[{"id":"15518","link":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/2025\/08\/20\/sacrament-in-punta-cabras\/","name":"sacrament-in-punta-cabras","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Graham-Woody-Sanibel-Florida-1998-2.jpg","alt":"Graham Woody Sanibel Florida 1998"},"title":"\u00a0Sacrament in Punta Cabras","author":{"name":"synanonstories","link":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/author\/synanonstories\/"},"date":"Aug 20, 2025","dateGMT":"2025-08-20 18:47:02","modifiedDate":"2025-08-20 12:08:35","modifiedDateGMT":"2025-08-20 19:08:35","commentCount":"6","commentStatus":"open","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/memorials\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Memorials<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/synanon-kids\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Synanon Kids<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/the-people\/\" rel=\"category tag\">The People<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/memorials\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Memorials<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/synanon-kids\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Synanon Kids<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/the-people\/\" rel=\"category tag\">The People<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":"<a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/barbara-finkelstein\/' rel='post_tag'>Barbara Finkelstein<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":5,"sec":6},"status":"publish","content":"     Baja, Mexico, April 2004 In Memory of Graham Edward Woody When Graham died, I could think of no place that felt right for his"},{"id":"13435","link":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/2024\/12\/10\/my-friend-herma\/","name":"my-friend-herma","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/hermaBWhead-e1733852452704.jpg","alt":""},"title":"My Friend Herma","author":{"name":"synanonstories","link":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/author\/synanonstories\/"},"date":"Dec 10, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-12-10 18:25:31","modifiedDate":"2024-12-10 11:19:02","modifiedDateGMT":"2024-12-10 19:19:02","commentCount":"6","commentStatus":"open","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/memorials\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Memorials<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/the-people\/squares\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Squares<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/the-people\/\" rel=\"category tag\">The People<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/memorials\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Memorials<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/the-people\/squares\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Squares<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/the-people\/\" rel=\"category tag\">The People<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":"<a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/synanon-women\/' rel='post_tag'>Synanon Women<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":6,"sec":8},"status":"publish","content":"By Wendy Williams I met in January 1973 at the Women\u2019s Hut in Oakland. I was 19 and had heard that women had their own"},{"id":"13355","link":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/2024\/11\/23\/remembering-herma\/","name":"remembering-herma","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Herma-in-Hat.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Remembering Herma","author":{"name":"synanonstories","link":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/author\/synanonstories\/"},"date":"Nov 23, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-11-23 19:32:07","modifiedDate":"2025-08-20 11:09:30","modifiedDateGMT":"2025-08-20 18:09:30","commentCount":"6","commentStatus":"open","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/the-people\/\" rel=\"category tag\">The People<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/the-people\/\" rel=\"category tag\">The People<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":2,"sec":42},"status":"publish","content":"\"She walks in beauty like the night, of cloudless climes and starry skies; And all that's best of dark and bright meet in her aspect"},{"id":"12456","link":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/2024\/04\/29\/here-we-go-again-its-been-forty-years-but-still\/","name":"here-we-go-again-its-been-forty-years-but-still","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Header-_-facebook-pageflattened-1-1.jpg","alt":"Header facebook"},"title":"Lewis Yablonsky","author":{"name":"synanonstories","link":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/author\/synanonstories\/"},"date":"Apr 29, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-04-29 14:46:48","modifiedDate":"2024-05-08 07:54:34","modifiedDateGMT":"2024-05-08 14:54:34","commentCount":"5","commentStatus":"open","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/the-people\/\" rel=\"category tag\">The People<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/the-people\/\" rel=\"category tag\">The People<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":"<a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/drug-addiction\/' rel='post_tag'>Drug Addiction<\/a><a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/lewis-yablonsky\/' rel='post_tag'>lewis yablonsky<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":17,"sec":20},"status":"publish","content":"Yablonsky was an adventurous young sociologist who immersed himself in Synanon from 1961 to 1965. His research transcended the academic protocols of objective and subjective."},{"id":"12431","link":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/2024\/04\/28\/the-unimagined\/","name":"the-unimagined","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Early-days-children-1.jpg","alt":"Early days children 1"},"title":"The Unimagined","author":{"name":"Jady Montgomery","link":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/author\/jady-montgomery\/"},"date":"Apr 28, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-04-28 18:19:41","modifiedDate":"2024-04-28 14:41:57","modifiedDateGMT":"2024-04-28 21:41:57","commentCount":"5","commentStatus":"open","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/synanon-stories\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Synanon Stories<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/the-early-days\/\" rel=\"category tag\">The Early Days<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/the-people\/\" rel=\"category tag\">The People<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/synanon-stories\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Synanon Stories<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/the-early-days\/\" rel=\"category tag\">The Early Days<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/the-people\/\" rel=\"category tag\">The People<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":"<a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/children\/' rel='post_tag'>Children<\/a><a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/chuck-dederich\/' rel='post_tag'>Chuck Dederich<\/a><a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/jady-montgomery\/' rel='post_tag'>Jady Montgomery<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":1,"sec":45},"status":"publish","content":"1962 A prose poem by Jady Montgomery It was the first day of my eleventh summer. Me and my \u201cbestie\u201d just giddy about everything, in"},{"id":"12365","link":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/2024\/04\/27\/remembering-david-binns\/","name":"remembering-david-binns","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/David-at-Reunion-e1714250523298.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Remembering David Binns","author":{"name":"Elena Broslovsky","link":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/author\/elena-broslovsky\/"},"date":"Apr 27, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-04-27 20:06:19","modifiedDate":"2024-04-27 13:46:47","modifiedDateGMT":"2024-04-27 20:46:47","commentCount":"5","commentStatus":"open","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/memorials\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Memorials<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/the-people\/\" rel=\"category tag\">The People<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/memorials\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Memorials<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/the-people\/\" rel=\"category tag\">The People<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":"<a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/drug-addiction\/' rel='post_tag'>Drug Addiction<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":8,"sec":12},"status":"publish","content":"From Barbara Binns: Dave\u2019s parents were born in Jamaica but met in New York when they moved there as young adults.  After they married, they"},{"id":"6602","link":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/2024\/04\/26\/__trashed\/","name":"__trashed","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/seawall-painting-cropped-1.jpg","alt":"seawall painting"},"title":"Love Blind Believers","author":{"name":"Elena Broslovsky","link":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/author\/elena-broslovsky\/"},"date":"Apr 26, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-04-26 15:03:57","modifiedDate":"2024-04-27 14:16:08","modifiedDateGMT":"2024-04-27 21:16:08","commentCount":"9","commentStatus":"open","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/uncategorized\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Uncategorized<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/uncategorized\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Uncategorized<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":19,"sec":47},"status":"publish","content":"We were up in the sky, Gabriel and me, on a flight to Chicago.  Below, in a South American country, I had never heard of,"},{"id":"12214","link":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/2024\/03\/27\/your-synanon-garbage-man\/","name":"your-synanon-garbage-man","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/2003-12-21-Synanon-Bay-Inn-2-1.jpg","alt":"2003 12 21 Synanon Bay Inn 2 1"},"title":"Your Synanon Garbage Man","author":{"name":"David Gerstel","link":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/author\/david-gerstel\/"},"date":"Mar 27, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-03-28 02:32:16","modifiedDate":"2024-04-15 10:08:45","modifiedDateGMT":"2024-04-15 17:08:45","commentCount":"17","commentStatus":"open","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/the-people\/squares\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Squares<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/synanon-stories\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Synanon Stories<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/the-academy\/\" rel=\"category tag\">The Academy<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/the-people\/\" rel=\"category tag\">The People<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/the-people\/squares\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Squares<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/synanon-stories\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Synanon Stories<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/the-academy\/\" rel=\"category tag\">The Academy<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/the-people\/\" rel=\"category tag\">The People<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":"<a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/squares\/' rel='post_tag'>squares<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":30,"sec":24},"status":"publish","content":"By David U. Gerstel https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/synanon-music\/synanon-garbage-man-sung-by-bruce-gilbert-wilbur-arrington-and-luther-redic?ref=clipboard&p=i&c=0&si=287BDA365B654CA5BF299104C2DF9D6F&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing Marconi Cove For most folks living in Synanon, most days were ordinary days. They were not spent changing sexual partners,"},{"id":"12128","link":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/2024\/03\/02\/synanon-was-the-granddaddy-of-all-drug-rehab-and-i-lived-there-as-a-square\/","name":"synanon-was-the-granddaddy-of-all-drug-rehab-and-i-lived-there-as-a-square","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/sshangtuough-1.jpg","alt":"sshangtuough 1"},"title":"Synanon Was the Granddaddy of All Drug Rehab - and I lived there as a Square","author":{"name":"Janet Best Dart","link":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/author\/janetdart50\/"},"date":"Mar 2, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-03-02 18:49:17","modifiedDate":"2024-03-02 10:49:18","modifiedDateGMT":"2024-03-02 18:49:18","commentCount":"2","commentStatus":"open","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/charles-e-dederich\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Charles E. Dederich<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/memoirs-books\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Memoirs & Books<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/the-people\/squares\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Squares<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/synanon-stories\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Synanon Stories<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/charles-e-dederich\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Charles E. Dederich<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/memoirs-books\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Memoirs & Books<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/the-people\/squares\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Squares<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/synanon-stories\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Synanon Stories<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":"<a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/chuck-dederich\/' rel='post_tag'>Chuck Dederich<\/a><a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/drug-addiction\/' rel='post_tag'>Drug Addiction<\/a><a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/squares\/' rel='post_tag'>squares<\/a><a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/synanon\/' rel='post_tag'>Synanon<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":6,"sec":47},"status":"publish","content":"I did a lot of research while writing my memoir, The Cost of Belonging: Breaking Free From the Synanon Cult. Here is some of it,"},{"id":"12109","link":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/2024\/03\/01\/my-last-synanon-letter\/","name":"my-last-synanon-letter","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Last-Synanon-letter-pg.-1-rotated.jpg","alt":"Cynthia's handwritten letter to her sister"},"title":"My Last Synanon Letter","author":{"name":"Cynthia Manuel","link":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/author\/cynthiamanuel\/"},"date":"Mar 1, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-03-02 00:23:26","modifiedDate":"2024-03-01 16:23:27","modifiedDateGMT":"2024-03-02 00:23:27","commentCount":"7","commentStatus":"open","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/synanon-stories\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Synanon Stories<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/the-people\/\" rel=\"category tag\">The People<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/synanon-stories\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Synanon Stories<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/the-people\/\" rel=\"category tag\">The People<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":"<a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/breeders\/' rel='post_tag'>Breeders<\/a><a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/children\/' rel='post_tag'>Children<\/a><a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/splitting\/' rel='post_tag'>Splitting<\/a><a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/synanon-school\/' rel='post_tag'>Synanon School<\/a><a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/synanon-women\/' rel='post_tag'>Synanon Women<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":9,"sec":53},"status":"publish","content":"By Cynthia Manuel In 1968 I was a college student at Wayne State University, living in Detroit\u2019s inner city slum housing.\u00a0 I was experiencing psychological"},{"id":"11904","link":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/2024\/01\/27\/no-chuck-no-synanon-for-better-or-worse\/","name":"no-chuck-no-synanon-for-better-or-worse","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/CED-by-Charlie-Downs.jpg","alt":""},"title":"No Chuck, No Synanon - For Better or Worse","author":{"name":"Cordelia Becker","link":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/author\/cordelia-becker\/"},"date":"Jan 27, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-01-27 22:30:25","modifiedDate":"2024-01-27 15:36:12","modifiedDateGMT":"2024-01-27 23:36:12","commentCount":"12","commentStatus":"open","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/charles-e-dederich\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Charles E. Dederich<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/charles-e-dederich\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Charles E. Dederich<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":"<a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/ced\/' rel='post_tag'>CED<\/a><a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/chuck\/' rel='post_tag'>Chuck<\/a><a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/chuck-dederich\/' rel='post_tag'>Chuck Dederich<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":11,"sec":48},"status":"publish","content":"Former Residents share their thoughts on Chuck Dederich, aka CED aka The Old Man \"In my reading assorted \"Synanon\" writing, aside from the names noted"},{"id":"11886","link":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/2024\/01\/26\/why-i-split\/","name":"why-i-split","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Janet_SHEphotography-01-cropped.jpg","alt":"Janet Holdaway Best Dart"},"title":"Why I Split","author":{"name":"Janet Best Dart","link":"https:\/\/synanon.com\/author\/janetdart50\/"},"date":"Jan 26, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-01-26 23:40:19","modifiedDate":"2024-01-26 15:40:20","modifiedDateGMT":"2024-01-26 23:40:20","commentCount":"5","commentStatus":"open","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/the-people\/\" rel=\"category tag\">The People<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/synanon.com\/category\/the-people\/\" rel=\"category tag\">The People<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":"<a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/breeders\/' rel='post_tag'>Breeders<\/a><a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/childlessness\/' rel='post_tag'>Childlessness<\/a><a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/hatchery\/' rel='post_tag'>Hatchery<\/a><a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/lifestyler\/' rel='post_tag'>Lifestyler<\/a><a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/santa-monica\/' rel='post_tag'>Santa Monica<\/a><a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/splittee\/' rel='post_tag'>Splittee<\/a><a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/synanon-school\/' rel='post_tag'>Synanon School<\/a><a href='https:\/\/synanon.com\/tag\/vasectomies\/' rel='post_tag'>Vasectomies<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":7,"sec":32},"status":"publish","content":"WHY I SPLIT I split because Synanon stole my baby. Some say I can\u2019t use the word \u201csplit\u201d because I was a Lifestyler. A dopefiend"}]