The Synanon Fix: Did the Cure Become a Cult? - Season 1 Episode 4 Strap Yourself to the Mast
In 1977, the Los Angeles Times reports on the nine-day abduction of Frances Winn by Synanon. Lawyer Paul Morantz wins a settlement case in her favor. With media focus heating up, Chuck spends $62,000 on guns and ammunition, at the time the largest single firearms purchase in California history. Soon thereafter, he allegedly orchestrates an attempt on Morantz’s life. He is sentenced to five years probation. Drinking again and diagnosed with mental illness, Chuck loses everything and dies in a nursing home, leaving a troubled legacy as a creative, but unchecked genius. Many adherents are left to piece together their lives in the aftermath without Synanon.
- Genre: Documentary
- Studio: HBO
- Keyword: child abuse, paranoia, group therapy, heroin, utopia, cult, addiction, alcoholism, drug rehabilitation, new age, brainwashing, shaved head, heroin addict, alternative lifestyle, sober, santa monica, california, power abuse, communal living, non-profit organization
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