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.