The Beginning of Synanon
Synanon was first started in the 1950s by Charles E. Dederich Sr. Founded in Santa Monica, California, Syanon was led by Dederich, a notably charismatic man who seemingly wanted to help those who were suffering from addiction.
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At its very beginnings, Synanon was known as a drug rehabilitation center and organization. It was created for this very purpose.
A Successful Beginning
In many ways, Synanon became quite successful and truly helped many people as they tried to battle their addictions.
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Though many rather clinical programs existed in the United States for addicts at this time, Synanon instead tried to aid people through community programming. This led to beneficial results, and many thrived because of this system.
The Synanon Game
To foster this community-positive outlook, residents of this rehab center were called “students.” These students lived together and did their best to support each other.
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They did this by partaking in what was known as the “Synanon Game.” This game encouraged students to open up about their experiences — and to listen to confrontations to better help them deal with their addictions.
Quick Success
Perhaps because it offered programming so different from other rehab clinics of the day, Synanon quickly became incredibly successful. The center and organization truly helped so many people who were struggling.
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Eventually, this led to various Synanon centers being opened throughout California. The organization’s reach only continued to grow — and only continued to become more cult-like.
A Cult in the 1970s
By the 1970s, Synanon had become less of a rehab organization and more of a cult. Synanon’s leader, Dederich, became more authoritarian, as many cult leaders do.
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In the early 1970s, the organization said it was now a religious one. This allowed it to be exempt from taxes while also furthering its reach as a religious cult throughout California.
The Changing of the Game
The Synanon Game, a process that was once used to help so many people struggling with addictions, was used to control members of the cult.
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This changing of the game happened gradually. Eventually, the game became a way to humiliate cult members. Through this game, Dederich and the cult’s leaders were able to further dominate members, rather than help them as they did before.
A Strict Cult
To keep the members of the cult from straying away — or from realizing the power that the leaders had over them — Synanon forbade members to interact with people who weren’t in the group.
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If members didn’t successfully cut ties with those outside of the cult, then they could be punished in different ways. Dederich and leaders demanded unwavering loyalty from all members, no matter what.
The Creation of the Imperial Marines
Synanon quickly became paranoid about alleged enemies outside of the group — so much so that they became a militant cult. Dederich created what was called the “Imperial Marines”, a force tasked with protecting Synanon from outside foes.
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The Imperial Marines were also tasked with dealing with critics of the cult — a task which almost proved to be deadly.
An Assassination Attempt
Though there were various accusations of violence against the group during this time, the most public event came when a lawyer who had filed a suit against Synanon was almost killed.
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In 1978, this lawyer opened his mailbox to find a poisonous rattlesnake. Though he was bitten, the lawyer survived — and the news of this assassination attempt created public condemnation against Synanon.
The Beginning of the End of Synanon
This public and violent episode brought about the beginning of the end of Synanon. The public didn’t support them, and federal investigations pursued their illegal activities which eventually led to the group getting their tax exemption taken away.
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Various lawsuits began to become normal. Many past members filed suit against Synanon because of past abuse. This all eventually led to Synanon falling apart.
Synanon’s End
Though the cult still persisted into the 1980s, it wasn’t in any way what it once was. It no longer had the large amount of members it previously did.
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In the 1990s, Synanon eventually came to a complete end. In 1997, the cult’s leader Dederich died at 84 years old.