of being kidnapped > by people paid by their own parents have to balance our > feelings about that period of "exit counselling" with > more benign stories such as the ones you mention. > > > As far as them being afraid of their experiences goes, I > > can only talk about the people who came out of TM and do > > this work. None of them expressed this feeling. > > Again, our experiences were different. I found such stories > on several anti-cult websites, related by the "counsellors" > themselves, pretty much as I related them here. > > I think a lot of the difference might also be that you knew > people whose previous experience had been TM and not some > heavier technique which can produce *very* strong experiences, > strong enough that practitioners might have been scared by > them. If you're not prepared for it, the period of time spent > after a strong experience of total transcendence can be a > little unsettled. You keep looking for something to "hang on > to" as your self, and you can't find anything. For some > people, that can be equivalent to dying. > > > The guys I knew had the normal experiences in TM but came > > to view the meaning of those experiences differently. The > > people I met who do this work have high levels of compassion > > and self awareness. They believe they are restoring choice > > to people who have lost the ability to view their > > participation in a group and it's effects on their lives > > clearly. It has a lot in common with a spiritual breakthrough > > when it is successful in my opinion, very liberating. > > You were fortunate. The two guys I testified against > (because I witnessed the kidnapping) were ex-cons who > had gotten into the "business" because at the time there > was little likelihood of serving time for doing this kind > of stuff, and it paid $25K a pop. > > > I see that most people involved in spirituality on this group > > have the same aversion to cult tactics as cult counselors. In > > this case knowledge is power. Being against cult manipulation > > is not an indictment of spirituality, but the abuse of people > > in the name of spirituality. Many cult counselors still value > > spirituality in their own lives. > > Pleased to hear it. I'm only filling you in on a period > of time in which the "anti-cult" movement wasn't quite > the way you portray it now.
A friend of mine on Purusha, a heir to a nice fortune, was abducted from Vlodrop, drugged and underwent so-called "deprogramming" from agents hired by his family. After a week in a logcabin he managed to escape. His brother later told him that the operation set the family back with 150.000 $ This is obviously a big business. My Buddy just shrugged at the event calling them "fools". And no, they where not americans :-) To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
