Quote

Originally posted by Cosmophilospher


There is much more to this stuff than meets the eye, in my view.
I think it is similar to the Guru/Slave dynamic. That is older than humanity.
Personally, i don't think its healthy.

Coz

Coz,

Apart from depersonalisation and dissociation I think there are other outcomes from BDSM/cultic/Human Potential involvement.

Two obvious results are post-traumatic stress (induced by the trauma of the personal emotional exercises, age regression, and challenging new mental concepts like ~transformation~ or ~rackets~ or submission) and addiction/dependency encouraged by continuing involvement with groups. I think both are influenced by the chemical and hormonal effects of BDSM/cult/HP involvement where wide mood swings result from the release of adrenalin and endorphins and other ‘happy hormones’ in the brain which affect mental states and behaviour.

Incidentally until I found this site I didn’t appreciate the concept of depersonalisation properly. Now on reflection I can see how old pre-indoctrinated Chris had a good relationship with reality, I had just a normal range of anxieties and neuroses but was basically mentally healthy, well motivated, functioning well and making good quality decisions in my life. After I became a victim of ‘Personal Development’/Human Potential work I suffered all the classic symptoms of depersonalisation, feeling I was an actor observing myself in a drama or workshop called my ‘life’ instead of being a real person. My values and behaviour all deteriorated, my decision making ability became terrible, but none of it mattered because I was just an observer in a passive dissociated trance state. It’s like being in a waking dream state where the subconscious mind takes charge over the conscious mind, and behaviour becomes infantilised. In Transactional Analysis terms, the internal child takes over decision making functions from the parent or adult.

I’d like to see medical research done and published on the emotional effects of cult/HP participation where people’s emotional states are tested and measured before and after high-demand workshops like Landmark.

These medical studies could then be used as evidence by those of us who want to limit or regulate cults and LGATs as well as for ongoing anti-cult publicity, and for advice to mental health professionals who have to pick up the pieces for people in recovery from psychological damage.

Chris

1st I'd like to say I am into BDSM in the Real world and have been for 3 years.


Now as for the community in Alphaville being a cult, that is hog wash. Get 5 or 6 Dominants together and agreeing on anything and I'll say your a negotator extrodinare. It is a group of like minded individuals, just like the men and women in a bar or at a football game. There because The subject can be talked about and "shop talk" is what is done sometimes. BDSM has been there long before TSO. Tso mearly gave it a meeting place, other than the countless chat rooms out there. BDSM is about Trust, Honesty, and Respect. There is no pulling in of people. I and I'm sure others have no qualms about sharing information on the subject, however. It is a lifestyle yes. I live it in the REAL world and I love it. There is nothing violent about it. If your talking about whippings and spankings, Some people LIKE that sort of thing. Now what I will do here is educate a bit. I have some websites on the subject. Maybe these will clear up the confusion.

http://www.cuffs.com
http://www.castlerealm.com

http://www counter-urth.com
http://www.steel-door.com/Chamber.html


Those are Great sites to learn more about BDSM. Once you have information under your belt. Then discuss,but without the information you are speaking of what you do not know and that is never good

Good day Ladies and Gentleman
Tyger

1st I'd like to say I am a Master in Real life for 3 years, and that I did BDSM long before TSO.

Now I'm not sure if My 1st post made it out of the blocks SO I am posting again This will be a test post

Guess My 1st post made it!

Quote

Originally posted by Wordgirl
Somebody better put my mind at ease right now because I'm about to have a panic attack.

This Sims Online is an S&M game?

My 14 year old daughter plays this game and I NEVER look to see what's going on. I think my 10 year old son plays it too! WTF?

Both of these kids are very innocent. I'm not kidding myself here. I know them well enough to know what they're up to most of the time. They are very sweet, nice kids. They know NOTHING about S&M, and I don't want them to (not for at least another some years!)

But SIMS ONLINE is something I have to worry about now? Oh crap.

Please tell me I misread this whole thread.

um ...hello..this is what We in the game are talking about ..parents Not monitoring what their children are doing...is TSO a BDSM game...no..sorry..it is Not...and umm...10 yr old?? I do believe it says 13+ ?????...someone doesnt know how to read a requirement....and then complain about it?....But...to ease your mind....We do screen for ages...and I suggest you watch your 14 yr old...as I get more action sexually from a ~straight~ love loot than from any BDSM home...as We only play with Our sub/slaves...so unless your kids have lied about their ages I doubt they are around Us....and to the comment about new sims to TSO for this ...My sim is 400+ days..I am a founder ...as are Many of the people of Our community..I have Never saw any that ~Recruit~ into our community....a cult?? ok...I wanna know whos smoking what....some guy who gets ticked off because hes an ass...starts some crap about BDSM...Wake up people..We have been here since the beta days...have you??...and for the last time ...please do NOT associate us with the Sim shadow Government.....as We have not a thing to do with them ...yes I am a Gorean....I do Not go messing with anyone that doesnt mess with Me...I really dont know how Us Goreans got such a bad name...did anyone read the books?? other than I??...~shakes head~ I think its so funny that so many take offense at that which they do Not understand. I guess I should start shunning religous groups...just because I dont understand....of maybe lable the ~trekkies~ a cult?..~sigh~...and yes I have 2 children....13 and 15...I do Not expose them to My lifestyle..as that is for adults...and Yes..I do monitor what My children do on the net...as ANY responsible parent should....there are soooo many programs on TV that Warn parents to Monitor their childrens activities on the Net...in vain I see.....We are not a cult...nor do We recruit people...We do not chase people down...nor do We harass Others..all We wish to do is play a game...if thats wrong...then so is Everyone that plays a Online game...as its to have fun...and BTW..any play SWG?...There?...hate to tell you all..but the lifestyle is there as well...as well as Many Other games ....I guess Everyone is just to stop playing? because someone doesnt like US?...All Our homes are Marked Adult only....but then I got ~Normal~ love lots that allow underage kids to have sex....they do not screen as We do..but I guess We are worse...as We boot them..BTW if I remember correctly...segregation is in fact against the law....

Be well


Billy Bob Thornton

It takes some time before a message gets posted on this board. Not that what you had to say was either necessary, consciderate or even that important. From the little I cared to gather between your over punctuated and melodramatic writing style you're an adamant defender of your SIM community. Bravo! I often express pity for someone who is so involved in games that it over powers their grasp on reality. Not today. Noone here was really attacking you or what you do but you felt justified in taking out your erratic and emotional frustrations out on the members of this message board. Next time you care to share your 'thoughts' with us on the little game you are wrapped up in please go easy on the periods. I know you were trying to be all dramatic and make a point and all but you only revealed your limitations intellectually and opened yourself up for attack. On a more personal note, Im also certain that your deep involvement in the game is a reflection of genuine disatisfaction with your place in the real world and from reading your post I am able to determine that the source of your dischord probably has something to do with your blatant inablity to appeal socially to other people.


Good luck with life...

well templar..thx for the input but I hate to tell you you are way off. in case you didnt notice, the BDSM community has had a bad wrap and has been dragged into here. Why I do not know. I have a fulltime job of 48 hrs a week..so a life I dont need to get ;)
and I am so glad that you are the judge of importance of what one has to say. Bravo!! your right, noone was attacking . But I am glad to see your pathetic attempt :) anyways.your life must be a bowl of cherries also, I see you have more than enough time to scan threads and blast people. Clean your own yard before criticizing anothers.and umm. BTW. this thread is about that lil game ;) so whats your point? and FYI...TSO is not My main game. LOL but hey you might make a good shrink for one that does :)

Be Well

BBT

Just go back to your little game billy...

"I wonder if anyone knowledgeable about cults and online games can determine if "The Sims Online" has been invaded by one or more cults. There is a group of some 100 individuals or more joined, many of them recently after the game has been in existence for a year, many of them from other addictive online games like "Ultima Online". They belong to what they call a "lifestyle" called BDSM which stands for bondage/discipline/sadomasochism. They all use exactly the same expressions and terms. They have come into the main city of this on-line world and taken over 30 lots in the "romance" category out of 100 lots. They advocate violence and slavery iin sexual reationships and say it is consensual and this is actually an entire way of life for them. They say they are not a cult , but they appear to have some indoctrination techniques and many of the characteristics of coercion of the subtle type described on this site. Some of the most aggressive and violent ones say they are adherents of John Norman, the author of some science fiction novels about a land called Gor where the women are second-class citizens and slaves. The Goreans speak about themselves in the third person (the slaves) and also have their own language, arcane rituals, etc."

This is so utterly false, it is hard to know where to begin. So let me do this sentence by sentence.

"There is a group of some 100 individuals or more joined, many of them recently after the game has been in existence for a year, many of them from other addictive online games like "Ultima Online". "
- This may be true but I don't know any of these people. And our community had over 200 members prior to these 100 individuals who supposedly joined us. I have known these 200 members for months. Nobody is new.

"They have come into the main city of this on-line world and taken over 30 lots in the "romance" category out of 100 lots."
- Nobody took over anything. The way the lots are rated in TSO is by the number of visitors and how long those visitors stay. Our community sticks to itself for the most part. So we will all go hang out at each others lots. We didn't take over any of these lots. Members of our community built and established these lots. You make it sound like we wormed our way into them. That is utter and complete nonsense. As for taking over the category, well, that wasn't up to us. That is up to the way TSO rates the houses. The fact that we are in the top 100 just says we like each other and we like to visit each other.


"They advocate violence and slavery iin sexual reationships and say it is consensual and this is actually an entire way of life for them."
- This is a way of life for many people in the real world. They just don't advertise it. Again, we are talking about freedom of speech and freedom of self-expression. If someone comes up to me and asks me to educate them on our lifestyle, I will ask them if they are over 18 and if they say yes, I will to do so. I do not go into graphic terms and I do not ask them to join us. We let people make their own decisions. If they are not willing, they are not able.

"It has been pointed out that if you can log off or delete your Sim, it isn't much of a cult. Yet many of these players have websites that hook up to real-life scenes."
- No URLS are allowed in TSO. If you had investigated this, you would know this. Any URLS in game have to be approved my EA Games. Therefore, nothing violent or sexually explicit. So please, don't make false charges. Education is power.

"They have increased their membership hugely by what seems like recruitment, yet the new recruits say angrily that they haven't been recruited but just found their "lifestyle". "
- No recruitment necessary. They have found their lifestyle. Is that you, Dyerbrook?


This is about free speech people. BDSM is a movement. You cannot stop it, just like you could not stop the Equality movement or the Civil Rights movement. It is not a religious cult. There is no indoctrination. There is no leader. You can join or leave at your leisure. No one is forced to stay. Everyone has the ability to pack up and go.


As for Wordgirl, "My 14 year old daughter plays this game and I NEVER look to see what's going on. I think my 10 year old son plays it too! WTF?"
- As for you, honey, well, you are a lousy parent. Pay attention to what your kids do. Not my job. If you don't want to take care of them, call Child Services. They will.

Linderella

But incase you cannot look away mr Thorton. I'll answer the few questions you asked without over punctuation or using little emoticons in compensation for an inability to express oneself without sounding like a fanatic.

You admit that BDSM has a bad 'wrap' or by that I assume you mean reputation. Deservedly so. If you look up sexual deviancy on the internet its no coincedence that you find BDSM. Its not because the public is vastly misinformed or unfairly prejudiced, but because those practices are a reflection of a social illness.
Despite living in the age of tolerance and understanding, there are some things that are warped and disgusting. What I want to know is what people think is more disgusting, actually practicing BDSM or practicing it in an online video game.

Oh by the way, please dont wink at me. I dont care what way you swing, I wont bother you if youre, uh, a little light in the loafers. But really lad, this isnt the place for you to come campaigning for "Mayor of Video Game Bondage-land". Save the criticism of parents when all youre doing is advocating deviant and rather repulsive behavior in an environment that you would be totally ignorant to deny is intended primarily for young teen agers. You wouldnt deny that though, Id wager it was knowledge of that fact that compelled you to set up shop there.

I wonder if Micheal Jackson could have avoided his troubles if he had limited his sexual sickness to expression solely in a videogame like the sims.

You also mentioned that you dont know why BDSM has been brought up in here. Well for your information this is a cult education forum. For those of us who post and read here regularly someone like you comes around once every two or three topics and tries to make us look stupid and ignorant with a post such as yours. All they ever prove, much like you did, is that they are only too wrapped up in whatever they are defending to do anything more than to draw negative attention, like mine.

As far as me being a 'judge of whats important.." I only found it just important enough to respond to, has anyone else?

My attempt couldnt have been so pathetic, you were obviously moved to respond. Or am I mistaken in thinking "A better man would just walk away.." is one of your forth coming excuses for departing our forum in a timely fasion. Probably not, but you did try the old "Clean your own yard" shot so nothing will supprise me. Its not that I cruise boards looking to blast random stupid and the occasionally crazy sounding rant of a post. Im interested in cults etc. Thats why Im here.

So if youre finished with your winking and smiling at me, and using (...) everytime you should be hitting the enter key, and defending your right to virtual sodomy with 13 yearolds who's parents arent 'doing their duty monitoring their childrens activities online' Please show me you are the better man and just slowly step away from the thread..

"You admit that BDSM has a bad 'wrap' or by that I assume you mean reputation." do you know what the word assume means templar? You act educated.just curious. do I walk the ~funny~ side. sorry dude 100% Hetero. and I have kids so where the hell do you get off calling Me a childmolester. as I in No way support sex w kids. did you misread something? not really sure what Michael Jackson has to do with any of this..maybe you can explain. as far as Me just popping in and leaving, it was just brought to My attention of this site. another curiosity. since when is BDSM considered a cult? Because of a video game??? and the winking was Me bieng a smartass, but I actually thought you were smart enough to figure that out. lol oh BTW a survey conducted awhile back showes the ~average~ age of TSO was between 20 to 30 so what now? and no I will not step away as I was answering some charges against what I am involved in which in Fact is covered in this thread. did you bother to read above My post to see that I was answering some responses? I doubt it...and I will punctuate as I see fit. and just outta curiosity whats your age as I am no child lil man I am 37, you seem to me about 18 to possibly 23...am I close? and I will sure never step back from the likes of you ...soooo if you wish to continue I will be here ;)

BBT