Why was Allison Mack guilty if she was deceived and brainwashed?
How many knew what was happening and how many were hoodwinked? Sarah Edmondson wrote about blindfolds in her book, Scarred.
Allison’s first meeting with Keith Raniere was November 14, 2006.
Keith was playing volleyball at ABC Sports and Fitness in the late evening with his acolytes.
Sarah Edmondson and Kristin Kreuk first recruited her. Sara Bronfman and Nancy Salzman came to Vancouver to land the big fish Allison Mack – another successful beautiful actress – with perhaps a million fans – star of a hit TV show. They all told her about the glorious one – Keith Alan Raniere, the smartest and most ethical man in the universe. Bar none.
Sara Bronfman, with her bags of cash always ready to waste on the comely and ultimately unlucky young woman, flew the lucky young lady in to meet his highness in a private plane.
Allison enters with Loreta Garza and when the imperial one took a break from his brilliant playing on court, Raniere and her sat on a bench off to the side.
They were not alone. There were a group of Raniere devotees surrounding them.
One of the devotees filmed every precious moment of the glory-filled event. Loreta and Megan sat on the bench near Mack.
Mark Vicente also sat on the bench. The late Jim Del Negro sat on the floor.
Those who watched Raniere stare at him like a captivated audience, listening to each word their sage says.
Keith knew how to read and use body language.
He developed that skill much as he did the techniques of “Neurolinguistic Programming.”
He was a predator. Allison was prey.
Edmondson describes “The Lift” in her book: develop rapport, find out why new recruits are there (what they wanted most to change about themselves) and use that.
Recruiters were to get new recruits to agree that they couldn’t accomplish their goals on their own.
Recruiters were to “turn ‘if’ into ‘how.’” Sarah wrote, “Espians and NXIVM followers weren’t learning as much as they were being “indoctrinated, deceived and brainwashed.”
RANIERE (to Allison): Is art important to you?
MACK: Yes.
RANIERE (quickly): Why?
MACK: Why is art important to me? Because it’s … um … Because I think it’s — Hhmmm. Because so much of who I am is wrapped up in art.
Allison had been looking at Raniere while leaning her head against the wall.
Raniere mirrors Allison, leaning his head against the wall.
RANIERE: Give me an example. I guess I’m not —
MACK: When I go to see a film or a piece of artwork or — something happens to me that is so exciting and wonderful. Blissful. Joyful.
RANIERE: Yeah. We can practice generating an extreme feeling of joy over anything.
MACK: Mmhmm.
RANIERE: There are methods that we have, especially in 2C.
MACK: What is 2C?
RANIERE: It’s, ah — (waves his hand nonchalantly) one of our intensives. It’s — (looking at Del Negro, sitting on the floor) What’s it called, now? Civilizations?
Del Negro: Civilizations and humanity.
RANIERE: Civilizations.
As a note to those who know not of the mysteries, in order to take 2c – an eight day intensive – a student must first take two five-day intensives [2 x $2,160] and a 16-day intensive [$6,000]. The cost of the 2c is $6500. So by the time one entered the doors for 2c, which was only taught in Albany, they had more than $16,000 invested and by the time one left, they got to offer tribute to Raniere at the end of each class day – a required chanting by the whole class formed in a circle where they bow and say “Thank you Vanguard” 34 times in 34 days.
For context, Allison had only taken a Jness weekend before jetting to Albany. It was rare for anyone to meet the glory one before at least taking a 5-day intensive.
At some point in that first meeting, Allison looks defensive. She covers her mouth with the tips of her curled fingers, palm facing inward.
Did Raniere research her weaknesses before he met her to target her vulnerabilities for that conversation?
Keith casually looks up at the ceiling and slows his speech, inviting Allison to imagine with him whatever hypothetical he’s going to describe.
RANIERE (looking up toward the ceiling): What if artistic endeavors were really bogus? What if —
MACK (sleepily): Hhmmm.
Allison smiles a little, following his train of thought. She seems content to be part of the select few to consider such profound possibilities. Two seconds later, it looks like her brain registers Keith’s use of “artistic endeavors” and “bogus” in the same sentence.
Her eyebrows draw closer together. She closes her eyes, still covering her mouth. She seems to brace for whatever’s next.
RANIERE: What if art was just an excuse for those who (turning his head quickly to look directly at Allison Mack) couldn’t do?
Allison raises her eyebrows, her eyes open wide for a second. She relaxes her face, back to the dreamier mode to deliver her next line.
MACK: And it is sometimes.
She blinks her eyes quickly a few times, smiles a quick friendly smile. She knew she was being filmed. She knew how much that conversation could threaten her entire career. As she said: so much of who she was was “wrapped up in art.”
Keith knew a young woman in Hollywood would feel inadequate, no matter how accomplished she was. Why was Allison so thrown? Did the New York prosecutors consider the brainwashing, the deceit, and the manipulation when considering the charges?
A few minutes later. Allison faces Raniere, leaning her head against the wall. She’s not covering her mouth anymore. Looking slightly hesitant, she seems willing to believe whatever he says.
Was Allison deceived, or was she a willing participant in her career’s demise? And, what about Pam?
RANIERE: The most excitement that you’ve ever felt is yours to have all the time. Independent of art.
[He is setting her up even then to quit her acting career.]
MACK (nodding): Hhm—hmm.
RANIERE: The bad news is you sort of have to divorce yourself from the thought that it comes from the art.
MACK (nods in submission)
RANIERE: If you feel that art is necessary for that, that’s almost a self-condemnation.
Allison nods. She lowers her head and hides her face. She begins to cry. How old was she there? She was 23 years old.
RANIERE: Why is this emotional for you?
MACK (crying, waves at person filming): Hi.
RANIERE: It’s okay. She comes in close.
MACK (laughing, wiping her tears): I know, right? I should be used to this. It’s what I do for a living… (answering Raniere’s question): Hhmmm. Because it’s pointing at something I’ve never thought about. And part of me is kind of freaked out about accepting this. I’m used to that self-condemnation. (laughs, reassures Keith) I’m comfortable with that.
A few minutes later. Allison gathers her thoughts. She explains what she thinks just happened. She had no idea what just happened.
MACK: If I let go of that belief, that it’s not the art that’s giving me this feeling — it’s me that’s giving me this feeling — then I have to trust that I will be capable of giving myself that feeling. And I don’t necessarily trust that right now.
Raniere nods compassionately. He leans his head toward the wall, looking at Allison with caring eyes as though she’s all that matters at that moment.
MACK (hyperventilating): And so that’s scary, because I want that feeling.
Scientologists had lists of Hollywood celebrities to recruit into their ranks. The Dalai Lama wrote the foreword for Raniere’s book.
Tom O’Neill wrote a magazine article about the Dalai Lama, Hollywood and influence.
I hope Allison can read Sarah’s book. Writing about recruiting new people to join the group, Sarah wrote, “To me, building trust with someone new was everything. To our founders, building trust was just a ploy. In fact, the entire company was just leveraging trust.”
What was ESP/NXIVM, exactly – and how many purposes did it serve?
