Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 9, No. 1, 2010, Page 40
depressed spent entire days in his room. Group members responded protectively,
completely convinced that they would achieve the promised state of ―musical evolution,‖
something close to a profound creative connection.
Gradually, the group stopped playing in public, locked themselves in the house, and refused
concerts and shows ―because they were not ready yet.‖ Inside the house, the use of
instruments diminished while much time was dedicated to listening to the Teacher‘s
speeches about the Method and the necessity for them to follow him. He presented
monologues up to fifteen hours long, with punishments for those who didn‘t listen, including
public derision, isolation, and spraying them with water from a high-pressure hose. He
prevailed on them to break with their families, ―since they are useless, and they will surely
be opposed to us being here creating music.‖ Followers were required to ask permission to
see their families, the Teacher set the duration for the visits, and another group member
always accompanied them on the visits. Playing with nonmember musicians was forbidden
because they had not been through the ‗transformation.‘
The Teacher cut contact with outside reality, controlling use of television, the Internet,
radios, and the telephone. As time went by, all the members shared the same paranoid
delusion in relation to possible attacks from outside energies or entities. The teacher
proposed excessive dieting and even fasting, saying ―not pooping will help us be more
creative.‖ He restricted sleep, keeping the others on watch against ‗the entities.‘ He said
major transformation was needed regarding sex, and therefore each group member
regardless of gender had an obligation to sleep in his bed with him on an alternating basis.
According to the Teacher, ―you have to experiment to get rid of pickiness." Some who left
noted his increasingly paranoid deterioration, culminating in the catastrophic belief the
world would end soon and the development of a ‗system‘ by which to escape.
The Network Intervention
Four months after my initial consultation with the families, communication among them and
with some of their children in the group had progressed, and some members were opening
up slightly. During a visit, one female member was able to tell her parents she wanted to
leave she could not handle the emotional pressure any more. They immediately got her in
the car and brought her back home. This girl advised the families that something should be
done immediately because travel arrangements were being made. In response to family
calls and visits, tension in the house was rising and the Teacher was getting more
suspicious, more controlling he was planning to leave for other countries and take the
remaining students with him. The girl indicated she was sure those who had stayed had
some doubts but would not dare to leave the Teacher.
At that point, the families made up their minds to do an intervention and have me join
them. We decided that the ideal scenario would be a ―chance meeting‖ in the street
between two former members and the four remaining current members. The families‘ fear
was that the ―chance‖ would trigger suspicion and a willingness in the remaining members
to join the teacher in flight (because of the paranoid tone of the group), rather than doubt
and exit from the group. The families‘ opinions were split on this one, but they decided to
do an active intervention. They finally agreed to create the ―chance‖ meeting in the street,
taking advantage of their knowledge that the Teacher and his partner were attending an
appointment.
The intervention went on for nine hours, with the collaboration of two former members and
fifteen relatives. Finally, the members decided to leave the group, although the next day
one of them sneaked back to talk to the Teacher and tell him what had happened. It was
this member‘s belief that everything had happened as the Teacher had predicted when he
said ―an attack from the outside would destroy the World.‖
depressed spent entire days in his room. Group members responded protectively,
completely convinced that they would achieve the promised state of ―musical evolution,‖
something close to a profound creative connection.
Gradually, the group stopped playing in public, locked themselves in the house, and refused
concerts and shows ―because they were not ready yet.‖ Inside the house, the use of
instruments diminished while much time was dedicated to listening to the Teacher‘s
speeches about the Method and the necessity for them to follow him. He presented
monologues up to fifteen hours long, with punishments for those who didn‘t listen, including
public derision, isolation, and spraying them with water from a high-pressure hose. He
prevailed on them to break with their families, ―since they are useless, and they will surely
be opposed to us being here creating music.‖ Followers were required to ask permission to
see their families, the Teacher set the duration for the visits, and another group member
always accompanied them on the visits. Playing with nonmember musicians was forbidden
because they had not been through the ‗transformation.‘
The Teacher cut contact with outside reality, controlling use of television, the Internet,
radios, and the telephone. As time went by, all the members shared the same paranoid
delusion in relation to possible attacks from outside energies or entities. The teacher
proposed excessive dieting and even fasting, saying ―not pooping will help us be more
creative.‖ He restricted sleep, keeping the others on watch against ‗the entities.‘ He said
major transformation was needed regarding sex, and therefore each group member
regardless of gender had an obligation to sleep in his bed with him on an alternating basis.
According to the Teacher, ―you have to experiment to get rid of pickiness." Some who left
noted his increasingly paranoid deterioration, culminating in the catastrophic belief the
world would end soon and the development of a ‗system‘ by which to escape.
The Network Intervention
Four months after my initial consultation with the families, communication among them and
with some of their children in the group had progressed, and some members were opening
up slightly. During a visit, one female member was able to tell her parents she wanted to
leave she could not handle the emotional pressure any more. They immediately got her in
the car and brought her back home. This girl advised the families that something should be
done immediately because travel arrangements were being made. In response to family
calls and visits, tension in the house was rising and the Teacher was getting more
suspicious, more controlling he was planning to leave for other countries and take the
remaining students with him. The girl indicated she was sure those who had stayed had
some doubts but would not dare to leave the Teacher.
At that point, the families made up their minds to do an intervention and have me join
them. We decided that the ideal scenario would be a ―chance meeting‖ in the street
between two former members and the four remaining current members. The families‘ fear
was that the ―chance‖ would trigger suspicion and a willingness in the remaining members
to join the teacher in flight (because of the paranoid tone of the group), rather than doubt
and exit from the group. The families‘ opinions were split on this one, but they decided to
do an active intervention. They finally agreed to create the ―chance‖ meeting in the street,
taking advantage of their knowledge that the Teacher and his partner were attending an
appointment.
The intervention went on for nine hours, with the collaboration of two former members and
fifteen relatives. Finally, the members decided to leave the group, although the next day
one of them sneaked back to talk to the Teacher and tell him what had happened. It was
this member‘s belief that everything had happened as the Teacher had predicted when he
said ―an attack from the outside would destroy the World.‖
