Quote
rrmoderator
It sounds like I-group for many of its participants has become a substitute for professional counseling with a licensed therapist and/or a therapy support group faciitated by a trained professional.
When people use professionals as opposed to an LGAT like MKP they have some assurances concerning leaders regarding education, experience and ethics pertaining to enforced accountability through boards, licensing bodies etc.
Also there is enforced confidentiality.
Agreed. in my opinion I-Group should SUPPLEMENT professional counseling for those who NEED it, not replace it. The same could be said for AA (a form of counseling, enforced confidentiality). None of these groups are professionals and they should be VERY clear on that.
My counselor was all for the MKP weekend and the whole 'coming of age' and 'getting in touch with the innner man' concepts. I told her all about the weekend aftewards and got some raised eyebrows and a fews snickers, but she had no significant issues. In her opinion the change in environment and the whole 'brotherhood' that is an attempt at being loving with other men (that is not GAY) is lacking in our society.
Now, she is a well respected MFCC/ Drug / Alcohol counselor. She had never heard of MKP until I went and she has seen the damage that SOME AA groups and other self help groups do to their members by their 'controlling' attitudes.
I have discusssed the 'brainwashing' with her in detail and she thinks that only the men who are really emotionally immature and weak could possibly become 'owned' by the group. Generally it's no different than marines boot camp. actually boot camp really DOES have enough time to brainwash you.
Now, on the other hand the Yahoo group for the people 'hurt' by MKP is in itself a form of 'group therapy'. Her observation was quite simple: What does that group actually DO to 'help' the members who were 'hurt by MKP?' From the postings it appears that what they do is keep the wound open and cultivate the anger and hatred. Why? To feed the needs of the moderator who is the most vocal anti-MKP person?
It sure does NOT heal their wounds in any way at all. This should be self evident by the sheer outpouring of anger and hate that comes from SOME of those members when they post there, and when they post HERE.
For someone who has truly been hurt, this is not a method of healing their woulds. It just keeps it going....