Does anyone know anyone who's gone through it? My guy is there now, after a friend recruited him, and I'm getting weird vibes from it. He won't talk to me when he's there basically, he won't tell me anything about what's happening- he did a tiny but after the 2nd weekend, how he cried all weekend. I saw on here how it was founded by people from MITT who worked with Margo at Lifespring, so I'm erring very concerned. He doesn't seem like himself, and I get nervous if he's gonna get sucked in for more. He can't seem to see though the manipulation of the recruiting and all the power they have over him, because they're teaching him that hand gesture towards himself that he's in charge, except the concrete thing he's "in charge of" is to do all these things they're leading him too. He can't answer simple questions like what do you want, unless it's about something he worked with them and then it's a robot response. I'm worried. Hopefully I'm overreacting from the secrecy, and all is ok.

I looked it up on the internet. There's a warning review of it on YELP. Also, there's another listing, called "Leadership Foundation Academy", which seem to be the same thing, located in the San Diego area, like ALA. Two reviews there state plainly that it's a cult, and they will start demanding thousands of dollars, telling their participants they have major issues to work on, through the organization. You can look this up yourself.

There's also a youtube video by a participant in ALA, who speaks with a robotic voice, saying how wonderful her life has become, since she's made so many new "friends" in the ALA organization=--she has so much love in her life now!

Here's the ink to one of the YELP reviews:
tps://www.yelp.com/biz/ascension-leadership-academy-la-jolla

Greetings,
I have attended this leadership forum and that is exactly what it is with some tendencies towards sorority or fraternity type camaraderie. The four month intentional leadership program allows participants to share confidential information such as stories of their lives that they may not share with every friend they have and work through group activities to see how their past helped inform their leadership moving forward.

In other words, the content and format is confidential because the information acquired through the process is shared often through the stories of others in a safe and brave space not intended to be shared with others. So yes Scaredaboutbf, your "guy" is following solid ethical behavior by sharing his lesson with you and not the story. Honoring confidentiality is the proper way to keep any information on the stories of others and self so as not to become gossip.

I encourage you to ask him questions like what he feels this leadership forum is leading to. Remarkable gifts may be received for both of you when, if you trust him and he trusts the process, he can learn a great deal about himself and the leader he strives to be.

And to Misstyk, Leader Foundation Academy is something completely different. The only true connection is that they both use the word leadership and are centered in San Diego. Additionally, when you read the Yelp reviews I found I needed to read both the positives and the negatives with a grain of salt. When someone is in the process of discovering their leadership, would you not agree that they get into it what they get out of it? Just because the result was not what you wanted or was the greatest thing on eart does not make it a cult. According to this site, Psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton defined cults as having: 1) A charismatic leader, who increasingly becomes an object of worship as the general principles that may have originally sustained the group lose power.
2) A process [is in use] call[ed] coercive persuasion or thought reform.
3) Economic, sexual, and other exploitation of group members by the leader and the ruling coterie.

It has been my experience that ALA has of that definition the following 1) A charasmatic leader. 2) It helps people identify their own ways of thought reform such as to "look at the glass half full instead of half empty" type thoughts. 3) And the group does often ask participants if they want what they have given themselves through the program for others they are close with to give that same gift to themselves. I think the third component is the hard line to get people to go around without having swaying feelings. However there are hundreds of training institutes that do the same thing. For example, in business the Disney Institute sells participation in their 5 day program for $7000 and part of that last day of that program is them encouraging their attendees to invite other members of their organization to participate. Now one could arguably say that everything Disney is cult like, but I believe this site clarifies the differences in many ways.

I hope this helps both of you in better understanding Ascension Leadership Academy San Diego. Again, I attended the program so you may take my summation of the program with a grain of salt as well. However I hope you will look more deeply beyond the surface and surmise for yourself if you feel investigating your own story, though sometimes full of pain and joy, can lead you to a better understanding of yourself and thereby add to your growth as a leader and a human being.