Martin C.

I've had multiple threads deleted. I was not warned, notified, or given a reason afterward. When i contacted 3 neighborhood leads they either ignored me, passed the buck, or gave evasive non-answers. Very passive-aggressive.

ND has a "misinformation policy" re" COV19, which basically translates to... uphold status quo as dictated by mainstream govt and news, or we will censor you. Absolutely disgusting.

And the posts in my neighborhood feed... OMG, it is the most banal and pointless crap all day long. When I try to inject anything different or challenge the prevailing COV19 social programming, many members start shrieking hysterically, throw insults, report my posts, etc. Lot of people who are emotionally fragile and easily triggered and want discussions sanitized for their benefit.

The Psychotherapy forum is frequently a horror show. Dissent is not tolerated by the aggressive main clique. You can call out a "bad" therapist, but talk about basic pathology in the system and you'll likely be shouted down by the angry mob, or censored by the overbearing and heavily biased moderators. Even well-reasoned criticism or questioning brings out ad hominem attacks and childish tantrums.

Critical thinking is not encouraged. Instead there is rampant groupthink and sheep-like adherence to pro-industry orthodoxies. The doctrine of psychotherapeutic "transference" is accepted as gospel. Everyone agrees it must be worked though but nobody can quite explain how or why. No matter how badly therapy is harming someone, there will be chants of "more therapy!". Devotion to psychiatry's magic pills is likewise fierce and frightening. Many members appear to be therapy and/or pharma addicts.

It is considered "supportive" to encourage other members to accept whatever pathologizing and stigmatizing diagnoses they've received, no matter how dubious. It is considered "unsupportive" to deconstruct this corrupt paradigm and suggest other possibilities. Something as basic as good nutrition or self-care is considered subversive. Its also considered supportive to openly contradict and reinterpret what other members say, if it's not in line with majority thinking.

The moderators carry out de facto censorship via selective enforcement of vague and draconian rules, under the guise of keeping the forums safe. You keep people safe by allowing free expression, not by looking over their shoulder and editing their thoughts like big brother. Threads are closed without warning, and posts silently deleted (down the memory hole!). Moderators do not accept challenges and regularly admonish users as if they are children. Members are coddled and controlled and taught to be timid and compliant, thus reinforcing the powerlessness and deferral to authority that is the hallmark of therapy itself.

The site's owner and daddy figure John Grohol, the mods, and long-time members behave like wannabe therapists. They are often irrational and lacking self-awareness and equanimity. All are prone to pompous moralizing and patronizing lessons that probably reflect the warping influence of years in the mental health system. This sort of therapizing is commonplace in therapy culture, but in other contexts is the domain of insufferable nags, boors, and scolds, or people with distorted interpersonal boundaries (ironic, since therapists preach endlessly about boundaries).

Members struggling in therapy who show any sign of doubt are often scolded or bullied by the true believers. It's like a kangaroo court. Client blaming is the norm. The rules of engagement reflect therapy itself: contrived authority, imposed hierarchy, aversion to scrutiny, aggressive squashing of dissent, deception and dishonesty, covert narcissism, delusions of omniscience.

If you are a survivor of psychotherapy abuse or harm, and want to talk openly about it, this is the not the place, unless you go underground with closed groups or private messaging. The biz in all its manifestations does not want to hear from its casualties.