goneinawhistle Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was very sad to see an article by a well known
> UK celebrity in a national newspaper lauding the
> Landmark Forum just yesterday. The article
> contains a link to Landmark with no other
> information other than the celebrity describing
> how it changed his life:
>
> [
www.theguardian.com]
Its been 7 years since I discovered this forum which saved my sanity over my own Landmark Experiences.
However, to say that this UK comedian is lauding the Forum is, in my opinion, over stating the short reference in a personal story about his relationship with his father.
Landmark are very cunning in that they use some techniques which do work. For example the one referenced in the article which involves phoning someone and apologising for some misunderstanding or wrong doing on your own behalf.
When techniques like this work, the participant starts to trust and believe in LE but this advice could have come from anywhere. However, unfortunately the participant gives LE all the credit which is why I believe it is being referenced here. He does go on to say that his mother thought it was a cult. And that both parents refused to attend.
However, I can see that reading a reference to it, plus a link might seem like an endorsement by the newspaper.
The other reason I came here to post a response is because I actually credit this same comedian for saving my 'life' - mentally. I shan't repeat my whole story which I've already posted here but I got as far as the first weekend of SELP.
That final weekend session was the most manipulative and traumatic for me and I awoke from a nightmare on Sunday morning terrified and I never went back. And for a while, I felt relieved and happy that my inner self had helped me escape. But then a deep depression set in.
Two months later and still depressed I was watching a TV comedy show, written by this same comedian which also referred to his experiences of doing the Forum. I felt a positive electric jolt run through me. I was alive, switched on again. And this alarmed me because I was also aware that I now thought LE a dark, dangerous organisation.
So I went online and googled, Landmark danger depression and found all the helpful advice shared here. If LE weren't so litigious I would have written an article, and sent it to this same newspaper, with the headline that his comedian saved my life. I certainly credit him with that because I might not have discovered this place otherwise.
In support of Throughmyeyes, all I can add is that it is during the SELP part of the course that they really get into a person's psyche to control them. They plant seeds of that in the Advanced Course and then ratchet up the pressure at the start of SELP by arranging weekly (? might have been more than weekly) phonecalls with Landmark appointed small group leader. What I mean is that they divide all the participants into small groups of 6 and introduce a new person who has 'completed the programme' to manage the group. And we were supposed to have these regular calls with this person. So now they have a greater control over your life.
I never experienced these calls but that is one of the reasons I quit after 1 day of SELP.
I hope this also helps you understand why you lost your friend so completely. I hope you can find a way to heal from this terrible hurt.