As someone involved in mental health work, of all you've shared I find especially curious the instruction to describe what you want in your erotic life and how you plan to achieve it.
Embedded in this is the assumption that what we want should always be pursued.
To my mind this encapsulates the key ideological problem in the therapeutic community, currently. Yes, the politics and activism are annoying. And inappropriate. But what I find galling is people come to us because they feel unwell, and want to flourish. Yet the Machine trains us to always default towards validation, especially towards that which is deemed transgressive.
The irony is that compulsive, nuerotic transgression *is* the current ideology of Western culture, which by measurable accounts is creating vast swaths of people who are mentally unwell.
So the Machine is training us to encourage people to marinate in their sicknesses, and never become well. Never flourish. Which, of course, is great for business...
Humanistic sexology seems to have captured the psyche field altogether. For the roots of this look to the Kinsey Institute housed at Indiana University and to the Institute for Advanced Study on Human Sexuality(IASHS) in the SF Bay area. Both these orgs were influential in driving Frankfurt school thought into the system. Churches were involved. I wrote a bit about the IASHS in a post called 'Breast Offerings' on my stack. Why did I write that piece and why am I writing at all? Because our daughter fell into the trans cult in college, estranged herself, spent years on testosterone and had her breasts lopped off by a 'top surgeon.' We could have NEVER seen this coming. It has happened to countless young adults. Traumatizing youth on campuses is not ok. Having the trans-id'ed filling top academic posts is not acceptable. They are traumatizing but it is not only them. It is especially not acceptable at an institution claiming to be Catholic. Catholicism may be the only Christian religion that has not fallen or broken in 2 because of the gender lie. But it most certainly has been infiltrated. (Our daughter now regrets it all and is again part of the family)
Wow. Really disgusting. And a Jesuit school?!? You should be very proud of yourself for trying to right this wrong not only for yourself but for others.
A startling form of double blackmail, damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
There is/was a Magazine called “S.T.H” or “Straight to Hell” which was supposed to be collections of gay “non-fiction erotic” writing. I don’t know any equivalent in Straight world but I don’t read much.
It had articles remarkably similar in structure and tone of the survey in this article, except provided primarily for gay men.
It’s actually a standard genre in gay non-fiction pornography, the erotic interview biography - I’ve studied written gay pornography for what now seems like decades but more like a half-century.
As in visual pornography “Behind the Scenes” style clips, it purports to be “more authentic” than ordinary pornography to create an extra frisson.
I would be utterly unsurprised if prior submissions ended up in unlikely places.
I don’t understand how a university group could have let this transpire, ever.
It’s a startling form of double blackmail, damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
To me this looks like abuse masquerading as education. They could find a way to inform students about the various things that people do without putting them through all of this.
Your question about what is going to happen to the autobiographies is also chilling. They could be used to blackmail people or hurt them. Nobody should ever have to do that.
Australian mental health professional here, who has done a bit of PD in the USA.
Admittedly, almost 25 years ago! (Time flies...)
My observation at the time was that US was nowhere near as sophisticated in its training as the UK and Europe - and by extension Australia. For example, here an understanding of psychodynamic theory and boundaries was fundamental and the foundation to any other training modality.
To the layperson, it means that a properly qualified therapist - a psychiatrist or psychologist - in Australia/NZ/UK/Europe will develop an understanding of how the therapist and the patient interact in the room. There are power dynamics and all sorts of interpersonal currents that the therapist needs to be aware of and to manage. Boundaries are a very real phenomenon and need to be recognized and adhered to.
Whatever modality the therapist chooses - CBT is familiar to a lot of people - those underlying foundations remain fundamental.
Anyone teaching a therapy course should be aware of these boundaries **and should model them***
The teaching and coursework described in this complaint cross so many boundaries I don't know where to start! And the fact that the university administration does not recognize that absolutely gobsmacks me.
By all means, there is a role for introspection and recognising how one's life experience is going to influence the therapeutic relationship.
But requiring sexually explicit material from students? Showing sexually explicit material? Asking people to act out explicit sexual scenarios?
What kind of a university course does that?! How can that be legal? Presumably it's not legal in primary or secondary education - what makes it legal in tertiary education?
Sick. Wow. And multiply this scenario by how many schools teaching psychology to undergrads and grads. What about other courses? Med schools? This is very very bad.
My mom, Mary, graduated from Santa Clara with her MA in marriage and family counseling in 1989, and this bullshit requirement was indeed in place then. She was also offered a personal “one time exemption” (after walking out of a presentation on torture porn,) which, like you, she fought the administration tooth and nail for, along with pushing for investigation at the local law enforcement and ecclesial level for this allegedly Catholic university.
She died last summer, but she again reflected on her experiences there to her daughters as we were helping her go through her personal paperwork when she began hospice.
I know she would be proud of the work you are doing to unmask the evil there. 💪
Wow, thank you so much for sharing this with me and for taking the time to comment. I am sorry for your loss. It sounds like your mom was a strong woman.
I will do my best to keep working on this issue. She was right that it is unacceptable for this to be occurring at a Catholic school. Big big hugs.
WOW. I just… I mean, Wow. Good on you for standing up to this. All I can think is how perverted these individuals are that require such personal details from students? Who reads that 8-10 page essay? How is that even graded? That’s vulnerable information and deeply personal.
I hope you don’t stop standing up to this. There are so many points in your article that are very, very scary to hear.
I feel awful for any student who went through this program. And how on earth could anyone think that is needed???
And the videos that were shown in class. That is so disgusting.
That teacher should be investigated.
I will continue to follow your journey. Again, thank you.
My main concern is that years of this class, and no one spoke up that in a “Catholic” school this would be acceptable. I called the archbishop of San Jose yesterday. This is a travesty. As a devout Catholic this ordeal makes me sick.
Yes. THIS is how we win. Strong, clear, effective action. Thank you! You are setting an example for everyone else.
Keep it up! 👍
As someone involved in mental health work, of all you've shared I find especially curious the instruction to describe what you want in your erotic life and how you plan to achieve it.
Embedded in this is the assumption that what we want should always be pursued.
To my mind this encapsulates the key ideological problem in the therapeutic community, currently. Yes, the politics and activism are annoying. And inappropriate. But what I find galling is people come to us because they feel unwell, and want to flourish. Yet the Machine trains us to always default towards validation, especially towards that which is deemed transgressive.
The irony is that compulsive, nuerotic transgression *is* the current ideology of Western culture, which by measurable accounts is creating vast swaths of people who are mentally unwell.
So the Machine is training us to encourage people to marinate in their sicknesses, and never become well. Never flourish. Which, of course, is great for business...
Well said!
Humanistic sexology seems to have captured the psyche field altogether. For the roots of this look to the Kinsey Institute housed at Indiana University and to the Institute for Advanced Study on Human Sexuality(IASHS) in the SF Bay area. Both these orgs were influential in driving Frankfurt school thought into the system. Churches were involved. I wrote a bit about the IASHS in a post called 'Breast Offerings' on my stack. Why did I write that piece and why am I writing at all? Because our daughter fell into the trans cult in college, estranged herself, spent years on testosterone and had her breasts lopped off by a 'top surgeon.' We could have NEVER seen this coming. It has happened to countless young adults. Traumatizing youth on campuses is not ok. Having the trans-id'ed filling top academic posts is not acceptable. They are traumatizing but it is not only them. It is especially not acceptable at an institution claiming to be Catholic. Catholicism may be the only Christian religion that has not fallen or broken in 2 because of the gender lie. But it most certainly has been infiltrated. (Our daughter now regrets it all and is again part of the family)
I have sent both of these to the SF Standard to see if they would pick this up. No reply yet. SF Chronicle would be a waste of time.
I appreciate you reading and caring about students!
Wow. Really disgusting. And a Jesuit school?!? You should be very proud of yourself for trying to right this wrong not only for yourself but for others.
A startling form of double blackmail, damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
There is/was a Magazine called “S.T.H” or “Straight to Hell” which was supposed to be collections of gay “non-fiction erotic” writing. I don’t know any equivalent in Straight world but I don’t read much.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/S.T.H.
It had articles remarkably similar in structure and tone of the survey in this article, except provided primarily for gay men.
It’s actually a standard genre in gay non-fiction pornography, the erotic interview biography - I’ve studied written gay pornography for what now seems like decades but more like a half-century.
As in visual pornography “Behind the Scenes” style clips, it purports to be “more authentic” than ordinary pornography to create an extra frisson.
I would be utterly unsurprised if prior submissions ended up in unlikely places.
I don’t understand how a university group could have let this transpire, ever.
It’s a startling form of double blackmail, damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
To me this looks like abuse masquerading as education. They could find a way to inform students about the various things that people do without putting them through all of this.
Your question about what is going to happen to the autobiographies is also chilling. They could be used to blackmail people or hurt them. Nobody should ever have to do that.
I hope you win your case!
Courageous! Thank you
Woah!
Australian mental health professional here, who has done a bit of PD in the USA.
Admittedly, almost 25 years ago! (Time flies...)
My observation at the time was that US was nowhere near as sophisticated in its training as the UK and Europe - and by extension Australia. For example, here an understanding of psychodynamic theory and boundaries was fundamental and the foundation to any other training modality.
To the layperson, it means that a properly qualified therapist - a psychiatrist or psychologist - in Australia/NZ/UK/Europe will develop an understanding of how the therapist and the patient interact in the room. There are power dynamics and all sorts of interpersonal currents that the therapist needs to be aware of and to manage. Boundaries are a very real phenomenon and need to be recognized and adhered to.
Whatever modality the therapist chooses - CBT is familiar to a lot of people - those underlying foundations remain fundamental.
Anyone teaching a therapy course should be aware of these boundaries **and should model them***
The teaching and coursework described in this complaint cross so many boundaries I don't know where to start! And the fact that the university administration does not recognize that absolutely gobsmacks me.
By all means, there is a role for introspection and recognising how one's life experience is going to influence the therapeutic relationship.
But requiring sexually explicit material from students? Showing sexually explicit material? Asking people to act out explicit sexual scenarios?
What kind of a university course does that?! How can that be legal? Presumably it's not legal in primary or secondary education - what makes it legal in tertiary education?
Sick. Wow. And multiply this scenario by how many schools teaching psychology to undergrads and grads. What about other courses? Med schools? This is very very bad.
My mom, Mary, graduated from Santa Clara with her MA in marriage and family counseling in 1989, and this bullshit requirement was indeed in place then. She was also offered a personal “one time exemption” (after walking out of a presentation on torture porn,) which, like you, she fought the administration tooth and nail for, along with pushing for investigation at the local law enforcement and ecclesial level for this allegedly Catholic university.
She died last summer, but she again reflected on her experiences there to her daughters as we were helping her go through her personal paperwork when she began hospice.
I know she would be proud of the work you are doing to unmask the evil there. 💪
Wow, thank you so much for sharing this with me and for taking the time to comment. I am sorry for your loss. It sounds like your mom was a strong woman.
I will do my best to keep working on this issue. She was right that it is unacceptable for this to be occurring at a Catholic school. Big big hugs.
A Jesuit university. Ha! The Jesuits are sickeningly woke. I was once proud of my Jesuit education. Now it's a source of embarrassment.
WOW. I just… I mean, Wow. Good on you for standing up to this. All I can think is how perverted these individuals are that require such personal details from students? Who reads that 8-10 page essay? How is that even graded? That’s vulnerable information and deeply personal.
I hope you don’t stop standing up to this. There are so many points in your article that are very, very scary to hear.
I feel awful for any student who went through this program. And how on earth could anyone think that is needed???
And the videos that were shown in class. That is so disgusting.
That teacher should be investigated.
I will continue to follow your journey. Again, thank you.
This is very impressive work 👍🏻
My main concern is that years of this class, and no one spoke up that in a “Catholic” school this would be acceptable. I called the archbishop of San Jose yesterday. This is a travesty. As a devout Catholic this ordeal makes me sick.