Relationship gurus have "totally worthless degrees"

CultNews.com/November 4, 2003

It seems that well-known relationship gurus "Dr." John Gray and "Dr." Barbara De Angelis have bogus credentials reports Men News Daily.

Apparently the two both obtained their touted "doctorates" from a "diploma mill" shut down two years ago by the California state attorney general's office.

Gray and De Angelis received doctorates from Columbia Pacific University, which California officials described as a "diploma mill" that issued "totally worthless degrees."

Nevertheless these lauded experts have been a hot ticket on the lecture circuit (Gray is $30,000-$50,000 and De Angelis starts at $15,000) and they hold forth on such popular TV shows as Oprah, Good Morning America, and Larry King Live.

Gray and De Angelis routinely pass themselves off with the attached title of "Ph.D."

Gray's bestseller Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus has sold 15 million copies worldwide and developed quite a cult following for the author.

De Angelis has written more than a dozen books, produced a video series, infomercial and was featured on CNN as a "relationship expert."

Some might think that John Gray is trained in psychology and/or counseling, but instead he has degrees in Eastern Philosophy and they are hardly Ivy League. Gray reportedly picked up both his Bachelor's and Master's from the Maharishi European Research University in Switzerland.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is the founder of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) movement. And Gray was once one of his celibate monks, before becoming a guru of sorts himself.

Well, maybe it takes a guru to make a guru.

De Angelis has more in common with Gray than a "worthless" Ph.D., the two were once married.

De Angelis was Gray's first wife, though he was her third husband. Barbara then went on to marry twice more, while John is still on his second marriage.

Another TM devotee magician Doug Henning was Barbara's second hubby. Maybe she met Gray while attending a seminar at Maharishi U? Wouldn't that be guru-romantic?

De Angelis did double duty as Henning's assistant in his magic act. Perhaps she is now playing the role of a "doctor" for her second act.

"Secrets for Making Love Work," is the title of a De Angelis produced video series. But will Barbara learn the secret herself the fifth time around?

And do these two phony "doctors" really posses the personal histories and/or credentials to commend them as "relationship experts"?

The popular radio "Sex Doctor" and perhaps the gold standard for a relationship guru might be Dr. Ruth Westheimer.

At least "Dr. Ruth" really is a doctor (Ph.D.) and though twice divorced, her third marriage has held together for more than four decades.

In fact both of Westheimer's children have an accredited Ph.D., which is more than you can say for either "doctors" John Gray or Barbara DeAngelis.