The downfall of 'The Screamers'
Atlantis was a fringe psychotherapy commune who practised primal screaming. When they moved to guerrilla controlled Colombia, things turned violent.
If you visited the controversial Atlantis commune in southern Colombia back in the 1990s, you鈥檇 have probably heard some disturbing noises. The group practised primal screaming, a form of psychotherapy which seeks to address childhood pain. They鈥檇 hold confrontational group sessions, where they were encouraged to direct their anger at each other, hoping to develop themselves psychologically in the process.
The commune had started in London, founded by a therapist called Jenny James. They鈥檇 made the move to South America to be closer to nature, and they鈥檇 settled on a forested area of Colombia controlled by left wing Farc guerrillas. At first Atlantis coexisted with the Farc, but as the Colombian civil war intensified the guerrillas became more hostile, and when violence broke out it pulled the commune apart.
Presenter: Faye Planer
Producer: Harry Graham
Picture: The Atlantis commune in Southern Colombia
Credit: 大象传媒
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