Who was Charles “Chuck” Dederich?
The Synanon was a community founded by Charles E. “Chuck” Dederich in 1958. After being a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, a rehabilitation group for people suffering from alcohol abuse, Charles decided to start a community of his own for people with drug and substance abuse issues. Being a recovering user of LSD, Charles noted that he wanted to create a specific community for the substance and drug addicts as their problems were significantly different from those of the alcoholics.
Charles “Chuck” Dederich founded The Synanon which was originally known as Tender Loving Care. The community was located in Santa Monica, California and was a drug rehabilitation program. The program later became a community as more people who did not deal with any substance abuse joined the Synanon in group truth-telling sessions. The Synanon community later went on to become a cult known as the Church of Synanon by the 1970s.
What happened at The Synanon?
The Synanon eventually became a popular place for common people and celebrities alike. Known for its truth-telling sessions called ‘The Synanon Game’, the cult practised attack therapy, a pseudo-therapeutic method of interaction between fellow patients during group therapy. The HBO Original documentary – The Synanon Fix details testimonies of victims about their horrors from participating in these attack therapy sessions.
The Synanon Game eventually turned into long brainwashing sessions where people were pressurised to submit to Charles Dederich’s will. It has been reported that Charles forced the members of the cult to abort pregnancies, undergo vasectomies, and commit violence.
The documentary also narrates how Charles brainwashed the cult members into splitting from their partners and remarrying, a decision that many of them regret now. The Synanon, under the leadership of Charles, committed over 80 violent acts including mass beatings that hospitalized teenagers who were beaten in front of their families.
How was The Synanon Cult destroyed?
Reports claim that Charles and members of his cult kidnapped a 25-year-old housewife from California named – Frances Winn. After France approached the cult after feeling severely depressed, she was forcefully made to stay with the cult. Paul Morantz, an attorney had filed a lawsuit against the cult leader on behalf of Frances and several former members of Synanon. Due to this, Paul was attacked by members of the group and had to be admitted to the hospital for six days, recovering from a rattlesnake bite.
The incident received a lot of media attention at the time and eventually led to the downfall of The Synanon. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) found evidence of Charles talking to members of his cult and brainwashing them into performing criminal activities. As of 1979, Point Reyes Light, a local newspaper was able to report the crimes of the Synanon which won them $100,000 against the cult.
What happened to Charles “Chuck” Dederich?
On December 2nd 1978, Charles “Chuck” Dederich was arrested while drunk. Charles was charged and convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation to commit kidnapping and assault. Along with him, Joe Musico and Lance Kenton were also arrested and pleaded “no contest” to charges of assault and conspiracy to commit murder and received jail sentences for their involvement in the crimes.
Charles Dederich received probation because his doctors claimed that due to ill health, he would most likely die in prison. As a condition of probation, he was disallowed from taking part in managing Synanon. On 28 February 1997, Charles Dederich (aged 83) died due to a series of strokes. The cause of Charles Dederich’s death was determined to be cardiorespiratory failure.