Alex Horn today
Posted by:
sonny71
()
Date: August 28, 2004 12:04AM
I am in need of information regarding Alex Horn and his activities from 2000 until the present. My fiance of 8 years joined his group in New York about 3 years ago after finding an ad on the back page of the village voice. His dues range somewhere between $200 and $350 a month. His personality has changed drastically and he's become very secretive about this 'class' and what he does every monday night for 9 hours. NOTHING comes before class!! Not even my grandfathers passing in January. I am at a total loss as to what to do. I don't want to leave him, but he has become increasingly arrogant and irresponsible, no longer the man I fell in love with. Anyone with information regarding Alex in the past few years or former students with advice would be greatly appreciated. I simply don't know where to turn at this point.
Thank you.
J
Thank you.
J
Alex Horn today
Posted by:
corboy
()
Date: August 28, 2004 12:41AM
There is material about Alex Horn available here.
[board.culteducation.com]
You're right to be concerned about your fiance. I advise consulting 'Juniper' 'needshelp' and others who are on this thread in relation to AH.
Alex Horn has been married to Sharon Gans and may, according to some reports, still be involved with her. There is a vast amount of material about her group in the RR.com database here:
[culteducation.com]
Take care and get the support you need. And yes, now is [i:e254cafc19]not [/i:e254cafc19]the good time to consider marriage.
Do not try to meet AH in person--from the accounts given here, he is not nice.
I advise that you not sleep with your partner until you clarify with him whether sexual promiscuity is going on in this group. Your physical and mental health is at stake. If he refuses to respect your concerns (and this does involve your safety, as well as his)--you have every right to protect yourself.
[board.culteducation.com]
You're right to be concerned about your fiance. I advise consulting 'Juniper' 'needshelp' and others who are on this thread in relation to AH.
Alex Horn has been married to Sharon Gans and may, according to some reports, still be involved with her. There is a vast amount of material about her group in the RR.com database here:
[culteducation.com]
Take care and get the support you need. And yes, now is [i:e254cafc19]not [/i:e254cafc19]the good time to consider marriage.
Do not try to meet AH in person--from the accounts given here, he is not nice.
I advise that you not sleep with your partner until you clarify with him whether sexual promiscuity is going on in this group. Your physical and mental health is at stake. If he refuses to respect your concerns (and this does involve your safety, as well as his)--you have every right to protect yourself.
Alex Horn today
Posted by:
Lakefield
()
Date: September 03, 2004 04:34PM
I hope everythign turns out okay for you!!!
Alex Horn today
Posted by:
mrl621
()
Date: January 28, 2005 02:48PM
I hope you are getting the help that you need; I sincerely hope your fiance has left the group. I attended Alex Horn's group in NYC in 1998, and frankly it took me a couple of years to recover. Reading some of the information about it here, I feel fortunate to have left when I did.
As I recall, Alex was a solidly built, somewhat overweight man with grey hair, always rather imposing in demeanor, not particularly tall (5' 10" perhaps?). When I was attending the group, we met in a hotel near the 72nd street station (West side), but we were actively looking for a new "school."
At the time I left the group, I felt like a total failure. I actually was afraid I'd kill myself if I continued in the group -- they made me feel so badly about myself. I contacted one of the women in the group about 2 years after I left, and she was still part of it. I worry about those people.
Alex and Sharon were amazingly able to manipulate.
I am very happy now, in spite of all their warnings that all was lost if one of us left the group.
I do pray that people involved will become disentagled. You are right to be concerned about your fiance; these people are very dangerous to one's psyche.
M
As I recall, Alex was a solidly built, somewhat overweight man with grey hair, always rather imposing in demeanor, not particularly tall (5' 10" perhaps?). When I was attending the group, we met in a hotel near the 72nd street station (West side), but we were actively looking for a new "school."
At the time I left the group, I felt like a total failure. I actually was afraid I'd kill myself if I continued in the group -- they made me feel so badly about myself. I contacted one of the women in the group about 2 years after I left, and she was still part of it. I worry about those people.
Alex and Sharon were amazingly able to manipulate.
I am very happy now, in spite of all their warnings that all was lost if one of us left the group.
I do pray that people involved will become disentagled. You are right to be concerned about your fiance; these people are very dangerous to one's psyche.
M
Alex Horn today
Posted by:
sonny71
()
Date: February 10, 2005 03:55AM
Mrl621,
I recieved the info from you. Thank you. Unfortunately, there is so little available about Alex, that it has been very difficult for me to really get anywhere. I've gone so far as to want to follow him to his meetings to see what is going on!! If you could please send me some more info, I would appreciate it greatly. Like, what are they doing? Why so secretive and expensive? At this point, all I know is that he disappears once a week and takes lots of "secret" phone calls. I do know the names of a few people in his class just by listening to him talk. He seems to need approval about almost everything he does. We couldn't go on vacation for a few days because he had to check with Alex!! Any help or advice you could give me would be great!! I am freaking out here. I also need to know if I should just give up and get out. I feel like I am wasting my time. Class seems so much more important to him than I do.
Thanks again.
I recieved the info from you. Thank you. Unfortunately, there is so little available about Alex, that it has been very difficult for me to really get anywhere. I've gone so far as to want to follow him to his meetings to see what is going on!! If you could please send me some more info, I would appreciate it greatly. Like, what are they doing? Why so secretive and expensive? At this point, all I know is that he disappears once a week and takes lots of "secret" phone calls. I do know the names of a few people in his class just by listening to him talk. He seems to need approval about almost everything he does. We couldn't go on vacation for a few days because he had to check with Alex!! Any help or advice you could give me would be great!! I am freaking out here. I also need to know if I should just give up and get out. I feel like I am wasting my time. Class seems so much more important to him than I do.
Thanks again.
Alex Horn today
Posted by:
Cosmophilospher
()
Date: February 10, 2005 04:46AM
If i were involved with somebody who was doing something so secretive, bizarre, and expensive, i would not put up with it for 2 weeks, never mind going further into the relationship.
Firstly, relationships can't have that kind of secrecy.
Next, i would never become involved with someone who is going to spend us into bankruptcy.
I can't tell you what to do, but i would have an open discussion, if that didn't work, then some therapy, if that didn't work, then that's it, its over.
It would be the same with drugs, booze, gambling, or whatever.
A relationship and love does not have to hurt all the time.
Deceipt is not negotiable.
Coz
Firstly, relationships can't have that kind of secrecy.
Next, i would never become involved with someone who is going to spend us into bankruptcy.
I can't tell you what to do, but i would have an open discussion, if that didn't work, then some therapy, if that didn't work, then that's it, its over.
It would be the same with drugs, booze, gambling, or whatever.
A relationship and love does not have to hurt all the time.
Deceipt is not negotiable.
Coz
Alex Horn today
Posted by:
Cosmophilospher
()
Date: February 10, 2005 04:48AM
[www.freedomofmind.com]
Odyssey Study Group
Group Leaders
Sharon Gans, Robert Klein
Group Founders
Alex Horn and Sharon Gans-Horn
Other Names of the Group:
OSG
The Work
The School
Fourth Way School
The Theatre of All Possibilities
Description of the Group:
This is a very secretive and elusive group. They claim to be a Fourth Way school with connections to other esoteric schools in history (especially during the Renaissance) and claim to be possessing knowledge for personal development through Fourth Way ideas. However, the group originally founded by Alex Horn and Sharon Gans in California in the 70s, now operating in New York and Boston, has no link to any legitimate Fourth Way school, branching from Gurdjieff or Ouspensky. The Boston group is lead by Robert Klein. Sharon Gans leads the New York group and has the ultimate control over all the groups and activities.
There is a monthly fee (called “tuition”) that is adjusted for each member (ranging from $250 to $400 per month depending on member’s personal income - some members pay three months in advance), members are required to pay for everything outside of the tuition (i.e. books, meals, items purchased for events, etc.) and also there is “acting” class offered once a month (on Sundays for 6 hours) with a $150 monthly fee (all members are encouraged to take this class).
OSG’s outer group named “younger class” is a pro-social group. It is often encouraged that members should socialize and do things that they feel passionate about within 5-week aims that they state. The amount of time available for leisure and entertainment decreases as students remain in the group for longer periods of time as the demands on their time to complete group recommended /directed activities increases with time leaving less time available for personally directed choices.
It is required to attend all classes and be on time. It is also strongly suggested that members take vacations that coincide with “School” vacation schedule. However, this rule is not heavily enforced. Several times a year members are asked to spend a significant amount of time (20-40 hours a week for a period of 4-6 consecutive weeks) organizing and implementing outside events including “class outside of class” and “Christmas Party”.
There are many rules that all members must abide by. They are primarily around protecting OSG’s existence:
Members are not allowed to discuss OSG’s indoctrination with anyone
Members are not allowed to tell anyone that they are in OSG (including family, friends and spouses, etc.)
Members are not allowed to socialize with other members neither in class or outside of class
Members are not allowed to even recognize other members outside aside from a look (even smiling is not permitted) Regarded as being “invisible” to each other in life.
Members must fulfill all assigned tasks and given “help”
Members are required to keep an hour of silence after each class
Members are not allowed to reveal any personal information about themselves to other members (e.g. phone numbers, address, place of employment, etc.)
Members are strongly encouraged to share issues/problems with their sustainer related to class and their lives (Students are lead to believe that these conversations are confidential. However, in actuality sustainers share information with teachers)
Members are not allowed to talk to former members
Members are required to maintain the standards set by the school for class attendance and participation (e.g. attending all classes, arriving for class ten minutes early, arriving prepared for class discussions, etc.)
Members are not allowed to complete any assignments using the internet
Members are not allowed to share with each other anything in writing without approval from teachers
Members are required to participate in clean up activities related to refreshments provided during class according to a schedule set by a designated member of the class
Member are required to pay tuition – three months at a time in advance and the tuition amount is set by the teacher for each individual member
Members are required to pay a monthly maintenance fee of $25
Members are not allowed to share their tuition amount with other members
Members are not allowed to reveal to select students (e.g. newest members) that members have participated in specific events (e.g. Christmas party) and have read specific books as part of the curriculum.
All members must abide all the rules and “teachers”. Failing to do so is regarded as deficiency in member’s being and attributed to his or her weakness. Not abiding by the rules may result in expulsion.
Members depend on teachers to communicate the sources of material for “esoteric knowledge”. Particularly because members are discouraged to use the internet, television and other media which might be used to discover these sources on their own.
OSG uses profound ideas from many teachings along with ideas that sound profound to keep members in control and they constantly infuse self-doubt, need for purification and need for higher levels (meaning teachers and the school) to help them/show them a new way of thinking about their lives.
OSG uses sophisticated methods to recruit new members. The process is presented to the recruiters (select current members) by teachers as a privilege to help the school and an opportunity to work on themselves while serving a higher purpose (meaning the school). The process involves "making friends" with strangers through a series of meetings initially with the recruiter and then if recruits meet the OSG criteria then further meetings will involve an “older student” to extract more personal information from recruits and determine whether the potential recruit is ready to meet a teacher (in this case, Robert Klein). If the promising recruit is accepted by the teacher (if he or she had made it this far to meet with Robert Klein, they will be asked to join) start as an “experiment” for a month (about 8 classes) to see whether they would like it and want to continue. At that point the newly joined member will be told the tuition amount by Robert Klein and begin paying it( tuition amount changes from person to person depending on how much they make. It ranges from $250 - $400 per month and some members pay three months in advance).
During this process recruiters are not to share any information about themselves with people that they’re recruiting. Each recruit will have a voice mailbox that they will give out as their phone number, use only their first name, has weekly aims to talk to certain number of people or has certain number of meetings, is conditioned to be in recruitment-mode all the time and is encouraged to lie, distort truth about themselves and the school (this is presented by teachers as being “cleverly insincere” and since recruiters are doing this for a higher purpose, it is justified).
The promising recruits are constantly lied to about the nature of the group:
They are told that the group does not have a name
What they say to their “sustainer” will be kept between them and will not be reported to the teachers (every member is assigned a “sustainer” whom has been with the school many years and he/she can talk to this person (“sustainer”) about class experiences and anything else in their life. They are encouraged to do so.).
They are told that like-minded people come together on a regular basis to discuss and study ideas that are important to them.
Gays, journalists and/or anyone with a close connection to law enforcement, the military or intelligence services are immediately dropped from the recruiters list. Trusted teachers offer elaborate esoteric explanations for these restrictions.
OSG recruitment criteria:
Personal income $60K or higher
Be in a transition
Dissatisfied/disappointed with his/her life
Spiritual in nature
Not in therapy
Not taking drugs/medications on ongoing basis.
Not in a relationship with someone who will demand/ pressure for full disclosure of activities. If married, must be willing to keep secrets from spouse.
Willing to follow rules (discussed as willingness to place yourself under a higher influence and be obedient to that influence even when it is unpleasant. Parallels are drawn to King Arthur’s Knights of the round table)
Willing to keep secrets from friends and family (discussed as valuing privacy and keeping certain higher things sacred)
Odyssey Study Group
Group Leaders
Sharon Gans, Robert Klein
Group Founders
Alex Horn and Sharon Gans-Horn
Other Names of the Group:
OSG
The Work
The School
Fourth Way School
The Theatre of All Possibilities
Description of the Group:
This is a very secretive and elusive group. They claim to be a Fourth Way school with connections to other esoteric schools in history (especially during the Renaissance) and claim to be possessing knowledge for personal development through Fourth Way ideas. However, the group originally founded by Alex Horn and Sharon Gans in California in the 70s, now operating in New York and Boston, has no link to any legitimate Fourth Way school, branching from Gurdjieff or Ouspensky. The Boston group is lead by Robert Klein. Sharon Gans leads the New York group and has the ultimate control over all the groups and activities.
There is a monthly fee (called “tuition”) that is adjusted for each member (ranging from $250 to $400 per month depending on member’s personal income - some members pay three months in advance), members are required to pay for everything outside of the tuition (i.e. books, meals, items purchased for events, etc.) and also there is “acting” class offered once a month (on Sundays for 6 hours) with a $150 monthly fee (all members are encouraged to take this class).
OSG’s outer group named “younger class” is a pro-social group. It is often encouraged that members should socialize and do things that they feel passionate about within 5-week aims that they state. The amount of time available for leisure and entertainment decreases as students remain in the group for longer periods of time as the demands on their time to complete group recommended /directed activities increases with time leaving less time available for personally directed choices.
It is required to attend all classes and be on time. It is also strongly suggested that members take vacations that coincide with “School” vacation schedule. However, this rule is not heavily enforced. Several times a year members are asked to spend a significant amount of time (20-40 hours a week for a period of 4-6 consecutive weeks) organizing and implementing outside events including “class outside of class” and “Christmas Party”.
There are many rules that all members must abide by. They are primarily around protecting OSG’s existence:
Members are not allowed to discuss OSG’s indoctrination with anyone
Members are not allowed to tell anyone that they are in OSG (including family, friends and spouses, etc.)
Members are not allowed to socialize with other members neither in class or outside of class
Members are not allowed to even recognize other members outside aside from a look (even smiling is not permitted) Regarded as being “invisible” to each other in life.
Members must fulfill all assigned tasks and given “help”
Members are required to keep an hour of silence after each class
Members are not allowed to reveal any personal information about themselves to other members (e.g. phone numbers, address, place of employment, etc.)
Members are strongly encouraged to share issues/problems with their sustainer related to class and their lives (Students are lead to believe that these conversations are confidential. However, in actuality sustainers share information with teachers)
Members are not allowed to talk to former members
Members are required to maintain the standards set by the school for class attendance and participation (e.g. attending all classes, arriving for class ten minutes early, arriving prepared for class discussions, etc.)
Members are not allowed to complete any assignments using the internet
Members are not allowed to share with each other anything in writing without approval from teachers
Members are required to participate in clean up activities related to refreshments provided during class according to a schedule set by a designated member of the class
Member are required to pay tuition – three months at a time in advance and the tuition amount is set by the teacher for each individual member
Members are required to pay a monthly maintenance fee of $25
Members are not allowed to share their tuition amount with other members
Members are not allowed to reveal to select students (e.g. newest members) that members have participated in specific events (e.g. Christmas party) and have read specific books as part of the curriculum.
All members must abide all the rules and “teachers”. Failing to do so is regarded as deficiency in member’s being and attributed to his or her weakness. Not abiding by the rules may result in expulsion.
Members depend on teachers to communicate the sources of material for “esoteric knowledge”. Particularly because members are discouraged to use the internet, television and other media which might be used to discover these sources on their own.
OSG uses profound ideas from many teachings along with ideas that sound profound to keep members in control and they constantly infuse self-doubt, need for purification and need for higher levels (meaning teachers and the school) to help them/show them a new way of thinking about their lives.
OSG uses sophisticated methods to recruit new members. The process is presented to the recruiters (select current members) by teachers as a privilege to help the school and an opportunity to work on themselves while serving a higher purpose (meaning the school). The process involves "making friends" with strangers through a series of meetings initially with the recruiter and then if recruits meet the OSG criteria then further meetings will involve an “older student” to extract more personal information from recruits and determine whether the potential recruit is ready to meet a teacher (in this case, Robert Klein). If the promising recruit is accepted by the teacher (if he or she had made it this far to meet with Robert Klein, they will be asked to join) start as an “experiment” for a month (about 8 classes) to see whether they would like it and want to continue. At that point the newly joined member will be told the tuition amount by Robert Klein and begin paying it( tuition amount changes from person to person depending on how much they make. It ranges from $250 - $400 per month and some members pay three months in advance).
During this process recruiters are not to share any information about themselves with people that they’re recruiting. Each recruit will have a voice mailbox that they will give out as their phone number, use only their first name, has weekly aims to talk to certain number of people or has certain number of meetings, is conditioned to be in recruitment-mode all the time and is encouraged to lie, distort truth about themselves and the school (this is presented by teachers as being “cleverly insincere” and since recruiters are doing this for a higher purpose, it is justified).
The promising recruits are constantly lied to about the nature of the group:
They are told that the group does not have a name
What they say to their “sustainer” will be kept between them and will not be reported to the teachers (every member is assigned a “sustainer” whom has been with the school many years and he/she can talk to this person (“sustainer”) about class experiences and anything else in their life. They are encouraged to do so.).
They are told that like-minded people come together on a regular basis to discuss and study ideas that are important to them.
Gays, journalists and/or anyone with a close connection to law enforcement, the military or intelligence services are immediately dropped from the recruiters list. Trusted teachers offer elaborate esoteric explanations for these restrictions.
OSG recruitment criteria:
Personal income $60K or higher
Be in a transition
Dissatisfied/disappointed with his/her life
Spiritual in nature
Not in therapy
Not taking drugs/medications on ongoing basis.
Not in a relationship with someone who will demand/ pressure for full disclosure of activities. If married, must be willing to keep secrets from spouse.
Willing to follow rules (discussed as willingness to place yourself under a higher influence and be obedient to that influence even when it is unpleasant. Parallels are drawn to King Arthur’s Knights of the round table)
Willing to keep secrets from friends and family (discussed as valuing privacy and keeping certain higher things sacred)
Alex Horn today
Posted by:
finnster
()
Date: February 10, 2005 10:33PM
sonny71,
It is devastating to see a loved one stray away. I was a member of this group (Boston branch) for four years and I know their destructive influence on members. I'm not sure if I can provide substantial help in your case, but here are some thoughts:
You may want to contact dar3463 in this forum who was in Sharon Gans/Alex Horn group in New York for 11 years (see thread: [board.culteducation.com]). dar3463 knows Alex Horn. I'm sure he'll be able to give you more information about him and the group. Although having more information about the group helps, it is not enough to get a current member out.
You should contact Rick Ross ([www.culteducation.com]) and Steve Hassan ([www.freedomofmind.com]) and seek their help in this manner. Most likely, you will need to involve his immediate family. Having said that there is no garauntee that the intervention will work.
Some hot buttons for this particular group:
- If you disagree with Sharon Gans/Alex Horn and persist, you will be kicked out.
- If you break the secrecy rule, you will be kicked out.
However, being "kicked out" of the group or "leaving on your own" often traumatizes the person and he/she must go through "exit counseling" right away to begin the healing process. I must also mention that if Alex/Sharon regard the particular member valuable (i.e. pays on time, does everything told, overall a good "student"), they will make concessions in the short run to keep that person. The group is extremely manipulative and very savvy using mind-control techniques.
As a side note, I noticed in your post that you mention being engaged to him for 8 years. I wouldn't presume to know your situation and I apologize in advance if my comment appears judgemental, but you may want to re-evaluate your relationship with him in general, as 8 years is a long engagement period. You may want to move on, as you said "I feel like I am wasting my time".
Disclaimer regarding Steve Hassan
The Ross Institute of New Jersey/May 2013
See [www.culteducation.com]
The inclusion of news articles within the Ross Institute of New Jersey (RI) archives, which mention and/or quote Steven Hassan, in no way suggests that RI recommends Mr. Hassan or recognizes him in any way.
News articles that mention Steve Hassan have been archived for historical purposes only due to the information they contain about controversial groups, movements and/or leaders.
RI does not recommend Steven Hassan.
RI has received serious complaints about Steve Hassan concerning his fees. Mr. Hassan does not publicly disclose his fee schedule, but according to complaints Steve Hassan has charged fees varying from $250.00 per hour or $2,500.00 per day to $500.00 per hour or $5,000.00 per day. This does not include Mr. Hassan's expenses, which according to complaints can be quite substantial.
Steven Hassan has charged families tens of thousands of dollars and provided questionable results. One recent complaint cited total fees of almost $50,000.00. But this very expensive intervention effort ended in failure.
Dr. Cathleen Mann, who holds a doctorate in psychology and has been a licensed counselor in the state of Colorado since 1994 points out, "Nowhere does Hassan provide a base rate and/or any type or accepted statistical method defining his results..."
Steve Hassan has at times suggested to potential clients that they purchase a preliminary report based upon what he calls his "BITE" model. These "BITE reports" can potentially cost thousands of dollars.
See [corp.sec.state.ma.us]
Steve Hassan runs a for-profit corporation called "Freedom of Mind." Mr. Hassan is listed as the corporate agent for that business as well as its president and treasurer.
RI does not recommend "Freedom of Mind" as a resource.
RI also does not list or recommend Steve Hassan's books.
To better understand why Mr. Hassan's books are not recommended by RI read this detailed review of his most recently self-published book titled "Freedom of Mind."
See [www.cultnews.com]
Steve Hassan's cult intervention methodology has historically raised concerns since its inception. The book "Recovery from Cults" (W.W. Norton & Co. pp. 174-175) edited by Dr. Michael Langone states the following:
"Calling his approach 'strategic intervention [sic] therapy,' Hassan (1988) stresses that, although he too tries to communicate a body of information to cultists and to help them think independently, he also does formal counseling. As with many humanistic counseling approaches, Hassan’s runs the risk of imposing clarity, however subtly, on the framework’s foundational ambiguity and thereby manipulating the client."
RI has also learned that Mr. Hassan has had dual-relationships with his counseling clients. That is, clients seeing Mr. Hassan for counseling may also do professional cult intervention work with him.
Professionals in the field of cultic studies have also expressed concerns regarding Steven Hassan's use of hypnosis and Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP).
Based upon complaints and the concerns expressed about Mr. Hassan RI does not recommend Steve Hassan for counseling, intervention work or any other form of professional consultation.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/10/2013 09:35PM by rrmoderator.
It is devastating to see a loved one stray away. I was a member of this group (Boston branch) for four years and I know their destructive influence on members. I'm not sure if I can provide substantial help in your case, but here are some thoughts:
You may want to contact dar3463 in this forum who was in Sharon Gans/Alex Horn group in New York for 11 years (see thread: [board.culteducation.com]). dar3463 knows Alex Horn. I'm sure he'll be able to give you more information about him and the group. Although having more information about the group helps, it is not enough to get a current member out.
You should contact Rick Ross ([www.culteducation.com]) and Steve Hassan ([www.freedomofmind.com]) and seek their help in this manner. Most likely, you will need to involve his immediate family. Having said that there is no garauntee that the intervention will work.
Some hot buttons for this particular group:
- If you disagree with Sharon Gans/Alex Horn and persist, you will be kicked out.
- If you break the secrecy rule, you will be kicked out.
However, being "kicked out" of the group or "leaving on your own" often traumatizes the person and he/she must go through "exit counseling" right away to begin the healing process. I must also mention that if Alex/Sharon regard the particular member valuable (i.e. pays on time, does everything told, overall a good "student"), they will make concessions in the short run to keep that person. The group is extremely manipulative and very savvy using mind-control techniques.
As a side note, I noticed in your post that you mention being engaged to him for 8 years. I wouldn't presume to know your situation and I apologize in advance if my comment appears judgemental, but you may want to re-evaluate your relationship with him in general, as 8 years is a long engagement period. You may want to move on, as you said "I feel like I am wasting my time".
Disclaimer regarding Steve Hassan
The Ross Institute of New Jersey/May 2013
See [www.culteducation.com]
The inclusion of news articles within the Ross Institute of New Jersey (RI) archives, which mention and/or quote Steven Hassan, in no way suggests that RI recommends Mr. Hassan or recognizes him in any way.
News articles that mention Steve Hassan have been archived for historical purposes only due to the information they contain about controversial groups, movements and/or leaders.
RI does not recommend Steven Hassan.
RI has received serious complaints about Steve Hassan concerning his fees. Mr. Hassan does not publicly disclose his fee schedule, but according to complaints Steve Hassan has charged fees varying from $250.00 per hour or $2,500.00 per day to $500.00 per hour or $5,000.00 per day. This does not include Mr. Hassan's expenses, which according to complaints can be quite substantial.
Steven Hassan has charged families tens of thousands of dollars and provided questionable results. One recent complaint cited total fees of almost $50,000.00. But this very expensive intervention effort ended in failure.
Dr. Cathleen Mann, who holds a doctorate in psychology and has been a licensed counselor in the state of Colorado since 1994 points out, "Nowhere does Hassan provide a base rate and/or any type or accepted statistical method defining his results..."
Steve Hassan has at times suggested to potential clients that they purchase a preliminary report based upon what he calls his "BITE" model. These "BITE reports" can potentially cost thousands of dollars.
See [corp.sec.state.ma.us]
Steve Hassan runs a for-profit corporation called "Freedom of Mind." Mr. Hassan is listed as the corporate agent for that business as well as its president and treasurer.
RI does not recommend "Freedom of Mind" as a resource.
RI also does not list or recommend Steve Hassan's books.
To better understand why Mr. Hassan's books are not recommended by RI read this detailed review of his most recently self-published book titled "Freedom of Mind."
See [www.cultnews.com]
Steve Hassan's cult intervention methodology has historically raised concerns since its inception. The book "Recovery from Cults" (W.W. Norton & Co. pp. 174-175) edited by Dr. Michael Langone states the following:
"Calling his approach 'strategic intervention [sic] therapy,' Hassan (1988) stresses that, although he too tries to communicate a body of information to cultists and to help them think independently, he also does formal counseling. As with many humanistic counseling approaches, Hassan’s runs the risk of imposing clarity, however subtly, on the framework’s foundational ambiguity and thereby manipulating the client."
RI has also learned that Mr. Hassan has had dual-relationships with his counseling clients. That is, clients seeing Mr. Hassan for counseling may also do professional cult intervention work with him.
Professionals in the field of cultic studies have also expressed concerns regarding Steven Hassan's use of hypnosis and Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP).
Based upon complaints and the concerns expressed about Mr. Hassan RI does not recommend Steve Hassan for counseling, intervention work or any other form of professional consultation.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/10/2013 09:35PM by rrmoderator.
Alex Horn today
Posted by:
cber7
()
Date: March 11, 2005 05:59AM
If you are a student stuck in a group led by Alex Horn or Sharon Gans-Horn, then the fact you are reading this is already great news. It means that you are smart enough and intuitive enough and courageous enough to have begun to distinguish between the ideas of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky and the people teaching them. Whether or not what Gurdjieff or Ouspensky taught is valuable and valid does not matter here. If you are someone who has a friend or companion who you know is involved with these groups and you don't know what to do, try to show them this.
You are being preyed upon by phonies-- very clever, manipulative, and charming (when they need to be) frauds. They crave three things-- money, power, and a sense of self-importance-- to excess. Any shred of self-doubt about their motives and behavior disappeared long ago-- they have convinced themselves that they are superior to you and others, further justifying their need for power, money, and self-importance. They manipulate, abuse, and misuse the ideas of Gurdjieff, Ouspensky, Nicoll, and Collin to suit their agenda. I repeat-- they do not serve the ideas, the ideas serve them. They are not conduits for higher influences-- they are self-deluded and power-mad with a long trail of exploitation and destruction of lives and families. They will dangle the carrot of "meaning," "consciousness," and "freedom" before you but at the same time undermine your self-esteem by showing you how mechanical and helpless you are.
Over the course of many years they have surrounded themselves with weak-spirited and wretched lackeys whose real motivation is also the lust for power, money and the need to feel important. The way to get away from them requires both a strong mental effort followed by action. Both will be addressed here.
First of all, you must believe in your suspicions enough to look further into what type of person Alex Horn and Sharon Gans really are. Do some research on your own and study the traits of "malignant narcissism" or "malignant narcissists." This should help to ground your suspicions in what you have observed about your "teachers." Your "teachers" are, according to the traits of "malignant narcissism," fully functioning sociopaths/psychopaths. That's right-- they are insane, but very dangerous so long as you think they have power over you because you continue to believe they are sane. The sad thing about the Work and these wretches is that the "Ideas" you have been studying-- when manipulated by them-- dovetail perfectly with the agenda of maintaining the state of Grandiosity that characterizes them as sociopaths.
How do they succeed? How do they get away with all of this? How do they fool so many people so much of the time? You might as well ask how did Hitler and Stalin get away with their agenda. It is the exact same chilling phenomenon, just a different scale. Hitler and Stalin liquidated people who got in their way or threatened them. Stalin, when he did not make people "disappear" sent them to the Gulags. With Sharon Gans or Alex Horn, when you are sent away you too become a non-person. You are in fact treated as a disease by the diseased!
Look at the following websites: www.geoffmetcalf.com/psychopath.html and www.halcyon.com/jmashmun/npd/dsm-iv.html Ask others in this forum on this website about the substance abuse they have witnessed too: food, tobacco, alcohol, mood-altering medications. Talk about "habit" and slavery!
The way to escape, once you have been convinced enough of what you read here and elsewhere, is simple. But the final obstacle to leaving is being aware of and being able to cope with the loss of all the friends you have made during your stay in the group. This will feel like a big and painful sacrifice. But ultimately they must take responsibility for their beliefs and their lives, too. Those beliefs that you once shared that brought you and your fellows closer to each other will now be the source of a divide. And the ideas that helped create that bond must now at this point not outweigh the evidence that is in front of your eyes-- that Sharon Gans or Alex Horn and their respective inner circles are not really for you. They are parasites and vampires who have successfully exploited you, and you must rid yourself of them even when it means losing many friends, misguided though they may be. Which is worse, remaining in a prison-- in a punitive and demoralizing environment with your companions-- or being out of prison without them? You must make an intentional decision to maintain that they are wrong and you are right. Can you do that? Yes, you can. Have the courage to get out of group-think.
What about "consciousness?" Are you frightened of losing "everything?" Consider this: Is it possible that the phenomenon called "self-remembering" is actually a form of auto-hypnosis? Is it a coincidence that Gurdjieff was a professional hypnotist before "discovering" the Ideas? Is it possible that the power that Sharon Gans or Alex Horn or the other ones has over you and so many others is based on your capacity to reach a semi-hypnotic state that they "teach" you in the first place? By considering these alternative explanations you may strengthen your resolve to get out as fast as you can.
What about the lure of Higher Sex, eroticism, and "sex energy" connected with "self-remembering?" Think about it: if it is possible that self-remembering is simply a way to hypnotize yourself, then it is also possible that the urges you repress that belong to your libido are freed a little bit. Unrepressed libido and "sex energy" are equatable-- yes, it could be that simple. Be courageous enough to think about it.
Again, after you have gotten past this obstacle of leaving your friends behind, the way out is simple: With either Sharon or Alex's group, the only thing that these people understand is force, threats, intimidation, power, and the possibility of exposure. After your last "class" or "meeting," leave pretending that all is normal. Say nothing of your intention and be resolved to never return. Then, when you are contacted by a partner for missing your next meeting...remain vague and inform them that you have decided to leave-- you do not need to give an explanantion no matter how coercive they may be. No, you do not owe them an explanantion! Whatever you do, do not be talked into announcing your departure in class! You do not owe your jailers anything! Tell them that you want no further calls and you are not open to any persuasion. If they persist, remain vague but allude to either an investigative reporter acquaintance at a local newspaper, an acquaintance at the local police department, or a friend at the FBI. Any threat of an authority or potential menace that can expose Alex Horn or Sharon Gans will scare them away for good. Be prepared for a lot of idle threats and violent language though-- that's the last-ditch effort of a so-called Higher Being having a tantrum. In the end, though, it is all bark. Alex Horn and Sharon Gans may be psychopaths but they are also cowards interested only in self-preservation. They will continue to "do" nothing but talk, as they have been "doing" for many many years. If there were such a thing as Sleep, Mechanicality, buffers, and real Conscience in the sense they speak of it, those two and their crowd are much worse off than you-- and incurably so.
You are being preyed upon by phonies-- very clever, manipulative, and charming (when they need to be) frauds. They crave three things-- money, power, and a sense of self-importance-- to excess. Any shred of self-doubt about their motives and behavior disappeared long ago-- they have convinced themselves that they are superior to you and others, further justifying their need for power, money, and self-importance. They manipulate, abuse, and misuse the ideas of Gurdjieff, Ouspensky, Nicoll, and Collin to suit their agenda. I repeat-- they do not serve the ideas, the ideas serve them. They are not conduits for higher influences-- they are self-deluded and power-mad with a long trail of exploitation and destruction of lives and families. They will dangle the carrot of "meaning," "consciousness," and "freedom" before you but at the same time undermine your self-esteem by showing you how mechanical and helpless you are.
Over the course of many years they have surrounded themselves with weak-spirited and wretched lackeys whose real motivation is also the lust for power, money and the need to feel important. The way to get away from them requires both a strong mental effort followed by action. Both will be addressed here.
First of all, you must believe in your suspicions enough to look further into what type of person Alex Horn and Sharon Gans really are. Do some research on your own and study the traits of "malignant narcissism" or "malignant narcissists." This should help to ground your suspicions in what you have observed about your "teachers." Your "teachers" are, according to the traits of "malignant narcissism," fully functioning sociopaths/psychopaths. That's right-- they are insane, but very dangerous so long as you think they have power over you because you continue to believe they are sane. The sad thing about the Work and these wretches is that the "Ideas" you have been studying-- when manipulated by them-- dovetail perfectly with the agenda of maintaining the state of Grandiosity that characterizes them as sociopaths.
How do they succeed? How do they get away with all of this? How do they fool so many people so much of the time? You might as well ask how did Hitler and Stalin get away with their agenda. It is the exact same chilling phenomenon, just a different scale. Hitler and Stalin liquidated people who got in their way or threatened them. Stalin, when he did not make people "disappear" sent them to the Gulags. With Sharon Gans or Alex Horn, when you are sent away you too become a non-person. You are in fact treated as a disease by the diseased!
Look at the following websites: www.geoffmetcalf.com/psychopath.html and www.halcyon.com/jmashmun/npd/dsm-iv.html Ask others in this forum on this website about the substance abuse they have witnessed too: food, tobacco, alcohol, mood-altering medications. Talk about "habit" and slavery!
The way to escape, once you have been convinced enough of what you read here and elsewhere, is simple. But the final obstacle to leaving is being aware of and being able to cope with the loss of all the friends you have made during your stay in the group. This will feel like a big and painful sacrifice. But ultimately they must take responsibility for their beliefs and their lives, too. Those beliefs that you once shared that brought you and your fellows closer to each other will now be the source of a divide. And the ideas that helped create that bond must now at this point not outweigh the evidence that is in front of your eyes-- that Sharon Gans or Alex Horn and their respective inner circles are not really for you. They are parasites and vampires who have successfully exploited you, and you must rid yourself of them even when it means losing many friends, misguided though they may be. Which is worse, remaining in a prison-- in a punitive and demoralizing environment with your companions-- or being out of prison without them? You must make an intentional decision to maintain that they are wrong and you are right. Can you do that? Yes, you can. Have the courage to get out of group-think.
What about "consciousness?" Are you frightened of losing "everything?" Consider this: Is it possible that the phenomenon called "self-remembering" is actually a form of auto-hypnosis? Is it a coincidence that Gurdjieff was a professional hypnotist before "discovering" the Ideas? Is it possible that the power that Sharon Gans or Alex Horn or the other ones has over you and so many others is based on your capacity to reach a semi-hypnotic state that they "teach" you in the first place? By considering these alternative explanations you may strengthen your resolve to get out as fast as you can.
What about the lure of Higher Sex, eroticism, and "sex energy" connected with "self-remembering?" Think about it: if it is possible that self-remembering is simply a way to hypnotize yourself, then it is also possible that the urges you repress that belong to your libido are freed a little bit. Unrepressed libido and "sex energy" are equatable-- yes, it could be that simple. Be courageous enough to think about it.
Again, after you have gotten past this obstacle of leaving your friends behind, the way out is simple: With either Sharon or Alex's group, the only thing that these people understand is force, threats, intimidation, power, and the possibility of exposure. After your last "class" or "meeting," leave pretending that all is normal. Say nothing of your intention and be resolved to never return. Then, when you are contacted by a partner for missing your next meeting...remain vague and inform them that you have decided to leave-- you do not need to give an explanantion no matter how coercive they may be. No, you do not owe them an explanantion! Whatever you do, do not be talked into announcing your departure in class! You do not owe your jailers anything! Tell them that you want no further calls and you are not open to any persuasion. If they persist, remain vague but allude to either an investigative reporter acquaintance at a local newspaper, an acquaintance at the local police department, or a friend at the FBI. Any threat of an authority or potential menace that can expose Alex Horn or Sharon Gans will scare them away for good. Be prepared for a lot of idle threats and violent language though-- that's the last-ditch effort of a so-called Higher Being having a tantrum. In the end, though, it is all bark. Alex Horn and Sharon Gans may be psychopaths but they are also cowards interested only in self-preservation. They will continue to "do" nothing but talk, as they have been "doing" for many many years. If there were such a thing as Sleep, Mechanicality, buffers, and real Conscience in the sense they speak of it, those two and their crowd are much worse off than you-- and incurably so.
Alex Horn today
Posted by:
Moishe3rd
()
Date: July 18, 2005 11:21AM
As always, I google around and try and check up to see what Alex and Sharon are up to - Bob and Fred and the rest too, if I can find them.
Sigh.
I only seem to be able to ring news of them up on RickRoss, for which I am grateful, but it does seem to be depressing.
Doesn't anyone have anything nice to say about these folks?
I was in school back in the 70's and early 80's and Bob was actually a very good friend of mine. As were Sharon and Alex, most of the time. Things being what they were, we had our conflicts, but, man... everything that I can hook up with online is depressing, depressing, depressing. Surely there are some folk out there that look upon their time with Sharon and Alex as a positive experience. No?
I do.
I met my wife in School. We have great children and, G-d willing, I'm going to be a grandfather soon. And yes, we both got kicked out of school at different times by different people. I kicked out my own share of people the few times I was "running things." C'est la vie.
I guess the reason that I am writing here is that I am genuinely interested to see if any of the folk that ran through "School" got anything out of it. The few people I have talked to over the last thirty years had some misgivings, as do I, but they also credit Alex and Sharon for shaping their lives in a positive fashion, as do both my wife and I, in ways that would not normally be found in the world.
Anyway, I don't know if this post will be allowed, but if it is, why don't some of people add to their positive, or negative, experiences in this particular "cult" and tell me what's going on today, if anything.
I'm simply interested.
Thank you, and be well.
Sigh.
I only seem to be able to ring news of them up on RickRoss, for which I am grateful, but it does seem to be depressing.
Doesn't anyone have anything nice to say about these folks?
I was in school back in the 70's and early 80's and Bob was actually a very good friend of mine. As were Sharon and Alex, most of the time. Things being what they were, we had our conflicts, but, man... everything that I can hook up with online is depressing, depressing, depressing. Surely there are some folk out there that look upon their time with Sharon and Alex as a positive experience. No?
I do.
I met my wife in School. We have great children and, G-d willing, I'm going to be a grandfather soon. And yes, we both got kicked out of school at different times by different people. I kicked out my own share of people the few times I was "running things." C'est la vie.
I guess the reason that I am writing here is that I am genuinely interested to see if any of the folk that ran through "School" got anything out of it. The few people I have talked to over the last thirty years had some misgivings, as do I, but they also credit Alex and Sharon for shaping their lives in a positive fashion, as do both my wife and I, in ways that would not normally be found in the world.
Anyway, I don't know if this post will be allowed, but if it is, why don't some of people add to their positive, or negative, experiences in this particular "cult" and tell me what's going on today, if anything.
I'm simply interested.
Thank you, and be well.
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