How to think for yourself

I apologize I may have offended you fromalongtimeago. I am glad we have dialogued. I was brought up in the mormon church, indoctrinized into its worldview, and subsequently extracted myself from it over the past few years. I continue to live in Utah, and I don't see many faithful and also trully tolerant mormons who ACCEPT others outside their system as they are. Many people from both sides of my large extended family still practicing the religion, don't know that I have formally chosen to leave the religion. This after a temple marriage and with a husband who still believes. Quite frankly, some of them couldn't handle that information without seeing me in a different light, ostracizing me, and / or praying for my soul that has been "led astray", in their belief system. They would like to prefer life in their convenient frameworks. That is ok, many people do this, it is human nature to want to control the uncomfortable parts of life within a framework that helps them make sense of the crap in life. I am not exempt.

I like the people well enough, although I reserve the right to disagree with some of their beliefs. I don't actively seek to do this, and find it exasperating, at best. Regarding mormonism, here is where I stand succintly and to the point: The mormon leadership quite frankly knows more than they let their followers on to, displays intolerance towards others (ie gays at present), and blatantly misleads members regarding their own history. That is all the effort and or time I would like to expend on this topic. If you are at all curious about the above, use Google to find out more. There are many respectable historians, DNA scientists, and others who have thoroughly disproved the doctrines of mormonism on most, if not all, counts.

Rick Ross has its own section dedicated to mormonism.

No worries - I haven't lived in Utah in well over a decade, and I concede that there are close minded, thoughtless people everywhere you go, so I'm sure that you have encountered the gamut there. On Faith in General, you could find cult like attributes and issues of fact vs. faith in them all. Doing the research myself, I have chosen Mormonism. Not all my family has, I wouldn't want them to do anything that they didn't believe. As I tell all my friends of other faiths, (I'm usually the only mormon.) I wouldn't expect them to do anything they didn't believe in either. I encourage them in their different faiths, some have no religion and are as they say intellectuals. It is no difference to me, a friend is a friend. I'm sorry you can't tell you family, all families are different. My sister is gay and I don't feel any differently about her, we still gossip over the phone about her ex's, and I still give her relationship advice. I love her dearly. I'm grateful that even though we have different beliefs we respect them and encourage each other.

I wish you well in your endeavors and hope that your family can be a support to you.

Back to something we do agree on, Impact, (not a religion). A money making scam with no culpability. When did you go through - or does that compromise your identity? How about how long were you with them? I hadn't even thought about that when I posted my dates - I'm not too worried though as when I went to pay my remainder - absolutely no one remembered me or had record of my training.

I don't care to share the dates on the message board, I will pm you. I was there all together about 2 and 1/2 years.
Thanks for being understanding. You sound like a person I would want to know IRL.

fromalongtimeago and vicki_snshne - Thank you for your input on Impact Trainings.

I went through Quest 4 years ago, Summit 3 years ago and Lift Off immediately after Summit. At the time, it was the best experience of my life!! I had been through so much in my life that I felt lost until Impact. I truly believed it saved my life, at the time. After Lift Off I decided I wanted to be a part of the company but they don't hire, they ask people to "staff" the trainings and say it's a service to other Impact families and volunteering. At the time, I thought it was a great idea so I spent all my vacation time from work on staffing trainings instead of going on an actual vacation. I met my boyfriend at Impact and we have been together for 2 years. Had a baby a year ago. Anyway, when I was pregnant we "staffed" a Summit training. I was known to do the music for the trainings. During that weekend I heard Pamela and one of the other paid staff talking about me and my boyfriend. They made comments like "they're keeping the baby but aren't married? Having them around can't be a good influence on the trainees." I heard that and I was pissed. Before this day, I had seen so much hypocricy in the office with the paid staff, "volunteers" and trainers it made me sick. Anytime I called someone out on gossip I got "processed" and told that I should mind my own business. I had always seen so many discrepencies in how the trainers treat others and then how they act in the training room. I just had had it at this point because I wasn't going to allow people to treat me like that.

While I was going through the training I believed I was happy but I was in denial. The problem is that they preach to go to your "family" for "assistance" if you "deserve" it. Ugh. But, anytime you asked someone for help all they did was process you. It was frustrating. Sometimes we just need support from a friend or family member, not to be processed or called out when we're in an emotional state. Pissed me off so I started holding things in and pretending I was ok. It got old.

Since I left almost 2 years ago, I have had the hardest time being ok. Impact ruined me. I'm a new mom but I have to focus on getting mentally healthy which is hard. I have attempted suicide a couple times, turned to drinking for a little while but quit, lashed out at people, etc. I have never in my life been such a mess. Just recently I was able to pick myself up enough to get therapy and on medication. It took me nearly 18 months to get to that point. The things Impact did to me were horrible. If I could, I'd sue them for everything because the first year of my sons life I did nothing but feel absolutely depressed. And no, it was post-partum. This all started before my pregnancy but I held in so much. It has been the hardest 2 years of my life.

2 1/2 years ago I introduced one of my best friends to Impact. He also had a rough life and had been going through a lot. Since I believed in the training at the time I felt it was the best thing for him. He went through Quest, Summit and Lift Off consecutively. I was so proud. My dog died while he was dogsitting for me at the beginning of his Lift Off training and he was an incredible friend being there for me. He used the "tools" he was taught and everything. About a month later my other dog who was still a 3 pound puppy got very sick when he was at my house. She almost died of internal bleeding. 2 weeks after this, he had admitted to me that he tortured both dogs pretty badly in hopes of killing them both. Luckily, at least one of them survived and is doing very well to this day. My point in this story is that he did all of this WHILE going through the training. This is what the training does to people. He thought it was ok at the time. He led me to believe he was saving them and being there for me. He was so angry about the things he had experienced at Impact, that he tortured and murdered my 8 pound dog. And tried to do it again. I was so sad that one of my best friends had these feelings and went through with this. I did press charges and went through the court for everything. It's been settled and we're done with it but Impact changes people. Those people don't see it in themselves because they are brainwashed to believe that anyone who is not in Impact is a bad guy.

Unfortunately, we deal with Impact Trainings influence on a daily basis here because my boyfriends sister and her husband are still very involved. They got every month and are in the highest training LMT3 and do the retreats. These two people own a drug and alcohol rehab center in Utah and push Impacts teachings onto there employees and clients. It's scary. They have pushed family away including us. The things that my boyfriends sister has said are so hurtful and disgusting but she still says she has done nothing hurtful. We are wrong and horrible people. She thinks I am the worst person in the world because her brother is happy and chose family over working for her company. It's a long story but it's really hard to see my boyfriend go through the emotions of losing his sister and her family.

I hope that those who go through the training will see what they do to others and get help with a trained and licensed professional. I have a very long road to recovery ahead of me. I still think I am not worth anything and don't deserve to be happy but can never figure out why. On a daily basis I beat myself up so bad that sometimes I end up in tears late at night. I don't sleep well, eat well, etc. I'm a mess and I'll admit it. I know it's not entirely Impacts fault because I chose to continue the training but it's the things they said to me and made me do/say that are very traumatic.

Because of everything I've been through not only in my life but because of Impact, I'm in the process of writing a book. I may not be healthy enough to really help anyone right now, but when I am in that place I'd like to finish my book and hopefully publish it. I think that any of you who have been through the training and made it out ok, good for you. It makes me happy to know that there are some that are ok. I know at least 5 others who have attempted suicide after Impact and there are others who are currently in a lot of pain.

Thanks again for sharing everyone. I do read them all, just wanted to share some more of my experiences today. :)

Ali-

I appreciate your openness in this forum. I know that's a hard thing to do. You are a brave person and I hope that you continue to make progress back to health. It can definitely be a long road at times.

fromalongtimeago-

I know that the policies about how buddies are set up are fairly recent (2004, or so) and as far as the policy about the youth, I'm not sure how long that's been happening, but I would venture to guess it's post 2000. I know that Impact is continuously changing their policies to avoid law suits so I'm fairly certain the age limit is a more recent thing.

Hello all,

My name is "ImpactIsaCult," and I am a relatively recent departee from the cult that is "Impact Trainings." I am so very thankful for finding this forum. I just wish I had known of it PRIOR to my experience with Impact. Suffice it to say: 'my experience of' Impact was that it 'didn't work.'

I will have a lot more to say as the days roll on, but I wanted to first introduce myself and say a heartly "thank-you" (oops, I mean thank-me since I 'created my own reality'...err, huh? ok, now my mind is spinning...) to all of those brave souls who have preceeded me in speaking out on this forum. I have spent the past week or so reading every entry here, and want to 'send my light of love (lol)' to those who bravely contributed.

IIAC.

IIAC,

You said that your mind is spinning, which is an authentic way to feel after the Impact experience. As the days go by after Impact you will gradually get back to a clear and unwarped mind set, but the experience will always have some residual impact. It does take a bit of courage to put your feelings and thoughts on this forum, but it gets easier with time. We look forward to more expressions of your experience. Thanks for your contribution.

One of my family is involved in similar stuff in Perth West Australia known as MJB SEMINARS.
They(family member) think they are helping people by introducing them to the Seminars.
The Graduation evening is just a way of getting people you know, to attend a venue where they will be pressured to join up for a Seminar.
After you do the first seminar there are more seminars you need to take to get more knowledge/enlightened.
People who are deemed "negative" or "troublemakers" are cut off from the social contacts of MJB clones.
I have been threatened with this because I speak out against the things they are learning.
This makes them extremely aggressive and angry.
Therefore I see that their "Self Development" through MJB Seminars is not really advancing them at all if they cannot have an adult discussion and contemplate the possibility that just maybe, they are being taught lies.
An intelligent open minded person would be able to discuss discrepancies with another person and debate without such aggressive anger.
People can agree to disagree and still remain in a family relationship.
Unless they are brainwashed by a cult.

The first seminar takes people back to their childhood traumas and pains and works through convincing them that if these bad things did not happen they would not have gained the insights they have today.
Basically there is no Satan or Devil, God/the UNIVERSE gives both good and bad experiences to us because we need them to learn or gain things.
If this theology is correct:
Then the Jews needed the HOLOCOST and actually brought it on themselves because of thinking too negative.
All of Ted Bundy's, or anyone's murdered victims needed to die and it was their own negative thinking that created their Universe.
No Court of Law should be allowed to prosecute any person for a crime, because obviously it was meant to happen so the victims of the crime would gain something.?

How can such mixed up theology be classified as self development and how can anyone charge such large amounts of money for "TEACHING AND EDUCATING PEOPLE ON THE FUNDAMENTAL LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE THAT GOVERN HUMANITY".
Using Cognitive Psychotherapy on unsuspecting, un-informed people who attend the seminars is unethical.

ROZZANNE,

I really like your post. I empathize and really hope your family member can get out of that.

Although many cults use the same concepts, the "brought it on themselves because of thinking too negative" sounds a lot like the Law of Attraction bull shit from The Secret. Basically another new age strategy to get control of the uncontrollable and put excess blame and shame on people, which only the cult can supposedly alleviate.

I really liked your statement "Using Cognitive Psychotherapy on unsuspecting, un-informed people who attend the seminars is unethical." Damn right it is! Taking advantage of the unsuspecting and uninformed under the guise of religion or psychotherapy sums up perfectly cult business, like in Scientology with their high priced thetan readers keep you shelling out money to get rid of them, Mormonism and their complete silence about what goes on in their temples (a temple prep class is grossly insufficient to prepare someone for that amount of bullocks), and Impact's higher level trainings, the Quest session never seems to mention Mr. Berger's laughable and unusual talent to control Violet flames.

Quote
Glaucon
The Quest session never seems to mention Mr. Berger's laughable and unusual talent to control Violet flames.

Just thought that wonderful sentence was worth repeating!