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Interesting career path for ex-TWI minister


Jim
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Does he just leave former involvement with twi out of his bio?

All I could find was: "I also have significant personal experience. When I was younger, I belonged to what the field refers to as an 'Eastern Meditation Cult.'"

Perhaps he leaves out TWI, or "fundamentalist christian cult" because he was NOT in TWI.

I knew that the guy who started trancenet/trancechat wasn't a TWI guy.

Another gal from twi (non-corps) picked up the ball and ran with it for a while... That gal's from your neck of the woods, LZ...

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So this isn't the TWI Rev. Knapp?
I couldnt say, I had a way home roommate named John Knapp but being I havent seen him in nearly thirty years I couldnt tell from the photo if it was him or not....might be...might not be.

Regardless his stuff still looks interesting and applicable

Edited by mstar1
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EDIT 7/8/08 1:22am I DID NOT POST THIS! IT MAY BE FROM HIM. I EMAILED HIM TO VERIFY AND FIND OUT HOW IT GOT UNDER MY NAME AND SENT PAW A PM ABOUT THIS ALSO.

Hi, guys,

I noticed your post on me from reading my web stats. Thanks for all the visitors from greasespotcafe.com to KnappFamilyCounseling.com! :wave:

To answer a couple of questions, I was not a member of TWI. The old trancenet.net site, still available but not being currently developed, was the work of a number of people. Most of the work on the TWI pages was done by a woman named Kelly. I provided the space, the html, the design, and some editorial consultation when Kelly asked for it. The credit really belongs to her.

I was a member of Transcendental Meditation for 23 years. I write some about my experiences on my counseling web site.

I have worked with over 2000 former cult members since 1995. I am now a licensed master social worker (therapist) specializing in recovery from cults. I have worked with a number of TWI members over the years. But I am still learning about TWI from my clients.

I do not do "exit counseling." I work with people who have left a destructive group but continue to struggle with difficulties in their lives, stretching from depression to financial/career difficulties to difficulties with social or family relationship problems and more.

If I can answer any questions about my work, please don't hesitate to post here or write me directly at jmknapp53@gmail.com.

Thanks again for thinking of me!

John M. Knapp, LMSW

Therapist. Counselor. Coach.

Cult Counselor.

Edited by JustSayNO
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Here's an excerpt from his web site, I can identify with some of these "challlenges" he's listed, weird that these are universal syndrome symptoms, who knew?:

--------------------------------

"You may not realize the problems many of us share as former cult members. If you recognize any challenges listed below, know that you are not alone. And that, together, my clients and I have worked successfully to improve them."

financial difficulties,

lack of career direction,

identity confusion,

difficulty holding a job

dissociative states ("spacing out")

floating into and out of your cult or other high-demand groups

panic or anxiety attacks

depression

post-traumatic stress

stress symptoms, such as headaches, backaches, asthma, and others

difficulty making decisions

dependency on others slowed psychological development (difficulty maturing)

guilt, fear, or shame

sleep disorders (insomnia, hypersomnia, or nightmares)

eating disorders

sexuality issues

difficulty trusting

fear of intimacy or commitment

harassment by your former group

grieving your former group or loss of friends or family

difficulty with spirituality

and many other challenges after leaving their groups.

Edited by now I see
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Rocky, I'd never heard that. Please PM me the person's name (the one from my neck of the woods). I wonder if I knew her.

Done. And I see that Mr. Knapp has posted to this thread... :)

So this isn't the TWI Rev. Knapp?

That's correct.

And, he has replied to you, I suppose you already know now.

And yes, Kelly did most of the TWI stuff at trancenet.

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Hi, guys,

I noticed your post on me from reading my web stats. Thanks for all the visitors from greasespotcafe.com to KnappFamilyCounseling.com! :wave:

To answer a couple of questions, I was not a member of TWI. The old trancenet.net site, still available but not being currently developed, was the work of a number of people. Most of the work on the TWI pages was done by a woman named Kelly. I provided the space, the html, the design, and some editorial consultation when Kelly asked for it. The credit really belongs to her.

I was a member of Transcendental Meditation for 23 years. I write some about my experiences on my counseling web site.

I have worked with over 2000 former cult members since 1995. I am now a licensed master social worker (therapist) specializing in recovery from cults. I have worked with a number of TWI members over the years. But I am still learning about TWI from my clients.

I do not do "exit counseling." I work with people who have left a destructive group but continue to struggle with difficulties in their lives, stretching from depression to financial/career difficulties to difficulties with social or family relationship problems and more.

If I can answer any questions about my work, please don't hesitate to post here or write me directly at jmknapp53@gmail.com.

Thanks again for thinking of me!

John M. Knapp, LMSW

Therapist. Counselor. Coach.

Cult Counselor.

UHM,

This is strange and Paw may want to look into this but I did not post that message and I am not quite sure how it got here. No one has access to my computer so I'm going to guess that either this is a glitch that another poster's message got posted under my name or my account has been hacked.

I'm gonna email John to verify it was him and see what username he uses.

Edited by JustSayNO
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UHM,

This is strange and Paw may want to look into this but I did not post that message and I am not quite sure how it got here. No one has access to my computer so I'm going to guess that either this is a glitch that another poster's message got posted under my name or my account has been hacked.

I'm gonna email John to verify it was him and see what username he uses.

Yikes! That's troubling.

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yikes!

Since you could edit the post, it would seem someone has your login info. I would recommend changing your password, at least. The post seemed quite plausible.

I could be wrong, but I could swear I completed a post to this thread earlier, and it's not there.

Edited by anotherDan
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Hi, guys,

Sorry for any confusion my post caused.

It was really me, John Knapp, posting -- although the poster showed up as "JustSayNO." Some kind of system error took place.

I'm not sure what happened. I hadn't registered for the site yet, but I just hit "reply" anyway. Apparently the system logged me in as JustSayNO, but it never asked me for a password or anything.

I foolishly thought the system had given me a default handle. Now, that I think about it, I've never seen that happen anywhere else, so I don't know why I thought that.

I didn't have JSN's password or other login information. Sounds like a security hole that needs to be fixed!

I'm sorry for any inconvenience or worry that I caused. I've already replied to an email from JSN and one from Michael explaining what happened.

I am a legitimate cult counselor and have done some work with TWI members. I think Michael will be posting a link to my site on his cult resources page.

I understand why the GSC community would be concerned about trolls or security breaches. I share your worry!

If I can answer any questions or be of ANY help, please don't hesitate to post me directly here or email me at jmknapp53@gmail.com. (A couple of forum members have written me already.)

John M. Knapp, LMSW

Therapist. Counselor. Coach.

KnappFamilyCounseling.com/cults.html

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Well at least we know who posted. John sent me a very gracious email explaining what happened and asked for me to share it with everyone. But since it appears he got his login registerd and has posted there is no need. As far as I'm concerned it was a system glitch and John and I are kosher on this.

I came home and my email was flooded with responses from modcow, Paw, and John Knapp. It's good to know it was addresed quickly. Now To find out How it happened and to try and prevent it from happening again. As suggested by others I've changed my password.

The reason I caught it as quick as I did was because I got a Topic Subscription Reply Notification email when Jim replied to it. So in my thinking, if there is a glitch in the system it might be wise for people to make sure this is turned on or check in your profile under posts to see if they are all yours.

Edited by JustSayNO
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why do you call problems "challenges" -- that such a wayfer thing -- no offense intended

Hi, excathedra,

No offense taken! It's a fair question.

I also meant no offense. I work with so many groups. And unfortunately each one has claimed their own portion of standard English as buzzwords to control people. It's very difficult to work with so many groups and not accidentally step on a buzzword -- which may cause pain inadvertently.

I really apologize if I made anyone reading this thread uncomfortable.

The use of "challenges" is used a lot by some therapists. It is meant to emphasize that problems have solutions, can be overcome. It's also an antidote to naming everything as a "psychopathology," such as depression, "co-dependency," "issues," and lots of other jargon words from therapy that have come to have really hurtful meanings in common speech.

Once meant to aid healing, psychological jargon has almost become the new swear words!

"Challenges" became prevalent with what's called the "strengths perspective," which emphasizes people's strengths rather than their problems. (For instance, I talk about the strengths of former cult members here: http://KnappFamilyCounseling.com/cultstrengths.html.)

Many therapists and academics have found that emphasizing strengths and de-emphasizing diagnoses and problem labeling gives people the confidence to attack their problems head-on. People are much less likely to feel like victims, which can hinder recovery.

This is especially important in cult recovery. Not all cult counselors use the same language. Many have different views on even core concepts. I don't mean to suggest that every cult counselor you bump into will use the language I do -- or will even necessarily agree with me!

It's really important to work with a counselor you feel comfortable with. It's the number one predictor of success in recovery from any problem/challenge.

John M. Knapp, LMSW

Counselor. Therapist. Coach.

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Thanks Jim for posting this..altho, I feel I have worked out most issues I had, John may be able to help many who visit here for more one on one help..The front page reveals alot of hidden info on TWI..GSC cannot help most...sorry to say, I feel this place only aides in harbouring more hurt..

Maybe His website should be placed on the front page, so after folks read the doc's presented then they can get real help! That would be a great service!!!

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Thanks Jim for posting this..altho, I feel I have worked out most issues I had, John may be able to help many who visit here for more one on one help..The front page reveals alot of hidden info on TWI..GSC cannot help most...sorry to say, I feel this place only aides in harbouring more hurt..

Maybe His website should be placed on the front page, so after folks read the doc's presented then they can get real help! That would be a great service!!!

Brilliant Idea.

[chuckle/cry] Most people need professional help after leaving The Way.

Why be sorry, this place harbours information kept from those involved, it gives a place to share and vent, it even gives a place to ask questions. I agree that harbouring hurt will happen to those that cant seem to get past The Way and get stuck in a hurtful loop. But it can also if people choose, be a place to remind us where we've been and how far we've come since leaving. But by no means does it replace professional counciling. So again I think it would be an awesome addition to the site to add a proffesional help page with different resourses for people to choose from. Not to belittle John Knapp, but having a page of resources dedicated to proffesional help in the area of cults would keep it unbiased and more comfortable for people to see there is help and choices. Now of course John could be the first on the page :redface2::eusa_clap::biglaugh:

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Hi, guys,

Thanks for the plug. Actually GSC has a small list of cult recovery resources off their homepage, under "Links." Some great people are mentioned there. There are fair number of counselors with cult experience, each with their own personality, methods, and philosophy. (I hope to be listed among them soon on the Links page. But I'd be proud to be listed at the bottom of this list of professionals!)

I think a number of exit counselors or mental health professionals get good results for their clients.

I'd urge anyone thinking about counseling to do some shopping. Make sure you have a good rapport with the counselor, ask about their credentials/licenses, and be direct about questions of fees and length of treatment.

Make sure you get answers -- and that you agree with them!

I meet some people's needs -- and not others. I give referrals to other counselors when people ask.

when you have a problem, it's an "opportunity" to believe God

there are no negatives, you see ? not in The Way :)

Hi, excathedra,

Yes, I'm aware of this trait of TWI. A number of cults, both religious and secular, use something similar as a means of control. If you have a problem, it's not with God, the leader, the method, the Bible, the group, etc. -- the problem is with YOU.

This works to isolate people, because they are afraid to tell their truth and be judged by other members. It also fosters dependency on the group, who has all the answers, because since there's something wrong with YOU, you can't trust your own feelings, thoughts, doubts.

It's a really nasty part of cult control.

Trust me, "happy thoughts" or adherence to dogma are NOT what I'm advocating!

J.

-----

John M. Knapp, LMSW

Therapist. Counselor. Coach

http://KnappFamilyCounseling.com/cults.html

Edited by John M Knapp LMSW
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