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1212thth EFTC congress EFTC congress“Eyes on the future”“Eyes on the future”
The Hague, 2 - 5 June 2009
The History and Role of The History and Role of Spirituality in Therapeutic Spirituality in Therapeutic
CommunitiesCommunities
Eric BroekaertEric Broekaert
Spirituality in the TC Aiming at unique relationships and
connections Searching for the transcendence of
dichotomies Within a transitional space of experience Aiming at the development of the individual’s
inner life Endangered by sectarianism Ecologically and systemic interconnected Lift up by deconstruction and transformation
of nothingness and critically embedded in science and professionalism
Searching for the transcendence of dichotomies
Alfred Adler (1870-1937)Alfred Adler (1870-1937)
Individual Psychology What cannot be divided Community feeling Family Therapy Josua Bierer
Within a transitional space of experience
Early TC’s in Europe: World War II: Innovation of psychiatry
– ‘Northfield experiments’• Treatment of psychiatric casualties of war• The creation of a “milieu”
HaroldHarold BridgerBridger
““A transitional A transitional space of space of
experience”experience”
Synanon: craddle of the actual TC
“A most promising effort to rehabilitate narcotic addicts” (Yablonsky, 1965)
“The best example of Eupsyhia” (Maslow, 1967)
“An important alternative to the criminal justice system” (Gates and Bourdette, 1975)
“The cradle of the Therapeutic Community” (Broekaert et al., ?)
Aiming at theAiming at the development of the development of the individual’s inner lifeindividual’s inner life
Charles (Chuck) Dederich (1913 – 1997)
Founder of Synanon
Synanon The cradle of the drug-free TC
Synanon: the therapeutic community (1958 – 1969)
Major aims: - curing and supporting addicts
- development of human potential
Synanon: the therapeutic community (1958 – 1969)
Therapeutic tools:- ‘The Game’ + ‘Circle and Triangle’
- Structure and hierarchy balanced with openness in groups proved to be a powerful means to deconstruct and reconstruct one’s personality.
- Openness during encounter groups led to identification with the positive drug-free value system of ‘more advanced’ residents, who represented the community’s ideology.
Synanon: the social movement (1965 – 1975)
Receiving Lifestylers
Becoming of a flourishing enterprise
Acquiring more real estates
Less focus on rehabilitation
Opening of the Synanon School
Synanon: The religious movement (1975-1991)
Charismatic leadership
- Dominates the ‘method of behavioural change’
- Indoctrination of residents
Community separated from society No graduation Value based ideology Religion
Endangered by sectarianismEndangered by sectarianism
A Religion too far
A historical and qualitative study on how ex-Synanon members value critical incidents that led to
the downfall of their utopia.
Eric Broekaert, Ilse Goethals, Veerle Soyez and Rowdy Yates
Synanon: The religious movement (1975-1991)
Course of events:
- Pledge of loyalty (’70)- An explicit ban on smoking (’70)- Aerobics (’74)- Bald heads day (’75)- Use of violence (’75)- ‘Weight-ins’ and sugar-free dieet (’76)- ‘In the Game’ / ‘out the Game’(’76)- Vasectomy and abortion (‘77)- Changing partners (’77)- Use of Alcohol (’78)- Lawsuits (’75 – ’91)
A young bald executive
Justificationvalue based ideology Religion
The historical inheritance of the community
- Founder of Synanon (Charles Dederich)
- Alcoholics Anonymous (Bill and Dr. Bob)
- Oxford Group Movement (Frank Nathan Daniel Buchman)
- The Schwenkfelders
- Caspar von Schwenkfeld von Ossig
Caspar von Schwenckfeld von Ossig (1490-1561)
Silesian nobelman
Christian reformer and spiritualist
He had his own views on the sacraments - the Heavenly Flesh doctrine
Influenced Anabaptism, Puritanism in England and the Pietistic Movement on mainland Europe
Caspar von Schwenckfeld
The Schwenkfelders
Gathered as ‘Invisual Church’ for religious meetings in homes
Took leading positions in other Christian Churches such as the Evangelical Lutheran and the Pietist movement
The Schwenkfelders
Frank Nathan Daniel Buchman (1878-1961) Perkiomen Seminary 1908: Lutherian Minister
- Foundation of the First Century Christian Fellowship “…an attempt to get back to the beliefs and methods of the Apostles” (Lean, 1985)
1928: The Oxford Group- The movements’ fundaments:
- ‘a miracle of the spirit’- the world under the guidance
of God - a search for a ‘spiritual
authority’
Frank Nathan Daniel Buchman
Oxford Group Movement
1938: Moral re-armament movement- return to those simple home truths:
- Honesty- Purity- Unselfishness- Love
The Group is no real organization and has no membership list
- organization of Group: a series of concentric circles extending outward from the leader and his associates to the undetermined number of individuals who drift more or less casually into and out of the movement or some part of it
Alcoholics Anonymous
Synanon
Chuck Dederich and his affiliation with the AA-movement
The Game was considered as the realisation of Christ’s “Confess yea one to another”
Qualitative analysis of open interviews with ex-Synanon members: conclusion
Findings support the hypothesis that the in Synanon used methodology of structure and openness in a spiritual context has long-lasting and penetrating effects with regard to changing people’s behavior.
It is a major responsibility for the many therapeutic communities in the world to keep their standards high and their activities open to society.
Ecologically and systemic interconnected
Gregory Bateson (1904-1980)
Against Reductionism: Systemism
We are all materially interconnected by mental forces
Steps to an Ecology of Mind Double binding
Embedded in positive criticism, science and professionalism
Positive criticism
Science
Professionalism
Dr.Donald OttenbergPositive Criticism
Georges De LeonScience
Griffith Edwards Professionalism
Lift up by Lift up by deconstruction and transformation of nothingness
Postmodern Times
Postmodern Spirituality
Post Modern Times
Michel FoucaultMichel Foucault
““To change something To change something
in the minds in the minds
of people”of people”
Post Modern Times
Jacques DerridaJacques Derrida
“ “ Even language can be Even language can be deconstructed”deconstructed”
Postmodern Spirituality Uncertainty prevails on the great truth
The productive void of postmodernity may be a door to a positive spiritual deconstruction, a transformation of nothingness.
If you deconstruct everything, then it starts to transform itself into something else.