Quote
Otter
One thing I left out of my post was something formerimpactgrad asked. Yes Enrollment weekend was our chance to talk to family and friends about our experience. I didn't feel pressured to do that. I did talk to my angry ex-wife (she makes it her duty in life to remain angry about everything) but I didn' tfeel pressured into doing it. I looked at it as a chance to change the relationship we have if she would do something...ANYTHING to stop using her anger at the world to cause interference between my boy and I.
Former, ex...can you tell me specific ways that Impact screwed you up? Please be careful to differentiate between what they did and what you did. They are two different things.
[b:825b87d11d]Otter:[/b:825b87d11d] I appreciate the fact that you took the time to comment again. Most Impacters aren't that considerate so I think a sincere thank you is in order. I have detailed many of the specific details of my experience with the Impact Trainings in prior posts. I'm sure you can find what you're looking for there. I don't see the point in posting pages of information a second time.
Impact's negative effects seemed more pronounced in the people around me than in myself. Thankfully I am not as insecure as most of the other people that I know who went through the program. As a result I was able to hold on to some semblance of self and when confronted with the ridiculous (some damaging and some not) notions that arose in TIT, I didn't buy in like most of the others.
The changes that I saw in the people around me turned my stomach on a daily basis. They severed relationships without cause, they bought into the "natural knowing" so completely that they often interpreted dreams or random thoughts to be repressed memories that caused them to confront other people with fabricated "experiences" that they needed to reconcile. Eventually their "natural knowing" lead them into adulturous relationships and Impact severed ties.
I firmly believe that these people have severe mental illnesses and the Impact Trainings empowered them in their dementia. Hans and the other trainers had plenty of chances to change things before they were unreachable but instead the trainers and staff accused me of being non-supportive and judgmental until my loved ones became liabilities, then Impact severed all contact. Impact is not responsible for the mental illness, but they are absolutely responsible for their part in empowering those people into their own insanity.
I observed several instances in the training that were similar to this, it was not an isolated incident. The bottom line is that relatively healthy people can go through the trainings and leave with very few ill effects but the people that are truly sick are the ones that suffer the most. Hans and Sally gave lip service to the "we are not a substitute for therapy" line but realistically, they have no problem picking anyone's pocket and trainees that resort to other kinds of therapy or medication are considered weak. This is especially true in the Trainer in Training levels.
If Impact has empowered people into behavior that is harmful, Impact is responsible. You say that there is a difference between what Impact does and what trainees do. I disagree, any change in behavior that occurs as a result of attending the Impact Trainings is that fault of the Impact trainers and staff. This is true for better or worse. Also, for your benefit I've included the definition of apologist from dictionary.com:
a·pol·o·gist /əˈpɒlədʒɪst/
Pronunciation[uh-pol-uh-jist]
–noun
1. a person who makes a defense in speech or writing of a belief, idea, etc.