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Great job, John! I'm duly impressed! Where were you when I walked-away alone?
g 
And John,
more importantly, my children were likewise raised by undiagnosed (cult) addicts. As you write, our behaviors and thinking style lasted for a number of years - to our children's detriment.
This is important work to bring forth.
Thank you!
g
John, it's kind of strange, earlier today I left a comment complimenting you on including the "strengths" of the "challenges" you list, which I've never seen done in any therapeutic context before.
But somehow the comment never got posted, or was removed. Let's see if this one stays put.
Hi, Judy,
To my knowledge, your comment wasn't removed. Perhaps it was a hiccup with Haloscan? Anyway, thanks for the compliment. Working from a strengths perspective is important to me in my therapeutic work. I intend to try to include more of it in my postings here. I'm definitely a "work in progress"!
J.
Working from a strengths perspective is important to me in my therapeutic work.
I really was struck by this because, at least in terms of what I've encountered (i.e., material dealing with any kind of psychotherapy), it's an entirely novel approach. Have I just missed it? Or am I right that it's unusual? And if so, why is it unusual?
It seems so obvious--now that I've seen it put forward--that it would be tremendously productive in just about any type of therapy.
Judy,
The strengths-based approach was developed in the 90s, I believe. It came about in reaction to both psychoanalytical (Freudian) and medical models. Those models focused largely on pathology. The strengths-based approach assumes that clients already have strengths and resources that they can use to combat whatever challenges they face. When I went through grad school, starting in 2000, it was the approach most professors pushed. The Wikipedia weighs in on the subject at http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/
Str...l_Work_Practice .
J.
hi gina,
i've kicked the habit abound lately, and still find that my "whatever" yoga works best for me. by that i mean choosing whatever stretch or posture and relaxing slowly into it, resting for a moment, finding a sore muscle, organ... and a posture or exercise, whether from aikido or dance... it doesn't matter.
then, when i feel like it, i get back to working on my interest, most likely my very favourite trance addiction; improvisational guitar! whooot!
love ya,
joel
Does anyone know of a group that meets in the SF bay area for adult kids of TM? I was taken to the MIU campus in Fairfield when I was 14 and have just recently begun to think about the stuff that was going on there, as well as the overall stuff I witnessed in the "program" in the real world. I would like to meet with others who shared the experience. No one else would believe it... Thx.
Maureen,
Contact therapist, Colleen Russell MFT, in Mill Valley California. She has a group for cult recovery, including adults who were raised in cults.
I'm one of the first "kids" raised in TM, also in the Bay Area. But I'm not a therapist, and I don't run recovery groups.
g
P.s. to Maureen:
There is a nightclub in SF, I don't know which one, where many TM-kids hang out.
If you'd like to contact me, you can contact John Knapp through this website, and request my contact info.
April is a schedually challenged month for me, but we should be able to make time.
As a TM-kid, you normalized a lot of abherrant behavior. There is certainly a lot of strange behavior in the outside world too. When insane social dynamics are your norm, it can be challenging to reset your personal standard of normalcy. you can do it!
g
Thanks, Gina! I have a therapist who I'm comfortable with now (oh no! evil therapists! ah!) but it would be good just to know others who were there. I guess it's almost like having a weird bond, but like I said before it's hard to talk about this to people because it sounds like I'm making it up. I mean c'mon. My mother hopped around on her ass in a Golden Dome and said she was levitating? In a corn field in Iowa? While I fended for myself on a college campus? What? I'll contact Colleen and if you don't mind ask John for your info, too. I'm swamped in April and May, also, but even knowing there's a fellow escapee somewhere out there is nice. Thanks very much!!!
Maureen,
I don't know if this is of interest, but I do an online support group for former members of toxic groups. If you'd like, just email me, and I'll send you some information.
Colleen is great, btw. I only mention the online group as a backup, if there are any time or other obstacles to working with her.
J.
Maureen,
Yes, my April and May also swamped. Please do contact me. We have sort of "mini reunions" here sometimes.. just other 'kids' coming through town having brunch here. We must know many of the same folks and families.
I was a "kid,", then a parent in the group. Short version of my story is on TMFree or online somewhere. My kids are probably your age. They were young when I pulled them away, they missed the worst of it.
Right, no one believes it / us.
Others say "Well, I never heard about that group!" Or "TM is not a cult, I did TM in college and it was great and I've still not told anyone my mantra!" (like duh, keeping secrets 'for your own good' is the first step in mind control...)
Oh..if they only knew.... !
Congrats for surviving and creating your own life. You sound like your head is screwed on straight. Good job!
g
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