The devastation of the Impact trainings has been unbelievable. I had no idea what I was getting into. Unfortunately, I didn't know the danger I was in. In fact, the breakdown of the training is so complete, that you learn to tell yourself everything they tell you in order to fit in. The peer pressure and conformity to the group is incredible.

If someone is willing, please talk about and expose the teachings of the TIT trainings. I would like nothing more than to expose Impact for the Cult that it is. Somehow, it feels like that will be the only way they will be seen for the destruction they are responsible for.

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outofimpact
The devastation of the Impact trainings has been unbelievable. I had no idea what I was getting into. Unfortunately, I didn't know the danger I was in. In fact, the breakdown of the training is so complete, that you learn to tell yourself everything they tell you in order to fit in. The peer pressure and conformity to the group is incredible.

If someone is willing, please talk about and expose the teachings of the TIT trainings. I would like nothing more than to expose Impact for the Cult that it is. Somehow, it feels like that will be the only way they will be seen for the destruction they are responsible for.

I am working on it. I have allot of information to grind through, so if I am absent from the boards, that is why. Well, that and I have a recently neglected life to addend to. :wink:
Cheers all,
ex

addend? Attend. Typing when you're tired after you've been tired for days because all you do is type for school makes for dumb errors.

Wow has this thread grown since I last visited! I'm glad that I got to see the posts by otter/beaver/dyno, it just reiterates to me how dangerous Impact is. His behavior displays the arrogance and self-serving attitude that I've had to face with the "impacted" person that was in my life. I'm so glad to see several people here that were able to walk away from that place, and grateful that you all share your knowledge of the inner workings of it so those on the outside can understand better.

oh and, exImpact: your Zuul comment was great! :lol:

Thank you for working to share with those of us who want to heal from LGAT trainings.

When I attended Inner Woman I, we were supposed to come back to the center dressed in our "finest". There were women who spent alot of money to do that. I borrowed one of my "stretch group's" gowns to be dressed better than I owned.

One woman, who was 60+ came in what she considered to be her God given finest....she came nude. I had to tell myself that she was doing what felt right to her and that I couldn't be offended. But honestly, it was very difficult to spend the next 4-5 hours with her nude...as we learned how to be more sexual with our bodies by dancing for each other in our stretch groups. We all stood and danced for each other while we touched our bodies and became "sexual". I participated. I told myself that it was okay. I told myself that I was getting in touch with being a woman. Honestly, I look back...and I couldn't do that in front of 100 + women...and truly be okay with that experience. It still amazes me to this day that I stayed, I participated, and I had to watch others do the same thing.
UGH. Does anyone have any similar experience?

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outofimpact
Thank you for working to share with those of us who want to heal from LGAT trainings.

When I attended Inner Woman I, we were supposed to come back to the center dressed in our "finest". There were women who spent alot of money to do that. I borrowed one of my "stretch group's" gowns to be dressed better than I owned.

One woman, who was 60+ came in what she considered to be her God given finest....she came nude. I had to tell myself that she was doing what felt right to her and that I couldn't be offended. But honestly, it was very difficult to spend the next 4-5 hours with her nude...as we learned how to be more sexual with our bodies by dancing for each other in our stretch groups. We all stood and danced for each other while we touched our bodies and became "sexual". I participated. I told myself that it was okay. I told myself that I was getting in touch with being a woman. Honestly, I look back...and I couldn't do that in front of 100 + women...and truly be okay with that experience. It still amazes me to this day that I stayed, I participated, and I had to watch others do the same thing.
UGH. Does anyone have any similar experience?

There are several instances in Summit where people are subjected and coaxed to do things they are definately uncomfortable with. I remember a girl who was put into the bellydancer stretch group and almost walked out because she was so tortured by the idea that she had to dance half naked in front of her entire summit group. Another girl with the same stretch told me about how she was apporached before the doors had opened by a guy who said, "ooh, I know what your stretch is". Despite the trainers talking about the belly dancing stretch being about the beauty and acceptance of the beauty of a woman there are SEVERAL men who take it as another opportunity to see women in a degrading fashion.

During my Inner Woman training there was a lady who didn't want to strip down to her bra during her stretch and she was actually looked down upon by the other women in the group because of it. I know in inner woman there is at least one stretch group that comes in total lengerie and dances around the room during their stretch. However, I've heard of many stories where by the end of the day the whole room end up in just their underwear. As far as I know this is not an uncommon occurance. Yes, it is chalked up to the women learning to be comfortable with their bodies and sexuality.

When the men talk about the inner woman training I always hear the comment they wish they could be a fly on the wall of the training because they've heard rumors about what goes on there. For awhile I thought they just got that impression because the women would exaggerate after the training to sort of brag about what went on. Well, then I found out it's no exaggeration.

Since we're talking about inner woman, let me take the time to reveal some of the process of this training. The first day is spent discussing societal beliefs about women. The trainees then share why they came to inner woman. In my inner woman training one lady refused to share why she came by simply passing the mic to the next person when it was her turn. I don't think the trainer even noticed, but it also made me wonder why she bothered to come if she didn't know why she was there. I know there are quite a few discussions about he roles of women and the beliefs people have about those roles. To be honest with you, that's about all I can remember from the first day of training. At the end of the day we received homework to go out and find a representation of our childhood that we would be willing to give away.

The second day we talked about acknowledging the true woman with in and the beauty of the natural curves of the woman's body. That's when we learned the sensualty dance. You basically move your hips around a whole lot while bending and swaying and running your hand up and down your legs and the side of your body. They suggest you practice it on a regular basis whether there's a man in your life or not. After this, different categories and personalities and roles that women take on are discussed. Things like bitchy, matronly, hurt, etc. Then stretch groups are formed around these characteristics. The woman are asked to go out and find clothing specific to this personality. One group is asked to be the confident runway models (they come in short skirts, modern tops and some type of leather boot), another is asked to get in tune with how sensual they really are (they come in lengerie), and I don't remember what the other groups come as. Before they leave the staff gives them an example of what the stretch could really look like. While the woman have been learning about their stretches the staff has changed into short black skirts and men's white shirts and dance around to "Men's Shirts, Short Skirts". In every inner woman triaining I've been in the end up taking off AT LEAST their tops and usually their skirts as well. Of course they've come prepared with sexy bras and underwear underneath.

The women go out shopping on their lunch break and a few hours later come back to let loose. They spend the afternoon dancing for each other and at the end of each stretch group coming into a hug circle in the middle of the room. This is similar to flying in Summit, but without all the lifting. After that they do a meditation process. In my inner woman we went back to our childhood (again) and released any fears we had about becoming a woman. I've also been in trainings where they do a meditation and then draw pictures representing the beauty they see in themselves. I think sometimes they do this meditation on the first day instead of the second. Anyway, then you share the representation of your childhood with your buddy and you give it to the little girl inside of you. So, you're not really giving it away, but to your new found inner woman self.

I remember coming away from this training feeling like I had wasted $250. It's really the only training at the time I felt that way about. I even remember going back and staffing it later and rememebering what a waste of time it was.

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outofimpact
Thank you for working to share with those of us who want to heal from LGAT trainings.

When I attended Inner Woman I, we were supposed to come back to the center dressed in our "finest". There were women who spent alot of money to do that. I borrowed one of my "stretch group's" gowns to be dressed better than I owned.

One woman, who was 60+ came in what she considered to be her God given finest....she came nude. I had to tell myself that she was doing what felt right to her and that I couldn't be offended. But honestly, it was very difficult to spend the next 4-5 hours with her nude...as we learned how to be more sexual with our bodies by dancing for each other in our stretch groups. We all stood and danced for each other while we touched our bodies and became "sexual". I participated. I told myself that it was okay. I told myself that I was getting in touch with being a woman. Honestly, I look back...and I couldn't do that in front of 100 + women...and truly be okay with that experience. It still amazes me to this day that I stayed, I participated, and I had to watch others do the same thing.
UGH. Does anyone have any similar experience?

I have only attended a guest presentation, so I do not have any experiences beyond that. My close family, however, has suffered tremendously, which is extremely frustrating and heart wrenching for me.

From an outsider's perspective (besides seeing my family's pain and these various posts, especially the one above), I am horrified. How can anyone in an authoritative position, State and National, to serve and represent Utah, not address these complaints against Impact, (referring to everything stated in this forum, let alone outside this forum)? How can they not even consider legislation of new laws involving mental therapy malpractice? How can they not even blink an eye to the religious, "but we really aren't", complaints? Shame on us as a state for not educating our population about these LGAT's, and shame on us for electing leaders who are apathetic to the LGAT business plan. I say this about our leaders and people because Impact itself has a 22 year history, whether in state or not. It needs to change.

I realize it is ambiguous to deal shame out abstractly, so I would like to clarify by saying that I mean those people in power who have apathetic views or an uneducated understanding of LGATs. I realize I cannot put shame on people who don't even realize Impact is what it is, and I definitely don't want to put shame on the victims of this place. My apologies for being cumbersome.

In my Summit stretch, I was one of those belly dancers. When the stretch was given to me, (we were the second group to get our stretch) I totally fell apart. I sat there in shock that I would have to dress half naked, I weighed over 230 pound (so did the rest of our group) and somehow, I was supposed to see the beauty of being overweight, starting out as a "beached whale" as that is what were were told to do. After being beached whales, we were supposed to transform into beautiful belly dancers. I couldn't quit crying as everyone else received their stretches. Toward the end of the stretches being assigned, Pamela came up behind me and quietly told me to "get out of my head, I was disturbing others experience and was causing a scene." Of course, this just shamed me into submission and silence. Somehow, I made myself go through with my stretch and basically made myself check out so that I could do what was expected.

I am horrified to learn about the Inner Woman stuff others have gone through. I wasn't asked to take off my clothing, but there were plenty that came in underwear and bras for their stretches. I do remember being incredibly grateful (after my stretch of being a belly dancer) that I didn't have to undress any more than I had had to in Summit. The sexual dancing that we did was horrifying enough.

It is amazing to me how much I have made myself forget from the trainings. So much of it I told myself was a good thing...and that I learned and grew and that it was a wonderful thing for me. Now as I remember some of the awful things I was expected to do, I realize how much shame I felt. For me, that is really difficult to deal with.