Conspiracy Theorist's Family Stages Intervention, He Interprets It as Evidence of Conspiracy

The family of amateur researcher Dennis Layers gathered at his home Saturday for what they described as 'a loving intervention to express concern about his wellbeing,' which Layers immediately classified as 'a coordinated psychological operation' and documented on his evidence board. 'They all showed up at the same time,' Layers said afterward, pinning a seating chart of the intervention to his corkboard with red string. 'My mother, my sister, my brother-in-law, and a licensed therapist they hired. Four people. Coordinated arrival. That's not a family gathering. That's a cell activation.' The intervention, organized by Layers' sister Patricia, was prompted by what the family described as '18 months of escalating behavior,' including Layers quitting his job to 'investigate full-time,' spending an estimated $12,000 on research materials and equipment, and sending family members daily text messages ranging from 3,000 to 8,000 words. 'We just want him to talk to someone,' Patricia said. 'A professional. Someone who can help him.' Layers interpreted the suggestion as confirmation of his theories. 'When they bring in a therapist, that's a deprogramming attempt,' he said. 'They only deprogram people who know too much. If I were crazy, they'd just ignore me. The fact that they organized this proves I'm onto something.' The therapist, Dr. Susan Gentle, attempted to engage Layers in conversation but reported that he spent the session taking notes on her 'interrogation technique' and asking whether she had been 'briefed on his file.' 'I don't have a file on him,' Dr. Gentle said. 'That's exactly what someone with a file on me would say,' Layers responded. Layers has since added a new section to his evidence board titled 'FAMILY OPERATION,' which connects Patricia's phone records to the therapist's office address via three lengths of red string and a Post-it note reading 'WHO PAID FOR THIS?'