The phrase “not an obvious cult” doesn’t really get thrown around too much. Something either is a cult, or isn’t. And yet .. .there always seems to be some sort of grey area, especially when it comes to the self-help…[Continue Reading...]
Exploring the rise and fall of the Synanon organization — through the eyes of the members who lived it — from its early days as a groundbreaking drug rehabilitation program to its later descent into what many consider a cult.…[Continue Reading...]
Many Havasu Pioneers and long-time residents have vivid memories of Synanon, the cult that established roots in Lake Havasu City during the 1970s. Recently, it has reentered the public consciousness, thanks to a new documentary series on Paramount Plus. We’re…[Continue Reading...]
From the archives: former KPIX reporter David Fowler shows the unusual ceremony at a Synanon drug rehabilitation ranch (now Walker Creek Ranch) near the town of Marshall in Marin County, where many Synanon married couples re-affirmed their wedding vows, August…[Continue Reading...]
The internet has been abuzz with the latest release, a Paramount Plus docuseries titled "Born in Synanon." Those who followed the headlines between the 1970s and '90s may recognize the name, as the addiction-recovery-community-turned-cult led by Charles E. "Chuck" Dederich…[Continue Reading...]
Watch this interview with an adult who remembers her childhood growing up in the drug rehab turned cult called Synanon. Kids have no choice, but to submit to cults when their parents are members.[Continue Reading...]
Typically speaking, the word “cult” refers to a relatively small group of people who demonstrate unwavering dedication to a set of beliefs and practices set out by a magnetic, self-appointed leader. Archetypes include Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple, Marshall…[Continue Reading...]
Born in Synanon is the story of Cassidy Arkin’s history with California’s Synanon cult—or as she describes it in footage from 2001, “alternative community.” Arkin is not just the subject of director Geeta Gandbhir’s four-part Paramount+ docuseries (Dec. 12) but…[Continue Reading...]
After a multi-million-dollar renovation, the historic Marconi Conference Center in West Marin has been transformed into Lodge at Marconi, a luxury hotel property located within the 62-acre Marconi State Historic Park just south of Marshall. The Marshall site has a…[Continue Reading...]
David Mitchell, a muckraker whose tiny California newspaper challenged the violent drug rehabilitation cult Synanon and, as a result, became one of only a handful of weeklies to win a Pulitzer Prize, died on Oct. 25 at his home in…[Continue Reading...]
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