My Tourette’s, is a 2017 film produced by Clare Bronfman and features five individuals suffering from Tourette’s syndrome who underwent a novel therapy developed by NXIVM founder Keith Raniere.
The therapy is non- drug based but consists of “talk”, and this “talk therapy” was administered by NXIVM president, Nancy Salzman.
The film has been released on YouTube and is available to watch in its entirety for free.
The film purports to offer hope for sufferers of Tourette’s and other ailments such as OCD, anxiety, ADHD, etc.
It was screened at various film festivals. And the version available on YouTube is the complete film plus a short introduction by Marc Elliot, who claims to have been freed of Tourette’s through the “talk therapy” techniques shown in the film.
Elliot makes an admission in the intro that the film and the contents of the film were the brainchild of Raniere who is now in prison.
Elliot says: “I lived with a severe case of Tourette’s Syndrome for 20 years and eventually became an award winning inspirational speaker, traveling internationally to raise awareness about compassion and Tourettes.
“What you’re about to see will challenge traditional medical knowledge about Tourette’s Syndrome, and potentially many other neurological disorders. What you’ll witness is an unconventional, safe, new, non-invasive, non-meditative, non hypnotic and entirely talk-based therapy that has had a dramatic impact on the lives of a small group of people living with Tourette’s Syndrome.
The film runs one hour and 17 minutes. It is a documentary filmed with a professional budget and if even half the claims of freeing people from Tourette’s are valid, as Elliot says, it offers “wondrous hope.”
From the film’s website: “Five young adults. One syndrome. One last chance. What happens when a successful young speaker from St. Louis learns that his Tourette’s Syndrome, a debilitating neurological disorder deemed incurable by the medical community, could be transformed?… What follows is a journey beyond his [Elliot’s] wildest dreams. The film explores the case study designed to replicate Marc’s results, with the founders and president of ESP and NXIVM, Keith Raniere and Nancy Salzman.”
Can anything good come of out of NXIVM?
The fact that Raniere is at the bottom of this film and the “talk therapy” could spell some subversive plot and yet can people evaluate for themselves whether there is something valuable in curing this and other similar maladies.
Presently there is no known cure for Tourette’s, but some people seem to lose the symptoms as they grow older without knowing the cause.
The film does not directly claim to be a cure for Tourette’s but discusses the possibility. It shows five individuals going through the talk therapy.
While all five seem to have experienced relief from Tourette’s through the film, Elliot is the most vocal about its significance in helping him overcome Tourette’s.
Nancy Salzman is silent as she is preparing to go to prison. Raniere and Bronfman are in prison.
Two of the five individuals featured in the film are plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Raniere, Salzman, Bronfman and her sister Sara and others.
Attorney Neil Glazer represents the two and about 80 other plaintiffs. They are suing for psychological damages.
One of the subjects of the film, Carysa Long is not only suing but made a video victim statement which was played at Nancy Salzman’s sentening.
Long claimed she was psychologically abused yet, during her 10 minute video, she did appear to tic once, which is quite different than how she appeared in the film before her therapy sessions with Salzman.
Trailer – Isabella Constantino
In his opening, Elliot addresses the strange contradiction of a potential cure being offered by a convicted felon, Raniere.
“What you’re about to see will also challenge another narrative about the group and the person behind this medical breakthrough, NXIVM and Keith Raniere. Currently, Keith Raniere is serving a 120 year prison sentence. NXIVM has been cast by the media and the government as an “evil sex cult” whose sole purpose was to mistreat people against their will.
“This film gives people a window into NXIVM, and the man behind it, that the government doesn’t want you to see. In fact, the government threatened to prosecute me for simply sharing my story, which you will soon get to see firsthand.
“All I want you to do is enjoy this film and carefully review it, as it could offer hope to those who suffer from Tourette’s syndrome and other disorders like PTSD, anxiety, ADHD and OCD.”
The cast and crew as per IMDb:
Directed by
Writing Credits
| Alessandro Molatore | … | (writer) |
Cast
Isabella Constantino
Marc Elliot
Alex Hall
Nick Letter
Carysa Long
Produced by
| Clare Bronfman | … | producer |
| Marc Elliot | … | associate producer |
| Alessandro Molatore | … | producer |
Music by
| Héctor Ruiz | … | (as Hector Ruíz) |
Cinematography by
Film Editing by
Production Management
| Santiago de la Paz | … | post-production supervisor |
Sound Department
| Pablo Lach | … | re-recording mixer / sound mixer |
| Christian Tapia | … | music mixer |
| Melanie Tort | … | audio post coordinator |
| Alejandra Ríos Rosales | … | foley editor (uncredited) |
Editorial Department
| Mónica Stiauren | … | post-production assistant |
| Øyvind Stiauren | … | colorist |
| Edith Sánchez | … | conform editor / video mastering |
| Joakim Ziegler | … | digital cinema mastering / digital intermediate producer |
Music Department
| Diego Benlliure | … | composer: incidental music |
| Josefa de Velasco | … | score orchestrator |
| Paulina Márquez | … | music supervisor |
| Melanie Tort | … | music production coordinator |
| Juan Andrés Vergara | … | composer: incidental music / musician |
The film was screened at
Cinequest Film & VR Festival (2018)
Harlem Film Festival (2018)
Milan International Film Festival (2018)
Green Mountain Film Festival (2018)
Roma Cinema Doc Festival (2018)
Vail Film Festival (2018)
Ischia Film Festival (2018)
Arizona International Film Festival (2018)
Newport Beach Film Festival (2018