I have a friend who is heavily involved in Impact trainings. In fact, her whole extended family is involved in it. Is anyone familiar with Impact [www.impacttrainings.com]? any thoughts on how similiar/different it is from Landmark?

It certainly appears to be a MLM LGAT. any thoughts would be greatly appreciated

I know about them to some degree (my ex-girlfriend did the training... I did a visitation night, etc). I'm surprised this group doesn't get more exposure in the Salt Lake media, but then again, maybe there are a lot of graduates in the media! lol

Impact Trainings has now grabbed 10 of my friends. They are all convinced that they are "enlightened" and their mission is to sign up as many people as possible. All are required to pay huge amounts of money. Most of these people are not in a financial position to pay these fees to be "enlightened", yet they are told the need to "create their finances" by selling water at events, washing cars, or doing odd jobs for people. The whole thing make me ill. The guy that runs the whole thing is Hans Berger, he drives a Mercedes SUV and everone in his family drives the same, they are very well off---all on the backs of people cleaning toilets for money. He claims to be a "powerful, truthful, caring, giving, man of light. If he really wanted to "enlighten" all of mankind-- he would do so as a service, not charge for it.

ATTENTION Hans Berger--- The truth is not for sale---Therefore, what you are selling is not the truth. It is mind-control, garbage LGAT crap, that "love-bombs" your minions into recruiting people to pay for your expensive lifestyle. Your methods have no control over me and I will do everything in my power to make sure people are educated as to what you are doing. If you beleive you are doing good works---let the real light shine in. Open you books to the public, let's see if your concern is for mankind or your own bottom line. Go ahead, "enlighten" me with your financial records.

For the past several months I have been investigating a criminal and his associates. It is clear that he is heavily involved in Impact Training. As a result of tracking his misdeeds I have started looking into Impact Training and specifically Hans J and Sally Berger. The focus on them is less than a week old so I don’t have a lot of information but I can say is that there is public record out there that reflects a recent bankruptcy, sizable IRS liens and unpaid debt.

Wikipedia had a very small article on Impact Training and the principles. Someone was able to get that information deleted. The information I have gathered seems to paint them as a cult which is not for me to say. I am interested in hearing from anyone that has had direct experience with the Bergers and Impact Training.

i thought Id offer a different view here. I am an Impact Grad. 4 years ago and have chosen to remain active in the work they do. I can totally see why some folk are put off by aspects of Impact and Hans and Sally Berger but some of what has been said here is simply not true.. so that folks can add to their informatin based on the truth I offer my experience. I can assure you that no one has been "nabbed". Many people that go to the training have lives that they themselves describe as broken. Some of these folks choose to make IMPACT their new golden egg in life and for these folks.. the atmoshphere of a cult begins. But the truth is, I say this as a therapist.. many of these folks would make ANYTHING that takes their pain away a new golden egg. Impact DOES NOT ask or make anyon sell anything! Impact simply asks that if you are going through the training that you handle your finances.. period. Hans and Sally Berger drive mercedes.. I drive a mercedes.. many of my friends and family drive mercedes.. So......? The challlenge with some of these posts is that those that are posting do not know what they are talking about. The Impact Trainings have done a great deal of good for a ton of people. I refer patients... WITHOUT RESERVATION... all the time. None have come back brainwashed or bankrupt nor have they set out to "nab" folks. So it probavbly serves this forum best to speak from your own experience...

Hans was that last response from you(Chilloutnrelax)? If not you are lost and don't even know it. My wife had the pleasure of experiencing the Quest "training" and I saw 1st hand how it affected her. Luckily she had my support to figure out what happened to her and to keep her from getting sucked in further. You say ther are several untruths yet you sighted none. I see none.

As far as helping people whose lives are broken. Broken people are the people LGAT's prey on. People who are looking for something people who are lonely having lost a loved one or just gone through a divorce.

The Bergers are loaded. My bro-in-law, an impact graduate, said the bergers don't make much money with Impact Training. Let's look at the numbers 120,000 trainees and there families. That's over $192 million if everone took the 3 weekend trainings. I attended my wifes graduation in there tilt up industrial building which maybe costs $400,000. They probably own the building so they have very low overhead. Only a few underlings are paid.

I would love to take a look at their Real Estate portfolio.

What is the main goal of Impact Training? give up.... The goal is to get you to take more training and to bring family and frinds in.

Either you are Hans himself or you are one of the few paid underlings or you are a poor brainwashed soul who does not even know he's been brain washed. If you are the latter I feel sorry for you. If you are one of the formers you are a despicable human being.

I SPEAK FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH 6 VERY CLOSE FRIENDS AND 1 FAMILY MEMBER:
I have personally watched Impact Training staff coerce and harrass 6 of my friends into recruiting others into Impact. Saying things like "Staffing is the highest from of love" Well, Large Group Awareness cults can only continue to proliferate if they have love-bombed people, working for free at their facility (errrrr... "staffing") and calling all their friends and family to attend guest presentations (errrrr.... "recruiting sessions"). Once they get nabbed they are told to recieve the "enlightenment" they must pay a high sum of money. THey are also told if they dont have the money to "create their finances" (errr... "go clean toilets or sell your housewares on ebay) They dont care where or how you get the money... just get it. THen they have a "graduation" (errrr...recruiting session) Where their friends and family are shoved into a tiny room and are subjected to bizarre behavior, canned responses, and are presented shells of their love ones who now believe that their "Impact Family" is their true family. They also believe that those that havent attended Impact are not "enlightened" and "don't understand". That's a cult's way to protect itself. You see, if you tell the cult members that the "outsiders" don't understand and may be critical of your attending Impact you can simply blow them off as "unenlightened" and "non-understanding".

All the while Impact chugs along---sucking people into their club... HEY IVE GOT A QUESTION, IF HANS BERGER AND IMPACT ARE DOING THIS OUT OF "LOVE" WHY DO THEY CHARGE SO MUCH MONEY FOR IT?????

HERE'S A TIDBIT OF KNOWLEDGE: THE TRUTH IS NOT FOR SALE, IF IT HAS A PRICETAG, IT'S NOT THE TRUTH. YOU WANT TO "ENLIGHTEN" THE WORLD TO MAKE IT A BETTER PLACE--- DO IT FOR FREE AND GIVE AWAY TO EVERYONE. IF YOU WANT TO CHARGE PEOPLE, GO DO A JIM JONES AND SAVE US ALL YOUR CRAP!

STOP RIPPING PEOPLE OFF, STOP PREYING ON PEOPLE WITH LOW SELF-ESTEEM AND WORLDLY PROBLEMS. I TRULY BELIEVE THERE IS A SPECIAL PLACE IN HELL RESERVED FOR PEOPLE THAT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OTHERS. IF YOU ARE A STAFFER, YOU WILL EVENTUALLY ANSWER FOR IT, BUT YOU CAN'T CLAIM IGNORANCE BECAUSE [b:8c750bac81]NOW[/b:8c750bac81] YOU HAVE BEEN TOLD. NOW YOU KNOW, NOW YOU ARE TRULY "ENLIGHTENED"

WANNA SEE SOME EVIDENCE?: CHECK THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU AT THE LINK BELOW, SEE WHAT THEY RECOMEND TO PEOPLE THINKING OF ATTENDING IMPACT TRAININGS. THE LINK FOLLOWS THE SHORT EXCERPT FROM THE PAGE:

"Those attending Impact Trainings have reported that part of the process is a "tearing down" of the individual which includes being subjected to verbal abuse, insults, ridicule or humiliation. The Better Business Bureau has been presented with complaints from participants indicating that they experienced psychological disturbances or episodes as a side-effect of the training. Studies done by mental health professionals have also identified this possible side effect of the training.

Because these seminars are presented as education, trainers and presenters are not required to be licensed as mental health professionals in many states, inluding Utah. However the focus of the training is clearly behavioral, psychological and personal relationships.

We advise consumers to obtain references from skilled, trained mental health professionals regarding the benefits, efficacy, and possible side effects of such training prior to making their own decision to purchase the training, or participate.

BBB LINK: [www.saltlakecity.bbb.org]

[b:8c750bac81]HERES SOME OTHER LINKS ABOUT IMPACT TRAININGS:[/b:8c750bac81]

LINK2: [perso.orange.fr]

LINK3: [www.culteducation.com]

LINK4: [www.karisable.com]

WELCOME TO THE TRUTH!

Here is a link that I thought most may find interesting. It appears that Impact Trainings was studied by a University and deemed effective

[www.expertclick.com]

The above link about Impact Training is a press release, not a scientific peer-reviewed study published by a University.

It is bases on anecdotal claims not researched and established facts.

Chilloutandrelax,
Have never attended an impact session ,and hence have no knowledge at all about it. Am wondering though, as you mentioned you are a therapist:what code of ethics do you rely on ? IE. counselors code of ethics, or marriage and family therapists code etc?

Seems like as a graduate of the Impact program, there may be the potential for some kind of ethical conflict in referring someone to a non certified counseling type program that you are a personal graduate from?

I know that most codes require therapists to keep their spiritual/moral/sexual/religious values seperate from that of their clients, and am not sure but wonder whether their may be an ethical question in promoting Impact to your clients as well, particularly if encouraging people to join possibly adds to your status or approval from the group? ( Don't know if this is true or not, but some posters seem to feel this is the case.) Just interested in knowing whether you think there is an ethical dillema/conflict of interest or not, and if you think there is the possibility of conflict, how you resolved it.