What is keeping The Academy For Psychic Studies Together?

The Cult of Personality.

It's a group that is formed around a certain flamboyant or charismatic person - which describes William Duby, the founder of the Academy for Psychic Studies pretty well.

Bill kept us entranced with his humorous stories of studying at the foot of Lewis Bostwick, the founder of the Berkeley Psychic Institute.  We believed Bostwick helped develop Bill's superior psychic abilities and helped Bill become more aware of the spiritual information he would eventually pass along to us.

It kept us together - even in trying times such as from the year 2000 when the scandalous activities of the Academy for Psychic Studies were revealed to the public.

Our belief that Bill was blessed by God and trained by Lewis Bostwick Himself cemented our faith in Rev. Bill Duby.

We came to see Bill as an earthly incarnation of Christ Himself, as the heir-apparent to Lewis Bostwick's legacy.

Bill's stories of learning at the foot of a true spiritual master formed the foundation of the Academy for Psychic Studies doctrine.

The only problem: none of it was true.

Bill's claim that he was hated by the staff of the Berkeley Psychic Institute while loved by Lewis Bostwick sounded unusual to say the least.  But, who of us would be able to find the truth?  None of us were allowed to visit BPI nor were we allowed to speak with anyone from BPI.

Now we know why.  

Psychdoctorate left this little gem on Joy's blog:

I recently received and email from another graduate who told me something about Bill Duby. Now this graduate is so dismayed at the abuse which went on in the church, especially those surrounding trance. This person was there for a long time, over 15 years and a lot longer than I was. This person told me that even though they never met the Bill, it was common knowledge that Lewis thought Bill was dangerously twisted.


Just a little food for thought.

Oh and just a reminder to all the SRFers out there, your illustrious founder was not ever close to Lewis at all. He never took a single class directly from him, he took it all at the Walnut Creek satellite institute. Lewis visited that place very infrequently and never taught there ever!

Bill was never close to Lewis Bostwick. In fact, it appears that Bostwick didn't just hate Bill, he appeared to
fear Bill.
 
Now some number of years after Bill Duby dropped dead on the floor, I have to wonder what tall tales are being created to manipulate the remaining faithful few into compliance?  What is the core doctrine, the stories so funny that you fall out of your chair?  What is the inspiration for the teaching keeping the Academy for Psychic Studies alive?
 
If your guess is like mine, it has to be: NOT A DAMN THING!
 
After I saw two of my fellow Clairvoyant Training Program students set up bodywork and psychic reading practices carefully not mentioning their time at the Academy for Psychic Studies I had to believe the tall tales were losing their persuasive grip on the psyche and intellect of the followers.
 
That kind of explains why the newer, younger members decided to become ex-members.  It doesn't explain why the older members are becoming even older members.
 
I can't speak for them but while I was there, it was momentum, inertia, and just plain complacency.  Bill called it "stewing in your fat".
 
Well Bill, that fat is the remains of your own bowels.  And like moving your bowels, the fat and garbage will run out at some point, even without a high colonic.  So now that movement is long over, dispair, fatigue and just plain mental numbness have overtaken those who remain at this nutty cult.
 
With the Witches of Ellsworth ruling by fear, intimidation and the ever-present demand for work and money, the elaborate and incomprehensible tall tales that kept us rapt in attention and sonambulent in trance were never told.  At least when Bill told them, we got a couple hours of entertainment out of it.  The Witches way of keeping people in line (which they warmly call "being in the energy") is to forget the entertainment and go for the throat.
 
Actually, they go for the wallet.  They are just more direct about it than Bill ever was.  Bill had the con man's charm, allowing him to lift your wallet unnoticed.  The Witches of Ellsworth just slap you in the face while they rummage around in your pocket for lunch money.
 
There seems to be no discernible statement of doctrine or statement of purpose at the Academy for Psychic Studies' new web site.  I would expect that is intended.  I mean, why tell people about yourself before they show up at your dungeon?  If they come in, you can slam the gate behind them and keep them around until they get the same glazed look in their eyes we had when we joined up.
 
I actually think there was never a real doctrine at the Academy - unless you can call the snatching of purses, picking pockets, corrupting your children and operating the world's craziest con game a doctrine.
 
So, maybe the Academy for Psychic Studies never lost their direction after all!  It appears they never had one in the first place.
 
 
Don't be fooled by the new, minimalist look of this wacky cult.  It's minimalist for a good reason: so you'll find a minimum of information online before you are trapped in the dungeon.
 
And that's why this blog will continue to tell our side of the story, our own truthful experiences, our own opinions on what this cult did to us and the ones we care about.