Counseling in Chicago with Bill Martin, LCSW

Read about it here.

Read his article here.

If you carefully evaluate the structure of his words and sentences, you will see that he is appealing to the ultra conservative, wealthy Americans who probably hate people on welfare.

Ray takes some very, very cheap shots at people on welfare, as well as people who are sick, need healthcare, or obese.

To him, these are all lazy people

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Would you stay in a sweat lodge where people around you are vomiting, passing out, and you are beginning to feel yourself losing consciousness?

It’s easy for us to say “no”, but people just as smart as us did not out in Arizona. Three of them died, and almost half of the other participants became very ill.

Mind control. These people weren’t taken into a room and hypnotized. They still had the ability to think and make decisions.

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You may know by now the police are treating the three deaths in the Arizona sweat lodge led by James Arthur Ray as homicides.

Ray is not a licensed therapist of any kind, so he did not have the help of any professional ethical code to guide his behavior.

Whether he will ultimately be viewed as a huckster operating a sweat lodge wildly out of control or a thoughtful professional who led an experience where three people were killed accidentally remains to be seen.

There seems to be a lot of evidence right now pointing to the former possibility. Here are just a few of the ethical principals (see NASW Code Ethics) he may have violated:

• Helping people in need to solve problems

• Respect for the integrity and worth of human beings

• Acting with integrity and competence as a professional

Also, here are a few ethical standards which he may have violated:

• Commitment to the well-being of clients

• Provide full explanation of services so client can make an informed decision about their participation

• Competence in whatever service offered as demonstrated by completion of educational, training, and professional experience

Based on the information gathered from police, participants, James Arthur Ray and his

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There are many psychologists and other behavioral health professionals concerned about the use of torture by the United States during the last decade. For a 10 minute video by Roy Eidelson, PhD., President-Elect, Psychologists for Social Responsibility, summarizing these concerns, click here.

Ok, making the symbolism easy, Pat Bowlen and Josh McDaniels represent the shallow, narcissistic leaders in our world who have been exposed as the “emperors without clothes!”

I have really enjoyed this story. Just as McDaniels and Bowlen have been trying to manipulate Jay Cutler, treating him slightly less than a piece of property,

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Damage control. It usually starts with finding ways to impugn the character of whoever is causing you trouble.  Ad Hominem Logic. I have talked about his before…it doesn’t matter what someone says, they are bad, so whatever they say is bad too. And don’t do it yourself. Have someone else spread the rumors…enter Stefan Fatsis.
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Jay Cutler felt betrayed by the authority system in Denver, demanded a trade, and is now a Chicago Bear. The details are emerging slowly, but it seems the owner of the Broncos and their new 32 year old coach, Josh McDaniels, may not have been honest when speaking to Cutler. So, Cutler decided to cut bait and leave the team. Good for him!

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Do you wonder if you have a magnet that attracts people who only want to take from you and drain you dry?

If so, you should read Albert Bernstein’s book, Emotional Vampires… so you can learn to spot a narcissist quickly. Here are some of the characteristics to look for in emotional vampires…

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Cults…I talk a lot about the YFZ Ranch and the FLDS, but what are some of the characteristics of a cult?

• mind control…use of bizarre religious or secular ideas to enforce the obedience of followers
• emotional disclosure…participants are encouraged to disclose private, emotionally important information…while the leaders do not share emotional information with the larger group
• recruitment…participants are encouraged/expected to go out and recruit others to join the cult organization using deceptive and manipulative tactics
• restriction from all outside ideas and influences ( no radio, television, computer/internet, newspapers)
• Claims that the outside world is evil and will lead to the death or damnation of anyone who betrays the cult
• Participants are manipulated to believe that they can not survive without all the cult offers them
• leaders are a few men who directly benefit from the cult by abuse, manipulation, threat of harm, sexual control of women and intricate financial arrangements

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