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Has anyone been to Pathways Seminars in Chicago?
5 years ago Report Abuse by sunbear1... Member since:
July 22, 2007
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Yes!

I have attended several of their seminars and courses and have found them very useful and productive. I have not attended since one of their founders, Jeff Paige, had passed away, so I'm not sure if the program has significantly changed since that time.

All in all, I highly recommend it!
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hopenand… I agree with this comment. Check out the Pathways Website @ pathwaysseminars.com. These seminars have been very impactful in my life. I have learned so much about myself and how to take my relationships to a new level. I would recommend these seminars to everyone who loves to learn and grow.
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Storme H I attended Basic and Advanced in 2004, and I highly recommend it to anyone. Unlike Matt, I found it helped people from all different walks of life in my class. It's like being introduced to the you you always wanted to be, and then giving you the responsibility, excuse free of being that person.
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Ken I attended 3 different Pathways courses over a number of years and agree completely with Matt H. There is a cult like/brainwashing aspect to the organization which is frightening. The "teacher" are not qualified to deal with the issues that surface for some folks. Be careful.
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Flexicon 1996 Thank you, Ken. I hope that your accurate comments will make people think twice about getting involved with this abusive and manipulative organization.
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Susan I have also attended and found it very freeing. I have gotten great benefit from it. Whenever I run into obstacles, I know that I can refresh the tools I learned there and get past them. My husband and I credit Pathways for creating open communication and in fact saving our relationship.
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Susan to continue... I have just repeated the Basic class (Jan 2011). As a sales manager, I am introducing this program to my company - there are many companies that have been using it for years to create great teams. Check the website on the business tab. My suggestion: try it - make your own decision.
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Other Answers (1) by Matt H Member since:
February 22, 2008
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I have attended this and would say it is at best lacking and at worst predatory. Allow me to explain myself.

1. When my finace came back from the weekend away she was forbidden to tell me anything about it even though I had no interest (no need for that matter) in attending myself. The mere fact of her attending created a rift in our relationship that became quite serious due to the break down of communication. She was using words, terms, and ideas that were totally foreign to me and made getting on the same page a near impossibility. I didn't seem to have a need to go before that, but her attending was forcing me to chose, attend pathways myself so I can finally start communicating with her again or lose her. They claim 90% of their attendance is from recommendation. I wonder how much of that 90% is out of necessity in fear of a broken home.

2. Because I was raised in a loving home, I successfully graduated with a degree from a good school and was on my way to the job of my dreams... I found very little inspiring. The only people who seemed to make large strides that would justify the cost had serious emotional and relationship issues with their loved ones or dealing with something horrible in their past. The others more like me made very vague statements in how they could see how this was benefitial to them but offered nothing but that. I think (my opinion of course) is that they spent gobs of money to be there so they looked so hard for something... anything to justify it. No answer they gave me was very satisfactory as to how it helped them. I could only hope the people who had old wounds opened again will find some professional help... which brings me to my next point.

3. Not one of the people there are experts in any field relating to the issues they address. They deal with grown men who were molested as children, women who were raped, people who have lost their jobs and are dealing with severe depression. These are people who are in intense amounts of pain and hopelessness, and from my personal experiences with depression it takes more than meditative focusing and team building games to address issues like these. It was almost careless disreguard for personal well being aside from the occasional hug and talk from the wife of Jeff Paige, Susan Paige (who is also not an expert in the fields she tries to shoehorn herself into).

4. Finally (but not ultimately, do I have more if you would like to contact me) they are about very little more than the money. My way through was paid by the mother of my fiance (she started this whole Pathways thing) and told us it would be good for us. So she gave me the tuition for the weekend and I attended. Feeling her money didn't go to a worthwhile cause I called Pathways and discussed the possibility of a refund.

I was immediately forwarded to Susan Paige herself who seemed very displeased with me and her caring "mother-like" persona faded quickly. I was then, even though I never collected a refund, cut off from everyone in my group and the people who work at Pathways themselves. I was told repeatedly "Well, since you got a refund we can't talk anymore".

That, again in my opinion, seems very backhanded and monetarily focused. Ultimately, against the principals they themselves teach.

Now after all of that, could this be beneficial for some people? Sure, I could see how it may be... but for perhaps a very very small popuation of people. For most everyone else, it is a waste of money to a questionable company.