I do not think she sounds insane, just ignorant of cannabis horticulture. She certainly has no idea how lighting works. Stick to what your thoughts on lighting and let her mess her crop up. As long as it does not harms anything you are growing, it will be a great lesson in why a little REAL study is important. Right now she sounds like she is just guessing and that is the best way fail. Failure can be a great teacher. My thought would be to grow side by side, but separated areas. Then compare the results so she can witness for herself how her technique is no good. You can grow 3 or 4 plants out under a 400 watt bulb and yield a few ounces (dried) per plant. Let her yield her 1/4 ounce.
The only reasons I can think of that she is afraid of "big lighting" is either paranoia that some FLIR equiped copter is going to notice. Another would be she has burned out a plant or two trying to run a 400 or 600 without proper ventilation.
In a way she is right about the "ripens twice" thing, but not for the reason she seems to be alluding to. I have had a sativa with about 75% of the hairs changed put on a second spurt of fresh flowering. More white hairs appeared, but the ones that had changed stayed changed.