I was at this classes graduation and all I can say is:

1) The trainers have no qualifications for the mental and physical stress they put people thru.
In your face yelling,no bathroom breaks or food or water for 5 hours at a time....beating on chairs.
People at graduation had bandages on their hands from this. 13 hour class sessions. Very little sleep due to the fact
when you are trying to sleep your mind is so overworked from this shit you have been thru it is still highly active.
This is to break you down to where you are putty in their hands. Everyone at Graduation looked HAPPY but extremely EXHAUSTED.
Watch ONE WHO FLEW OVER THE COOCOOS NEST to see the look I am describing. mY PARTNER DIDN'T EVEN RECOGNIZE ME WHEN I WALKED UP!!!!
5 years together and after 4 days with this group she forgot what I look like!

2) The whole training is based on UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. All the trainees feel coming out of this that they now have that UNCONDITIONAL LOVE within the
group because of all the
shit they went thru together. They now feel safe in the group and thats what keeps the money coming in. even though they would never associate with each other if it hadn't been for them being locked in a room together for 13 hours crying and screaming at each other.

They will sign up for more classes right away to support each other so they can continue their "JOURNEY" together. (CULT comes into play here)
As well as call everyone they know to tell them how AMAZING it was and LIFE CHANGING and they should go!

3) Anyone that doesn't support them on their JOURNEY is against them and will eventually be left. No matter how much logic you throw at them they will see you as "INSECURE CAUSE YOU HAVEN'T GONE"..."NEGATIVE AND CLOSED MINDED"....."JEALOUS"...."YOU ARE PLAYING THE VICTIM ROLE BECAUSE YOU DON'T GET IT".

4) You can spend one normal minute with them and think everything is okay then the next they have these bad VIBES about you that make them second guess why you are together and you are the single source of CONTENTION in their life.

5) Any conversation will eventually lead to GREAT LIFE in one way or another..from "Don't say anything negative about it"...to it could be them trying to now analyze you with set up questions and playing the trainer with you " Can you ever remember being angry at your dad? How did that make you feel?" or just non stop phone conversations in your presnece about GREAT LIFE to friends. You will hear the same stories over and over as this is their sales pitch! They are given these feel good stories to walk away with and pass on to new recruits.

6) This forum is like HOLY WATER TO A VAMPIRE for them. They will accuse you of taking the words of internet strangers over theirs and thats how they start letting go of the relationship. Even though there is 11 years of complaints on here from former grads and trainers it holds no water! (No pun intended)

7) They were prepped on how to deal with negative feedback on this thru their training but they will still seek out their ANGEL if you stump them with a counter question. Their ANGEL has been thru at least 3 of the trainings and is well stocked full of counter answers.

8) You are now not just up against your husband but his new FAMILY as well if you want to get him back. The minute he feels confused it's straight to the phone to get in contact with either his ANGEL or buddy!

9) They use music to set the tones and these songs will trigger intense feelings for many years to come if they got sucked in!

10) The best trick of all the trainer ,staff group or ANGEL will use is this and it's GOLDEN...GENUIS REALLY!!!!!!!!!

If you ask your husband to test the group or his ANGEL about leaving just to see what they will say or do...they will tell him "I am just glad you went and
it doesn't change anything between us...we will always be friends!"

THIS IS THE MOST MANUPILATIVE METHOD YET CAUSE IT NOW SHOWS THEM "THEY" DO HAVE UNCONDITIONAL LOVE FOR THEM AND THAT MAKES THEM WANT TO STAY NOW MORE THAN EVER!!!!!! YOU BY SUGGESTING THIS HAVE JUST PROVEN YOURSELF UNLOVING AND UNSUPPORTAIVE AND YOUR OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!

11) PART 2 and PART 3 are suppsossed to be way more intense and draining so if he signed up.....it's gonna get worse!

12) TRAINEES WILL QUICKLY GET ANRGY AT ANY CHALLENGE OF THE TRAINGingS GAMES OR TECHNIQUES OR EVEN THE VALIDITY OF THE TRAINER HIMSELF!

13) He will tell you he is not allowed to make any life changes for at least 30 to 60 days. BUt keep in mind he wasn't controlled at all. He was just TOLD what he could or couldn't do for the next 30 to 60 days. (Logic has no place in his mind anymore)

14) Brett the trainer actually said "Imagine if we told people you are gonna cry and scream and beat on chairs...How do you sell that?" SELL is the key word!!!!

15) Your husband if sucked in will walk away feeling he didn't pay enough for his training...like it was so amazing he would have gladly paid more.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS:

1) IF IT IS ABOUT UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND THE TRAINERS AREN'T PAID.......THEN WHY DO YOU HAVE TO PAY TO BE TRAINED?????
DID MOSES CHARGE FOR HIS READINGS OF THE 10 COMMANDMENTS? DID JESUS CHARGE TO HEAL THE BLIND?

2) THE MORE LOGIC AND AWARNESS YOU THROW AT THEM THE FURTHER AWAY YOU DRIVE THEM...RIGHT BACK INTO THE WAITING CHANTING GROUPS ARMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3) CATCH 22 OF THIS WHOLE THING IS IF YOU DO NOTHING AND THINK IT WILL PASS IT GETS WORSE!!!! THEY HAVE CONFERENCE CALLAS AND TEXT MESSAGES AND EMAILS AS WELL AS REUINIONS AND MORE TRAINING TO KEEP THEM CONNECTED FULL TIME!!!!!

4) THEY AREN'T SUPPOSSED TO MAKE ANY LIFE CHANGING DESCIONS FOR 30 TO 60 DAYS BUT THEY ARE ASKED TO SIGN UP FOR MORE CLASSES BEFORE THEY LEAVE THE FIRST ONE!!!!!! HUGE RED FLAG!!!!!!!!! NEXT CLASS IS USALLY WITHIN 10 DAYS AFTER GRADUATION.....ENOUGH TIME TO GO OUT AND RECRUIT BUT STILL STAY NUMB TO LOGIC!!!!!!!!!!


GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR HUSBAND....I WISH I HAD SOME SORT OF ANSWERS FOR YOU BUT I AM IN THE SAME BOAT!!!!!

When you try to go to the Impact Trainings Critic web site, red flags come up saying that you could get some malicious software there. I have my doubts. Could it be that Impact Trainings has cleverly made it appear so to deter folks from visiting there? If so this would be a first amendment violation. Impact could not get away with that with this forum, thank goodness.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/04/2011 07:09AM by Hopeful Soul.

Quote
strongerthanthis
6) This forum is like HOLY WATER TO A VAMPIRE for them.

Not to make light of the valid, heartfelt grievances described recently, but this quote from your post did make me laugh a little. Screw those bloodsuckers. And make no mistake, the "Cult" aspect is in play before the trainees enter the room. This forum (forgive me as I make reference to Penn & Teller's cable show) accuses the Impact Trainings of selling pure "BULL SH**". It holds no water for the so called "trainers" (LOL) because not only do they swim in the kool-aide, they pluck your pockets as they do it. Regardless of what they say, Impact's BOTTOM LINE is (and always has and will be) the same as every drug dealer's business model: Make them so dependent on the product that they begin to fervently believe or are literally addicted to it; then they will come back all by themselves. They don't treat "ANGELS" that bring in loads of trainees with greater respect and status because they are "enlightened"; they do it because it's what keeps them afloat. Trainees are goldfish in a tank full of piranhas over there in Bluffdale. Keeping them from excessively frequenting the place is the first, best way to get things back to normal, and sometimes, it's the hardest thing to do. People can and will come around, but just remember what brought most of them to Impact in the first place: Fear, abuse, desperation, doubt, anger, depression, dysfunction etc. If those issues aren't addressed successfully outside of the Impact forum, they will continue to believe they have found the answer to their problems because the trainings give the illusion that they literally HAVE found their answers, and that it was a DIFFICULT process to achieve this feat. All Impact does is place a band-aid on a gushing wound and make you think that you are cured AND can cure the world through following God and Archangel Micheal's divine plan for you as a solider-god(dess) of peace in their Army of Light. It's crazy on a stick, and it is my greatest hope that the families that are afflicted by these ***holes can take back their loved ones from Impact's fiendish clutches and find real healing. The kind of healing that may take highly qualified and accredited professional help, a great deal of time, patience, social support and fortitude. Take care.

ex



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/2011 03:45PM by exImpact.

The web address below will take you to a great source of information for dealing with Borderline Personality Disorder. My experience is that LGAT experience leaves the trainee much worse off than before the training if they have BPD to start with or even if they didn't have BPD already, it can be a result of the training. I say this from first hand experience over several years. Just because you pull away from the LGAT does not automatically heal the wounds to the mind that LGATs cause.

[bpdfamily.blogspot.com]

The idea of spiritual awareness being attained through such training and the concept that one will attain a higher level of spirtuality and be somehow superior to other persons seems to be a common denominator in a lot of these LGATS (Large Group Awareness Training Seminars).

My relatives have been taught at their particular group, that they are not humans trying to reach a higher spiritual level, but are in fact spiritual beings (a bit of a spin off of scientology?) who have come down to earth to have an experience on earth.
They believe that they are vibrating at a higher frequency through their training.

Unfortunately one cannot speak common sense to a person who is in the grip of such training as they are dedicated to the philosophies they have spent so much time and energy and money, to study, and to attain the approval from the leaders/teachers of the group.

It must be quite a scary thing for them to ever open up their mind to the possibility that what they have focussed so intently upon, might, just might, be erroneous, or contain some flaw in its system.

They are not open to discussion and debate, it is a case of "follow my lead and do as I do or else you are not worthy of being a friend, member of the family, employee etc".

Any one questioning the validity of the indoctrinated persons belief system will be accused of
(1) insanity
(2) their character will be slandered and assasinated to all and sundry.
(3) Any belief system they have( ie Christianity) will be mocked and the person accused of living in fear of the devil etc and being very negative and neurotic.

Given that the "training"-"education" received in the LGAT is supposed to make the recipient a "better person" and "transform their life" "improving relationships" etc, it is quite farcical that the end result is not tolerance and acceptance of the differences in others, but instead is usually a vitriolic outburst of charcter assasination, condemnation and accusations, as to the faults and failings, real or imagined, of the person who questions the validity of the LGATS methods and philosophies.

One would presume that if the LGATS claims are true, there would be a calm acceptance that other people have the right to their own opinions and the LGATS graduate would be so secure and composed about their own belief system, they would not have to use insult and aggression against any detractors who query and question any of the LGATS claims and practices.

Surely transparency of all the workings of the LGATS and open disclosure of their methods of operation would prove that they are conducting a genuine business that does deliver what it claims?

Using basic Psychotherapy techniques to alter a persons concept of reality and challenge their memories and thoughts regarding past traumas is nothing new, but is ethically only used on consenting well informed people who have been through a consultation and assessment with a fully qualified Professional Psychotherapist who has the support of a team of mental health staff similar to a Mental Hospital to support the patient undergoing the therapy which normally would take on average from 2 to 7 years duration depending on the severity of traumas the patient has suffered and the ability of the patient to process what they learn at a reasonable pace to prevent a psychotic meltdown from undue pressure upon their psyche.

It is not ethical for this therapy to be administered by unqualified practitioners, to a large group of people, where personal privacy is sacrificed in order to process people en masse, for financial gain.
Some persons may "feel" they have benefited from such LGATS for quite some time, but there is always the inevitable backlash when the euphoria wears off and cold reality hits and the person processed in this way, without the usual ethical duty of care taken, can have a psychotic meltdown that results in depression, suicidal tendencies, and/ or incarceration in a mental institute.

I hope that those seperated from loved ones because of their loved ones involvement in similar LGATS will still be there to help their family members when the crunch time comes.
Remind yourself that the distorted thinking and the abuse that is directed at you by the estranged loved ones is part of the programming that has been instilled in their minds through the process of attending the LGATS.

Do not attend the LGATS as it is only exposing yourself to psychotherapy techniques that are damaging.
Do not presume that you will be strong enough to withstand these techniques.

It has recently been brought to my attention that although this forum has a lot of information about Summit, quest and LMT it is lacking a concise description of Lift-off. It's been quite awhile since I attended the trainings and I'm sure some things have changed since then, but I'll do my best to describe what I remember.

Weekend-1: Ropes Weekend

All of the training weekends start with a Friday night introduction evening. In the first weekend they have a debriefing about what has happened since Summit. They of course play a lot of music and "meditaion/visualizatin" processes. Then they give information about the location of the ropes course, the carpool assignments and the required times to be there. They let the trainees out pretty early this night so they can gather supplies and get a good nights sleep. (I know, unheard of for the training).

On Saturday the trainees gather at the ropes course where they are given a colored bandana. They stand outside of the ropes course and say something like "I am living the dream, if it's to be it's up to me and my committed action." Each person has to say this with enough conviction to get the rest of the trainees cheering they then cross onto the course and unite with their buddies until everyone is across. They then have some large whole group challenges. The trainees are split into two teams and are instructed through the same blind walk process. All of the trainees are asked to hold onto a rope and not to talk unless instructed to do so. The facilitator selects one person and that person becomes the leader and is instructed to talk and lead the rest of the group wherever the facilitator directs. Off they go marching through the forest with the one person directing the team. Different leaders are chosen throughout the process. Eventually, the rope is taken away and everyone grasps hands and continues with the process. Usually the team accidentally gets split apart, the leader doesn't notice and a few people get separated from the rest of the group. Of course, that's all part of the process. At the end the group gathers in a big circle to "process" what happened. The leaders get berated for letting go of the rope and are "taught" that you don't have to lead from the from. They shouldn't have broken the ground rule because they could have led from the back.

Next the teams are separated into small groups and gather around a tall tree stump for the trust fall. One by one the trainees climb to the top of their assigned stump and fall backwards into the arms of their "buddies." The facilitator talks with them as they are cradles in their buddies' arms.

The last large group process is called spirit island (aka shark island). The whole group is standing on a large palate with a rope hanging between them and a smaller palate on the other side. They are instructed not to talk and they are also instructed to come up with a time limit in which to complete they task. After doing so, the challenge begins. Basically anything that lands on the ground between the two islands becomes prey to the sharks. If a person lands on the ground in between they have to go back to the original island. The goal is to get the whole group across, using the rope. Of course the island on the landing side is too small to fit the whole group so people start climbing on others shoulders and eventually the whole group gets across. If they do it in time then they get praise and a positive lesson. If they don't there is processing and recommitment.

Then the trainees are given a snack/lunch break. After the break they are broken up into small groups of about 8 people. They are assigned a director who takes them through the rest of the course involving several small events. They've probably added and taken away from the events since I was there last, but what they did have included:

z-line (only used with some groups) - get your entire team across the line without anyone falling off.
angel's crossing- get yourself across a rope in the air, ring a bell on the other side, and come back.
angel bridge - get yourself across an elevated rope bridge and onto the platform on the other side.
life line - blind folded, you are given an egg and told to protect it as you follow a rope through the forest trying to find the end. When you do find the end someone is there to greet you and say "welcome home". They then lead you to a fireside.
Unknown title -1: You climb to the top of a tall tree (using pact that have been drilled into the trunk) that's been cut off at the top. You stand at the top and stare into a trapeze. Then you jump for the trapeze yelling "if I can do this, I can do anything."
Unknown title - 2: Similar to number one, you climb to a platform and stare at a trapeze. You picture something you want in the trapeze and then you jump for it.
couple's bridge - There are two steel ropes tied to a tree. They are then tied around two other trees to form a triangle. One person stands on each of the ropes and move down the line connected using hands only. They eventually form a bridge as their feet move further and further apart. Eventually they fall into the middle and their buddies catch them.

There may be other small group events that I can't remember or that have been added since I was there. It should be noted that the facilitators for each of the evens are made up of LMT participants who volunteer (no other professional training required) and all of the belays are people who have belayed on the ropes course before and have been taught by predecessors. None of them have former belaying experience. I've seen people nearly strangled on angel's crossing because they got caught in the ropes and the belay didn't get them down fast enough. Similar experiences have happened on many of the events including people nearly hitting the grounds and tripping over forest objects as they run around blind-folded.

At the end of the small group events the team gathers back together for the final event - the wall. Again, the group makes a time goal and takes a vow of silence as they push and pull each other over the wooden wall. They are only allowed to have 2 people on the top of the wall at a time and no one who has been over the wall can help to get others over. No actual ropes are used in this event unless someone requests a harness as a precaution. However, the harness cannot be used as a tool to get a person over the wall. After the event there is a debriefing where everyone receives a friendship bracelet commemorating the event and they head back to the training center in silence for the first twenty or so minutes.

When back at the training center, the trainees are circled up outside the building and asked to be blind-folded. They are then led into the training center where their "angels are waiting with warm wash clothes, water and lotion to provide massages and relaxation as the trainees lay on the ground listening to comforting music. Impact has made a business out of this aspect, as well, by selling marble eggs reminiscent of life-line that the angles can give to their trainees. Afterwords the trainees sit in a circle facing outwards and their angels stand in a circle facing inwards. They play "Hear to Heart" by John Denver and the angels rotate around the whole circle "honoring" the trainees. Eventually they end up back at their trainee. Words are exchanged in response to some leading questions. Finally, all of the trainees gather on the stage where they share their experience. The previous lift-off gives them a gift that embodies the spirit of that lift-off. It it created by their last "man" over the wall. A challenge is issued for this lift-off to do the same.

Everyone is served dinner (trainees, angels, and all) provided by the center (but really by donations from other trainees) and everyone goes home.

Talk about the most boring of the weekends. I remember falling asleep on more than one occasion, both as trainee and staff member, during this weekend. On Friday, the trainees walk in to find memorabilia displayed on tables at the front of the room. during the day the staff talks about their "abundance" and what it means to them. There are candles lit to make sure the abundance looks "glowy" enough. I remember having a page of my wedding album ruined because of the sputter candle someone put on top of it. There are some other process on this day, but I honestly can't remember what.

On Saturday, the trainees bring their own materials for their abundance tables. Candles are lit around their stuff and during the training a few of the "share" their abundance. There's some talking and visualization...all just a blur. Then the trainees are sent out for their break. ON their break they are given a challenge to collect a "thanksgiving dinner" and give it to someone who could use it. The someone can be a person they know or a complete stranger. It should include donations of some kind. Many businesses in the Draper area have banned Impact trainees from their premises because they come "begging" for donations. After they deliver their dinner they come back with a story, poem, or song to share with the group that represents their experience. There's more sharing and the trainees are given an abundance key.

I think this is the weekend where the trainees break boards. They are each given a square piece of plywood on which the write all of their fears and worries. They then put the board between two cinder blocks and break it with their fist..a symbol of them literally breaking through their walls. I think this might occur on Friday night just before the enrollment stretch is introduced. they are also given a Friday night stretch in which the dinner group has to go out and act something out well enough to get others involved. One group had to be a mime. Another group had to put on a parade and there were various other activities that the groups had to get the "public" involved in.

On Friday night the trainees are issued a challenge to enroll their loved ones into the training. They make an "overnight" enrollment goal and an overall goal. When they leave they are sent off with the expectation that they next morning they will meet with an assigned small group and will travel around visiting their acquaintances with the intention of getting a deposit as a commitment for the next quest training. They come back to the training center at the required time and give the money to the staff who then figures out if the overnight goal has been met. Of course there's processing that occurs.

I think this is the weekend where the trainees break boards. They are each given a square piece of plywood on which the write all of their fears and worries. They then put the board between two cinder blocks and break it with their fist..a symbol of them literally breaking through their walls. I think this might occur on Friday night just before the enrollment stretch is introduced.

Anyway, on Saturday afternoon, the small groups are also each assigned some sort of object or animal. When it's their turn, the group goes to the center of the room, a piece of music is played and they act out the thing. When the rest of the trainees know what it is they get up and start acting it out as well. This simulates the power of enrollment (I guess).

This is what I call another "mushy" weekend; meaning their wasn't a lot of substance, just a lot of fluff and dancing. The trainees wrote letters to their angels then prepared for and carried out their "celebration" which was really more of a graduation. Family and friends could attend. People shared their talents (many of them required great patience to endure) and the group issued some sort of a gift to the audience.

During this weekend the group is separated into smaller groups according to their "like energy". One at a time the small group gets up in front of the rest and each person in the lift-off describes the "energy" using one or two words. At the end, the small group is cradled as in summit. This process takes a very long time and I though it was pretty boring. During this weekend every person has a stack of index cards stapled together. After putting their name on the front, the stack is passed around the lift-off and everyone writes something nice about everyone else. Sort of like a yearbook without the pictures.

Another process is where the lift-off small groups give a gift to the other members of their group. I only remember getting crap. :)

I think that's all I can remember from this weekend. It should be noted that part of lift-off involves the members calling a coach three times a week. The coach is a member of LMT with no other training. Their job is to give the trainee challenges and to coach them through accomplishing them. The call lasts about 10 minutes and during it the trainee reports on the accomplishment of their previous challenge along with the issuance of the new one. Inevitably, one of the challenges per week is to invite someone to the guest presentation. The trainees are required to attend a certain number of guest presentations whether live at the center or over the phone.

I think that's it. Other contributions to this anthology are certainly welcome.