class was to meet at one of our group
apartments, I received a call from Tina telling
me that the class could not take place, and that I
couldn’t allow the teacher into the apartment.
She told me to wait for him in the lobby of the
building, pay him his fee, and dismiss him. I
was given very little information about the
reasoning behind this sudden decision on Tina’s
part. It was obvious that this directive had not
come from her. I didn’t ask her why I had to do
this I just knew somehow that I had better do
what she said.
The second instance had to do with an
arrangement that the residents in my group
apartment had made with those in another group
apartment in our building. We had decided to
hire someone to cook three to four meals a week
for all of us. We all chipped in for the cook’s
salary and for the food, and we ate together at
one of the two apartments. I remember that
there was some problem with the residents in the
other apartment in regard to their relationship
with the leadership of the community. Tina told
me that my apartment members had to end the
relationship with those in this other apartment
because of their bad behavior. This was the first
time I realized that I was a puppet to some
extent. I was angry, and I walked out of the
session. Tina actually apologized for this
incident—the first and only time she ever
admitted any kind of mistake or fallibility as a
therapist.
In addition to my own description of my
experiences with Tina, which you have just read,
Anna, another patient of hers, wrote a letter to
Tina many years later. I would like to quote
from that letter:
During the approximately 5 years
(1976–81) you posed as my
psychotherapist when I paid you
thousands of dollars, you never helped
me. Instead you made my life worse. A
therapist is legally and ethically barred
from telling a patient that she is
worthless, and that everyone she knows
hates her because she is so unlikeable.
Yet, you said those things to me many
times.
As I told you early on in “therapy,” I
had been sexually abused by my
stepfather from the age of 12 until I left
home at 18. You took the information I
gave you in confidence and trust about
how I had been physically and verbally
abused by my mother and stepfather
long before the sexual abuse which
began at adolescence, and you used that
very information against me, to illustrate
to me what a worthless person I was in
your eyes. (AG, 1999)
Alice sent the letter to Tina with a request for a
refund of $20,000. Unfortunately, Tina was not
licensed at the time and therefore could not be
sanctioned by the Office of Professional
Discipline of New York State.
Three Mile Island Accident
In 1979, the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear
accident took place in Pennsylvania. The
leaders of the Sullivan Institute community were
concerned that radioactive plumes with airborne
contaminants would reach New York City.
Approximately one hundred fifty people in the
community left the city at this time and traveled
to Florida to avoid these contaminants. This was
a pivotal moment in my life I realized that I
wanted children, and that I didn’t want them to
be affected by any mutations that the
radioactivity might cause in my body.
Unfortunately for me, the TMI accident, our
weeklong exodus, and the hysteria that ensued
made it impossible for me to focus on my
graduate work. In addition, the demands on my
time increased: All community members were
expected to work to educate others about the
dangers of nuclear power.
Sandra—A Different Kind of Trainee
After 7 years with Tina, I decided that I needed a
different type of experience with a therapist. I
don’t remember how I came to this conclusion,
but it may have been spurred by Tina’s orders
(delivered to me) that my roommates and I
disassociate ourselves from those in the other
group apartment. I had a consultation with Saul
Newton, which was the usual procedure when
group members wanted to change therapists. I
told Saul that after 7 years I was ready for a
48 International Journal of Cultic Studies ■ Vol. 5, 2014
apartments, I received a call from Tina telling
me that the class could not take place, and that I
couldn’t allow the teacher into the apartment.
She told me to wait for him in the lobby of the
building, pay him his fee, and dismiss him. I
was given very little information about the
reasoning behind this sudden decision on Tina’s
part. It was obvious that this directive had not
come from her. I didn’t ask her why I had to do
this I just knew somehow that I had better do
what she said.
The second instance had to do with an
arrangement that the residents in my group
apartment had made with those in another group
apartment in our building. We had decided to
hire someone to cook three to four meals a week
for all of us. We all chipped in for the cook’s
salary and for the food, and we ate together at
one of the two apartments. I remember that
there was some problem with the residents in the
other apartment in regard to their relationship
with the leadership of the community. Tina told
me that my apartment members had to end the
relationship with those in this other apartment
because of their bad behavior. This was the first
time I realized that I was a puppet to some
extent. I was angry, and I walked out of the
session. Tina actually apologized for this
incident—the first and only time she ever
admitted any kind of mistake or fallibility as a
therapist.
In addition to my own description of my
experiences with Tina, which you have just read,
Anna, another patient of hers, wrote a letter to
Tina many years later. I would like to quote
from that letter:
During the approximately 5 years
(1976–81) you posed as my
psychotherapist when I paid you
thousands of dollars, you never helped
me. Instead you made my life worse. A
therapist is legally and ethically barred
from telling a patient that she is
worthless, and that everyone she knows
hates her because she is so unlikeable.
Yet, you said those things to me many
times.
As I told you early on in “therapy,” I
had been sexually abused by my
stepfather from the age of 12 until I left
home at 18. You took the information I
gave you in confidence and trust about
how I had been physically and verbally
abused by my mother and stepfather
long before the sexual abuse which
began at adolescence, and you used that
very information against me, to illustrate
to me what a worthless person I was in
your eyes. (AG, 1999)
Alice sent the letter to Tina with a request for a
refund of $20,000. Unfortunately, Tina was not
licensed at the time and therefore could not be
sanctioned by the Office of Professional
Discipline of New York State.
Three Mile Island Accident
In 1979, the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear
accident took place in Pennsylvania. The
leaders of the Sullivan Institute community were
concerned that radioactive plumes with airborne
contaminants would reach New York City.
Approximately one hundred fifty people in the
community left the city at this time and traveled
to Florida to avoid these contaminants. This was
a pivotal moment in my life I realized that I
wanted children, and that I didn’t want them to
be affected by any mutations that the
radioactivity might cause in my body.
Unfortunately for me, the TMI accident, our
weeklong exodus, and the hysteria that ensued
made it impossible for me to focus on my
graduate work. In addition, the demands on my
time increased: All community members were
expected to work to educate others about the
dangers of nuclear power.
Sandra—A Different Kind of Trainee
After 7 years with Tina, I decided that I needed a
different type of experience with a therapist. I
don’t remember how I came to this conclusion,
but it may have been spurred by Tina’s orders
(delivered to me) that my roommates and I
disassociate ourselves from those in the other
group apartment. I had a consultation with Saul
Newton, which was the usual procedure when
group members wanted to change therapists. I
told Saul that after 7 years I was ready for a
48 International Journal of Cultic Studies ■ Vol. 5, 2014
