I was in GATE in Southern California from 3rd - 6th or 7th grade (I unfortunately can’t remember and parents don’t either), from 2003-2007.
I have very hazy memories of my time in GATE, many that are similar to the activities that others have mentioned: tan grams, ear phone head sets, darkened room / blacking out windows, human sculpture. I personally don’t have memories of the pink drink and I don’t remember the names or faces anyone else who was in the program with me but I remember it was at least 15-20 kids. When I first listened to the Gateway Tapes a few weeks ago (only the first few minutes of the first one) I didn’t feel like it was super familiar. But I did have an emotional reaction shortly after—crying, feeling uneasy, then eventually feeling angry. Since getting into spirituality as a young adult around age 24, I always have felt like I have a slight mental block when it comes to guided meditations, even though I can visualize things in my mind very clearly…
My memories from childhood are sporadic but what I do vividly remember is being extremely afraid of the dark from a young age, and frequently wetting the bed until I was way “too old” to be doing that (until 7th grade, which is also around when I stopped GATE). Until freshman year of high school, I had to sleep with a full lamp on. My mom was supportive, understanding and not shaming of this, but never asked questions or sought medical/psychiatric advice. I also was diagnosed with my first chronic illness (fibromyalgia) at age 13–an illness without one straightforward cause but is definitely linked to stress/trauma.
I am only now piecing together that this fear and bedwetting might be connected to repressed trauma from my time in GATE. Did anyone else have this experience as a kid?
(I’m 30 now, with ADHD diagnosed in college, self diagnosed Autism, depression, chronically ill, and PTSD but from traumatic assaults I experienced as a young adult).