This morning I was cited in Tara Isabella Burton’s New York Times guest essay, “How a ’70s Improv Book Became Silicon Valley’s Required Reading.” Tara is someone I only met recently, but we have a lot of topic overlap, as she “writes about God, art, beauty, language, and imagination.” I also love these topics. Thank you Tara!
In her NYT essay, Tara cited a well-known article that I wrote in 2016: “My Year In San Francisco’s $2 Million Secret Society Startup.” If you liked that article, you might appreciate my followup from 2025 after the BBC interviewed me: “Thoughts on Concealment and Revelation: The BBC Interviews Me About Secret Societies.”
One of my favorite former bosses, the CEO of an NYC-based media company, used to call me her “Silicon Valley decoder ring.” If you’re interested in my other work on Silicon Valley culture, my latest is an epically long multi-year investigation that I published in July: “The Inside Story Of Leverage Research 1.0.”
In 2020, I published a print magazine that some now describe as a “Bay Area cult classic.” We charge $99 for the magazine if you buy it online, since it’s a cult classic and all, but if you like going to bookstores, then you can buy a copy for $42 at Clio’s Books in Oakland or at Green Apple on 9th in San Francisco. (I might also give you a discount if you’re nice to me :)
There’s more about me on the About Page for my Substack. Fun fact: This is not the first time I have been cited in the New York Times, but the last time I was cited by the NYT, it was under a pseudonym that I used to write about sexuality.
I’m currently on hiatus from writing, but am generally happy to chat in comments. Also, if you have any subjects that you’d be excited for me to write about when I come back, please let me know anytime!
Fascinating. I had no idea Johnstone was so big in Silicon Valley. I've been fascinated by his story and some of the loose threads in his work for years. There are religious and political angles there that feel like they are totally overlooked because it's packaged as theatre skills. I'd have to write a whole essay to explain that, and I will one of these days, but knowing your range of interests, maybe you get where I'm going with it.
Lydia I want to apologize for my tantrum the other day. You seem like an amazing person. And I believe in your position, I would have done the same thing. And you've made it so victims can speak in the future.
I just want you to know that the 3 or so victims that went through the negative psychology subproject are not joking. And it is being used on people. And I know exactly how they are doing it after months of obsessive research. What those people experienced is basically adversarial operational psychology, which is similar to mentalism magic show tricks. People generally don't know what they're actually up to (even if it's mostly good) in this program, it's called the 3 body problem in mentalism.
I have never been in a mental hospital, and no one I know thinks I'm nuts as far as I know lol. There's another half of the story you guys are missing. Last time they did it on prostitutes and then blamed them as the druggers lol.
Alternate reality games also plays a role. Jim Stewartson has a documentary he made about his ARG research being used for QAnon. It is more than that, as I personally have experienced.
Much to say. But I am on the same page as you as not poking the bear so to speak. But with all that has happened I sort of feel like the one person who can bring light to this who may have made it out unscathed. And it appears as though the govt is actually very tolerant about that idea. I don't think they're a bunch of psychos I do think it makes sense they did this from their perspective. Which is important to keep in mind.
You have done a great service writing an article about this at all. And left the door open for victims. I am sorry that the work you've done has taken a toll and that I've contributed to that. Just know you've done a lot for me and I do appreciate you. And once again I am sorry about my initial reaction to your work. You've certainly helped a lot of people over the years, even if they don't know it at the time.