By the way, that "article" about Michael Beckwith by his friend Alex Benzer is beyond a puff-piece. [
www.huffingtonpost.com] Its also intellectually dishonest, highly manipulative, persuasive, directional, and is a PR piece to try and get more members for Agape in person, and online.
For example, he says: "you're not required to practice anything, perform any rituals, or subscribe to any kind of dogma. ... At Agape, you could just show up to services any time, drink in the spiritual sustenance, and go back the way you came. Nothing to buy, nothing to believe, no one to accost you."
That is simply not true, and is manipulative, and intellectually dishonest.
When people run these patterns on you, their goal is to CHANGE YOU, so you do NOT go back the way you came. Don't fall for that one.
And New Thought "treatments", which is what they do eventually, are an extreme dogma.
Nothing to buy? Are you joking? Michael Beckwith even in his book immediately starts trying to hammer on you to buy his "Visioning" programs.
Beckwith even has the stones to try and claim he invented Visioning!
By the way, Alex Benzer has also inserted quite a bit of Persuasion in his PR piece for Michael Beckwith, and Benzer is pretty good at it.
Notice how he constantly frames Michael Beckwith in a particular manner, with presuppostions.
Notice how he says "Dr. Michael" when Beckwith is not a "Dr." and then attributes a list of ideas to Beckwith, all of which have been copied from others, mainly Ernest Holmes.
There is no attribution to where those so-called ideas came from, and those ideas will be analyzed here, point by point.
This paragraph by Alex Benzer also has some embedded persuasion tech inside it.
QUOTE: "Some people think of Agape as church for people who don't go to church; others attend it as an inspirational supplement to their own denominational services. Wherever people come from - young or old, skeptic or believer, jaded or eager, from all color and creed - Agape tends to embrace them. This is because Dr Michael seems to have this uncanny ability to talk about exactly what you need to hear at that moment. "
Well that is very well written persuasion, suggestive, subtle, not too direct. It suggests that you are welcome if you don't go to church, or go to church! That's everyone! Agape also "embraces" you (hint of a love-bombing). His last sentence is the best written.
"Dr Michael seems to have this uncanny ability to talk about exactly what you need to hear at that moment".
First, he says "Dr" for authority, when Michael is NOT a "Dr. Then he gives the suggestion that he is UNCANNY and tells you exactly what you need to hear at the moment. That is directly from hypnotherapy. A hypnotherapist says...I am now going to suggest that what I am saying is just what you near to hear now at this moment.
It makes the suggestion much more powerful, due to your Projection.
And the dozens of recordings Alex Benzer has of Beckwith that he listens to all the time, how much were those? Donations? Barter? Talk about an embedded command to buy dozens of Beckwith's CD's of him talking and persuading you all day long.
And notice there is NOT ONE SINGLE SKEPTICAL OR CRITICAL WORD about Michael Beckwith in his PR article. Its all about persuading you to go to Agape, or watch it online, which leads to the Agape online store of course to buy the Visioning package!
We'll analyze the Agape products next.
Notice at the end, he gets STRONGER in the persuasion and declares that Beckwith is
QUOTE: "is a spiritual teacher for our times for all those seeking to become their best possible selves. He is a teacher of teachers".
Notice how he went from more tentative, to more declarative and grandiose.
Then he gives the final command:
QUOTE: "this week is a good time to get familiar with him through "The Answer is You" PBS special. I have a feeling you'll enjoy the experience."
You see, that is basic language programming from hypnotherapy. THIS WEEK IS A GOOD TIME.....YOU'LL ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE.
That is direct from Dr. Milton Erickson style of suggestions from hypnotherapy.
So yes, he is quite talented and more subtle at the hypno-language persuasion stuff that originated in hypnotherapy and was adapted with advanced persuasion techniques.
But why are they running these hypno-persasion patterns on you, in such a well-written way? Why the subtle grooming and persuasion process, and suggestions to join the group?
Yes, the world is full to bursting with the hypno-persuaders, some more talented than others. Some even try it here, saying things like...
yeah...sometimes he says some far-out stuff.
DON'T BE DUPED.
He is saying "far-out" stuff, like Byron Katie says far-out stuff, as he knows humans can believe anything, and its a grooming process of belief modification. The far-out stuff, is to lead people into their own unconscious areas, and that is what hypnotherapy and hypno-persuasion is about. The more "far-out" they are going, the more dangerous it can be.
So why are they persuading you, and where are they leading you, and why?
Why the persuasion methods and tricks?
Don't they know as soon as you see 10 rats, you know there are 100 rats near-by?
As soon as you see 10 persuasion tricks, its time to carefully look for the other ones you can't see yet.
This week is a good time to get familiar with these advanced hypno-persuasion techniques through carefully analyzing the PR piece written about Michael Beckwith.
I have a feeling you'll enjoy the experience of deconstructing persuasion engineering.
Quote
Blech, look at the outrageous shilling and manipulation for Beckwith by this guy Alex Benzer...
Another "hypnotherapist" who understands how to persuade others, just like James Ray and Beckwith.
Alex Benzer also like to mix in sexuality with his hyno-persuasion, just like James Ray.
There are so many of these "hypno-persuaders" out there.
Michael Bernard Beckwith: A Spiritual Teacher for Our Times
by "Dr." Alex Benzer, Tao of Persuasion, Tao of Sexual Mastery, hypnotherapist
[
www.huffingtonpost.com]
Also search Google for:
michael beckwith skeptic
There should also be complaints about Beckwith in comments on blog's about him.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/27/2009 03:54PM by The Anticult.