| Author | Message | ||
     Anonymous |
Caplin 'recruited' for therapy cult investigated by police By Terry Kirby, Chief Reporter 12 December 2002 The Exegesis cult, the controversial 1980s organisation that counted Cherie Blair's friend Carole Caplin among its adherents, was once condemned as "dangerous and profoundly wrong" by a Government minister, while some members have attacked its confrontational therapy methods as "brainwashing'' and "humiliating". At one point claiming to have 5,000 members, Exegesis grew out of the exotic alternative therapy organisations that flowered on the West Coast of America in the 1960s and were aimed at helping people with their "personal development". These included organisations such as the Rev Jim Jones's People's Temple, whose followers committed mass suicide in 1978 in Guyana in South America, and the supporters of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, who set up a community in the north-west of the United States. Exegesis' leader was a Rolls-Royce driving Briton, Robert D'Aubigny (real name Fuller), the son of a meat salesman from Essex. He had originally been a follower of a California-based therapy system called Est, which itself had come out of the fracture of two organisations – Mindynamics and Leadership Dynamics – in the late 1960s. According to the London-based Cult Information Centre (CIC), which monitors such organisations, Exegesis was a "therapy'' cult – concerned with the personal and individual development of its followers, as opposed to "religious'' cults, which focused on geopoliticial or spiritual issues. In the early 1980s, Exegesis recruited people by saying that its therapy methods could solve personal problems. "If you had a problem with your work or, for instance, your partner, they would tell you that Exegesis would help by making you get in touch with your true self, that you would become more assertive and communicate more effectively. But they were telling people what they wanted to hear," said Ian Howarth of the CIC. Recruits would pay about £200 to attend two or three-day courses with Exegesis trainers where, according to various accounts given at the time, they would be screamed and shouted at, abused, forced to reveal their sexual fantasies and ordered not to leave the room. It was at some of these meetings that Ms Caplin, a former topless cover girl and rock group member, was said to have been seen "guarding doors" at therapy sessions. Ms Caplan was also said to have worked as a recruiter and trainer for the organisation. Once they had been brought in, new members would be encouraged to recruit more members and then persuaded to attend more specialised – and expensive – courses "to keep them topped up," said Mr Howarth. Mr D'Aubigny, whose whereabouts are unknown, also ran a company called Programmes, which raised funds for his organisation by employing Exegesis recruits as telesales workers. In 1984, concerns about the Exegesis programme were raised in the Commons by several MPs who cited cases of people who had become disturbed after attending some of the courses. David Mellor, then a Home Office minister, condemned the organisation as "puerile, dangerous and profoundly wrong". Scotland Yard conducted an investigation but no charges were ever brought and Exegesis collapsed shortly afterwards. http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/story.jsp?story=360813 | ||
| Steve Rogers |
Blah blah dangerous, blah blah brainwashing... same old story, journalists whipping it up to sell papers. Ronald Reagan and Mickey Mouse were from California too, so what? I did the Exegesis seminar and its communications course and it was a good influence on people, not a cult. There was nothing to worship - the Exegesis programme was all about being clearer about yourself and what you wanted to do. Most people who did the course vanished immediately back into their lives with renewed energy. But that isn't news, is it? | ||
| Anonymous |
I suppose convincing a grown woman that the rape she had been subjected to as a teenager was "her own fault" because she subconsciously intended it to happen, is also all about being clearer about yourself and what you want to do ? This is what Programmes group (Corby & London, 1980s to early 90s - with strong links to Exegesis) used to call "Intention". The idea that everything that happens to you is directly the result of your own, even subconscious, volition, is a very dangerous one, especially for the vulnerable. If you knew more about Exegesis, you might think again. I have never been involved with a more frightening group of people, and that was only 6 months in the 1980s. Stay well clear ! | ||
| saoirse New member Username: saoirse Post Number: 1 Registered: 11-2006 Posted From: 86.41.154.160 |
In the early seventies, after much deliberation and skepticism,having attended several introductory evenings over a six month period, I enrolled in the Exegesis seminar. Now, some thirty years later, I still consider it to be one of the most significant experiences of my life to date. The seminar had such a positive effect on my personal life and my approach to it that I enrolled in many more of the events. The parallels that come to mind are that of enrolling in an academic course at University - the long term goal being a PhD, or perhaps taking up playing a musical instrument, or running or yoga. The more you delve into the subjsct matter, the more interested you become and the more incentive there is to pursue a career in the chosen field. The subject matter with regard to Exegesis was personal growth and development. The courses were conducted like a fast-track academy for those who had the drive and determination to realise and accomplish their personal goals and dreams. It was certainly without question one of the most rigorous and demanding activities that I ever had the privilege of undertaking. It was very exhilarating to have an environment in which to test one's mettle and transcend self-imposed limitations that impede development, success and happiness. It has to be said that many of the personal ideals, business, communication and management techniques developed by EST's Werner Erhard and Exegesis' Robert Fuller are now cornerstones of the modern business work and social environments. I have to smile when I see TV ads espousing personal empowerment and using much of the lingo that was first developed by Erhard and Fuller. I knew Carol Kaplan personally, and participated in exercise classes that she conducted every day for staff at Programmes Ltd. I lost weight! I got healthy! Is this a crime???? She was yet another very talented young woman dedicated to making the most of her life and finding that the work of Exegesis was helping her to do just that. It has to be said that the main tenet of the trainings was concerned primarily with taking personal responsibility for one's life. This doesn't necessarily translate to "It was your fault that you were raped....". The Exegesis coaching was more directed to "How is this affecting your life now? "How is this affecting your relationships"? and "How can you transform this into something that will be a positive force in your life?" And no one was ever forced to do anything they didn't want to do. If you are in yoga class, part of the contract for which you have hired that instructor is to guide you beyond your existing ability so that you can improve. | ||
| saoirse New member Username: saoirse Post Number: 2 Registered: 11-2006 Posted From: 86.41.154.160 |
The cult centre has it the wrong way round - Exegesis was not a mind-bending cult that dragged people unwillingly off to be brainwashed! The organization offered a service for which clients like myself paid to be instructed. It was superb value for money. I was never under any illusion that I was being conned. I was the one doing the hiring for my own benefit, because I could see tangible results. The concept of business coaching was developed in these seminars. Now coaching is an inherrent part of the professional environment. I had the privilege of working with many extraordinary individuals at Exegesis and Programmes Ltd. It was without question the most exciting, dynamic, supportive, adventurous environment I have ever encountered. The skills that I developed as a result of this work have stood me in good stead over the years in my professional and personal life. If I were to pick the single most important thing that I learned it would be this: that fear is nothing to be afraid of. It can either condemn you to a life of mediocrity, as you attempt to remove yourself from situations beyond your comfort zone, or, if you are prepared to face it, it can become your most useful ally and be the gateway to all possibilities, opportunities, dreams and your vitality. I witnessed literally hundreds of people transforming their lives in this way over a period fifteen years in many countries. I would go so far as to say that it is thanks to this ground-breaking work in the early seventies that a huge shift in consciousness occurred around the planet, spawning literally thousands of NGO and non-profit organizations in response to the dire conditions of war and extremes of poverty created as a result of greed, corruption and political manoeuvering. In my view, these are the core issues to which journalists such as Terry Kirby should be devoting their lives. Murder on a mass scale by the US military, corrupt politicians, governments, multinational corporations and institutions is a far more serious and deadly business than a bunch of people who take it upon themselves to seek a more positive way of living their lives. Perhaps it is safe to say that every individual will make of life what they will and that there are always those that seek to undermine the successes and efforts of those dedicated to the evolution of the planet. I can die happily knowing that I am not one of those and that to the very end I will do my utmost to be a voice for truth, freedom and happiness, in part thanks to Robert Fuller and Werner Erhard for the EST, the Forum, Landmark and the Exegesis Trainings. |
