Here is an earlier thread.
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forum.culteducation.com]
A lot of weird encounter group stuff spawned in the 1970s. Some of it became legit. Others turned cultic. I think Hoffman process was taken over othrs after Hoffman retired or died, but kept his name. The thread will tell you more.
Am sorry you went through all this.
You might try posting on Craigslist.org and see if others have been through this.
Only problem is if you post on Craigslist in New York city and hint that you've had bad experiences with a group, people may vote to have your post removed.
So if posting in NYC Craigslist, pretend to be innocent and ask if others have done Hoffman and if they'd recommend it.
If you post in LA or SF, you can ask directly if people have had bad experiences, and your posts will not be flagged by the community. You may get whiny counter-posts, but at least your stuff is more likely to stay on the LA and SF boards for the allotted 10 days.