GWP - Gentle Wind Project scam Kittery Maine

(News story is from WMTW TV News, Maine)

AUGUSTA, Maine -- The Maine Attorney General's Office has filed a lawsuit against a controversial Kittery-based nonprofit group.

The Gentle Wind Project designs and sells what it calls "healing instruments" that it said solve a variety of physical and emotional ailments.

Others said the group is a scam.

The attorney general's office accused the group of falsely claiming that their products had healing qualities and of considering the income from their sale as charitable donations rather than sales proceeds.

Prosecutors want the Gentle Wind Project to liquidate its assets, pay the state's legal fees and refund anyone who bought items between 2000 and the present.

On another board, someone recently pointed out that a new group exists that seems to be linked to the Millers' Gentle Wind Project.

Each time this person searched on Google for Gentle Wind Project, a sponsored site came up called "Allies for Trauma Relief." Apparently a great way to end trauma, according to "Allies," is to use Gentle Wind's "healing instruments."

The "Allies" seem to have a board of directors that overlaps with some "Gentle Wind" followers and board members.

So many good people, probably including most of the individuals involved with "Allies" and "gentle wind's" Millers, have sincere and urgent intentions to end "trauma." However, it's sometimes all too easy to reach for answers without looking behind the front covers of the
claims -- just as we did.

The "Allies" website is also accompanied by dozens of poignant photos of devastated people around the world. It's a layout that can
tug at people's emotions.

Groups sometimes use front organizations as a way to look for legitimacy or find new donors, members, and followers. And these techniques have sometimes been used historically when exposure occurs for the original organization. Is that what is going on between "Allies" and the Millers' Gentle Wind Project?

People will hopefully do their own research, using their intellect as well as their emotions. And it's always recommended to ask another person -- someone not affiliated with the group in question -- to give objective assistance with such an evaluation.

Each of us has the right to dissect and evaluate claims coming from any direction -- whether from a relief agency, business, religion, therapist, government, individual, cult, or high-control group -- and then to form our own opinions.

A new book by Janja Lalich -- "Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships" -- makes the point that:

"Many religious and self-help institutions, as well as mainstream political parties and special-interest groups are examples of...noncult organizations. We do not call them cults because they are...accountable to some higher body or to society in general. When people join they have a clear idea of these organizations' structures and goals. Deceptive or coercive practices are not integral to the growth of these organizations or their ability to retain their members."

I've been following lawsuits that GWP files against the former members who have exercised their free speech rights by criticizing the organization on their website. GWP lost in federal court and now they are proceeding in state court. I wonder how much more money GWP will spend on this litigation. This is one of the most frivolous lawsuits I have ever seen.

From what I've been reading on the other Gentle Wind Rip-Off Report (much longer than this one), this strange bunch isn't the most cooperative group in the world. It also seems that anyone asking questions gets blasted with vitriol by whoever is running Gentle Wind or one of their authorized speakers. No wonder people are afraid to complain about anything. Definitely, there is no evidence at all of Gentle Wind acquiescing when asked to do something. The certainty about normal human interactions that Mae expects from Gentle Wind doesn't seem at all dependable from what I've seen of their behavior. In fact, their actions are very disquieting.

Another suggestion for Mae to consider is that none of us can make assumptions about whether a person has been helped by anything. We don't have the right or the ability to do that.

I am certain that if the author of that quote contacted Gentle Wind and asked them to remove it, it would be removed. It would however never negate the fact that this person had been helped by Gentle Wind if they were to remove the quote if the author requested it be removed. I am also sure that Gentle Wind will not remove that quote just because Carl is requesting it.

The Gentle Wind Project has been asked four times to remove the following on their website as not authorized by the writer. For some reason they have not responded to the request for removal.

". . . I think this Trauma Card might save my sanity out here in Iraq. Thank you Gentle Wind Project!" A U.S. Army Combat Soldier currently stationed in Iraq.

I wonder why they won't responde to this request.

Thank you for sharing your experience. I have noticed that the Gentle Wind Project's testimonials tend to be very vague. I have also noticed some false or unsupported claims on their web site. See the example below.

The GWP web site claims that the "Humane Society and SPCA branch in Southern California reports Healing Instruments effective in relieving suffering with traumatized animals." GWP failed to respond to respond to an email asking them to identify which specific Humane Society supposedly made the report.

An investigation revealed that an instrument keeper was teaching a class at the San Diego Humane Society on "healing" animais with touch. They taught people how to use these so-called healing instruments. GWP claims that they make the devices available for free use by the public, but somehow it is okay to charge $30 per class to teach people how to properly use the healing instruments. Don't ask me how they justify the distinction.

When the San Diego Humane Society was contacted about GWP's claims, the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA categorically denied any endorsement or affiliation with GWP. The claims made on the GWP web site are made without authorization or knowledge of the San Diego Humane Society.

The attorney for the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA has stated that healing instruments will not longer be allowed at these classes and the teacher can no longer refer to healing instruments or teach people how to use them on Humane Society property. I wonder how many other claims on the GWP web site will fail under scrutiny.