The world-at any rate most of it-knows little or nothing of Synanon. Such igorance has to be overcome. Synanon served as an example of what can be done if would only put on a new pair of glasses to take a fresh look at this world today. Historically Synanon is something that began with a handful of people. All of them from Alcoholics Anonymous in the year of 1958. First in a cheap apartment, and then in a couple of rundown store fronts in Ocean Park Venice California. Subsequently at various addreses in Santa Monica and elsewhere.

The first drug addict "Whitey" was taken in as he was a friend of Gray Thompson one of the orginal memebers. His invovlement forced Chuck to make a major decision since ALcoholic Anonoymous club in Santa Monica didn't want hime coming there because he was and addict. So Chuck and company quit going to the club and that split was the offical start of what is known today as The Syanaon Foundation eevnethough in the beginning it was called TLC, "The tender Care" How the Synanon name came about was that someone else already had that name. And a new new drug thta came in couldn't say the word symposium correctly his pronuciattion or mis pronunciation was how the name change became Synanon. Chuck you thought of how in should ne spelled and puy the y in Synanon to avoid usinig th letter i which spelled sinanon. The though it looked better and also to word sin out to avoid any misunderstanding about the group.

Not all of those who took part in these early groupings could see that something big was trying to happen on the the human plane, something important and new

Some saw only the excitement of being part of a novel and more powerful form of group interaction that was taking shape among them, and the help they, as individuals, were personally deriving from it. And when they had what they needed out of this, these people left.

The former alcoholic and founder of Synanon Chuck Dederich constitently stuck to the belief that the Synanon idea was to be a continuing revelation and that it was therefore his task and that of as many of his associates as he could persuade to remain on indefinetly, to watch this process, follow it where ever it might lead, while trying to understand it and assist it in it's efforts to achieve reality on earth

Thus the two aspects of Synanon
1.Visionary
2.Practical

Visionary because there was this other Synanon, the Synanon of fresh ideas as to how people should live and function together, a task that required the members to put themselves into an experimental laboratory in sociology and psychology guided by executives who were themselves also guniea pigs in the same laboratory, but who had the patience to study something still largely unknown, and the strength to make decisions in the dark, and accept failure when their decisions turned out to be wrong-and meanwhile put up with the accusation of not being qualified professionals

Pratical because had in its care, people who had to be fed, housed, clothed, instructed, and amused, to say nothing of being helped toward physical and spiritual restoration.

Chuck kept saying: " We can't explain what we're doing because we stil haven't found a language for it." Synanon tried to do what cannot be explained or expressed with our usual mouth-noises