On September 3, 2018, a rancher in Laredo, Texas, discovered a woman’s body shot execution-style on the side of the... more

Chuck Dederich's story reaches its conclusion. Whether or not Synanon does is up for debate.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy... more

Chuck is consumed by paranoia and Synanon erupts in violence. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices... more

After Chuck's wife Betty passes away, he quickly finds a new partner, and he instructs his followers to find new... more

Chuck declares that there will be no more children born in Synanon, and he goes to great lengths to make... more

Chuck breaks one of his two rules for Synanon, no violence, beginning with his youngest followers. To learn more about listener... more

Legend, ritual, religion, LSD. Chuck experiments with all of it on his followers in Synanon. To learn more about listener... more

Chuck Dederich hits rock bottom as an alcoholic in the beachside slums of Los Angeles. It's 1958, and he's got... more

Welcome to Synanon. If you're wondering what Synanon is, then you're asking the same question as Celena and Mike, whose... more

Once called “the miracle on the beach,” Synanon began in the 1960s as an experimental rehab facility in Santa Monica,... more