Tullycoll Trust Foundation
Cookstown, Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland
A spiritual community guided by teachings of A Course in Miracles.
Disclaimer:
We have received a communication from the current owner of the house where the Tullycoll Trust Foundation was based. He wishes to state that house has no connection with the foundation. We are happy to clarify this, but feel that whether the group no longer exists has no bearing on the spiritual and psychological damage done to a large number of people who had a connection to the foundation. We see no reason to remove our post in these circumstances. Also though the Foundation has no longer a legal identity those who were involved can still be pursued legally individually when those affected have addressed the effects of the damage done to them. Dialogue Ireland is committed to support them and those who care for them.
http://www.miracles.org.uk/links.asp
http://www.diggersanddreamers.org.uk/index.php?fld=initial&val=T&one=dat&two=det&sel=tullycol
http://www.places-to-be.com/index.php?a=a&gen=ret&eight=tullcyol
It should be pointed out that Dialogue Ireland has interviewed a number of persons connected with this group. Above we have put up some of the web sites connected to this group. Apparently the group is no longer functioning, but to alert the public to the reappearance of the personalities concerned we are putting up this post. Please leave a comment or contact us in order for us to offer you assistance. The sums involved are out of this world, and the spiritual abuse is the most dreadful element in all this. ED.
Tullycoll Trust Foundation
Cookstown, Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland
A spiritual community guided by teachings of A Course in Miracles. The spiritual leaders of this community offered spiritual training in the form of a 3 year programme of self development training. First course – Personal Mastery Programme, second – Leadership Empowerment Training and third – Spiritual Mastery. These courses cost around £3,000 each not to mention the ‘extras’!
As the two leaders – Joseph and Sandra Heaney were working as therapists, most of the people recruited for these programmes were in personal therapy with the Heaneys. They claimed to be counsellors/psychotherapists (trained in USA). Although, that is now in question by many of the people who took part in therapy and trainings.
A high level of commitment was required and before long most of the people involved were spending the majority of their time at the centre – doing cleaning, renovation work and fund raising. Non attendance at any of these events was seen as a lack of commitment and heavily frowned upon. There was an incredible amount of pressure put on people to attend and to put involvement in the “community” first and foremost, above all else.
Before long people were encouraged to form a “community” and commit to devoting their lives to living “consciously” in order to collapse many lifetimes of “unconscious” reincarnation. The leaders developed an incredible amount of control and power over the members. People lost incredible sums of money going into hundreds of thousands of pounds. Most people were encouraged to hand over money as a way of healing their money issues, ie they were told that they were “attached” to their money and by letting go of it (to God), they would be healing this negative personality trait and feel closer to God.
As time went on the leaders became more delusional with Joe Heaney convinced that he was a channel for spirit itself and dishing out advice and instructions to people which was supposed to have come from the master himself (Jesus). Disagreement with the leaders was not tolerated and because of Joe Heaney’s supposed connection with “the master”, he did not like to be questioned. No critical thinking was allowed and the members who tried were verbally abused and humiliated. He was extremely manipulative. There was a lot of “meetings” where the group was summoned together and what followed most of the time could only be described as interrogation sessions.
Members were encouraged to have sexual relationships with each in order to heal their “sexual repression”, which he said was rife in Northern Ireland. The leaders themselves entered into sexual activities with members.
As the mind control, and manipulation got worse, people were given instructions on how to live their lives and an incredible scrutiny over their lives developed.
In order to generate income for the “community” a business was set up – first a coffee shop and then a restaurant. People handed over large sums of money to finance this business venture, as well as work long hours to run it. Two years ago the restaurant went into liquidation with debts of over £300,000.
Involvement in this so called community for many people has been traumatic, financially and emotionally.
People put their trust in Joe and Sandy Heaney believing that they knew what they were doing and that they genuinely cared about the people they recruited. The people who became involved in this “community” were all vulnerable people who were searching for something more to life than the mundane, for a sense of community and belonging
These two people have broken every code of ethics as far as counselling/therapy is concerned. They entered into business transactions with clients, fostered personal friendships (some intimately personal), gossiped about people and took money under false pretences.
Now there is only the recovery process left – to undo the damage that was done by being involved in this scam.
Filed under: Therapy Groups, Tullycoll Trust Foundation |
Dialogue Ireland 
I found out Joe Heaney passed away in 2019: https://www.funeraltimes.com/joeheaney213157085. May he incarnate into someone who learns from this life’s lessons.
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Hi, I texted my cell number on Messenger. I’m yet shattered to see how crazy Joe and Sandy turned out to be. I blamed myself for what happened there.
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I had some contact in that area. Would be delighted to talk about your recovery. I happened to near Tully old last month. Send me your cell number on Messenger and I will call you on WhatsApp.
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I was in a group led by Joe and Sandy Heaney from 1987-90 in Seattle. It was called the Personal Mastery Community, then Center for Personal Mastery. We paid $6000 for a 6- month program. I did learn some valuable things there, but it was true, they could be harsh and shaming. They encouraged me and a guy in the group to get together. We did, and lived together for 2 years. We were going to marry, with Joe and Sandy being our ministers. They pulled out at the last minute, saying we “weren’t ready.” I had stopped doing their programs. They said I had “too much control” over my partner. I think it was that they wanted couples to be fully involved in their programs, so they would have control over them. I have taken decades to heal from that experience. Joe and Sandy have no counseling credentials in the US. None, at least not from before they came to Ireland in the early 90s.
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Right the Wrong Joe and Sandy
The guity shall not be forgiven
Until they find it in their hearts to
Right the Wrong!
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Ex member: Yes watched with great interest and horror at the similarities in techniques – the lies and the manipulation and the leader’s grandiose delusions of being connected to the “master” – Jesus – professing he had a direct connection and was able to “channel” his word. Now so many years down the road, I can’t believe I actually fell for this sh** but then again as we saw in the programme, grooming techniques were very effective. Sexual activities between leaders and members seems to be common in these cults and Tullycoll was no exception! Pity we didn’t know this programme was being made, could have invited them to NI to cover Tullycoll activities!
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http://www.channel5.com/shows/trapped-in-a-cult
Do the techniques used sound familiar?
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Joe and Sandy Heaney founded Tullycoll in the 90’s and as ‘jld’ has said above they ran a cult in Settle in the 80’s.
Is this where they started? What happened in the US & Canada? Where they somewhere else?
Could they start their cult again? As ‘this is not over’ has said they have now moved on….
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Who is JLD?
Could you clarify what this is about Seattle? Do you wish to tell us about Tullycoll?
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Hi JLD,
I would like to talk to you about the US & Canadian side of this story.
If you’d like to PM then please contact the mentor to forward my email address to you.
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Thank you jld for posting. The Heaneys used to rave about Seattle and the great work they done there yet it made no sense. Why would they return to northern Ireland in the height of the troubles when it was a very grim and scary place to live when they loved it so much in America and Canada, I have long suspected that they caused EMOTIONAL and financial carnage there and had to move on. It was certainly not for Sandra’s love of Ireland as Joe Heaney kept insisting when questioned about this.
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Wow, don’t know what possessed me to try to find out where the Heaneys had gone and type their name into Google search. This completely confirms my belief that I was involved in a cult lead by them in Seattle in the mid 80’s that I managed to escape after 2 years. It took a couple of years and professional help to recover. I see they just moved on and repeated and escalated the abuse. Read about cults – you are definitely not crazy in thinking this was one.
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loathing:
Unlike many other commenters who are still under influence your reaction is healthy!
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and then absolute rage!!
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I am still filled with a huge sense of loathing and terror when I think of the times I said how great they were and complied with their wishes when my whole body was telling me something else.
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Re anonymous 20 june – I don’t believe the heaneys were oblivious to the harm caused – they were very aware of the effects that their abuse had on others – in fact that was their aim – to break your spirit, alienate you from friends and family and leave you so broken that they had full control…. all done of course in the name of spirit ….
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aye they wreck peoples lives and then just walk away
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They left a trail of destruction in America
Then they moved to Cookstown and left a trail of destruction
Then they moved away from Cookstown
Now they live in Antrim
Just like pedophile priests were just moved to a different parish to continue abusing the Heaneys deny any wrongdoing and continued to abuse – if only they had been stopped in America.
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When the heaneys bullied and threatened people into asking their family and friends for money – THESE WERE NOT DONATIONS AND HAVE TO BE PAID BACK, NOT TO MENTION THE MONEY TO THE BANKS. This severely compromises your life with your family and friends and your entire existence as any money you make is going towards paying this money back. This is the legacy of the Heaneys I still live with daily and will have to do so for many years – meanwhile they sit back and play happy families and blank it all out!
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Yes, donations are freely given – the Heaneys refer to these huge sums of money as donations. But these sums of money were not donated – they were conned and bullied out of people!
Coming to terms with the money issue is one thing but it is the mental and emotional abuse that these 2 charlatans inflicted on people when they worked as professional counselors that is the real lasting damage – that is the legacy the Heaneys leave this world with.
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Understandable rage, but we will have to clean up the language
DI Moderation
Hey anonymous June 20… Away n sxxxxx U self righteous prick : Nothing comes in or goes with us, that’s great insight.
Try Sudoku ya twat… This is for folks who are hurt & scarred from the unethical multilevel abuse by 2 miserable, lying xxxxxxx.. You don’t belong (here).
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You are really losing it. Was the interview with Seamus too much for you? Why take it out on the victims of Tullycoll?
Is it that you are used to an organisation that does this to its members?
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All that is written here is shit…
People give and people take.
People live and people die.
Nobody brings a damn penny into this world and ALL leave naked and luck if they get buried.
so what is the great fuss about money donated? Who knows what money was donated to causes that were preverse…and who cares….
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Joe and Sandy Heaney left a trail of damaged people who are still struggling wih regaining their identity and chasing normality to achieve sanity. I believe they were oblivious of what their actions was doing to the people involved in this cult and they performed their roles as so called spiritual leaders to the detriment of all the cult members.
The Heaneys believed in a high power, and a CEO, but ignored the Holy Father in Heaven who will make the final judgement on Joseph Heaney and Sandy Heaney,
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“It is easy…terribly easy to shatter a man’s faith in himself.
To take advantage of that , to break a man’s spirit, is devil’s work.”
G.B Shaw
Pretty much sums up the Heaneys
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Having read about the different type cults, I am struck, even more so, by the similarities with EDUCO, the Tony Quinn cult and the Heaney set-up. Take the drink problem out of the equation and they could be posting about Tony Quinn and Aideen Cowman. Bashing the Irish for their narrow mindedness and sexual repression are very familiar topics to seduce followers into changing their behaviour in opposition to ‘brainwashing ‘by the Catholic church. EDUCO also used psychotherapy as a means to influencing and coercing people into accepting Quinn as their ‘saviour’. It is very strange that no-one checked out the Heaney’s claims of qualifications in psychotherapy. The goal of both is to fleece people of everything they have. Have the Heaney’s been brought to justice? Has anyone managed to overcome their heinous fear tactics and confronted them?
An above poster said Heaney “claimed that it was psychotherapists that had first exposed the sexual abuse within the Catholic Church.” I doubt this was the case. I clearly got the message that they would prefer to avoid having to do this. In fact, when I attended psychotherapy I was asked to think very carefully about what I was going to say as it may put the therapist into a situation where she would have to report it. Instead, the issue of the abuse while attending a Tony Quinn therapist was put aside and NOT ONE therapist, and I saw a few of them including a clinical psychologist, DID NOT REPORT what was said even though it was very clear that the abuse continued in EDUCO.
Where are the Heaney’s now? Does anyone keep tabs on them to prevent others being conned by them?
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Jimmy Savile two months before he died admitted he was “not a straight punter”. Despite hood winking everyone all his life, under the guise of being a good Samaritan, he did at least admit that much. When the truth came out those who were bullied and silenced for speaking against him were vindicated and those who refused to believe that he was ‘crooked’ were forced to take stock! Joe Heaney is of the same elk as Jimmy Savile – his victims may not have been children, but his methods of grooming people, manipulating them for his own gain, abusing vulnerable people in his role as counsellor , his complete lack of conscience and his continual deluded state that he is innocent of any wrongdoing make him just as dangerous! but as with Savile… the truth always comes out!.
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Publicly available data:
Moderator note: Personal information removed.
I’m looking for Joe now.
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The Heaneys had upwards of £100,000 at their disposal and were in a position to pay people and the bank back the money they were owed. In order to avoid paying back any money, he badgered others to take out loans and harass family and friends for money to sort out the mess while he worked out a plan for him and Sandy to leave.
He announced one night that he and Sandy were going to live in Spain and before they went he was going to convert part of Tullycoll house into an apartment for them both so they would have somewhere to live when they came back to Ireland, and for us gathered there that evening to pay the rent, bills and the upkeep of Tullycoll as this would be our way of repaying them for all they had given us!
He spent thousands and thousands building their apartment and thousands on a custom made motor bike. Others were left to pay back their loans to family, friends and the bank while he conveniently retired, went bankrupt and moved away.
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You think he gives a toss as he swans around St George’s market with his daughter. He thinks because he has moved away and that no one is there to tell his family and inlaws the truth that he is now respectable and that this is all forgotten……such is his contempt for all those he injured.
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And when people ask joe Heaney about Tullycoll he proclaims his innocence by stating that he and sandy went bankrupt. DON’T BE FOOLED! WHAT HE FAILS TO MENTION IS WHAT HE PUT US THROUGH BEFOREHAND IN HIS DESPERATION TO AVOID GOING BANKRUPT. IT WAS THIS VERY DESPERATION WHICH LEFT THE MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL ASSAULT ON US SO VICIOUS AND UNRELENTING. It was only when he had stripped us of everything, money, dignity, self respect, and when there nothing more to take, and no one else around to bleed, that he ended up going bankrupt. If he were an honest man he would tell you the whole story. If he were an honest man he would also have gone bankrupt in the first place and not subjected us to this brutal assault in an effort to save his own skin.
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To those who suffered emotionally and financially at the hands of
Joe and Sandy Heaney I wish you all recovery and that you find peace, harmony and serenity in your lives because as yet I have not received those blessings.
Let love be your mantra.
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Greetings to all ex Tullycoll people. It’s nice to be able to look forward to Christmas without the dread of New Years Vigil, or the “Community Christmas”. An oppurtunity to extend your love through service my arse. It was more about pandering to the Heaneys who were to lazy to cook a Christmas dinner and who were only interested in getting their annual fix of control and hero worship. Oh and I almost forgot about the money. At £300 a pop it sure did raise a few pounds for the kitty.
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He never had an original thought in his miserable life! Psychopaths are fabulous mimics… try to source Snakes in Suits – very revealing.
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i was at the Findhorn Community recently and would you believe it there is a poster there full of statistics which gives details of the worlds make up ie. how many are starving, how many will die today, how many will be born today. As I was reading it I knew I had heard this before.
Then I remembered that I had heard Joe Heaney gave a talk called Love- The Third Force in which he presented these very same facts as his own. What a Liar, It makes you wonder if he even wrote the talks he gave in Queens Common Room or did he steal the content from somebody in the States.
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I have just discovered this website, I am shocked at some of the postings. I have met Joe and Sandy Heaney and they seemed very ‘plausible’ to me. But when I think about what I really felt when I was up at Tullycoll House, when talking to them the sound didn’t always match the picture. After reading about what has really being going on there I can now understand why I felt that way. Thankfully I didn’t enrol in any of their courses, don’t know why, never seemed to get around to it – lucky me!
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Joe Heaney prided himself in being a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). Anyone who is accepted as a member agrees to adhere by their ethical principles. These are clearly outlined in their code of practice and can be found when you google them. They have many guidelines. However, it is it one in relation to the position of trust that a practitioner undertakes when he agrees to cousel someone, that Joe Heaney so blatantly contravened and from that all other abuses followed.
The BACP makes it very clear that you need to honour the trust that is placed on you as a practitioner. As a member of the BACP, the practitioner commits to avoiding harm to the client and should avoid any form of emotional, sexual or financial exploitation of the client. The practitioner also agrees to treat the confidentiality from client disclosures as an obligation and to not use information given by the client for any other purpose other than the one it was disclosed for in the first place.
I doubt if Sandy Heaney was ever a member, but Joe Heaney used his membership of the BACP to claim his status as a respected member of this profession. But they are not taking any responsibility for the abuses they have caused. Instead they have moved to a different part of Northern Ireland where they live in denial.
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response to ‘responding’- it’s a bit like the kettle calling the pot black. YOu have judged me, like you accuse me of judgeing you. You have no idea of the level of abuse I went through – equally I have no idea of yours. You think I don’t get it, yet you are so wrong. I made a comment that it seemed like spot the celebrity and let’s all go confront them – when (like you agree) is extremely difficult to do, and not something everyone is ready for. So before you accuse others of judgeing, look at yourself and your own comments
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she also goes to Black Market on Sunday
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I agree. I think everyone will find their own way and in their own time ….whether it is to confront them in person or in court or whatever way is good for them.
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Response to they aren’t celebrities .. people have seen them….aren’t doing anything
You really don’t get it, do you? Have you taken in what has been said on this site and the level of trauma people are having to deal with? Just because you may not have been subjected to the same level of abuse, you feel you can sit in judgement. It takes time to get strong and it takes a lot of courage to confront them. I did see them one day from a distance and I was not prepared for the reaction my body had. My knees went to jelly and my body started shaking, – I was completely retraumatised and was brought back to the level of terror that I was in before I finally managed to get out of their claws. But that was a while back and I am now stronger and it is my intention to confront them – they need to be confronted with what they have done and take responsibility for it, and like the last post said, it will make me feel a whole lot better to get it out of my system!
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well im gonna go to the market this weekend and keep going until i see her and say my piece to that bitch. may not be the right thing to do but will make me feel a whole let better to get it out of my system!!
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why do people care if they spot them -they aren’t celebrities and obviously people have seen them, but aren’t doing anything so why mention it
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Joe Heaney has been spotted at the tweflth milestone petrol station in Antrim, just up the road from the Hilton Hotel – but no you won’t see him too often now – it;s always been his way to send Sandy out to the wolves just like when the bank was owed money and another community member was owed a very substantial amount – he sent Sandy to do the negotiating because he was too scared and too big of a coward,,,,
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]
Yes Sandy Heaney has been there. But has anyone actually seen Joe Heaney there? I suspect you won’t find him there. He’s too clever for that. He will push her outfront while he hides like he has done in the past when people went to confront him.
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Yea, what a great idea …..CONFRONT THEM, DON’T LET THEM SLITHER AWAY!
St Georges market is on every Friday and Saturday, but sandy goes there on a Saturday. ..she was making baby bibs and clothes and selling them…and chocolate…..were away for a while but was back there again in April….becoming regularrts again..
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sightings
when was the last time you saw them and how often does the market be on and what days?
we should all get together and confront them!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I used to see them quite a bit around St. Gorges Market in Belfast. I believe that they were involved in a stall there for a while. Not sure if they are still about there, I haven’t been in awhile.
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dont feel ashamed or offended. many of us were duped by their lies and evilness.
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Ha that should read grateful… Not gratefup- Perhaps that’s not entirely accurate… Maybe we should tell only our own stories… But, I’m not offended.. Can’t deny the truth. Least I recognise it now!
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Thank you for protecting me, not ponying up my name in last entry.. I’m the sorry sap who had would have done anything to belong, feel the approval of Sandy n Joe and after 4 &1/2 yrs of Sandy one-on-one where she knew my case, n 3 yrs of Joe’s manipulation n brain washing… I would have done anything to demonstrate my ‘high intention to live a life committed to Spirit, non-attachment to things, people, especially paper money n round metal discs..’ I gave up so much – he coerced n tricked the group n the dynamic was so powerful, in order to feel part of the ‘family’ and avoid feeling rejected, if ‘someone asked 3 times’ then it’d be unspiritual not to surrender to the request. I took a sweater off my back once for Sandy! Then there’s the acim text to back it up! Nothing is too much for a brother!!! And so the wheels turned… So much loss of self- not just special to me.
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So much went on behind the scenes at Tullycoll and all the supposed spirit miracles that Heaney talked about were all carefully planned. He would tell some people one part of a story and then others another, so you never knew the whole story. Since I have come out I have found out the truth behind seeming miracles. It is great to fill in the gaps and feel sane again.
When I was there he claimed that a certain person was so with spirit that they felt so called to give him their car. He praised them that they valued the teacher so much and they demonstrated it by giving him their car. When I got out and talking to people about this so called miracle – I was told that the person was bullied and pressurised behind the scenes to give up their car – that there was a sustained and deliberate method used to wear the person down that they would do this.
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I’m curious too… If anyone has a clue or a point on the trail.. Please post it.
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does anyone know the wereabouts of the heaneys ?? have thet been heard off or seen off?? it seems as if theyve vanished into thin air and left a trail of destruction behind them. how can these people be so heartless!!
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Remember the 12 steps Joe – Particular attention to step 8. Make a list of all persons you have harmed and become willing to make amends to them all.
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Ur talking sxxte matey.. Gerard or whatever ye call ursel- Firstly there was no mention ever of spiritual training & we all know the TUB was Shitty Sandy’s domain… Maybe need to get another website to exorcise yer voyeurism.. Names, no names, fling all the judgements you want. This site is for people who are still processing pain. Understanding n venting n recovery is the intention. Not poking holes in each others story- Joe n Sandy were manipulative bastards who took vulnerable people for a painful ride. We were victims n don’t need to be further victimised.
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ok then gerard you must have changed your name then -which one were you on? there was more than one you know, and how do you know who i am because i only made one comment, so therefore there is more than me telling you were to go
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i was there for during the spiritual training course. ive a fair idea who you are and i refuse to be subjected to your foul abusive language. seems youd need to go and wash your mouth out in joes hot tub!
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you are such a bullshitter. there was no gerard. i was there from the beginning until the end. no gerard ever passed tullycoll’s doors. there are only about 40 people involved so of course we’d remember you you f—-g liar now f— off
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i am totally disgusted with yous all. how dare u call me a liar or a bull shitter. seems that you all have selective memories and only remember what you want!!! i am not getting any kicks or enjoyment from this!! how dare you!!
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i’m the person who originally used the name ‘gerard?’ to make my comment to tell this person gerard that he was bullshitting, yet someone else has used that name too- maybe pretending to be me.This shows how this site could be used for others to take advantage of of for people to post false messages. Someone wnated to name us all can you see how dangerous this site could become. this is an open forum anyone can bullshit.
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how dare you poke fun or get some kind of weird kick out of this. People posting on this site have been injured enough. Get your kicks somewhere else.
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Gerard?? Who was that- anyone remember a Gerard??
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gerard either you’re bullshitting or else you have commented on the wrong thread because there was no gerard at tullycoll we all no each other
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my name is gerard. i have barely been sober since this al happened. i have lost my home my family my friends ive lost everything. i dont know were to turn to or who to speak to. sometimes i think whats the point in living i find it very hard to get through each day i feel like ending it all…..
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There is information on the Dialogue Ireland site about Soyal Rinpoche and the abuses thaat went on in his communities.The Dali Lama says “Criticise openly, that’s the only way. If there is incontrovertible evidence of wrongdoing the teacher should be confronted with it. If they dont respond the students shouldpublish the situation in a newspaper, not omitting the teachers name. The fact that the teacher may have done good things should not keep us silent” He goes on to say that “the best thing is whenever exploitation in sexual abuse or money abuse happens, make them public”
I know that this is a very difficult thing to do and would take a lot of support. I hope that at some stage this will happen
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YIP. MAKE NO MISTAKE. SANDY HEANEY THE SMILING ASSASSINI
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joe heaney is as perverted as they come. As for her she let it all happen and participated wholly in all his schemes regardless of the hurt and harm they caused.
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I can identify with what Skint is saying about being taken to one side and told everyone against you. I was told the same thing and demonsised by the heaneys, left feeing that I was worthless and wicked and that all these people that I had shared my life with thought so too. I was then putty in their hands. I still haunt myself with why did I not say this or walk away at this stage but they had me so emotionally battered and so isolated that there was nowhere to go and nothing else to do but surrender.
Something else, I am sorry to those people whom I allowed to be condemned and ostracized because I was too scared to speak up.
I don’t judge anyone for whatever they said or did while under the influence of the heaneys. I know that not one person went to those courses to manipulate or hurt others. And if anyone is still the under Heaney mind control and feel they are a bad person all you need to do is ask yourself, would you have said or done what you did had you not been subjected to the manipulation of the heaneys?
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Responding to Skint
Sounds like you have been violated enough without putting your name up. I think it will only leave you more vulnerable exposing yourself in that way. I am still struggling to deal with the personal violation and trauma of all that happened there, while at the same time trying to hold down a job to pay back the resulting huge debt, all of which is going to take a long time. I agree with the previous post that it may be good to get professional counseling. I did and it really helped me. There was however a huge hurdle to get over, to be able to trust a professional counselor again since it was in going for counseling to the heaneys in the first place that left me so emotionally truamatised, battered and skint!
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Responding to sellyourhousecomestaywithus
After reading your comment and previous postings I am somewhat confused. I have lived through the lies, manipulation, stealing, sexual perversion of these people. I am now getting my head, my heart and my life back together. I have no inclination to post my name on this site as I feel so embarrassed and stupid and foolish about what I let these peple do to me and talk me into. If you feel it would help the healing process for you then post your name and begin your own healing. It sounds like you would also need ‘proper’ counselling to help in your recovery. My sympathy is with you.
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sellyourhousecomestaywithus
i too was encouraged to find my inner child. i was taken to one side and told that others were against me people whom i had grown very close too and shared my most inner thoughts with, the heaneys made sexual advances to me and also encouraged others. i was treated like a piece of meat. i have now realised that in order to find if something is worth holding onto sometimes we have to let go. i have no problem posting my name on here i feel as if i need to come clean and wash away the dirty sins that took place in tullycoll. let us all start the healing process together now come together as one. the truth is out there.
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You’re right there! That’s what the whole thing was about – getting someone to pay the bills and getting a team of cleaners around him to do what his own wife should’ve been doing – wasn’t much work in her either come to think of it.
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So the Heaneys have left Tulycoll – so much for all Joe’s talk about his agreement with spirit that should everyone leave including Sandy that he would stay and keep the light on the hill at Tullycoll no matter what ——he wasn’t long scarpering when there was no one left to pay the bills and keep the place clean!
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I realise that I described Joe Heaney as ‘being rotten to the core’, in my post.
I now wish to retract that because that is not my language but that of Joe Heaney; this is a phrase that I heard him use repeatedly to describe certain people. I am trying to undo all this language that has crept into my vocabulary. It is scary how after all this time this stuff still comes out – the result of hearing it constantly repeated when being in a heighted state of fear and anxiety.
What I would say instead is that Joe Heaney you are a disgrace to those you dishonour and to the honourable profession which you have brought so damningly into disrepute.
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Some reading of the experiences on this site ask “how can you be so stupid “– well we were brainwashed – However, the sad reality is that there are still people out there who believe the Heaneys and are listening to all their crap, just as I and others before me did, convinced that they are the only ones who can “stay in the love” while everyone else has “gone into fear” and are in “world mind” and in their ego! – Heaney spake! This is not past tense – the scary thing is that it is present tense!! This is still happening, albeit to a lesser scale, to some people on the fringes who did not witness how others involved were treated.
The Heaneys are still relaying their sob stories – how they have to deal with all the” attack thoughts” directed at them – ending their laments with “but I am not a victim!” Having just spent their time talking about what people had done to them and lambasting them, they then justify it all by saying “oh, but I won’t take away the love – they are just in their ego”.
I was drawn in by them and witnessed others too, who after listening at length to their sob and pity stories was left feeling so sorry for them, and thought how unfair it was that they had to deal with all these attack thoughts, when they were just modelling love, and was so stirred up that I would go out on their behalf and defend them, call meetings, challenge those who opposed them and on many occasions give them money, and did without myself.. All the time the Heaneys would proclaim their innocence.
What I would say to those of you who are reading this and are not able to comprehend that the Heaneys are capable of this is that if you will not allow yourself to reflect on what people have put on this site or listen to others who may have tried to warn you, just consider that you may be brainwashed but you are not even aware of it. Just be aware of that possibility – talk about it to family and friends – hear their response. If you are not brainwashed you have nothing to fear. I just wish I had! If you do not feel that is the right thing to do, ask yourself why – don’t be sold by all that crap that your family members are just crabs in the basket trying to bring you down or they are in “world mind” Remember the Heaneys, will distract you as they do not want you to do this.
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These jerks continue to spread lies and slander people behind their backs. I recently heard that they told people that I came up to live at Tullycall and didn’t pay a cent in rent. This is totally untrue. Every single penny in rent was paid – if I didn’t pay a cent in rent Joe Heaney how come I have the cheque stubs to prove it? – cheques made out to Tullycoll Trust Foundation for rent and electricity. At this time Joe and Sandy Heaney also lived at Tullycoll and it was Joe and Sandy Heaney who didn’t pay a cent in rent – it was a great ploy of theirs to get people to stay there and pay rent so that they could live there for free and have all the bills paid. How dare you, you cowards – you are rotten to the core. A fine example you are setting for your grandkids!
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You know that is what drew me to Joe Heaney – finding your inner child, People had told me of his talks about a course in miracles at Queen’s common room so I went along, not sure what to expect. When he started quoting John Bradshaw and affiliating himself with his work, I started to trust him convinced that he was genuine. But now having been so emotionally battered by him, I realise, too late, that this man was anything but genuine and that this was just another ploy to draw people in.
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These people encouraged me to ‘find my inner child’ and convinced me that others were projecting their negativity onto me. How foolish I was to believe them and reject the advice of those that warned me of the dangers. I look at that house now and think to myself, why didn’t I realise these people were running a cult? The whole setup just seems so obvious now the fog of their mind control has lifted.
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The people who initiated posts on this website didn’t do so to start a “hate Heaneys campaign” or to convince anyone in any direction. Like has been said before, it was to tell the truth and expose Tullycoll for what it was – A BIG LIE! Exposure is a vital part of the healing process in any case of abuse. As for the timing – it took people a while to gather themselves, pick themselves up from the trauma and really see it for what it was. People left this “spiritual community” traumatised, vulnerable, confused and emotionally battered. Posting on this site was a safe way of speaking out and undoing some of the mind control that people were exposed to. Going down the legal route is still a possibility when some of the people involved are emotionally well enough to do so. I concur with your statement that “it has made you stronger”. Several years down the line, and with PROFESSIONAL help, it certainly has made me stronger. I can honestly say I will NEVER let myself be subjected to that level of abuse, manipulation, and mind control ever again. The Heaneys have no power over me now – I can see through them for what they really are and all the psycho babble they threw at me about my character, I now realise was bullshit. The reality is that it was all projection. They projected all their failings and personality flaws onto everyone else. They were the ones who needed therapy much more than anyone else in the groups. At times I can laugh at it, because it seems so ridiculous and unbelievable. However, unfortunately there’s a much more serious side to this story, one that nearly cost lives!
People like this don’t suddenly change overnight – they will have moved on to other “victims” using the same tactics for personal benefit. Personally, I felt I had to bring this to a public platform in the hope that others would not fall prey to their deviousness.
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When I began to realise the reality behind the smiling, caring facade of the Heaneys, it took a few weeks for it to sink in – I was so convinced by them even though I had been bullied, and coerced out of all my money. I was so brainwashed I thought this is all my spiritual journey and all my creation and all my fault. Three years later I am only now beginning to regain my emotional stability again…such is the legacy of the Heaneys.
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Its sounds like you are asking to seek out the truth. I so empathise with you, Yeh I’m sure I know you and you know me. I have found that you need to get there by yourself. You need to make the first step and reach out. You know intuitively who to talk to. As I said earlier, it’s not my job to convince anybody, just to share my experience to help others make sense of it all. And it’s not just one of us but many.
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‘responding’ are you one person, or is that what comes up when you don’t write something in the name box and am i speaking to a few different people?
How weird that we all know each other, yet we don’t know who we are talking to. If only there was a private chat function on this. Something that joe bloggs couldn’t see.
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Now you are beginning to realise the truth about the Heaneys. You are right to question all that was said. No one was safe from their malicious slander! The stuff they said about people was so cruel, degrading and venomous and they would make you privy to it WHEN IT SUITED THEIR PURPOSE.
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Now you are beginning to realise the truth about the Heaneys. That is exactly how it was done – on the occasions when you knew they had breached confidentiality and think it is an accident.
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I know how you feel. I have experienced every emotion and feeling under the sun. Revenge, hatred, guilt, regret, self doubt, stupidity,I should have known better. Can I tell you there were no accidental breaches of confidentiallity at Tullycoll. You were told exactly what they wanted you to know, when they wanted you to know it. As Joe said, there are no accidents. Everything was told for a reason. It would blow your mind the things that were said about clients and people who left Tullycoll. The personal details that were discussed over the dinner table. To think that these people were “psychotherapists” and had signed? confidentiallity agreements- the things that they divulged. I am currently obtaining legal advice to ascertain what insurance cover they had in respect of being counsellors with the view to seeking restitution in the courts,
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Thank you. The thought of personal history being divulged makes me feel sick. Part of me wants to know what was said about me, another part thinks it’s better to leave it. Another part of me wants to take them to court about breach in confidentiality. I did witness a few breaches myself before I left – and I thought it was accidental – maybe not. I suppose now I’m questioning everything. Maybe I was nieve. Maybe I was on the perphiery without even knowing it.
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Thank you for your retraction and apology. There was so much that went on. People that left were lambasted to those that remained. All ther personal history was divulged and confidentiallity went out the window. i’m sure if you left or were supported to leave I was witness to you being character assasinated. I would have said nothing, For that I apologise. The truth is, then, I was to frightened to speak up to these abusive manipulative cowards. Not now. I will defend those I hold dear to me and mysef to the end. It is not my job to convert others but only to spread the truth.
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have reread my first post – it does sound as if i’m accusing people of lying – I’m sorry about that.
I only know what happened to me.
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your very lucky – i only mentioned a name because that person herself has not remained anonymous on this site. I have stated the things that weren’t the truth as I remember it – maybe I should have said was not true for me.
(e.g I was never forced into working in the restaurant, or to hand over money, or to attend workdays, another example would be that I don’t think any thing I said on the red chair was used against me)
I’m really sorry if I’ve offended any of you. You know when you make a comment, you just write. I did not see this as accusing people of lying – I was just saying some of the things I know nothing about, some of the things I recognize – and the others like the work days -I attend, but did not feel forced into doing so. Really, I do not want to cause more hurt and upset and if that is what I have done I am sorry, was not my intention.
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Some of the things on this site I recognize, others I don’t recognize at all and others I know I was present for and they did not happen the way people said they happened so not everything on this site is the truth as I remember it. Hey this is a copy of your first posting. are you retracting??? Those of us who suffered at the hands of Joe and Sandy Heaney took great offence to this. If you are sincere make a full retraction and state that you don’t know what really went on for some of us. This I will understand.
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don’t know what happened: In response to your point about your implication that when people left it was them who stopped contact. This was not my experience. I met someone who had left and had arranged to meet them. When Joe found out about this a meeting was called and I was asked what was I runnining and supported in cancelling the meeting. The truth was that I was bullied into not meeting this person. I was wrong to meet with them and I was being disloyal to Tullycoll into creating this.
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Dontknowwhathappened
I can appreciate that if you were not at the last ‘spiritual programme ‘ then some of this you will not know about. Even some people on it were not there at the lock in sessions or the verbal batterings and bullying around the restaurant. I feel that you need to state what it is you say is not true as you remember it, for to use general terms is to discredit what has been said without allowing any opportunity for response. I was there when a person was told to delete all the numbers on the mobile phone and not to contact anyone from Tullycoll again. This person was even sent a letter restating this in no uncertain terms. I would also suggest that insofar as you wish your anonymity to be respected that you would accord the same respect to others by not naming them directly.
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I understand that you are angry. Of course I’d be angry too if I was in your position. I did not, however, accuse anyone of lying, and I’m not the one who did these things, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t take it out on me.
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don’t know what happened. Don’t you understand My Anger Is My Love. Yes I am angry at the accusation that there have been lies told on this web site. My personal experience with the Heaneys was that too often I didn’t defend myself or others who had been wronged. I sat back and listened to people being called Alcoholics and supported into attending AA meetings, I sat back and witnessed people being called voyeurs because they were the gooseberry in being witness to flirtatious sexual advances. I sat back and witnessed people being demeaned because of ther weight. I sat back and let people be accused of committing domestic violence. So I hope you can appreciate, yes I am Angry. now that I,m free of their influence I am able to voice my opinions and i will defend myself and those who i know were abused to the end.
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I agree seems like you maybe were on the “periphery” and a lot of people at this level had a very different experience and had no idea what was going on in the “inner sanctum”. The truth is people were made to work in the restaurant, hand over money, remortgage their homes, max out on their credit cards, put their names to massive bank loans. It may be true that there wasn’t a gun at their head, but the manipulation and psychological blackmail was intense. If you didn’t have to give money or if ,as you say, you challenged him, you can be sure that you were probably one of the ones being ridiculed behind the scenes and it would probably have suited him for you not to move to Cookstown anyway. There’s a lot of information about mind control on the internet – the Heaneys were experts!
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responding, I don’t know who you are, and you may or may not know who I am but there is no need to be so aggressive with me. I did not say that these things did not happen – that’s why I said as I remember it. I’m talking about how I remember it. And I have called myself don’t know what happened – because that’s my point – I don’t know what happened. I know I wasn’t there at the very end, but I certainly did not dip in and out as I pleased. Do you know the sad thing in this – I don’t know who you are, but I know who you could be as I presume you were their for the last spirtual mastery course, those were people who I considered friends – and because I didn’t experience the same as others, doesn’t mean I deserve to be ‘spoken’ to the way you are ‘speaking’ to me. The problem with the written word is that you can’t convey tone – I would like to make you aware that in no way am I justifying any of the things that have happened – I just wanted to share my opinion, my memory of things. I don’t think the friendships I made there are bullshit – I know some of the things I dealt with wasn’t bullshit, I know that I am a stronger person now isn’t bullshit – and who do I thank for that -me and the people I met there, not Joe, not Sandy. And just to say responding, I’m sorry if I have offended you – that certainly was not what I was intending to do, I saw this as an open forum – I wasn’t going to pretend that I understood everything that was being said. I’m glad I got out when I did, that’s all.
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don’t know what happened. So you suffer from selective amnesia. I say again where are the lies? What did not happen the way you remember it? Methinks you weren’t there when people were bullied into giving money or else you hadn’t sufficient funds available to be worth working on? You say you were never forced to do work days. Maybe you just dipped in and out when it suited you? You say working in the restaurant wasn’t compulsory. I say Joe give instruction that only certain people could work there. Those that weren’t “invited” weren’t conscious enough or had too much pull down energy. Are you one of those people? You say you see the rest as Bullshit. I see it All as Bullshit. You say there was nothing but suggestions that were made to you. You were obviously very much on the periphery as there are too many of us to prove to the contrary.
Were you badgered into maxing out your credit card to pay the Heaneys electric bill? Were you bullied into paying for his daughters computer? Were you pressurised into paying for airline tickets for Joe and Sandy to go to Spain or for Joe to travel business clas to his daughters birthday in Vancouver? If you can answer yes, which I doubt come talk to me then.
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responding, – it’s been a while, so not all details are clear. But for example, one person states that working in the restaurant was compulsory – I was around at the time of the restaurant and I was never forced to work there. I was also never forced to give any money, or forced to attend work days. People may have forced to hand over money (and it certainly seems that way for those who were there at the very very end), but I never felt forced into handing over money previous to this (althoughtI do realise that the fees for trainings were huge amounts of money really) Also, I know some people moved to cookstown, or changed their jobs, and even though these things were suggested to me, I never took it, or saw it, as an instruction or as if Joe was telling me what to do – I even challenged him on it and he said to trust myself. I heard Joe recommending similar things to others – some decided to do what was recommended, others didn’t. At no point during my time in Tullycoll did I feel as if Joe or Sandy had control over me – and in fact I still don’t feel that. It was a part of my life back then – it is no longer – I will be grateful for some of it- and the rest I see now as bullshit (and example of the bullshit I see is that we create everything that happens to us, and that saying ‘I say this out of love but…..character assassination…’ isn’t actually saying something out of love)
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don’t know what happened. You say some things are not the truth as you remember it. Instead of using a general sweeping statement be more precise. What’s not true? The devil is in the detail, don’t you remember?
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I am puzzled – why would posting peoples’ names aid your healing process? I would imagine the best way to heal is to talk about what happened to you and how you feel as a consequence. This could be done via the website or with a professional counsellor. People who have posted on this site have been advised not to reveal their names so they are not left open for personal attack. Remember these people are still very vulnerable and going through their own healing processes.
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sellyourhousecomestaywithus, why do you feel the need to write down the members – what will that do to start the healing process – if you were there – you know who else was there. There were only 5 personal mastery programmes, so most came from those – and if you hung along long enough you got to know everyone. I certainly do not give permission for my name to be posted.
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I was one of the lucky ones, I got out before they destroyed me. It’s left me feeling bitter, ashamed and angry with myself. I’d like to compile a list of the members and post on here if that’s ok with everyone. I just want to get it all out in the open, and start the healing process.
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I just don’t understand what happened. I ‘left’ Tullycoll before the very end. My issue with leaving had little to do with Sandy, more Joe and some other members who seemed to turn crazy a bit.
Some of the things on this site I recognize, others I don’t recognize at all and others I know I was present for and they did not happen the way people said they happened so not everything on this site is the truth as I remember it. Something I often wish happened – some times people left, and when they left contact with that person stopped -even people I had been very friendly with cut off contact – and that was not something Joe or Sandy told us to do – it seemed to be the person themselves who did not contact – sorry if this is sounding like babble but what I would like to know is those who left before the very end, how come no effort was made to tell the ones who were still left there of your experiences -a lot of this is new to me and not one person ever contacted me to say “be careful, Joe and Sandy are manipulating you” When I left, I stayed in contact with those I was friendly with – said hi and had a chat to those who i wasn’t so close to if i met them -after I left I still attended the weddings of those held at Tullycoll and at another venue – not once did people mention what was happening/had happened and I know for example Tracy amongst others had left long before that. I suppose I am just looking to understand how come none of this came when people first started to leave, why now?
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..ticketyboo..
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@sellyourhousecomestaywithus. Do a bit of research before jumping to conclusions.
If you wish to know how ordinary people become “stupid beyond belief” then look up
http://www.howcultswork.com
You were very fortunate, the Heaney’s are very good at these techniques.
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I know that a lot of people out there find it unbelievable how people could get sucked into something like this. Before it happened to me, I was one of them. The point is Joe & Sandy Heaney are MASTER manipulators and used every trick in the book to manipulate people – mind control – guilt fear and intimidation and character assassination.
It is very well documented why people get involved in these cults (google it and see) and many members are intelligent and skilled – the common denominator with most of them is that they were experiencing a low point in their lives so very vulnerable to the likes of the Heaneys. Sounds like you have been to the “doss house” yourself and if so, I congratulate you for not getting involved or sucked in – you had a lucky escape!! The reality is that unfortunately people have had to deal with psychiatric illnesses as a result of their involvement in group.
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The main issue is that the Heaney’s are master manipulators who prey on the vulnerable. I applaud you, you got away! However, to be there at all, you were no different to the rest of us who got involved – others were just more vulnerable and got sucked in.
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The people who attend groups like this are completely crackers and are either suffering from a psychiatric illness or are just stupid beyond belief. As such, I have no sympathy for them whatsoever. Now that they’ve been ripped off they’ll have to deal with reality for a while rather than sitting around in a doss house up a lane in Cookstown holding hands and going for a dip (aka baptism) in Joe’s paddling pool. Fancy a trip to Waco anyone?
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@ Swindled, The Heaneys are probably celebrating tonight as this is the last day of their bankruptcy which was filed in Sept 2009 Joe, while you and Sandy are now released from your bankruptcy order and feel you can carry on with your lives debt free, the truth is, that morally you both still OWE the hundreds of thousands of pounds to those of us you BULLIED AND MANIPULATED into borrowing for you.
Sandy – http://www.belfast-gazette.co.uk/issues/7127/notices/2503-67
Joe – http://www.belfast-gazette.co.uk/issues/7127/notices/2503-68
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Yea Sandy Heaney was just as ruthless as Joe Heaney – I would not trust that woman around anything or anyone.
I remember clearly when they were badgering me to get money and she sat down with me and started suggesting people on the very fringes of Tullycoll that I could ask for money. I said well I suppose I could say that the restaurant needs money and ask if they would help – oh no, she says, that would only put them into fear – people in community get so afraid – tell them that you want it for a business proposition. Don’t mention the restaurant, it will only put them into fear. That was typical of the Heaneys – they put whatever slant they could to get money from people. They always had a sob story for needing money yet they would not go out and work for it – after the restaurant closed Joe Heaney said he wouldn’t want to work in Tescos – yet he would expect others to do so and give him the money.
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“This is a complete betrayal of women by women” – That judge could easily be describing Sandy Heaney – she didn’t care who she hurt, what couples she split up, what slander she speard about people just so long as she held on to Joe Heaney.
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Yes it is hard to take in – because the Heaneys were so skilled at presenting this loving, caring respectable front, yet behind the scenes they had anything but love or care. It is precisely because we trusted them and thought they were genuine that we had no reason to suspect any ulterior motives.
Over a period of time they systematically broke down your defenses and separated you from family and friends – the people who did genuinely care. They used bullying, intimidation and peer pressure to ensure compliance.
In reading about Michael Lyons in the Willesden & Brent
Times News 27 July 2010, it describes exactly what went on at Tullycoll.
“This coercive persuasion forced people to change their beliefs, ideas, attitudes and behaviours, using psychological pressure, undue influence, threats, anxiety and intimidation.”
Do not be fooled by the sweet smiles of the Heaneys. They have no interest in you only what they can take from you!
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Shocked, everything you read is true and this is only the tip of the iceberg of the intense abuse many people were subjected to by the actions of the Heaneys
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Cant believe this… I worked for these people…
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I’m Shocked
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July 2010 Last updated at 06:19 Share this pageFacebookTwitterShareEmailPrint
‘Guru’ jailed for attacking women
By Clive Coleman
BBC News
Cult victim: “He was sicker than we were smart”
A man described as a “sexual predator masquerading as a guru and healer” has been jailed for 10 years for attacking two women.
Michael Lyons, who adopted the name Mohan Singh, preyed on women who came to him for spiritual guidance.
He had created a tight-knit group described as a ‘cult’ made up predominantly of female followers.
At Wood Green Crown Court, Lyons, of Kilburn, north London, was convicted of one rape and one assault.
He was also made the subject of a sexual offences prevention order which stops him from touching any female he has known for less than six months. He was placed on the sex offenders register for life.
The jury heard women were invited to Lyons’ gatherings with offers of communal food and enlightenment. There they would be given treatments and assaulted.
Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote
This is a complete betrayal of women by women”
Nicholas Browne QC
Judge
In an extraordinary four-month trial Lyons, who wore flowing crimson and yellow robes, did not give evidence but called 50 witnesses in his defence, many of whom were his followers.
Some claimed that he could cure cancer and one was convinced that he had X-ray vision.
Lyons, who purported to be a naturopath skilled in osteopathy, acupuncture and nutrition, had homes in London, Salford, Los Angeles and Miami.
He would tell women either that he knew spiritual leaders, or that he was well connected in Hollywood and knew celebrities such as the film star Stephen Seagal with whom he had been photographed.
It also emerged that in the late 1970s Lyons had been a follower of Osho, the spiritual leader otherwise known as the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, who taught his devotees that promiscuity was the path to enlightenment.
Osho’s followers famously vowed to buy him a Rolls Royce for every day of the year, but ran out of money after 93 days.
Lyons went to enormous lengths to avoid being photographed when travelling to court
Lyons went to enormous lengths not to be photographed or filmed when travelling to and from court. His followers, who attended with him each day, would carry out surveillance of the streets around the court.
On one occasion a BBC film crew was waiting at the one exit to the court building, but he failed to appear. After making enquiries the BBC was told that Lyons, who is a Jamaican-born black man, had had clothes and make-up smuggled into the court and left either as a white man, or white woman.
Detective Sergeant Nicholas Giles, who led the investigation of Lyons for three years, said: ‘We heard in evidence that Lyons used a programme of sleep deprivation, psychological harassment as well as group social pressure. He sexually assaulted victims during this process.”
Eleven women from the UK, the US and New Zealand gave evidence against Lyons, who denied all the offences.
The judge, Nicholas Browne QC, was particularly scathing of the methods by which female followers of Lyons introduced victims to him. The predominantly-female gatherings made women entering the group feel artificially safe, court heard.
“Women’s groups everywhere will be shocked and appalled. This is a complete betrayal of women by women,” said the judge.
Lyons was acquitted of three rapes and a sexual assault. A further rape and sexual assault remain on file.
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This is exactly what Heaney wants, those who were abused by his actions arguing among themselves and taking the focus of Sandy and him and the incredible pyscological abuse they imposed on people.
Most of us are in post traumatic stress disorder to a lesser or greater extent, there are a lot of feelings of rage, resentment, hurt, dissapointment, self hate, regrets etc. all churning round in us all and we have to undo the abusive mid control that we were subjected to over the distressing years and in many cases is still with us.
Everyone of us can write pages and pages of the abuse that occurred. For some they might write it now, for others it might be in 5 years time and for others it may be never.
The reason we will not talk to Heaney is that he is a sociapath with no moral or social conscience so he will show no remorse. For the rest of us if we have something on our minds that is bothering us, take the courage and lift the phone to that person and try to find a solution to your concerns.
Remember, we have all been traumatised to a greater or lesser degree, but I believe by sticking by one another and empowering them we WILL ALL make a full recovery.
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Tracy, I’m not looking to attack nor am I looking answers. But I’d rather have an anonymous story with detail, than bullshit with a name.
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this site is for healing not furthering attack. No matter what our stories are, our past hurts, how victimized we were, – no answers will put the demons to rest. Only time and healing and self forgiveness for giving away our power, looking outside ourselves for governance, making Joe the authority. surely that’s each and every individual’s responsibility…
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“…bad things happen when good people say nothing?”
“,,,wanking off!”
All Joe landuage… you were impacted eh..!
Lets see the TRINITY- Joe, Sandy…
ok, this is Tracy here, (scroll up, I didn’t duck..)
what’s your beef.. tell it like it was for you then, and have the balls to put your name to it. You’re assuming a lot, how far did you go in? Generally it’s the folks who barely got their feet wet that want the ‘answers’ well what’s you’re questions? I’ll attempt to answer…
re remorse, don’t assume restorative work didn’t have to be done.
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I ask what happened to those in the trinity? Bad things happen when good people say nothing. You know who you are. you know lots. Why are your stories not up here? Where is your remorse? If everybody takes responsibility for their bit in the shite that was Tullycoll, maybe we will get some answers. No more psycho babble bullshit….
I will contribute more when those in positions of authority other than Joe and Sandy own their shite. Until then …. stop wanking off !
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Connect with Joe and Sandy Heaney? – that’s what got me into this mess in the first place – listening, connecting and trusting these 2 supposedly trained therapists who boasted of their integrity and truth. What makes it all the harder is that the Heaneys live in denial and don’t take any responsibility for the abuse and lies they subjected me and all the others to from their position of trust.
Meet up with them to listen to more bullshit? I no more want to meet with them than I would with a rapist or pedophile who took no responsibility for their actions and blamed all on their victims – except of course in a court of law!
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I hear both ‘skunnered’ and the subsequent comments..
Thing is I appreciate both thoughts and many other conflicting notions in between… Surely there is no ‘right’ way to navigate this one. I’m not sure I believe we’ll ever see/confront the s.o.b in court… and I hope I dont ever have to meet him/them, however I have fantasized bout bumping into them both and not attempting to talk at all! I know he mentally does not have the capacity/humility to look at responsibility for his actions… hence whats the point of talking, I would feel more satisfaction just punching him right on his nose!
In fact if I heard of someone popping him one I would consider it a bit of karmic justice!! (belly laughs all round..)
Maybe he is a sociopath but that almost sounds like an excuse – like he cant help himself! Personally I see him more like a compulsive liar, fraud, con man… he’s a joke but also a very dangerous bloke and maybe a good hiding would help? Me first… :-)
No but, yea but, no but, yea but…….. lol
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It is very clear to many of us and those who are experts in the field of abusive cult leaders that Joe Heaney is a sociopath, he has no social or moral conscience around the intense abuse he inflicted on many under the guise of acting as a fully trained professional therapist,psycotherapist and spiritual leader.
To meet him will serve no purpose as he will show no remorse for his actions which were toxic, evil and very sick.
Like many, we will only meet him in a court of law, safe and fully protected.
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Yes, I too would love to meet them in a court of law – where Joe Heaney wouldn’t get away with the bullshit, abuse, manipulation, greed, mental torture, lies, theft and much more that he got away with in Tullycoll. And Sandy Heaney could finally be made accountable for being an accessory after the fact. And where I had legal representation to protect me so that they could do me no harm.
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WHY would we want to meet face to face – what would be the point and what would anyone gain from it?
The man is a sociopath and as such has absolutely no remorse or is incapable of taking any responsibility for what he has done. Certainly for me to subject myself to more manipulation and mind control would be further abuse and would solve absolutely nothing. The only place I’ll meet him is in a court of law!!
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…has anyone attempted to connect with them(J&S)??
how come? are you all still afraid to meet them face to face? why?
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me?! There’s a good chance I’d be sitting in a holding cell tonight if I had seen them… Bloody unfair, but then fair? accountability n justice, I have to believe the fox is still running… sooner or later eh
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Crikey if you could just watch them waltz by hand-in-hand and not march across the street and rip their faces off then you have truly recovered… hats off
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well shit?! What did you do?
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If you think that Joe and Sandy have any remorse then think twice, I spotted them today walking hand-in-hand through Belfast without a care.
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Yes, Robert the sums of money are incredible and there are others who have lost similar amounts. They were experts in manipulating large sums of money from people. Do you remember how, at the end of the last training, he announced that the group had “burnt out a spiritual master” ? This resulted in nearly £10,000 being “gifted” to him by the group to help alleviate his suffering! This was of course on top of the £3,000 fee paid to enroll on the training!
What a racket!
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Robert that surely was mental torture. The sums of money just scandalous!
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Yes I realise I do blame Joe more than Sandy, but that’s because his abuse was so blatant and destructive, had more of a hold on me. Eventually I found Sandy more of a joke, a disappointment, an excuse for a woman walking in power… she walked softly but had a vicious, scathing temper, mostly because she lived with Joe’s foot on her neck. She was bitter because she’d lost all self belief and esteem and lay quietly down for him to step on.
My resentment of her is for the subtle manipulation of a 4.5 yr seduction, she called it therapy, where she honed and groomed and prep-ed me for the program, and deliberately served me up to that evil son-of-a-bitch. I trusted her first…
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Or if you were in the same trade as Heaney, a joiner, then you were used to do his work. I know of one guy who was a joiner, and on the night of his ‘graduation’, he was told, he had not graduated, and had to repeat his leadership training. Everyone, including himself, was stunned and baffled and could not understand why – no sensible explanation was given – looking back it becomes clear. There was a load of work that Heaney wanted done, and this was how he got him to do it. And when the person realised what was happening, and had the strength to leave, Heaney would cry in his beer about how he missed him – what he missed was someone to do the work!
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I too have been very badly traumatised by Joe and Sandy Heaney and left in a mountain of debt. This man and his wife are nothing but scheming, manipulative con artists who prey on vulnerable people. I first went to these two charlatans for counselling, believing that there were bona fids counsellors. I now know that this was a ruse to find out my vulnerabilities. Confidential things which were told to them in private sessions would later be publicly divulged to other people, in groups, and in the pub without my permission, to shame and bully me into submission. This is a practice they did with a lot of people. The groups of course were ‘led’ by Joe Heaney, and he would steer the groups’ decisions in whatever direction he wanted, until everyone agreed. If I disagreed with him he would turn everyone against me, saying that I was trying to undermine him or some other such bullshit, when I agreed we were all great pals. This practice I now know to be ‘love bombing’.
I was so afraid of these group sessions and late night ‘integrations’ that I would agree with whatever the ‘Group Consciousness’ had decided. This included giving money to himself and Sandy and also their restaurant, which needed weekly money injections to keep going. When his restaurant closed I was owed £97,000 plus a further £60,000 from him and Sandy, all of which he got by mental abuse and out-an-out extortion. I remember one night where he said that if I didn’t get him the money that he had a friend who knew of a couple of guys (meaning the IRA) who would “sort me out”. When that restaurant closed they owed hundreds of thousands of pounds, but they both declared bankruptcy last October, yet they are now living it up in their daughters’ penthouse in Glengormley.
It has been said (above) that he is a sociopath and I would agree, these people have no remorse or conscience; they are predators looking for their next victim. Please do not be deceived into thinking that they are upset in any way with what they have done, they are too busy running around like nothing has happened and leading a normal life while I have been left struggling to pay off my debts and trying as best as I can not to kill him.
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Well that’s intriguing. Do you have any idea why he was asked to move on? Why, has this happened before?
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well he was bankrupted before and left his partners to clean up the shit, and when he returned to Ireland it wasn’t totally cuz Sandy fell in love with Magherafelt (as if???) He was ‘invited’ to move on… out of the community he was ‘part’ of in Seattle and Texas community was all stocked up on leaders, so Ireland was the only place to start over. It was a good idea too, but he bastardised the whole process cuz he got drunk on the power.
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Hi scunnered. What do you mean that he skipped town twice from his yankee folk?
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And some of these people had young families to support. Yet there was no care for them, as they were summoned to meeting after meeting, instructed to work in the restaurant, and stay long hours for the interrogation sessions at the lock -ins. Hang you heads in shame, joe and sandy heaney
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I would like to make it clear that our gripe is not with the current residents of Tullycoll house, or indeed the landlord. These are decent, honest, hard working people; just like all the people who were subjected to the Heaneys’ abuse.
The people on this website are not layabouts, or tossers looking for an easy life. Quite the contrary. The majority of people were successful professional people who had a comfortable lifestyle.
And when it suited and Heaney wanted people to quit their jobs and go and work full time in the restaurant, he schemed and badgered until he got his way; giving excuses like – you are in your head with your job, you need to work with people, this will be good for your soul. And all the while, we thought he knew what he was talking about and had a deep care for people and community.
The reality is, the more you put your trust in them, the more you were done over.
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Yea exhausted, they still manage to steal energy because we haven’t resolved within ourselves what went down, but long runs the fox… sometime everyone’s bill comes to… the slithery wee shite thinks it’s all over and he got away scot free… well he’s skipped town twice before from his yankee folks but we’re Irish and the buck will stop right on his doorstep some of these days.
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I feel exhausted every time I think about them!
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I notice that on this website the majority of comments are made about Joe Heaney. From my experience Sandy Heaney is as guilty of abuse as her husband. This woman set herself up as the role model of what a powerful woman should be, free thinking and independent. Utter nonsense. This woman represented the most co-dependent person on the planet. She would make no decisions without Joes approval. Theirs was the most toxic relationship but every other couple at Tullycoll carried the burden of what they as a couple had not worked through. They never shared details of their relationship but expected all others to be open and transparent. The only time details were shared was when one of them was bitching about the other, then snippets of truth came out. He’s not the man at home that you see at Tullycoll was one of her favourites, usually when she was indicating his laziness and the fact that he would not contribute to minor household chores. When she would gather up some courage to tell him a truth, she would enlist someone to join with her. This was dangerous for the gullible, as more than likely it would be turned on them the next day for brutalising her husband. How many times did we all see her agree with a bare faced lie Joe would have told so as to back up his slant or viewpoint? All too often. How many times did we hear them say that they had worked through their sexuality and that they had an “open relationship”? But what you did not hear was that on at least one occasion that she thought he was with someone else that she would not sleep with him but lay on the couch, as retold by Joe himself. How many times did you hear them support couples who they had supported in splitting up to not enter into another relationship for at least 4 seasons? How long was Sandy single after her 2nd marriage was over? Not very long. How often did you hear either one of them say that they thought their relationship was over? Quite often but who is still playing happy families.
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And yet, as we speak, Joe Heaney walks around like the Messiah, with Sandy Heaney in toe, in Templepatrick – the doting grandparents! Here we all are – conned again – conned into thinking they give a damn!
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Imagine: If all the people who were in any way used and abused by Joe and Sandy were to unite and focus their rage, you know, take the fury to source, raid their guts once and for all, how could they duck? Who could they stand behind? They are pathetic parasites and deserve to feel trapped and broken and destitute the rest of their days and beyond, because this is exactly how the majority of us have felt having been at their mercy. Yes, we were seduced into giving ourselves up to them in every way, but under the pretense that we were responding to the higher call of Spirit, or Mother/Father God… There is a ring of hell reserved for the likes of these… who spiritually rape and pilage the resources of the vulnerable.
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The Heaneys have a lot to answer for they only got away with this stuff because they preyed on those people who wanted to find a better way to do life and believed that the Heaneys were genuine in that search as well. instead we were abused in every way possible. When I was at my most vulnerable and in ‘ therapy’ i was persuaded to move into a programme told that this programme would save my life and I believed and trusted my therapist. Having been free for some time I am so glad to see others getting help and recovering from the nightmare.
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Joe and Sandy Heaney played “Russian Roulette” with peoples lives that’s how serious the abuse was
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In response to comment on how the Heaneys have gotten away with it for so long – it’s because people were still in a state of mind control and afraid of saying anything against them, having witnessed how others were treated who dared to question them or not go along with them. People are now getting help with the mind control and that’s why this site is so beneficial as it allows us all to talk about what really happened and believe you me, this is only the tip of the iceberg!
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I have caused my family such pain and for that I am really sorry. Begging them for money and seeing the state I was in, they tried to help me out. But with the Heaneys it was always a bottomless pit. My family warned me about the Heaneys but I couldn’t hear them and they had to watch helplessly as I sunk further and further into crisis. I look back and think, who was that person?
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It felt all wrong to ask my friends for money yet I was in such a state of terror and desperation from being bullied and threatened by the Heaneys – Joe Heaney yelled, ‘I don’t care where you get the money, beg steal or borrow’. And when my family saw the state I was in and asked if there were loan sharks after me, I continued to defend them, and say of no,no – so scared to say the Heaneys were behind it. I was so beaten down, I continued to defend them. Now a year and a half after being out, my life is still in complete turmoil – one great big mess.
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Yea you know Joe Heaney repeatedly condemned the Catholic church and criticised all the churches. I remember sitting in that circle when he was handing out ‘walkins’ to people. When he mentioned going to mass, I remember thinking, eh? what? mass? You’re sending people to mass and to get blessed? Yet there was no permission to say this and so I dismissed it like I had become so used to doing. Looking back now I had so many of these reactions to what was proposed. If I questioned them I was scoffed at and told that ‘this was Spirit and that I was in world mind, and in my ego’.
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you know this stuff is just mind blowing. How have they gotten away with it? well done for having the courage to speak up.
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You have no idea how liberating it is to have this forum to speak out. It is only now in experiencing the freedom of speaking out that I realise how conditioned and scared I have been to say anything about the Heaneys. Harbouring the Heaney secrets is keeping me locked into their mind control. Joe Heaney would say – you are only as sick as your secrets in an effort to get you to spill your guts out. Information which he would then use against you and discuss with others down the pub. Yes Joe Heaney you are only as sick as your secrets and I fully intend to get well!
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I am curious to know is this the same Joe Heaney? The Joe Heaney I knew berated all the main stay churches in N.Ireland, saying that they had far too much influence over people.
Indeed the Catholic church was often the target of his ranting and raving. He claimed that it was psychotherapists that had first exposed the sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. Maybe so ! But what is inexcusable is that he imposed and inflicted his own forms of abuse, namely, sexual, financial, emotional and mental. His sphere of influence knew no bounds and permeated through every part of the lives of those who followed him.
What seems strange is that he would then instruct people to attend mass, sprinkle holy water and pray to holy pictures. It all sounds a bit contradictory to me.
Well I wonder did Mr Heaney and his wife have genuine grievances with the churches or was it a case that they didn’t want anything interfering with the manipulation or abuse that they were orchestrating. The one piece of solace in all of this, is abuse of vulnerable people does not go unpunished. No one is above the law as the Catholic Church has found out. The truth is starting to come out. Joe Heaney is just a small man in a big world and God complex or not, those who he and Sandy abused shall have their story told, after all,” the truth shall set us free”
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Indeed, I too am traumatised by those ‘lock ins’. If you dared to go anywhere else, you were berated that you had intimacy issues, and if you dared to nod off, you were pounced on that you did not want to hear what was being said. Nothing to do with the fact that you were exhausted after working a hectic 12 hours shift in the restaurant.
There were nights we did not get out of there until 6am and then had to go to work the next day; all the while Heaney guzzled the Tennants. He then had the audacity to brand some people alcoholics and sent them off to AA, yet he was the one doing all the drinking!
Re the ‘walk-ins’ – one guy was told that he was an alcoholic and when he, somewhat bemused, questioned it, was told that he wasn’t drinking for himself, but for his walk-in!
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sounds like he was an alcoholic.
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Regarding the drinking, the period that I found most disturbing was around the time the restaurant was up and running (Palpitations, then Jeffersons). “Gatherings” were organised usually at the weekends disguised as social evenings – dinner, drinks and fun. What happened, I can only describe as a “lock in”! After a feed of drink Joe Heaney would pick on someone and “handle their case” – usually about something someone had done or said that he didn’t like. This was called “processing”. This processing went on right through the night until the early hours of the next morning. If anyone dared nod off to sleep he lit on them demanding to know “what they were sleeping on”. The vicious verbal bashing, character assassination and sleep deprivation was horrendous. After several of these sessions, I admitted my dislike for them. I was told that I found them difficult because I “defended” and “resisted” and that was the reason the “processing” went on for so long! I can honestly say that I have been traumatised by these “lock-ins” – they were mental torture!
At the end of one of the “training programmes” I was also told that I had “walk-ins” – negative spirits from my mother’s side of the family. Several other people were informed they had them also. We were instructed to attend a Catholic Mass, pray to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, obtain holy water to sprinkle on ourselves and our homes in order to ward off these negative energies. Because of these “walk-ins”, my lack of enthusiasm to work all the hours God sent in the restaurant and my perceived unwillingness to give, both in time and money, I was advised that I needed to take an extended trip to India to work with the street kids. This was to help me learn to love again; as apparently, I had lost my ability to love! Thankfully, I didn’t take his advice and thankfully I now know that I don’t have walk-ins – and I AM capable of loving – what a load of …….. Now I know what con artists they both are, but that doesn’t take away from the pain and hurt experienced through the nightmare.
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I am so glad other people can relate to Joe Heaney’s drinking habits. While in his company he once told me that he would go on 3 day vision quests where he would black out the windows of his bedroom and spend 3 days in isolation “channelling spirit ” and getting insights from God. All very admirable until he divulged that during this time, Sandy would supply him with up to 3 slabs (72 tins) of Tennents. Joe Heaney called this a 3 day vision quest.
Most people would call it a 3 day bender.
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Yes I remember the red chair. I will never forget it as long as I live. Though what I’ll remember more is how Joe Heaney very slyly and oh so cleverly used the information I divulged, in my innocence and naivity, against me. How did it go? “Something I wouldn’t want you to know about me is …. “
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Yea, Free at Last – that’s exactly how it was – Joe Heaney – this self styled messiah – when the reality is that he is a drunken, lecherous conman who misses no opportunity to do people over.
I witnessed on many occasions how Joe and Sandy Heaney ridiculed and mocked their nephew who worked in the restaurant, all the time talking about how his energy was so dead, and if they got rid of him, how the whole energy would change and people would start coming through the door. After weeks and months of berating him, Heaney would add but I can’t sack him since he’s family. Instead he drafted someone in to do his dirty work, adding that he had sacked manys a man (referring to his time in America) and they never knew it was him who did it. Such is the nature of this low life coward!
As for RED CHAIR – it will take a pretty big chair to hold all their shit!
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Hey does anyone remember the RED CHAIR? One day Joe and Sandy will take their turn, will be interrogated and shamed and exposed for the frauds that they are. Everything they spouted was stolen but there was truth there none the less… WHAT YOU SEND OUT COMES RIGHT BACK! It’s a Law so every time your head is hijacked by some painful or sordid detail, just imagine being present the day the boomerang returns… Oh yea…
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Take it easy ‘FINDING FORGIVENESS’ dont repeat the harshness… feeling hurt and/or resentful bout family and wanting to rag on them is not damnable… were you setting yourself up as a guru, spiritual leader example for others to model themselves on? Or were you under the control of a skillful con artist who had clearly lost the plot? Compliance was expected of us in that trap but like you say you’re free now. I bet your family continue to love…
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I too, like others experienced first hand, Joe and Sandy Heaney’s gossiping and judgements about people behind their backs. No individual, family or organisation was sacred or beyond passing comment about.
Indeed, they were very clever as those that were often ridiculed most, were those closest to them. Joe Heaney often used his own brother and his family as an example of what a dysfunctional family looked like. Comments and snide remarks were also made about their own daughters boyfriends, future in-laws and their wider family circle. Many of their family confidential matters were widely shared with whatever audience was in attendance. He often recounted how he was not attached to anything as demonstrated by his story of how he handed over a family holiday home in Donegal that had been willed to him by his father, at the first sign of disquiet from his siblings.
It was these passings of judgement that duped me into speaking about my own family. I became just like the Heaneys, and often spoke with disrespect and prejudice towards my own parents, brothers and sisters, all because that was what was demonstrated by my spiritual teachers. The warning that family members who had not done any ‘ work’ on themselves were like ‘ crabs in the basket’ , trying to pull me back, rang loudly and often.
Thankfully, I am now free of these two predators. I try to forgive myself for the unwarranted judgements that I passed on my own family and for my own cowardice at not speaking up to defend those who were not there to do it for themselves.
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My experience of Joe Heaney was that he was a man who had a God complex and who saw himself above the law.
On many occasions I witnessed him drink driving. When challenged around this he would say that he had ‘ worked through his authority issues ‘ and would not ‘create getting caught by the police.’
He also carried out major building work, extensions and renovations at Tullycoll House flouting building regulations and all without planning permission.
I am relieved that this charade of a ‘spiritual being’ has now been shattered and that he and his wife Sandy should hang their heads in shame.
Joe Heaney often quoted the Buddhists saying that the last thing to go on the spiritual journey is one’s reputation.
Somehow I don’t think this cuts it, as a defence, as the pain, suffering and hurt he and his wife have caused would lead me to believe they have yet to start !
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can i just say that i now rent this house with my husband and young family and that my sympathy goes out to all you people i have re vamped it all and made this house a home but my feelings after reading all this at the start were right i really thought as they had a circle of tree stumps they were into witch craft i have now demolished that. I personally believe that if your saved the Lord will always protect you and he will deal with these nasty people in his own time as it says in the bible “you reap what you sow” and believe me God will punish them maybe not today maybe not tomoro but in his own time.
i had not long moved in when a groupfull of people were asking for the spirtual house i always thought a spirtiual house was a church they were told it no longer existed from here.
Can i also say hard as it may be for you all but if there is enough of you all you could take this jerk and his wife to court for mental haressment as by the sounds of it they had you brainwashed how sad to know there are sick and vile people out there..
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Recovery is very slow. The extent of the trauma I experienced is vast and deep, my experience remains raw even after some 5 years living on the other side. I remain secretive about it except to a select few who have been where I was and can understand how blinded and controlled we were. It still makes very little sense to me: I struggle to make peace with the scarred part of myself that waltzed me into that quagmire but I give so much thanks to the somewhat fractured and yet stalwart part that crawled out once and for all. It was a living hell packaged as heaven on earth, being so committed to a like minded group of people, a new and healthy family, walking the walk, having the courage to practice true love and live with the risks of being set apart… all shit!
We were broken and vulnerable people in desperate need of healing and from that place we were preyed upon by a couple of opportunistic bottom feeders. The only solace that remains for me is the strength of the love and care I felt for and from the other hurt people I met there. Ironically that hasn’t changed.
I am far from over this… in fact I vascillate between the desire to seek them out with murder on my mind and the fear of what I might feel should our paths cross…
To all those out there who found their way into this hole for however long, keep on trucking… It was a moment and it’s over. You will never walk blindly into that level of chaos again, your primed now and even if someone is spinning you a yarn in casual conversation your radar for bullshit will ring for Ireland!! Trust that… you survived this, there is nothing out there to fear… keep on keeping on xxx
I wish us all peace x
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I too am glad of this platform to speak out and make public my experience of Joe and Sandy Heaney. They posed as qualified therapists which I now know is questionable. In fact I never saw any evidence of any formal qualifications from either of them. It now makes sense that when programmes at ‘Tullycoll Trust Foundation’ were completed certificates were not handed out, as is usual with other reputable organisations. Instead we got medals like athletes get when they complete a race – with no organisation giving the award – because the Tullycoll Trust Foundation leaders Joe and Sandy Heaney had indeed no authority to hand out certificates as they themselves most likely had no formal, authorised qualifications to do so. The entire process was a scam. Both leaders actually took my money for ‘courses’, which amounted to thousands of pounds plus the personal donations they received, especially Joe Heaney, (because he had the knack of ‘manipulating ‘ and guilting people into giving in the name of ‘spirit’), At the end of it all I haven’t one certificate that I can produce to prove what I’ve done or to bring to a reputable counselling body. He had all the bases covered – to inflict his own dictatorship and get away with it. Unfortunately, up until now he has got away with it, leaving my life and the lives of my family scarred, plus the lives of many others. If there is a way that Joe Heaney and his wife, Sandy Heaney, can be made accountable for the money they have manipulated from us, the abuse they have inflicted, the mental, physical and psychological torture they put us through, the lies and the deceipt, I would welcome any advice available.
I feel so grateful to be free of the cult that was Tullycoll Trust Foundation. I am now successful and getting on with my life despite the horror that I’ve been through at the hands of these people. I am glad of this opportunity to report and to warn others as I would not want another individual to be taken in by their cleverness or their guise of empathy, as they prey on the most vulnerable. I believe they are living in Glengormley, near Belfast and I believe that this desire to manipulate and live off other people is so embedded in their nature that they will attempt to do the same to others. So anyone out there reading this – if you are in need of support make sure you get it from a registered service – and not from two vultures – Joe Heaney, a ‘control freak’ and Sandy Heaney who agrees with him because she was too scared to face life on her own.
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Joe and Sandy Heaney have broken my spirit and wrecked my life and now they play doting grandparents. It makes me sick!
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to all who have spoke out about these people i appalud you. it takes courage .
joe and sandy where very manipulative people and where closer to satan than they where to god. i dont how these two are still walking the streets. i will pray for the people who are being still manipulated by them that they get the courage to leave this cult. just because they are not in tullycoll house dosent mean that they arent abusing people because i know they are.
for anybody still under their influence, look into your heart listen to you gut instinct and with all the willpower and dignity that you have left please leave these two monsters
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I joined Tullycoll community when I undertook the spiritual training course, the personal mastery programme, having being told about it from Sandra Heaney who was my counsellor at the time. (I don’t know who her supervisor was) At first it was a very loving and supportive environment and we were encouraged to be open and trusting towards each other. Soon friendships were formed and a sense of belonging to this caring community. Joe Heaney set up the guise of caring for everyone yet the reality is he abused our trust and while he advocated love, he actually led by fear. This sense of belonging and connection was something everyone wanted to hold on to – “to be in the love”, and it was the threat to withdraw this that the Heaneys used to generate fear and compliance.
At the end of our personal master program, some of us were considering doing the leadership program in a few months time, as we had enjoyed the friendships we had formed. But I was also looking forward to a break from the intense schedule of being at Tullycoll all the time, and was gutted when on the last day of our program Joe Heaney announced that he had a project for us to raise ₤30,000 to buy a community minibus. Needless to say, we never got the break! We raised the money; the bus was never bought.
When I was doing the personal mastery course, construction was already underway for a restaurant. This restaurant was funded by a bank loan of ₤150,000 taken out by a company that Joe and Sandy Heaney were directors of. Under the guise of a community restaurant, they sucked people into working there for free, and paying large sums of money to keep the restaurant afloat. To my knowledge noone had any experience in this line of business apart from Sandy Heaney who had waitressed in America.
Part of our spiritual training in this so called leadership programme was that we were all required to work in this restaurant. This often involved long hours with no pay, but it was all done in the name of service. Joe Heaney claimed to be a successful businessman and was the CEO of the restaurant, yet a number of us were summoned once and sometimes twice a month to meetings because more money was needed to keep the restaurant afloat. This was in addition to large sums of money already invested. The meetings would not end until all the money was raised, which usually involved people writing out cheques or putting it on their credit card, or going to get another loan. His calculations did not include the VAT required, so when the VAT bills came in, more meetings were called and everyone was required to produce more money to pay it – all done in the name of community. Sandy Heaney would refer to these as money miracles! This was the spiritual training!
Joe Heaney is very charismatic, full of charm and comes across as very genuine and so he was able to draw people in and earn their trust. But once the trust was earned, it all changed and people were manipulated to fit his agenda. If you agreed with what he was saying, you were lavished with praise and love. However, if you did not agreed with what he was saying whether it was about not being able to make a meeting or to contradict something he said, Joe Heaney enlisted the support of the whole group to turn against the person concerned, and a character assignation would ensue. The reality of this was that everyone was just so relieved that it wasn’t them who was being attacked and so participated in the emotional battering. Noone wanted to be rejected and isolated. Yet many of us were and experienced that humiliation and isolation until we acquiesced.
They abused the philosophy of the Course in Miracles to advance their own cause and whatever happened it was twisted around to suit their agenda. They always preached that everything that happens to us is our own creation. I believed totally in them and really trusted them and I tolerated so much emotional abuse, believing that it was my creation and I was to blame. I ignored rumours I heard about them and refused to listen to my family, and others who had left that community, telling me they were not genuine. I totally believed that they were not capable of wrongdoing and I staunchly defended them; saying that they were loving and caring and those who spoke out against them just couldn’t handle the truth or the love, or had money issues or didn’t want to look at their relationship. I now realise these weren’t my words; I was just spouting the Heaney speak which I had heard endlessly repeated!
An example of how they operated was when I told Joe Heaney about one of the rumours I had heard around Cookstown, about Tullycoll being a cult, he turned it all against me and raged at me about how did I create that experience of hearing those rumours and that my energy was trying to bring them down. I left feeling remorseful introspective and fearful. He then gathered a few people and went on a rant about me, demonizing me, amplifying any faults I had, and repeating the same stuff over and over and over again. This was the format he used with those who fell out of favour. Sandra Heaney frequently gossiped about people, and turned people against each other. Sandra Heaney, maliciously gossiping about people is not spiritual!
There was a lot of socialising around drink and very often Joe Heaney would steer the conversations around to talking about sex. On one occasion when I was there on my own with the Heaneys and another couple, Joe Heaney accused me of being a voyeur listening to this conversation, a conversation which he instigated five minute previously, and then rallied the others to agree with him. I was left reeling and completely stunned!
The Heaneys slander and demonise everyone, and I mean everyone, and they still continue to do so. Yet when they meet these same people, they are all smiles, hugs and full of false care. One Fathers day, a group of women held a workshop in Tullycoll, which the Heaneys had known about for some time, but on the morning of it, Heaney went into a rage in the restaurant, and ranted about them being cruel bitches who hated men and wanted to bring men down. The tirade of abusive names he levied at them that day does not bear repeating. They, of course, were not privy to any of this. I apologise to you women now, that I didn’t speak up and shout back, What are you talking about? I was just too terrified because his rage would then be turned on me.
The Heaneys turned everyone against their families, and spouses; and anyone who objected to going to Tullycoll on a Sunday, or to work in the restaurant because they wanted to spend it with their families was labeled codependent and suffered a lecture on being codependent, which was repeated over and over again. Yet all the while they kept their own family close when it suited them, and had everyone rally round to clean the place up and contribute to, and attend their family events.
I went there believing that these people were genuine, and cared for everyone and they believed in community. Yet I was subject to intense bullying, threatened, intimidated, and slandered. These were my therapists! I was demoralised, my confidence shattered, my self esteem eroded, relations with my family and friends estranged, and in some cases severed, and financially left in dire straits, I have spent the last year struggling to exist and I have a long way to go before I feel emotionally secure again.
Some people still continue to worship them and they have their own reasons, like me, for refusing to listen when people tried to warn me about them. One of the hardest parts of all of this was realising they were not genuine. That sent me into a tailspin for a lot of months; the betrayal of that trust. I found it hard to believe they could be that cruel. Yet the reality was that I was terrified to speak out against them, that I got kudos from being friendly with them and being privy to the knowledge of these two spiritual teachers! At the same time my gut instinct was telling me that what they did was not right. On learning more about sociopaths, it begins to make sense. I was so convinced and taken in by them that I didn’t think it was possible to be that cruel; but if you are a sociopath, then it certainly is!
There is one question which has always puzzled me, and I never got a satisfactory answer to – why did the Heaneys leave everything to come to N Ireland at the height of the troubles, when it was a dark and fearful place to live? Joe Heaney often talked about the great lifestyle they had in Canada and America and how it was so advanced, and how much they loved it there. At that time, Ireland was 20 years behind America. Even in my days of being devoted to them, it was the something which never made sense. At the time I didn’t think there was anything cynical in it, but now I feel there has to be more to it. Joe Heaney would give me the same explanation every time I asked; that Sandy came over and loved the place and insisted they move there. Yet he was not close to his family, he hated the cold and rain. He had no love of Ireland as he moaned about it every chance he got, and he kept talking about how sexually repressed the people were. It didn’t make sense!
It will take me a long time to recover from this and I only hope that this abuse stops now and that those who are still being taken in by the Heaneys, have the courage to trust themselves. This is a very small tip of a very large iceberg.
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I too have been severely traumatised by the psychological, mental and financial abuse imposed by Joe and Sandra Heaney.
Joe and Sandra Heaney arrived from America claiming to be fully qualified psychotherapists. Indeed Joe Heaney had us all believe that they were the two best therapists in Northern Ireland, having dealt with their anger and sexuality issues. He claimed Northern Ireland people and therapists had not dealt with their anger and sexuality.
It is now clear to many of us that Joe and Sandra Heaney had little or no formal, professional training in psychotherapy and counselling.
In a series of “spiritual trainings” led by the Heaneys, they took people into deep psychological processes that they were not trained to deal with.
As a result many people experienced severe psychological, mental and sexual abuse.
The most damaging part was the spiritual abuse inflicted on vulnerable people. It can only be described as Spiritual Rape.
Vulnerable people who trusted the Heaneys were manipulated, bullied and guilted into handing over large sums of money. Joe Heaney claimed to channel “spirit” (Jesus) and had us believe that by handing over the money to “God” we were collapsing years of negative karma and healing our money issues.
We were brainwashed into believing that he was a “highly evolved” Spiritual leader who would take us closer to God.
The actions of Joe Heaney and that of his wife Sandy can best be described as sick and evil.
With expert support from a professional body specialising in cultism and the recovery process from the mental torture experienced, many of us now recognise that Joe Heaney has all the personality traits of a sociopath.
He is also a pathological liar.
For a more detailed explanation of what a sociopath is, log onto the following
website http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-sociapath.htm
For many who were involved in Tullycoll, the pieces of the jigsaw now finally fit. The gut feeling that we all had, that this was a cult and a con, was actually true. Those who spoke out voicing their concern were verbally annihilated.
To ensure no other person has to experience the terror or psychological abuse
caused by the Heaneys actions, please be very careful if you come across them.
Be very careful not to ask for counselling or spiritual help and be vigilant of the false charm and charisma.
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I have a family member who was unfortunately conned by the Heaneys. She put her faith in them and they took complete advantage of her and were mentally abusive. They definitely did turn members away from their family and friends, but I believe their motivation for doing this was to isolate and therefore gain control over the members and manipulate and cheat them in any way possible. It took a while, but I am very grateful this family member eventually seen through the Heaneys and their manipulative ways and she broke off all ties with them. They really are very dangerous and the more people that are made aware of this fact, the better. They should be very ashamed of themselves having negatively impacted so many lives and in such a dishonest and corrupt manner, while posing as therapists and healers.
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It is mentioned here that Joe and Sandy Heaney were psychotherapists – indeed they often boasted of being the best psychotherapists in Northern Ireland yet when asked about where they trained, they were very vague. I am very doubtful that they ever received any psychotherapy qualifications, yet they set up practice and recruited people for these programmes in which they subjected them to intense psychological processes. I believe that at one time Joe Heaney was a member of British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). I wonder what qualifications he declared in order to become a member??
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Also Ian, in relation to the float tank which is housed in one of the portacabins and the hot tub in the main house, these were also bought by money , under duress, from ex-members. These need to be properly accounted for. What is your understanding of this? The fact is, these items belong to them.
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In respone to Ian’s comment on removing information from this website. As the Heaneys have moved out of Tullycoll House, I would like to know what arrangements were put in place regarding the 3 mobile cabins? These cabins were in fact bought by ex members who were manipulated into giving over substantial amounts of money to pay for them.
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Sounds like the Heaneys must be cousins of Tony Quinn….
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dear direct Ireland
my family was torn apart by these people. my brother was taken in by these people they destrioyed his live. he became withdrawn, and talked like these people where his family not us. he missed out on so much and was not allowed to spend time with us. they manipulate members into thinking their family are bad and that they where better for them. my brother lost so much weight and looked so sick for at least two years. im so glad he’s away from them people. they are pure evil. my brother lost everything, money and family. please let everyone know how horrible these people are
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Dear Dialogue Ireland
I am very relieved that at last someone has had the courage to speak out about the abuses inflicted by Joe and Sandy Heaney in the name of ‘Spirit.’ I am also glad there is a forum for this to come out as I too have been badly traumatised by these two manipulators. I will post more later.
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can you please remove this as I now live in this house and have no affiliation to this group and as you state it doesn’t exist any longer.
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