Am not sure I have mentioned this before, but will do so again.

Never, under any circumstances, can a therapist mention anything about you to other clients.

And the therapist should never, ever mention anything about other clients. Even if names and other identifying characteristics are omitted, a therapist should never mention issues other clients are dealing with.

A therapist should never make it seem you are being "let in on a secret". If a therapist has misgivings about a colleague, he or she should never mention this to clients.

Unconsciously, it breeds fear in a client if he or she senses that a therapist is leaking information about other clients, even if no names are mentioned.

If a therapist permits boundary leakage by mentioning issues discussed by other clients, that therapist will do the same thing with your information.

And, to re-iterate, sessions should begin and end exactly according to the scheduled time. This too is a ritual that exists for good reason--to keep all parties focused and to established safe and bounded space.

If any therapist claims that all this is 'too rigid' or 'oppressive', that person is analogous to a an umpire who ignores rule violations in baseball and sneers that the rules take all the pleasure out of the game.

A well informed group of fans would never tolerate this.

Sadly too few of us understand how important the boundary rules and precautions are in therapy. We better informed about rules governing sports than about the rules that govern boundary procedure in effective psychotherapy.

Pseudo egalitarianism is a denial of responsibility for the reality and responsible use of the actual power a therapist does have as boundary arbitrator/umpire.

It may be said that the stricture is too rigid, if a pair of friends are seeing the same therapist, that it seems excessive to omit mentioning one friends' issues to another.

It is not wise for a therapist to have too many clients who share friendship ties. Too much potential for dual relations.

And it is a grave pitfall if a therapist and many clients share membership in the same church or sect.

Too much of a therapists economic livelihood depends on the sect. And in event of a crisis where a sect leader becomes eccentric or abusive, or makes excessive financial demands, a therapist who is a member and at the same time has clients in that same sect will be in a quandry. Some clients may support the leader; others may not.

The leader may expel or demote someone and the therapist may be forbidden to give care and support to that person, or worse, use counseling skills to rationalize the abuse and thwart the client from trusting that he or she has been exploited.

And if a therapist is ordered by a leader to supply confidential information about a client, a therapist has to choose between obedience to someone who is the link to God vs standing up for the welfare of clients--and honoring the rules that govern professional behavior.

And if a belief system rank orders human beings according to levels of perceived evolution, this is hard to reconcile with the ethic underlying professional psychotherapy--that every human being has inherant dignity.

Some aspirants have this motto:

"Mastery in Servitude"

By contrast, here is the code of ethics for the National Association of Social Workers. It would apply to anyone who is an MSW or LCSW. But this is a worthy guideline for anyone licensed to practice psychotherapy.

[webcache.googleusercontent.com]

Quote

Social workers seek to enhance the capacity of people to address their own needs. Social workers also seek to promote the responsiveness of organizations, communities, and other social institutions to individuals’ needs and social problems.

For a therapist to proslytize or subtly hint that a particular religion as better than others violates this item of the NASW code. Such proslytizing even if well intended, insinuates that a client lacks resources to find his or her own best approach to living.

A therapist should sort his or her religious issues out while still in training and discuss everything candidly with his or her clinical supervisor. If he or she considers a guru or belief system something to be kept secret from the clinical supervisor, then that secrecy will mean that large sectors of the trainee therapists inner life remain unexamined and will present countertransferance hazards in therapy.

And a student's clinical supervisor or training analyst should never be a member of his or her same religion or even share belief in guruhood--for a guru is merely an unexamined screen for unconscious projections.

Back to the NASW's code of ethics.

Quote

These (following) core values, embraced by social workers throughout the profession’s history, are the foundation of social work’s unique purpose and perspective:

· service (Corboy note: 'service, not 'servitude'. Servitude is to give up adult agency. Service retains adult agency)
· social justice
· dignity and worth of the person
· importance of human relationships
· integrity
· competence.

This constellation of core values itemizes distinctive features of the social work profession.

Note the statement "within the context and complexity of the human experience."

If a social worker is in a sect that contains (say) a belief that the human experience is something to be transcended, that society is good merely insofar as it supports or does not interefere with esoteric lodge work and the work of transcendance, and where human beings are rank ordered hierarchically with some being more evolved and thus worthier than others, this stance is difficult to reconcile with the aim of social work which regards human experience itself as the medium within which to operate--not transcend. And in which social structures are not to be taken as given, but to be examined, and if necessary, challenged if generating harm to the human family -- beyond the confinces of one's sect.

It would be different if it were worded "Mastery through Service" or even "Mastery Through Servanthood".

When interviewing therapists, it is a good idea to ask what each candidate knows about false memory syndrome.

There is an extensive literature on this.

[www.culteducation.com]

If one runs a search on Google Scholar and types false memory into the slot, one gets these citations--as of October 28th, 2013 it listed "About 1,140,000 results"

[scholar.google.com]

A search of Recovered Memory Syndrome on Google Scholar - About 136,000 results as of October 28th, 2013

[scholar.google.com]

If a therapist becomes defensive or belittles you for inquiring about his or her knowledge of false memory syndrome, get up and run.

One article was published as far back as 1988

Reconstructing memory through hypnosis: Forensic and clinical implications
M Orne, W Whitehouse, D Dinges, E Orne… - … and memory, 1988 - ncjrs.gov
... Abstract: In clinical settings, the therapist and patient jointly define the events, the realities, and
the ... In contrast, forensic applications focus on determining the truth. Studies have shown that normal
human memory is considerably more reliable than are memories induced by the ...
Cited by 78 Related articles All 3 versions Cite More

Now, there can be a more subtle situation in which a therapist may say the right thing. My say that his or her role is never to dig, but to create a safe and boundaried situation so that whatever a client needs to work with will surface when the client is ready.

All well and good.

But...keep alert for whether your therapist, long term, continues to behave according to this mission statement.

I am aware of a situation where a therapist did say that his or or role was to never to dig or fish, but to maintain that safe and boundaried setting.

But, over years, every now and then, the therapist would remind the client of how the client had expressed concern in that very first interview about the therapists stance on false memories (very well informed client!) and the therapist, recalling this incident, would make it seem the client had been hostile, out of control.

The client had made that inquiry at a time when news reports were being published about false memory.

To remind someone of their highly appropriate question and then try to reframe that memory in a way that makes it seem that the client had been out of control or on the verge of being out of control while asking this most appropriate question -- that is a possible foul ball.

One is not insane or paranoid to ask an appropriate question how a therapist deals with issues of memory. One is not out of line for asking about a therapists stance on how he or she deals with boundaries.

To repeat, there is an extensive literature out there.

In this one article, the author lists various techniques.

[www.culteducation.com]

Quote

Techniques for probing memory can actually alter memory. In fact, some constellations of techniques, when used together, are a cookbook for implanting full-blown false memories. This reality came to light during the 1990"s, when an epidemic of cases emerged in which people were recanting memories that they had "uncovered" in therapy; many such memories were demonstrated to have been false. In these cases, the techniques used by therapists to uncover repressed memories appear to have been the culprit; these same techniques are well-established to contribute to distortions of memory in the laboratory, as noted in these two books.

The problem with not being informed about what will happen during the retreat to which I was invited is that I have no way of evaluating whether the activities in which I will be engaged will be beneficial or whether they might influence my memory in a way that I would not want. Do the techniques happen to form a "cookbook" for false memories?

What is in the "cookbook?" Among the techniques to look out for are:

Leading Questions: How a question about a memory is worded can influence how a person remembers.

Suggestion. From merely planting ideas about things that "likely" happened to you, to doctoring photographs of past events, researchers have repeatedly shown that exposure to suggestion changes what we remember. In effect, the exposure itself is an experienced event that may produce confusion.

Guided Imagery: While guided imagery can be very useful for things like motor rehabilitation, athletic training, or focused relaxation, in the context of using it to uncover unconscious memories or hidden aspects of oneself, it can be dangerous. The use of guided imagery in attempting to uncover memories can increase the likelihood of developing false memories. One reason for this may be that there is neural overlap between the networks used in imagining activities and actually performing them, and there is overlap between the neural networks used in imagination and those in remembering; this may contribute to false memory.

Imagination: A phenomenon known as imagination inflation occurs when imagining something leads to believing that it actually happened, and it can be brought on in the laboratory at alarming rates.

There are other factors to consider too, like mood manipulation. When questioned about a negative experience from your past, the wording can affect how close or far away from the experience you feel. Making you feel closer to negative experiences from your past will make you feel sadder. Importantly, relative mood can be induced, and being in a negative mood will tend to trigger negative memories-it will be easier to think of them. And the sadder you feel, the more negative memories you"re likely to conjure up.

When put together and couched in terms of probing hidden aspects of yourself, these methods can convince you that things that occurred in your past are causing you problems today.

And she describes how she was invited to a workshop but her friend flat refused to tell her what the techniques consisted of.

[www.culteducation.com]

Corboy;
yes false memory stuff is a good one to understand. It is always good to notice if a therapist seems to have an obvious agenda separate to yours in therapy. If for example they seem really interested in subscribing your issues to say sexual abuse then you need to be aware that there are always other causes of the same symptoms. There was a book written long ago which had a laundry list of symptoms that covered almost anything which was used by bad therapists to identify supposed victims with repressed memories. It caused a lot of harm. (by the way, always good to try the obvious test to memories that come up in therapy. for example if the therapist "helps" you to remember getting beaten and your arm broken for example, look at pictures around that age and see if you were wearing a cast. A smiling photo of you throwing a ball with two arms for example would probably indicate your memory isn't valid. And no reputable therapist should be presenting a recovered memory to you as being accurate truth. maybe it is an allegory from your subconscious.. maybe it is truth. And maybe it is a therapist asking too many leading questions while you are relaxed and suggestible.

A study in California found that clients who were getting treatment for supposed "repressed memories" the longer the treatment went on , the worse the clients got, more self abuse , suicidal, lost the ability to hold a job etc. when the therapy stopped, the clients lives improved.
Which brings me to one of my own basic tenants; don't let anyone, with good intentions or not, make you sick.
IMO, even if you have had major challenges in your past, then while touching on them/discussing with a therapist can be helpful; it is even better to work on how to make your life right now better.
Can't remember where it came from but I remember a commentary of someone discussing a group of women who had been abused and tortured in a different country before coming as immigrants to the west. No question that they had memories in their past that were horrendous. But what the observer noted was they got together not to rehash the horrors, but to help each other cope with day to day living..
If over all therapy is making your life harder, not easier, then imo it is time to leave.

This item, from someone's blog, might be helpful.

[pitfallsofspirituality.blogspot.com]

"The question for this post remains:

How can I, personally, just for me, decide whether I am deluding myself (or am being led to delude myself)?

I think part of the answer lies in `unease'.

Accepting some form of unease for a prolonged period of time might well lead me to a serious form of self-delusion. (You might call this the heart-approach)

Another part lies in: `face the facts'. Making a factual list of the important issues, I might be able to pierce through the cognitive dissonance avoidance mechanism. (You might call this the mind-approach)."

One thing though - if one has grown up in a tension ridden family, one may be accustomed to living in chronic 'unease'.

If, despite your own sincere investment of time and effort, you feel misgivings, trust them. Write them down.

And if the therapist does not respect your concerns, that too is a clue. Talk about it with friends.

If you feel a need to be protective of the therapist--that is a yellow light, a sign one is e-enacting a parenting role.

To repeat, if you are having misgivings about therapy and you are otherwise functioning well and have no history of being a danger to yourself or others and you are functioning well in your job and friendships..tell the therapist you want a months break.

And if the therapist keeps trying to talk you out of it, or hints you will lose your slot if you dare do this--thats a sign to *take* that break.

In the July 2013 issue of CDA Journal, there is an article entitled "The Ethics of Social Media in Dental Practice: Ethical Tools and Professional Responses by Bruce Peltier Ph.D MBA and Arther Curley, JD.

Some of the information in this article seems transferable to the obligations and pitfalls faced by trainee and licensed psychotherapists. One can substitute 'mental health professional' for 'dentist' .

In place of 'digital technology and 'social media" substitute new age beliefs, untested treatment modalities and especially treatment modalities advertised and taught by and in charisma driven social contexts.

"Professional Identity and the fiduciary nature of dental practice.

"Perhaps the most compelling concept is that of professionalism (author italics)
Professionals, by definition, perform an important service for people who are in a vulnerable position and unable to evaluate service for themselves. ..

"Because the public cannot effectively evaluate dental treatments, it is best if dentists manage their own collective behavior--as a profession. ..

"Professional considerations must be differentiated from etiquette (good manners) and a gray area (social context saturated with both marketing and social media) that exists.


"Dentists **must** discern between the two (professsional etiquette and gray area) when evaluating the use of digital technology (social media - Corboy) when promoting their practices.

(Corboy note: next, the authors describe how 'discrimination'--that is, use of critical thinking and sensitivity to social factors) come into play when a dentist is tempted to advertise by putting a photo on a website of the dental team members dressed in goofy costumes for a holiday.)

"Perception and appearance of professionalism are simply not enough. Bebeau and Monson stress the central importance of identity. (Self coherance/sense of self--Corboy)

"Clearly, the outweard manifestations of professionalism may help to maintain public trust, just as a customer service orientation may serve as an antidote to crass commercialism. However, such outward manifestions (Diplomas on the wall, the title of 'Doctor' white coat or scrub suit -Corboy) may not sustain the profession or the professional unless they are linked to a moral identity that not only keeps self interest in check but also guides and promotes a doctor patient relationship based upon trust."(end of quote)**

"The question of identity becomes important when an individual dentist is faced with the decision to participate in emerging methods of promotion or marketing...

"A "profession" is an abstract thing, and if a dentist's identity does not include a sense of group membership, he or she is unlikely to consider the impact of his or her individual decision on the "profession" as a whole.

...
Research by Bebeau and colleagues implies a problem deeper than simple choices about use of techology:

(quote)(There is) a substantial body of evidence suggesting that many students entering professional education have not achieved key transitions in identity formation that prepare them for the other-centered role that society adn the profession expect of them. (unquote) @

All quotes from Bebeau et al. are from Bebeau, MJ and
Monson, VE(2012) "Professional Identity and the Status of Professions in Contemporary Society, In A. McKee & M. Eraut (Eds.), Learning Trajectories, Innovation and Identity for Professional Development, Innovation and Change in Professional Education 7, Springer Science + Business Media B.V

I have attempted to re-translate the above article to bring its insights to bear on how therapists can and have been compromised by involvement with gurus, new age therapies and cults.

In short, merely becoming a licensed professional will not confer inner clarity, or give a sense of self. If a therapist has confused the role of guru and psychotherapist, and that inner confusion carries a heavy risk factor for the acting out of that confusion in the form of boundary violation.

What you dont know consciously, you risk doing unconsciously.

And today, there is a lot of media attention given to synthesising or 'integrating' spirituality and psychotherapy. Too often this is used by compromised therapists to justify thier own inablity to appreciate and operate within boundaries.

If a surgeon loudly proclaimed that hand washing is oppressive, we would be alarmed.

But most of us have difficulty recognizing when a psychotherapist has become just as unaware of boundaries and proprieties as our hypothetical surgeon.
-------------------------------------
In the July 2013 issue of CDA Journal, there is an article entitled "The Ethics of Social Media in Dental Practice: Ethical Tools and Professional Responses by Bruce Peltier Ph.D MBA and Arther Curley, JD.

Some of the information in this article seems transferable to the obligations and pitfalls faced by trainee and licensed psychotherapists. One can substitute 'mental health professional' for 'dentist' .

In place of 'digital technology and 'social media" substitute new age beliefs, untested treatment modalities and especially treatment modalities advertised and taught by and in charisma driven social contexts.

"Professional Identity and the fiduciary nature of psychotherapy practice.

"Perhaps the most compelling concept is that of professionalism (author italics)
Professionals, by definition, perform an important service for people who are in a vulnerable position and unable to evaluate service for themselves. ..

"Because many arrive seek therapists or are referred to therapists in times of crisis, they will not know how to evaluate whether a therapist operates within the boundary etiquette of the profession. A particular therapist’s eccentricities and improprieties may be normalized, especially by persons who have grown up in boundary compromised families.

"Professional considerations must be differentiated from etiquette (good manners, titles, diplomas on the wall, office setting) and a gray area (social context saturated with new age, large group awareness workshops and charisma driven groups which blur the boundary between psychotherapy and commercialism.


"Licensed and trainee psychotherapists **must** discern between the two (professsional etiquette and gray area) when tempted to see themselves as gurus or “agents of transformation’ for clients, rather than assistants in problem solving and guardians of client autonomy.

"Perception and appearance of professionalism are simply not enough. Bebeau and Monson stress the central importance of identity. (Self coherance/sense of self--Corboy)

"Clearly, the outweard manifestations of professionalism may help to maintain public trust, just as a customer service orientation may serve as an antidote to crass commercialism. However, such outward manifestions (Diplomas on the wall, etc) may not sustain the profession or the professional unless they are linked to a moral identity that not only keeps self interest in check but also guides and promotes a doctor patient relationship based upon trust."(end of quote)**

Corboy note: If a therapists moral identity is commingled with the internalized introject of a guru, that therapist will be unable or have great difficulty maintaining client boundaries if the guru pushes the therapist disciple to bring the gurus teachings into the therapy room.

"The question of identity becomes important when a therapist disciple is encouraged or seduced to commingle the role of therapist and guru. Some group leaders function as infallible gurus with pretensions to metaphysical insights yet have professional titles and in come cases clinical licenses. In rare cases such gurus have occupied faculty positions at reputable universities.

"A "profession" is an abstract thing, and if a therapists identity does not include a sense of membership in the evidence based psychotherapy profession, he or she is unlikely to consider the impact of guru influenced decision on the "profession" as a whole. If a therapist disciple socializes and confers only with other therapist disciples of the same guru , professional identity is compromised yet more seriously.

A therapist in this predicament with compromised inner boundaries may eventually have difficulty maintaining boundaries with clients.

Possible outcomes.

A therapist may see him/herself as a guru in training rather than as a someone practicing an evidence based profession.

If a therapist is using his or her guru to self soothe and regulate emotion, that therapist will tend to bring religious ideas into the therapy session whenever things become tense—or boring. A client may be unaware—at first—that therapy is being replaced by religious chit chat, meeting the therapists needs, not the clients. For that, one can go to a chaplain of one’s choice.

A therapist who is compromised in this manner may sometimes relate to clients as partners in the Great Quest (pseudo egalitarianism) and tell too much about the therapists own personal life.

Other times, the therapist based on personal need, will see him or herself as the clients guru and make assertions and do intrusive questioning of the kind that the therapists own guru is allowed to do.

Research by Bebeau and colleagues write:

(quote)(There is) a substantial body of evidence suggesting that many students entering professional education have not achieved key transitions in identity formation that prepare them for the other-centered role that society adn the profession expect of them. (unquote) @

If one has done late adolescent identity formation by internalizing ones cult leader as Ideal Parent, and that guru’s introject forms one’s identity before or during clinical training as a psychotherapist, commitment to this guru may well be commingled with identity as a therapist.

In this internalized boundary confusion, a student therapist or therapist may never have the clarity needed to see that psychotherapy practice is to serve clients and only to serve clients not serve the guru and not serve the group. A therapist in this predicament may
intellectually grasp the concept of being a fiduciary but be emotionally unable to function in that role or to prevent cult beliefs from leaking into the therapy sessions.

And…clients have no way to evaluate these dangers, any more than we can decide for ourselves whether our broken tooth needs merely resurfacing treatment or crown replacement.

All quotes from Bebeau et al. are from Bebeau, MJ and
Monson, VE(2012) "Professional Identity and the Status of Professions in Contemporary Society, In A. McKee & M. Eraut (Eds.), Learning Trajectories, Innovation and Identity for Professional Development, Innovation and Change in Professional Education 7, Springer Science + Business Media B.V

A guru must never become custodian of anyone's identity.

And...a guru or charismatic leader must never become custodian of one's professional identity, either.

One ceases to be a professional in the true sense.

Sir Thomas More was not a nice man, persecuted English Protestants.

That part is not worth emulating.

But More put his own life on the line. He accepted that the King of England could rule his body. But More refused to state that the King was entitled to rule his soul.

Moments before his head was axed off, More told the audience, "I die the Kings good servant, but God's first"

Today one need not die.

But if a compromised therapist is to become emancipated, he or she must die to the cult identity and die to his or her guru controlled identity.

Today one need only remain conscious and very aware of the hazards posed by any guru, lama, rinpoche, tulku, minister, sheikh, pir or avatar one who proclaims ones ego must be annihilated (as a drop of water disappears in the ocean) in their service.

A functioning ego, a dignified and self respecting ego is what one must retain and put into the service of the entire human family, not merely one's sect.

And one's ego is needed to function not in servitude but in service to the code of honor and continuing education that underlies ones commitment to service, not servitude, as a professional.

A few groups may actually train members to blur the roles of disciple and health care/mental health professional. Or blur the roles of guru and psychotherapist.

If one is young adult, still still forming one's identity (as described by Berbeau) and finds a mentor or guru who role models and teaches this kind of role confusion, the student professional who internalizes a compromised mentor as role model may be able to get A's in ethics classes, successfully pass tests on law and ethics when applying for licensure, have the intellectual understanding of the concepts of fiduciary and of boundaries, yet lack the emotional clarity and maturity needed to put these into practice.

Because one's guru attracted and retained projections of the student therapist's ideal self, the guru becomes custodian and entangled with the aspiring therapapists ideal self. In extreme cases, the guru whose projectin is internalized by teh student becomes an unquestionable and unconscious regulator of the disciple therapists emotions and moral boundaries. To apply conscious insight to this predicament risks rupturing the bond between oneself and the guru.

Years ago, on a messsage forum one therapist who did function as a clinical supervisor stated he no longer accepted graduates from a famous but new age university.

The graduates mostly dismayed him because they assumed that their role as therapist included functioning as spiritual arbiters. They were also shocked to learn that they had not 'finished' their schooling and were stunned when this supervisor told them of the amount of reading and coursework they would be oligated to do in order to meet the minimum continuing education needed to maintain their licenses.

This clinician told the message board that by comparison with this univeristy, students who did clinical traing at the state university had much more realistic expectations of their roles as therapists and better understanding of professional identity.

So, what to do if you are looking for a therapist?

If you are in crisis, you may risk bonding with anyone who is kind and says the right things. So its best to do some research and write some guidelines before you pick up the phone and make that first interview appointment.

Referrals from friends and acquaintancies may work well or not so well. If you want an evidence based therapist, dont ask a friend who is into New Age or guru based stuff for a referral.

By contrast, suppose you meet someone who has a serious condition such as bipolar and is stable, on medication and a lifestyle plan. That persons prescribing psychiatrist may have a list of therapists he or she refers people to.

Hospital social workers and case managers can be a very good source of referrals. Social workers see the successes and they see the fuck ups.

You now have a list of names.

But..remember, theres the human tendency to bond when face to face with people.


So.. make appointments for interviews, check all the names in the state licensure or (if they are Ph.Ds or Psy.Ds, the American Psychological Association, state division) databases to see if there have been prior complaints.

It is painful and difficult for many people to register a complaint, because so many feel residual loyalty and feel protective of even an erring therapist. If there is just one complaint, you are better off moving down the list to the next name.


When interviewing therapists, for yourself or someone else, anyone who pays for this has the right to ask specific and searching questions not limited to this short list:

(If you are recovering from involvement in a cult)

*What is your training in exit counseling cult recovery. How long do your clients remain with you? Who trained you? (Then go home and look that up)

Where did you do your degree work and clinical training? (Go home and look up whether the school is APA accredited and what its accreditation status has been for the past ten years.)

Ask the therapist what role he or she sees spirituality as having in the therapeutic process (If you want an evidence based therapist, that person should reply that he or she doenst bring it into the therapeutic process)

Feel free to ask if the therapist has ever been involved with a guru or any group that has been listed on cult websites.

If you feel especially gutsy, ask the therapist what he or she knows about null hypothesis or principle of falsifiability.

If the person shows any defensiveness, keep looking