Newsgroups: bit.listserv.christia
Date:         Sat, 3 Oct 1992 13:32:56 EDT
From:         MKLINE%VDH.BITNET@VTVM2.CC.VT.EDU
Subject:      New Age in Schools #7

Subject: New Age in Schools #7

    New Age Views in Public Schools - John Ankerberg Show. 09/27/92

    Part 7 ------------------------------------------------------------->

    John: Welcome. In doing our research for this program, we were quite
skeptical when we heard that some public school curriculums were using
hypnosis, psycho-therapy, and other mind altering techniques on students.
So we decided to ask leading psychiatrists and educators to evaluate
these programs. We were somewhat shocked to learn that they thought some
of the public school curriculums do use hypnosis and other
psycho-therapeutic techniques, and they do pose a threat to our children
and their development.
    Craig Branch is the South Eastern director of Watchman Fellowship and
describes some of these new courses.

    Craig: There's an ominous and clear trend in the public school system
and sometimes private school system that really poses a threat to not
only the child's own development, but also the family, the child's belief
system, whether or not he's going to be using drugs and alcohol, engaging
pre-marital sex. There is an ominous trend of curriculum that are being
introduced, commercially packaged, and being used wide spread through out
the country, that is very profitable and destructive to our children.

    Materials are coming through various channels, through gifted
children's curriculum, the programs for gifted children through self
esteem programs, guidance councilors, many schools are now implementing
mandatory guidance counseling programs and curriculum. It's coming
through health courses, some literature courses, home economic, it's wide
spread through out the entire spectrum of courses in public schools.

    There are 2 aspects of the curricula that are objectionable. One is
the use of meditation techniques, or hypnosis techniques with the
children reportedly to enhance their performance, their productivity, to
reduce stress, to solve their problems, to raise their self esteem. And
the other aspect of the objection is the use of what they call the
affective, which means feeling oriented, non directive decision making
processes when it comes to drug and sex education and death education.
Now basically they're teaching the children that they have to be
empowered.

    John: Now what are the specific means of the curriculum and programs
being used in the schools that contain hypno-therapy or other
psycho-theraputic, mind altering techniques? Well two of the most
popular, wide spread programs in the country are Pumsy the Dragon, in a
course entitled "In Pursuit of Excellence" and DUSO the Dolphin in a
course entitled "Developing Understanding of Self and Others." Craig
Branch talks about these and other programs.

    Craig: One of the main offenders is a program called Pumsey, which
is, according to their own company being used in 40% of the elementary
schools in the country. They have several different phases of the
program, starting in kindergarten, called "Bright Beginnings" and then it
goes to "Pumsey, the Pursuit of Excellence", and the third is, "Thinking
Changing, Rearranging" They do teach, what they would call self esteem
training or modules. When it gets into the first, and second, and third
grades it gets into progressive relaxation or meditation/hypnosis
techniques. That's supposed to be one of the vehicles driving home or
cementing their teaching for that day. So you find this very prominent in
programs like Pumsey.

    Another very popular program is used again all over the country in
many school districts is something called DUSO, Developing Understanding
of Self and Others, DUSO1 and DUSO2. It's been around a long time, but
there's been a revised version. This revised version has what they call
fantasy trips, or fantasy journeys with it, again utilizing same theory
of using these progressive relaxation techniques and guided imagery
techniques are somehow going to really teach and cement these concepts
home with the child. DUSO's objectionable from many different areas. One
it uses these meditation techniques. Two again it teaches the way you
make decisions about drugs and alcohol and other situations are entirely
within yourself, you don't seek council from your parents, any standards
outside of yourself, or even the group consensus.


    So DUSO would be another well used program. There's another called
TAD Toured(?) Affective Development, Quieting Reflex, Success Imagery,
Bridges, Flexing Your Test Muscles. Peace, Harmony, and Awareness as the
first part of the Apple program. (That's not to be confused with the
computer.) That's Positive Program for Life Experiences. THTM which is
used all over the country is partially developed by our government
agencies. That's Teenage Health Training Modules. Self, Inc., Mind Sight,
some of the Waldorf school system. Tai Kei Quan(sp) which is used a lot
of times in schools as an exercise, but it's far from that. And many
others, but those are some of the abusers of it.

    John: Now of the programs Craig just mentioned claim that their goal
is to either increase the self esteem of the students, to help them
relax, or to increase their imagination or other creative abilities. But
then, why do parents who have examined these programs still object to
them? Craig Branch gives the reasons.

    Craig: Keep in mind the kind of objection you hear is, "Are you
against relaxing? Are you against using your imagination?" We're not
talking about that. We're talking about a sequential methodology, not
taking a deep breath before shooting a foul shot, not taking a deep
breath when you're nervous or uptight about something. We're talking
about a very sequential methodology of inducing hypnosis or an alternate
state of conscienceness. Also we're not talking about using your
imagination, we're talking about something called guided imager, or
guided visualization that's done at the tail end of this deeply relaxed
state, and you can ask any psychologist or psychiatrist who knows about
hypnosis and they'll tell you, without hesitating, that guided imagery is
a very powerful form of hypnosis. It takes you deeper into your hypnotic
trance state.

Maks
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