Bob's inner circle consisted of several women. Each of them had come to Bob for therapy before The Environment existed, and each of them had a sexual relationship with him. (These relationships were common knowledge because they were discussed openly in group.) Perversely, the woman who Bob eventually married, Tam, initially came to Bob for therapy with her then husband for couple counseling.
These women surrounded Bob around the clock, attending to his every need in the most servile way you could imagine.
While they enjoyed certain benefits on the top of The Environment power structure, the inner circle also took an extraordinary amount of heat in group. Tam was a frequent recepient of Bob's rage. It was a constant theme that she was "withholding", and that she was unable to accept Bob's love. He frequently accused Tam of harming their children psychologically.
Joyce was Bob's co-author. She did all the writing, under his direction. When Bob was dissatisfied with Joyce's work, he would rage at her in group. She was a "withholding piece of shit" among other choice words. All under the guise of therapy.
Susan ran away several times. She sneaked out without a word, like a teenager. She would eventually return a few weeks later and confess her thought crimes in group. The confession invariably consisted of "I acted out because I was unable to accept Bob's love and recognition". (This same confessional was repeated time and again by followers who were deemed to have slipped psychologically.)
The women comprising the inner circle all acted as therapists within the group. With the possible exception of Joyce, none of them possessed credentials.
5 comments:
Yup, I was there.
I can’t speak for Susan or her circumstances, but you might be underestimating the emotional pain the “runners” were in at the time that they fled.
The cause of Bob’s ire towards a particular person was often intangible, for example, a woman could be confronted for being "inward” or “emotionally distant," (code words for failing to arouse.) Or not "looking like themselves." Bob started talks by glancing around the room for a potential target, "Who doesn't look right?"
Being "tight" was another infraction some were charged with when worried about their finances, especially if Bob was soliciting contributions for a new boat or other luxurious items to "better the lives of the community." (Oddly, though many contributed, Bob and his family ended up owning the whole shebang. "Let's transfer ownership to Bob,"his inner-circle would implore the crowd. "To show our appreciation for all he's done for us.")
Most of the offenses were confronted in group talks, and if the “self-destructive” person didn't grasp their crime or worse yet, disagree with Bob’s point of view, (which in effect became the group’s point of view,) they were deemed "stubborn," and attacks were hurled from all corners of the room. These sessions lasted hours, and often continued into the wee hours until the guilty party broke down and confessed their sins.
Bob used words that justified the brutality of his onslaughts, like “You’re provoking this response. You're sitting in a room of over 100 intelligent people, your closest friends, and you’re the only person who doesn’t see it, what does that tell you?" And, "We’re not attacking you, we’re attacking the mother/father that you’ve incorporated."
Ugh.
Sometimes sneaking away like a teenager was the sanest option.
I agree that Susan, Tam and Joyce were members of the "inner Circle." but Sonia, a hapless single mother who entered therapy with Bob hoping for help in raising her child and Sue, who met Bob as the teenaged daughter of his close friend, Lou, were also prominent inner circle members.
Sue married Bob's oldest son and had two children by him. She later had a child by Bob.
Sonia never received the help she needed, but Bob said he "liked her anger" and put her in charge of a generation of children, to her detriment and theirs.
Sue, having born children by both father and son Firestone, was eventually put in change of the design company. She was an abusive master of overworking and underpaying her employees - at Bob's direction, of course.
Two other very important inner circle members were Barry, a notable L.A. lawyer and Frank, a wealthy businessman. Both had entered therapy as young men and were quickly seduced, flattered and browbeaten into being Bob's mouthpieces and enforcers.
The way Design One employees were exploited was horrific. They worked insane hours week after week, month after month, in many instances for zero pay.
all this is so true
Sonia is still an absolute witch. Very quick to shut down any love or admiration being shown to any of the younger adults in the group.
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