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Comment by dghlsakjg | Hacker News Reader

If you want to read something truly horrific check out elan.school .

It was a troubled teen school in Maine that sounds unbelievable until you read multiple identical stories from students

I was one of the unlucky people who spent time at elan. It was a terrible terrible time. Much like the author of the article I was awoken by 2 big dudes in my bedroom and was given the choice to get dressed and go peacefully or they would drag me out of bed and take me away in my underwear. I said I'm not doing shit until my parents give you permission to take me. They handed me a piece of paper with both my parents signatures on it that effectively signed custody over to them. I asked if I could smoke a cigarette before we left and they told me I could smoke as many as I wanted in the van.

That was the start of one of the worst times in my life.

elan was a real life hell.

AMA if you want.

Have you read the comic linked above? Is any of it embellished or is how it’s portrayed pretty close to how it actually is?

I’ve read some of the comic but not all of it. From what I read it’s fairly accurate. I witnessed “the ring” and experienced first hand the psychological manipulation.

Yikes. Nexpo's video on it seems like hell on earth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eM7pb5M5DU

How long were you there?

Did your parents ever realize/own up to what you went through?

Edit: sorry for my ghoulish interest. Reading that comic absolutely blew my mind, and left me shook.

I was very fortunate that my parents believed me and withdrew me after ~5 months.

My parents sent me there with the best intentions. But elan tricked them. And they realized that. They have both apologized numerous times and explained how they regret the decision. Last year, so over 20 years later, out of the blue my dad just blurted out “I’m so sorry we sent you to elan. We truly didn’t know…”. It took me by surprise.

The parents get brainwashed by these companies. It's like a cult mindset. They've got the script down perfectly, preying on the parents insecurities and fears until rational people make irrational, fucked-up decisions.

Pretty much. elan knew exactly what the parents wanted to hear and see and would tailor the parents tour or questions around that.

But what about most kids there are from group homes or foster situations? Those people don't have that excuse, except perhaps for the first kid. The comic states they send dozens of kids there, over the years. So for CPS, the "they didn't know" doesn't apply.

How long have you been out?

What's your relationship with your parents like now?

I was there in 98-99 so it’s been a long time.

My relationship with my parents is good. They truly sent me there with the best intentions and I know that. They have expressed remorse and have apologized many times over the years.

Honestly, I feel like all these parents are victims too. I'm glad it didn't destroy your relationship with your parents. It does for many :(

Yeah I'm glad you asked, I do have a question. I read that comic linked above, it was incredibly horrifying, but as I kept reading, something felt off about it. The guy who wrote it is clearly a professional writer and he uses many common manipulative tricks to engage the reader, and that bothers me a little, like he isn't being completely honest.

So I did some research and it seems most of his facts check out with what other people say, but I have to wonder particularly about the part where he claims that they forced him to scream at and abuse his parents in exchange for holiday time. Do you know anything about that really happening? Did they really force kids to act crazy in front of their parents in order to ensure they got locked away at Elan for longer? I haven't heard anyone else corroborate that part.

Edit: actually a read your other comments and it seems it really was as bad as this comic book says. Controlling what you were and were not allowed to say to your parents is crazy.

I haven’t read all of the comic so I can’t say if he embellished things.

I can say 100% that screaming at people was very much encouraged(during “therapy” sessions or as punishment). It was referred to as “getting your feelings off”. Sometimes it would be in a group setting where you sat in a circle and everyone had to pick someone else in the group and scream at them as loud as possible about anything the person did that made you angry or annoyed you. Other times it was a form of punishment where they made you stand against a wall or in the corner and everyone else in the “house” would crowd around and all scream as loud as possible at you all at once. They only rules were you can’t make fun of them for things like race, sexuality, appearance, etc.

So, nobody went to prison for this?

> they told me I could smoke as many as I wanted in the van.

I know this is an inane question... But did they let you smoke in the van or was it a ploy?

Sorry you had to go through that abuse.

Seconded. This is a very compelling read, and a great graphic novel style. One of the things Joe says several times is how part of the design of the elan program is to be so absolutely insane that it literally sounds unbelievable if described to anyone. Coupled with a separate, well-groomed veneer presented to parents and the outside world, any "troubled" kids trying to explain what's really going on just come off as so massively exaggerating the situation that you can't even begin to take them seriously.

It’s also more then that. elan was VERY good at disguising themselves as a caring and helpful place. On paper, elan had it all. But it was all an illusion. My parents spent over 3 months researching different schools and elan seemed to have everything I “needed”. This was before the internet had social media and review sites so the people who elan abused didn’t really have a visible soapbox. My parents even went to elan and took a tour before sending me there.

elan also had complete control of every letter or phone call. You have to earn the privilege to them. I had no contact with my parents for the first 2 months. And when I did, it was over a speakerphone in a room with a elan staff member who literally had their finger on the button to hang up if I pleaded for my parents to take me home. And before the call that day they had been coaching me for days on what I could and could not say. And if I said something I wasn’t supposed to I would lose all privileges and go “on shotdown”. elans vicegrip on communication actually led to my parents withdrawing me. They sensed something wasn’t right and (against elans wishes) demanded a in person visit with me(in person visits are a extremely privileged event). They saw I had lost a ton of weight and looked all fucked up and withdrew me.

The "Joe vs Elan School" comic you're referring to is really good, so I'd second this recommendation.

Grim, but good.

https://elan.school/chapter-1-5/

Grim needs to be emphasized. It is not a happy time reading it. It is important though.

What's the appropriate comment after reading about hundreds of children having their humanity tortured out of them?

Very much reminds me of another “program” a good friend of mine endured for 2 years called “Straight, Inc.”

Plenty of horror stories on the web about it as well. For nearly 40 years now I have heard him recount stories from his time there. I know them all and they still chill me every time he needs to tell them.

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