In this segment Lenora gives us an occupational autobiography, probably her strongest chapter in this online document. We see an earnest young woman out to do good. Frankly, her academic credentials are more impressive to me than those of Charles. Her encounter group experience was a hot and hip new activity at the time. It also messed up a lot of people since there was little follow-up (sound familiar?)
She entered public service with the best of intentions. But at some point something turned weird. Why?
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Lency Spezzano, Professional Background
I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Arizona in 1975. Because the U of A had the best school in the nation for Rehabilitation Counseling, I stayed there for my graduate studies, and completed my Master of Science degree with High Distinction in 1976, specializing in working with deaf and multiply [sic] disabled deaf people. (My full name at the time was Lenora Kay Abel; Lency is the nickname I have had all my life.) I completed the regular psychiatric supervision for the practicum and internship elements of the M.Sc. program before graduating, working as a counselor for the Community Outreach Program for the Deaf in Tucson, Arizona. From 1976–77 I also served as their Coordinator of Counseling.
Of all the coursework I did in psychology when I was in school, my favorite classes included participation in what was called “encounter groups.” As an under-grad I was a participant, and in grad school I was a trained leader of these group encounters. The concept was for participants in the group to gain psychological benefit through increased self-awareness and social sensitivity, and to change behavior through interpersonal confrontation, self-disclosure and strong emotional expression. In these groups we communicated, took risks, and got to know each other in a therapeutic way that helped us understand ourselves better and supported our emotional growth and maturity. That background in having a therapeutic effect with a group of people, rather than just one person at a time in counseling, had a major influence on the work I developed as my contribution to the Psychology of Vision.
Not long after I received my M.Sc. degree, I was invited to Hawaii to write grants to develop much-needed programs and services for Hawaii’s deaf and hearing-impaired population. I accepted the challenge, working first as the Director of Honolulu’s Information and Referral Service from 1977- 78, as the Director of the Hawaii Center on Deafness from 1978-79, and the State Coordinator of Services for the Deaf for the State of Hawaii, Department of Social Services, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, from 1979-81.
So I have to wonder. What does Lenora think of the Charles Lee Spezzano/Janie Ticehurst "Healing Metaphor" on deafness?
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Deafness
Deafness is a complete or partial lack of the ability to hear.
It signifies that there is something that we don’t want to hear either about relationship (left ear), or career (right ear).
We have a fear of our purpose, and there is something that we are refusing to learn. There is an area where we have cut ourselves off, which is holding us back from joining the dance of life.
Because we want to do things our way, there is something we don’t want to hear from others or from within. Deafness means we have some stubbornness and unwillingness to listen and communicate.
Just wondering.
Back to Lenora's story--
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As I matured, my interest in my spiritual development and personal growth also grew, and to support my own evolution, I developed a support program for children with life-threatening illness and their families. That program is still in operation today under the name “HUGS” (Help, Understanding and Group Support) – previously called “The Young People’s Support Center.” The program was based on concepts from A Course in Miracles[1], and it was an astounding success.
Red Flag 1, Course in Miracles.
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There was so much joy at our parties, passers-by at the church where we held our bi-weekly events often wanted to join the group, never imagining that it was a gathering of children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. Even our funerals were such loving, joyful celebrations of life that they turned into parties that lasted for hours and hours – no one ever wanted to leave.
I learned so much from those kids and their families; the healing I received in the process, and the skills that I developed in that rarified atmosphere served me well in later years as I developed the feminine aspect of the Psychology of Vision – the “joining method,” which uses grace as a healing tool.
"Joining." Red Flag 2. Also, the self-directed "served me well."
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Through my work in this program, I learned that – however human beings self-identify in terms of age, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, socio-economics, religious beliefs, educational backgrounds and levels of health – we could come together in a purely horizontal, equal level of relationship. And whenever that happened (a rare event in this world, because of the competitive nature of our egos), people from diverse backgrounds and ages would see themselves as the same, as equals, through a beautiful extra element that also showed up in their joining: Love. In fact, all thirteen of us who came together to create the program, did it on this horizontal basis. I was the one who had the paying job to run the program, but that did not make me more important than those who were doing what they were doing as a gift. I was simply in a leadership position that could facilitate the process.
I'm a little confused here. First we're told Lenora developed the program, but then she says a group of 13 people shaped this thing. She "was the one who had the paying job to run the program." Very well. Apparently still a public servant at this time, did her superiors know she was basically mixing Church and State? Well, it was the Reagan era. If one of my staff people came to me today and declared they were basing their customer service on A Course in Miracles, it would seriously undermine my confidence in their ability to think critically and do their job. Case study: I actually had a supervisor who was a Course in Miracles follower. He was universally hated by the whole organisation and his departure was widely celebrated. "Manifesting" and magic thinking didn't work too well for him.
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The love at our Support Center events was so palpable that it was like being in another, higher dimension, one in which love was the natural reality. And where there is love like that, emotional healing occurs automatically. As a result, I became an avid student of love, wanting to know how much love there is available to feel. And, as my capacity to give and receive love grew, I discovered that love is a very powerful healing tool.
"Another, higher dimension." Red Flag 3.
This passage about Love brings to mind a documentary about the Beatles from a couple decades ago called It Was Twenty Years Ago Today. In it, that old Yippie, Abbie Hoffman, was asked, "Is love all you need?"
"No," he responded, "It's nice to have. It's nice, as in peace. But it is not, and this is basically the flaw in Beatle politics: Justice is all you need."
As we seen earlier in this forum within the insensitive remarks by Charles Lee Spezzano concerning the FN residential school survivors and other people who have suffered from the cruelty of humankind or disease, the victims are to blame and seeking "justice" just isn't in the 3 card deck.
Rather than seeking justice, SALPOV victims are told to employ forgiveness, which comes at a very expensive service fee. Yet, when it comes to those of us who dare to offer accurate critiques of SALPOV, they regard our observations as slander, libel, criminal cyber attacks and want legal justice. Sort of a double standard taking place here, wouldn't you say?
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I could tell you amazing story after amazing story about what I learned from those children, but I would love to share just one of them here, from a book I wrote and published in 1995, Make Way for Love, A Story to Open Your Heart, The Arthur Story.
[link provided on her website]
I invited Chuck out to Hawaii to do in-service training for the Center’s volunteers, partly because of his experience teaching at a holistic health Institute (where he taught “The Psychodynamics of Catastrophic Illness” and “Healing Relationships”), but primarily because of his level of understanding and application of A Course in Miracles. But you should know more about Chuck’s background before I go further.
This passage intrigues me. Watch Charles Lee Spezzano's enthusiastic endorsement and appeal to materialism in his YouTube Mo Money. As he markets the concept of manifesting for selfish gain at 2:50 he says--
"I once decided I was going to get moved to Hawaii without having to pay for it and that's exactly what happened. Somebody moved me to Hawaii a couple years later, paid for all the expenses."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOpoR3TmHSU
So, who paid for Charles to move to Hawaii? Makes ya think, don't it?
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References and Footnotes
1. A Course in Miracles is a self-study curriculum which aims to assist its readers in achieving spiritual transformation.
Fascinating. If Lenora had stayed in the belly of the beast and changed it from within I'd be more receptive to her protestations in general. But somewhere in this narrative she crossed over to the Dark Side of her Ego and, ironically, became the very sort of figure the Spezzanos warn their trusting followers not to become.
The question among the SALPOV watchers on whether Lenora lives in a world of delusion or is indeed a true con artist remains open.
1 comment:
The concept of Justice is indeed missing from POV. It has been replaced by blaming one's self or blaming the victim. The "Healing Metaphors A-Z" prove that, among other things.
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