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I want to talk today about a group that has been in the news again, even though it was a group founded in 1959, so it hasn't existed in a long time. But still, it made news then, and it's continuing to make

news now. It's called Synanon. And Synanon is this incredibly kind of benchmarky kind of group in that

it was at the heart of so many ways that people learn to talk to each other, to do very

aggressive kind of quote unquote therapy with each other, to live with each other. The leader was

a sociopath. And there are a lot of problems that people have had since leaving, but unfortunately there

have been a number of residential teen treatment places and other large group awareness

trainings that have used some of their techniques playing their own version of something

called the game, which is

this attack therapy and is quite traumatizing. Synanon was founded in 1958 by Charles Diedrich

Sr. as a response to the exclusion of drug addicts from Alcoholics Anonymous. So he wanted to be able to take care of them.

Initially, it was called tender loving care, and it was later incorporated as the Synodon Foundation.

The organization, which developed a successful business-selling items, moved to larger facilities over time, including a beachside hotel in

Santa Monica and a building in Oakland. I actually remember the hotel in Santa Monica.

Synanon also welcomed professionals without drug addictions, including psychiatrist Daniel

Castriel, who later founded Ariba and Datop Village.

Sinanon was started by Charles, who was a member of Alcoholics Anonymous.

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