I know that exImpact gets sand in his shorts anytime someone asks a semi personal question, but I'm going to ask one anyway (I'm kidding exImpact). I am interested in getting a feel for the demographics of the people posting in this forum. How much experience have people had with Impact? What is their primary reason for posting on the forum? I think the answers to these questions could create some solid dialogue.

I was involved in Impact for several years and participated in the following trainings:

Quest, Summit, Lift-off, Trainer in Training 1-3, Couples and Commitment, Men’s (I think that's it but there may have been others)

Trainer in Training 3 was ongoing. The group met once per month and everyone was required to volunteer for staff duties on a bunch of other trainings and take a week long trip with the group. In total, involvement in Trainer in Training 3 consumed 13 vacation days per year.

The Impact Trainings have been the single greatest waste of time and money that I have ever been conned into. Even worse than the tremendous waste of personal resources was the effect that the group had on my life and the lives of those around me.

Several members of my step family have been diagnosed with specific mental illnesses. The Impact Trainings contributed to their arrogance and created feelings of invincibility in my loved ones. My step family refused to continue treatment and made personal decisions that lead them to poverty, adultery and severe unhappiness. When the Impact leaders saw what was happening, my step family was asked to leave the trainings and the trainers and staff went into damage control mode by blaming everything on my family members and telling the group that they had "cut out the cancer". To this day, my step family and I have very little contact because they are still spewing Impact crap even though they have been effectively disowned. They have continued to refuse treatment and their lives are in an ongoing state of chaos.

The trainers and staff have no integrity. They state that their mission is to "heal the world" but they have a history of cutting loose those trainees who go off the deep end as a direct result of their interactions with Hans and Co. If a child is molested or a woman is raped and that trauma causes them to go off the deep end and commit other unspeakable acts on other people, does the original molester or rapist bare a portion of the responsibility for the actions of those that they had harmed? The full gravity of the Impact Trainings negative effects on society may never be realized. I am not a religious person, I hope that someday Hans and the rest will be put face to face with the horrors that they have created. If hell exists, I'm sure there is a special place reserved for the creators of the Impact Trainings.

What "formerimpactgrad" stated about Impact seems very similar with Klemmer & Associates also.

Like the movie "The Secret" talks about. The law of attraction. These companies hopefully will attract their just rewards for all the harm they have caused society.

I am not a impact graduate, but I did wasted almost two years and over 10 thousand dollars to have my brain washed by them.

Now I am spending more money on getting myself deprogrammed from this experience.

"GASP!" You know I'm a [i:b21deb3b63]he[/i:b21deb3b63]!?! OK, you got me formerimp-g.

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formerimpactgrad
I hope that someday Hans and the rest will be put face to face with the horrors that they have created. If hell exists, I'm sure there is a special place reserved for the creators of the Impact Trainings.

Amen.
Wow, what to say to your last post. How about, “Them’s fightin’ wurds!”. As always, you ruthlessly go for the tender bits of the problem and, as always, it’s a fun read. I am a white male, as most of the trainees are. I participated in Quest, Summit, Lift-Off and T.I.T. 1-3. I was going to go through the Couples and Commitment training with my girlfriend at the time, but in the end we thought it was a waste of time. I felt the same about the Men’s Training. I found this sentiment was shared by many other TIT 3 grads (although all of the women rave about the estrogen bath that is the Inner Women trainings. The TIT women who frequently staffed those trainings are among the craziest of the bunch. After attending the second training, my girlfriend said that is was just a “divine” excuse for a bunch of women to get together so they could mega-gossip and bash the men in the training while they worship the earth and the moon. I just remember the women (particularly the singles) becoming excessively, grossly vulgar after exposure to those weekends).
I’m sorry to hear about your step family, and I’m sure they are one of the families I know of that had similar experiences with Impact. I had a cousin go through quest, a couple I knew went through to summit, and my sister went through up to TIT 2. My cousin ended up stealing from me and my mother to go through his training, and disappeared out of my life and back to the streets soon afterwards. The couple was too smart to go any further and we are now friends again. I’m really happy about that. And my sister still struggles as I do with vestigial Impactian beliefs/behaviors, but never went as deeply under as I (praise Jesus/Allah/Buddha. And Xenu I suppose). My girlfriend never could get over the re-living of her rape the trainer facilitated in summit for her, and we had to break things off. She reverted to being emotionally 16 years old, which was when the rape occurred, so 16 for her was like 11 for regular people. We haven’t spoken since. I was fortunate no one else I loved went through. Apparently I unknowingly surrounded myself with intelligent people, and they have since told me I was one of them, but they couldn’t figure out why I’d do something so obviously stupid. I’m grateful every day that they did not give up on me.

As for [i:b21deb3b63]my[/i:b21deb3b63] trauma, it has manifested as an anxiety disorder that is getting under control, but when it is severe I have to resort to medication. My psychologist specializes in mental re-conditioning/rehabilitation and is also a behaviorist. Her services have been invaluable, although I cannot to this day close my eyes to meditate without having an anxiety attack. She says my symptoms are similar to those of someone who has been sexually abused, without the physical triggers. So, there’s a little profile. SO, if you are an ex-graduate of the Impact trainings and are reading these threads, for Xenu's sake, grow a backbone and post! Not that I don’t enjoy your contributions formerimp-g and Madshus, but this is not [i:b21deb3b63]our[/i:b21deb3b63] exclusive dialogue. Don’t be afraid, Rick’s site is a First Amendment protected blog, as long as you follow the rules you are safe and welcome. If you are afraid Impact will sue, many much mightier than Impact have tried and failed. The Rick Ross Institute would never compromise the users of this valuable resource as long as the rules are adhered to, so get over it and rant!
Rswinters, I feel ya. I wish you a full recovery.

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exImpact
...As always, you ruthlessly go for the tender bits of the problem and, as always, it’s a fun read.

I did not mean the term "fun" to make light of the serious trauma you have witnessed, but rather to your brutal sticking of your thumb into the Impact eye. I apologize if it was inappropriate.

No Big Deal

Been tracking the hits for the Impact Trainings thread page over the last few months, thought you might find it interesting:

3/24/07-10336
4/02/07-11400
5/17/07-15315

exImpact,

I'm wondering if you have discovered a link (cause & effect) between the lgat experience & the anxiety you started to have post-lgat. I have had some anxiety too (however, I had high anxiety prior to the lgat too), which seemed related to the crumbling of my pseudo/lgat-implanted belief system and I'm not sure I'm clear on the connection. I'd be interested to hear yours or anyone's ideas regarding anxiety as part of the lgat aftermath.

I remember in CONtxt (I've learned that this predates contxt, as I've learned that nothing in contxt was original) we were told that "why" is the booby prize. I thought about that this morning, as I'm daring to ask WHY about anxiety. I realize that lgats don't want you asking "why" because you might start to see some of the problems inherent in their "game". They don't want any thinking or questioning of any sort. JUST BELIEVE.

The other day I also reflected on Milgram's obedience-to-authority experiments, and recalled how high level, successful leaders (in their own lives) all sat attentively in their seats and obediently took "orders" from the lgat leader. They compliantly jumped through really stupid hoops, in the BELIEF that the program was in their personal interest.

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skeptic
I'm wondering if you have discovered a link (cause & effect) between the lgat experience & the anxiety you started to have post-lgat. I have had some anxiety too (however, I had high anxiety prior to the lgat too)

I suppose I had some background anxiety prior to leaving Impact, but most definitely NOT before I joined up. But the full blown out-of-my-mind-gag-reflex-uncontrollable anxiety occurred shortly after I left. You must understand, I swallowed most of what was taught in this religious cult. I adhered to most of the Berger doctrines, and though I had found all of the answers to life, death, spirit and well, everything. For five years I was submerged in all of this, convinced the office staff and trainers were closer and more important to me than my own family and friends. And in a short period of time it all came crashing down, and life has never been the same. I’m nothing like I was before I went to Impact, or when I was in Impact. I’m a third person I would say, and I think a better person. I am confident, independent and strong (but I am now also extremely jaded and skeptical). In Impact I only had the illusions of these attributes, when in reality I was wholly dependant on my Impact family, who protected and sheltered me (by conditioning me with denial) from the cruel, cold world. AND I was convinced I was saving the world too! All the TIT grads are like this. It is pathetic, tragic and truly sad. They have all been duped and betrayed by madness and greed. My anxiety has been a way to cope with despair and trauma caused by this mental-rape.

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skeptic
...I realize that lgats don't want you asking "why" because you might start to see some of the problems inherent in their "game". They don't want any thinking or questioning of any sort. JUST BELIEVE. .

LOL, yeah, in the Quest training, they call “understanding” the “booby prize” of life, claiming it is a function of the ego mind and that nothing EVER can be completely understood, simply because as soon as you think you understand it, there is something new that crops up and you have to re-understand it all over again. This is the vicious cycle they claim bars the path to enlightenment. Well, understand this…IT'S CRAP. Nothing incomplete about that statement of fact. Understand 2+2 = 4. Frak math, do you understand english? If you can understand one thing, why not others? What makes Impactees think the term “knowing” is immune the same distinctions Impact assigns to “understanding”? As soon as you think you "know" something...etc. GEEZ, It’s all semantics meant to make you question the logic process so you become pliable to their designs. Wake up, for real now.

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skeptic
...high level, successful leaders (in their own lives) all sat attentively in their seats and obediently took "orders" from the lgat leader. They compliantly jumped through really stupid hoops, in the BELIEF that the program was in their personal interest.

You could apply this to the training hierarchy at Impact. It is what is going on. Madness spreads and infects. The whole point of madness is that you don’t even know that you are mad. Those trainers…

I don't think that the mental conditioning had as much of an effect on me because I was partially aware of it from the beginning and I became more aware as I continued my involvement. Unlike many Impact Trainees, I continued my involvement in an effort to preserve a relationship with someone very close to me. I thought that my only chance to "save the relationship" was to continue attending until I was able to convince that person to remove themselves voluntarily. For the record, my plan didn't work.

Because I was never as emotionally invested as most of the other people I was under the impression that I could walk away and experience few, if any, negative effects. While I was able to walk away, I can't say that I escaped unscathed. I think about the training every day. I have certain "hot buttons" that I never had before that will set me off from time to time. I recently encountered a senior Impact staff member in a professional setting and was so bother by our interaction that I had to excuse myself and take a break so that I could focus again. While I think I have generally been able to bounce back, I am not fully recovered. This discovery has been difficult for me and has caused me to consider therapy.

Like exImpact, I see myself as passing through 3 different stages before, during and after the Impact Trainings. I am much stronger now but I am also jaded, skeptical and cold. None of those last terms could be accurately applied to me before the trainings. While I was involved in Impact, I was weak, confused and depressed. I told myself differently but at my core I was never able to reconcile what I was being told with what was really going on.

My name is "spiritual?" and I'm an...wait...I am an inspiring, radiant...wait...I am being...wait...I have been through Quest, Summit, Lift-off, TIT 1-3, Inner Woman 1-2, the family training, and I've staffed almost all of these along with some of the teen trainings. I've been reading this forum for quite a few months and until now have been too insecure, unsure of what to say, timid, or whatever other phrase you want to put on it, to post.

Before I went through the training I was a DEVOUT Mormon. My faith in God was the most important thing in my life and the Book of Mormon and the Bible were definately the most important books in the world (along with anything spoken over the pulpit of the LDS tabernacle). I believed in miracles and inspiration and I felt that somehow I had a hand in the goodnes in the world.

As I went through my TIT 3 experience these beliefs transformed. I started to believe that I not only had a hand in the goodness in the world, but I was the actual creator of the goodness. I started to feel invincible, noble, powerful, and like I could do anything without a consequence, as long as my intentions were pure. I suddenly believed that I could change the world by shouting a few decrees, or mantras on my way to work in the morning. I even believed that the enrollment decrees I did most mornings had something to do with Impact finally having a full quest enrollment (that's 120 trainees - the max that the fire code will allow). And of course I kept doing the decrees because I thought the waiting lists for the next Quest were a miracle being manifest. Had a thought to be logical at all I would have realized the magic of exponential growth rather than contributing this phenomenon to some mystical power.

My work started to suffer because I would reflect these new found spiritual beliefs into my job (after all, they are universal) and instead of focusing on what needed to be done at work, I started thinking that by focusing on these decrees, angels, archangels, prophets and what have you, the rest would take care of itself. I honestly thought the "abundance" I was creating in my spritual life would just automatically overflow into the rest of my life because of course those archangels would have their hand in it all.

The fact that Impact kept telling me to lead a balanced life while asking for daily rituals of meditation, rites, decrees, and spirit writings didn't seem confusing because in my mind doing those things seemed like the way to clear my head enough to know what to focus on. Unfortunately, it always came back that I should be more focued on the spiritual stuff and Impact instead of what I really needed to accomplish in my life. Going to those monthly meetings and feeling guilty for not enrolling enough, meditating enough, or staffing enough was my bain. Getting a monthly call from the office staff asking me to come and staff or coach a lift off always put my stomach in knots. I didn't want to "betray" the vision at the same time I didn't want to sacrifice my schooling and my job.

Boy, did I get a rude awakening when my brother started to point out all of the logical falicies in this. I have slowly been opening my eyes to all of the ways the "Impact Vision" has clouded my vision. I have been stubborn and in denial on several occasions, but I have been slowly crawling out of the Impact shell.

The main struggle I experience now is knowing what to believe. I have friends and family that still ask me to pray for them, but when I do it's always in the form of "God, or whoever is there, if anyone" I don't know if it really has an effect at all, but I pray in the form of hope...yes, that big impact no no. I've had to succomb to the fact that I don't know if God exists, I don't know if there's a "higher purpose" I don't know if there's a reason to do anything other than for the intrisic value. I do know I still have this strong urge to make the world better, happier, and joyful, but I get confused on where that urge comes from and what exactly I can do about it. I do still have hope that it's worth the effort, though.

So, there you have it. There's the outline of my "tri-life". I will say that hope compared to faith is a cheap exchange.