I've been following this story with agony as I learn increasing details. Apparently, he exerted studied mind control over at least a decade, leading to their breakdowns, suicide attempts (and at least one completed suicide) through his "therapy".

One victim who had graduated from Harvard and Columbia medical schools before meeting him, was coerced into four years work as a prostitute (to his multi-milllion dollar profit) by convincing her of imaginary crimes - including attempting to poison him. He "broke" their minds by mental and physical torture, including one whole family of siblings.

I try to imagine being a student in the dorm he inhabited, how in the world he got away with it -- and why? (Note Sarah Lawrence dorms consisted of numerous large renovated houses.)

Pure evil, he studied how to twist and manipulate minds - incredibly insinuating himself into their lives beginning by living in his daughter's dorm at will (she defends him! Who knows what he had done to her growing up?)

Sentenced to life, declared perpetual risk

quote:

Originally posted by Amanda:
I try to imagine being a student in the dorm he inhabited, how in the world he got away with it -- and why?

That's the question I was left with after reading the article. How does one man spin such a web of mind control as to ensnare so many victims?

Big Al

Wow. facebook shows me a lot of upsetting articles but not that one!

I was almost triggered! How sad for the victims!

I'm still thinking about this story. It seemed almost incomprehensible to me, but then I thought about other instances of mind control like Charles Manson and the Manson Family or Jim Jones at Jonestown in Guyana to imagine that such things are possible. I wonder if the rise of Adolph Hitler was an example of such tactics on a national scale.

Big Al