“The reason I started this list is because of my real life story, you can read a summary of my experience of bad therapy at the link to add your story below. Although my experience was extreme, once I left therapy and started telling people my story I discovered that nearly everyone I spoke to has either had a bad experience themselves or knows someone who has been affected in a situation ranging from bad therapy to a psychotherapy cult. This includes self development workshops, spiritual healing or alternative health type ‘gurus’, any situation where the practitioner or leaders are seen as professionals with training and experience which means they are in a position to influence their client’s emotional state and thinking. There are no statistics available.
I am asking people to SIGN THE LIST
of people who have been affected negatively themselves
or have been affected by members of their family
or partners who have suffered from any kind of
therapy or self development workshop. Family
and partners are included in the list because
they often get blamed and suffer directly although
I do believe that friends or colleagues can be
equally be affected by a person’s mistreatment, abuse or negative influence, this is our choice for the list.
If you are a therapist
and you are aware of another therapist who is
unethical or you know that they are in any way
harming their clients please CLICK
HERE to add
your story rather than sign the list yourself.
We would love to hear your story. If you had
any experience of bad therapy while you were
training then please sign the list as well.
Why
SIGN THE LIST?
If nobody does anything
then nothing is going to change for sure. All
possibilities are closed down. All trains of
thoughts have nowhere to go except round in circles.
Why would you do anything,
when it may not seem to make any difference in
your life, why save a jellyfish on the beach
when we can’t save them all, why go on protest marches…
We take an action because
alone it’s hard to make a difference but together we can take the steps that lead to change. We take an action because it is possible that we may help someone else and if someone helps us it becomes a chain reaction. We hold out our idea on our hand and trust that somewhere, someone else will believe in our dreams and our vision enough to join hands and become an ally because they understand the power that OUR contribution can make and that each individual decision is where change begins.
What
if you do SIGN THE LIST?
One small action can make
a difference because journeys start with small
steps. And the results only happen in time. What
will happen is that lines of possibilities will
open up. Trains of thoughts have been enabled,
if the only thing that happens is that you are
able to consider all the smallest possibilities
and where they could end up in time, it’s a small positive step.
I have been shocked by
the lack of regulations protecting the public
and the inability of the professional organizations
to prevent unethical practitioners continuing
to operate after complaints have been made against
them. Something has got to
change. To be honest,
I don’t know how but I do know that if
I do nothing, nothing can change and if I take
one small action, somehow, somewhere, some time,
with someone else's help, I can make a difference.
Together we CAN make a difference.
'Never doubt that a small
group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change
the world' Margaret Mead Courtesy of
The Institute for Intercultural Studies, Inc.,
New York
If
you wish to SIGN THE LIST please fill in the
form below. If you wish to protect your identity
you are welcome to use a first name only, middle
name, user name or anonymous. Your email address
will NOT be given out to anyone. Any news regarding
this list will be published on the website.
Thank you for signing the list
The way forward is sharing knowledge and information.
Every contribution helps, together we can make a difference.
If you want to add your story please CLICK
HERE this will enable you to post a comment. We would love to hear your story, whether it's simply that you know you were left feeling not good even if you are not sure specifically what the therapist or workshop leader did, or your story is to do with how or what drugs you were prescribed and the effects of taking them, or you were treated sexually inappropriately but you didn't feel it was serious enough to complain, or on hindsight you now realize you were abused emotionally, psychologically or physically, or you have a story of recovered or false memory, hypnosis or other forms of emotional excercises, mind altering or manipulation or controlling techniques. Have there been serious consequences for you or your partner or family? Is the therapist still practicing or the self development workshop still running? Did you make a formal complaint to one of the professional organizations? If so what was the outcome? If not, what prevented you? Did you take or consider taken legal action? And have you found good help since?
I appreciate that it can
be time consuming and upsetting to write the
details and it requires courage to put your name
to the story, you are welcome to write your story
and leave it anonymous. Everyone's story is important
and thank you for taking the time to contribute."
Gena Dry
Here is the List so far:
Gena Dry
David Barber
Guy Smith
Paula Conlon
Ian Johnson
Karen Smith
Lubna
Sherrill Wilson
Dee Barton
Judy Birkbeck
Jean Crichton-Edwards
Hillary
Ann
Bill
