This well researched, gripping podcast is a fascinating drive into how much human beings want to escape- from reality, from critical thinking, from processing pain. My heart goes out to all the innocent victims who had no choice but to survive.

Funny and sad how it was only the Bush and Reagan administrations that get called out for supporting Straight. Please see Bill Clinton’s administration for supporting this type of program as well…

So many questions come from listening to this show. Can’t help, but wonder if this has anything to do with Princess Diana’s death.

20 mins into the first episode and you have yet to start. You have literally repeated yourself 70 times. You won’t believe this happened. It happens all the time. It might happen to someone you know. Well what’s NOT happening is you starting the story for god sake’s!

The Sunshine Place is an eye-opening and deeply informative podcast that sheds light on the troubling reality of teenage addiction treatment centers. It unravels the hidden history and exposes how these institutions prey on the vulnerability of well-meaning parents who are just trying to help their children. As a parent, it’s heartbreaking to hear how these places exploit families, gaining power and profit at the expense of young lives. The show dives deep into the origins of this industry and paints a vivid, often shocking picture of what it’s really like inside these facilities. This podcast is not just a warning—it’s a call to action. If you’re a parent or care about the well-being of kids, this is a must-listen. It’s a heartbreaking yet empowering exploration that everyone needs to hear.

Season one and two are some of the best podcast works I’ve ever listened to. Well produced, well researched, just excellent stuff.

I couldn’t wait to get in my truck each morning and listen to this series.

I learned so much from season 1 and season 2 took I to a new level. It was heartbreaking to listen to, but an incredibly powerful story to share. I appreciated the historical information you shared about the troubled teen industry and its origin. Very helpful context! Finally, but most importantly, thank you to all the survivors, for your honesty and strength. I hear you and see you and wish you all the best ahead.

This podcast which centers around Straight, Inc. was very well done. While the first episode is very raw, I hope you continue to tune into the remaining episodes. The podcast explores a difficult topic, but one that should be exposed to the masses instead of being America’s dirty little secret. It explains how many group treatment programs with their “one-size-fits-all” treatment modality may help a few, but largely harms more than it helps. It reminds me of The Stanford Prison Experiment, only in real life instead of being a college psychology experiment. It also explores how those who survived, struggled but grew up to eventually expose the reality of what goes on inside these programs and advocate on behalf of children suffering today. Thanks for creating this podcast, it is quite eye-opening.

I can relate to season two and I am riveted. Great job on both seasons. Hits my heart. Thank you.

Well written. Good podcast. But I had to stop listening. The abuse the children experienced is so disturbing. My heart goes out to each one of them. The ‘group-think’ of violence and mass terror … History repeating itself.

Well done, well written. A good, but disturbing listen. Hard to believe this actually happened here in the US but evidently these things happen more than people realize. Heart broken for these kids and to think there’s so many of them…

This podcast is so very well done. I listened to all of season 1 with the same kind of curiosity I have with the Jonestown massacre. Horrible things were done but you can kind of steel yourself. I started listening to Season 2 and— I am no stranger to true crime podcasts or listening to talks about cults, SA, murder, etc… BIG BIG BIG (in neon lights) WARNING. I was not ready for the first episode. As much as I want to know what happened to these kids, the warnings at the beginning did not prepare me for the content or delivery of the devastating description just in the first episode of season 2. If you are in any way a survivor of childhood trauma of ANY kind, or a survivor of assault or SA of ANY kind, please proceed with extreme caution. I honestly don’t know if I can listen to the rest of season 2. These are some of the best journalists making podcasts right now. But just know it’s going to be profoundly difficult to listen to.

That’s so scary I’m a kid I hope that doesn’t happen to me, it’s very intriguing whatsoever. I will look into it further though, thank you for your survival to tell this wicked tale!

Captivating & thorough, multi-dimensional enriched by a range of perspectives Thanks for this

So many parallels to our current state of cult, misinformation and corruption. Well written, researched and produced with each episode seamlessly building to the next. Highly recommend!

Just Thank You.

This is an excellent depiction of what thousands of teenagers experienced at the hands of the “war on drugs“. Since I left the program in August 1990, I’ve done everything in my power to give us a voice. Nobody would listen.. It’s almost 40 years later for me, but it’s finally being heard! Thank you so much for this podcast!

Amazing, brave voices. A challenging story compassionately told

This is a great podcast! Well researched with captivating storytelling, I appreciate all the effort that’s gone into this. We can learn a lot about the human experience from this podcast. Thank you for creating this show and for all your hard work.

I have never heard of synanon before, I am only 24 but still! Seems like something people should hear about, maybe? Love the host, she sounds so similar to Delia D’ambra who hosts other pods.

Really good. The interviews and perspectives were so powerful. Such an interesting podcast. I loved it.

I have started 100’s of podcast. This is 1 of 5 that I’ve finished, and it’s probably my second favorite.

It was so easy to follow. I was able to picture everything that was happening and how everyone was feeling. Thank you for sharing your story!

I was on the edge of my seat listening to this historical account. Thank you. And again. Wow.

Boring, slow, hard to follow when the stories jump around too much without much tying it to the last, narration is monotonous and they sound as bored as I was.

The story of Synanon is so complex that it would be hard to tell over 20 episodes, and that Sari was able to tell a comprehensive story in 8 is amazing! The first hand accounts, including her own, really enriched the podcast.

This podcast is a personal origin story I didn’t know well, the whole podcast was so helpful for me in putting pieces together. A program (cult) born of Synanon, called Cedu which would umbrella a few “therapeutic” schools was referenced in the last video, and is where I ended up in 1989. I never knew how to talk about it, I’m impressed that the people interviewed could put their experiences in words at all. I’ve been recommending this podcast to close friends, it’s the only way I know to share anything close to my experience.

Very well told , kept me interested the whole time .

Love

I learned so much about the positive power of abstinence and shared recovery in community as well as the real perils of authoritarian control and potential for return to active addiction. It’s amazing how much Synanon, for good and ill, entered the culture, from Tough Love groups to AA and even Scientology. Well done, Sari and team. (Don’t mind the nay-sayers; you've done great work here.) Thank you.

I spend a lot of time on Tomales Bay - just returned home to the east bay today - and knew of synanon but this was enlightening. well done on the pace, story, interviews. I appreciate people’s willingness to tell their stories

Zzzzzzzz zzzzzzzz zzzzzz

The show had potential but I was put off by the repeated use of the phrases “dope fiend” and “drug addict”. I get that this was the 1960s vocabulary but it just sounds dated and stigmatized. If they used at least some person-centered language like “person who uses drugs” or “people with a heroin addiction” I would have kept listening.

Like other reviews, I feel it jumped around too much and was too long. The child abuse and neglect was horrific and unimaginable. And of course, Hollywood glorifies it! The parents who subjected their children to such abuse and neglect should’ve been charged. The adults who stood around and watched the abuse of the children should also be charged. Although it seemed as if Chuck was a cult leader at times, he made it very clear that people could leave if they didn’t like it. I do not believe any of the adults were victims. My heart breaks for the children who had their childhood stolen from them.

I truly enjoyed this pod cast, well done, thoroughly researched and fascinating!! So good!!

First couple of episodes were interesting, but the last few were just rambling and disjointed. What was the purpose of this podcast? It never really went anywhere or provided any new information In regards to “cult” activity. More of a “pity me for making dumb decisions and being led”

This is a really unusual story. Excellent podcast. Good job. Will recommemnd to everyone.

I grew up in the Los Angeles area during the rise of Synanon hearing warnings and whispers about the cult. I found this podcast to be fascinating and convincing in its authenticity. I also suffered from alcoholism and became sober in 1984 in the South Bay through a group in the conventional 12 step spiritual program. To see the extent of the damage an alcoholic personality can cause in the case of Chuck Dederich was astounding. It makes me even more grateful for the gift and legacy of recovery, and underscores the importance of observing traditions.

I see a lot of reviews on here about how reviewers wanted the former cult members to repent for their misdeeds or how those folks spoke made them uncomfortable and therefore gave low reviews. That’s absurd. To demand that the truth fit into your worldview and when it doesn’t, you huffily give fewer stars to a wonderfully complex and complicated podcast that doesn’t shy away from the truth is childish. It makes things worse for everyone in the long run when you incentivize moralizing about things that are sometimes morally gray. If you are so fragile that you can’t listen to how other people experienced both the good and the bad, the abusive and the joyous, don’t listen to this podcast. But, if you are interested in listening to a wide array of perspectives in a beautifully produced and written show, add this one right now.

This podcast jumped around a lot. But my main issue is that not one person who was in Synanon apologized or seemed to feel bad about abusing children. Where is the empathy? Hearing these stories of the kids who group up in Thai cult and then hearing the adults not take any responsibility was just awful. The last episode almost idolized Chuck which left me feeling disgusted.

Best podcast ever

Very well done pod. Like a good book. Fascinating story.

I never heard of this one. Interesting to learn about Chuck and this group. The constant use of the antiquated term, “dope fiend” in 2022 by the very people who suffered this addiction, is really disturbing. Every time it was uttered, I wanted to shut it off. It’s so derogatory and absurd. A fiend? Really?

What can I say… I thought this was great! I will be searching out more and more info on chuck dietrich. I really enjoy hearing about group think and the actions of the group. Any break away from societal norms really speaks to me. (Mindful that I work a 9-5 job, own a house and pay my taxes) I was talking to a friend about this podcast, chuck and Synanon and asked “how come I’m not in a cult” like how does it happen. Where and when. I lived in Los Angeles for 10+ years and specifically on the Santa Monica / Venice border at 5th & Colorado blvd in 2000-2001 and never got caught up in a cult. Feel like I’m missing out. I need a good brain washing. I liked when I heard one of the dope fiends say that. All of it was wild though. Really did feel at times like chuck was a mad relationship environment scientist. Just a dash here a pinch there a wallah “every body switch partners” - definitely worth a listen. It’s easy to see how communities, cultures and ideas can succeed and fail regardless of the first intentions. Synanon was a snapshot of that. A burst. The end was cool as well when they made comparisons to todays teenage recovery boot camps and draw a parallel line to what Chuck was doing. Well done.

Such a fascinating subject but the narration is so flat. Like a bad PBS or Weekly Reader documentary. It also really bounces around a lot with little back story or explanation. The story would be better told If put into some kind of recognizable chronological order and certain story lines could have used a deeper look. I was left thinking “well then what happened?” Several times. The episode about the Rancher being attacked was one in particular that was just left hanging.

This podcast would have been more interesting if it moved faster. Some chaff could have been left on the cutting room floor.

Sari Crawford did an amazing job of putting together the variety of experiences which so many of us share. It was so well edited and compellingly narrated. Her father, Bill Crawford was one of the kindest, most intelligent people in Synanon. He and I shared the distinction of being truly hated by Chuck Dederich. I didn’t look over my shoulder, I left with my two youngest children, who had been in the school, for Ireland. We had a wonderful few months there and backpacked through Europe. But the process of dealing with trauma still awaited us. I am thankful for the years I spent in Synanon, and thankful that I no longer feel burdened by trauma. The people I met there were so lovable that I will never forget them, especially Bill.

This was truly a fantastic story, as well as a great storyteller. I am sad that it is over.

I was hooked from episode 1. The story is compelling and incredulous at times. The episodes are well written and the storytelling is riveting.