I saw that people are awaiting my report on Day 3 ... I assure that I am not affiliated in any way to LEC.

Anyway, the morning of day 3 started out with participants reading letters addressed to someone with whom they wished to be "complete."

Some of the stories were really powerful... One guy did his in the form of a rap that rhymed pretty well. Another letter was so touching it brought a tear to my eye. There's a lot of people with a lot of baggage out there.

The afternoon highlight was the "empty and meaningless" discussion. I had deconstructed the Landmark philososophy before taking the Forum, so the bomb that "life is empty and meaningless" came as no shock to me.

The forum leader lectured that our actions are guided either by our strong suits or our rackets. But if we understand that "Life is Empty and Meaningless" -- that we are guided not by the past but by the meaning we assign the past - then we can be free to create a future of possibility.

I found her discourse, and her interaction with skeptical pupils, to be no different than a harmless Philosophy 101 lecture. By the end of the day, especially after the FL started pushing the Advanced Course and implored us to bring guests, I just couldn't wait to get out of there.

Following Day 3, I planned not to show up for the Tuesday night session, as I hadn't invited anyone. However, a friend who had done Landmark urged me to go, and I did. I didn't have a guest, but I did run into a friend who had been invited by another participant.

During Night 3, participants shared their forum experience with the class and their guests. Their stories were touching, and people seemed genuinely transformed. People seemed to be on a giddy high.

Following the tesimonials, the guests were ushered into separate rooms and, I'm sure, given the sales pitch. Our FL then, in fifteen minutes, summarized our three days. I think it was at this point that I "popped." Everything just made of sense to me. I could link a number of events in my childhood and andolesence (a number of which I had not thought of in years) and link them to the strong suits and rackets of my adulthood. I felt that some burden had been lifted off my shoulders. I felt more at peace with myself.

The evening ended with an abstruse discussion delivered by one of the trianees, which went a bit over my head. The FL then made a big push for the Advanced Course.. I'd say about 20% signed up. I did not.

Anyway, here are some reflections on the Forum, in no particular order.

I was impressed with the Forum Leader. I know she had the course binder on stage, but she was so fluent in relating the material to the storied the particpants shared. She has lived a fascinating (and tragedy-filled) life herself and kept the audience engaged. She had a sense of humor. She was tough on some of the sharers, but she didn't humiliate them to tears and was more nurturing that the guy in the French documentary.

The forum has almost restored my faith in humanity. All the people in the class were very kind and caring.

I can't deny that I saw a number of people who appeared genuinely transformed. So many participants made strides in repairing and restoring relationships with family members. No one was ever urged to divorce their spouse. The forum leader advised against dropping the jargon on non-Landmarkers or using it to win an argument with a fellow Landmarkian.

I also saw people who were on their second and third forums. The assistants did creep me out a bit. I was disturbed by what I saw during the fear exercise. I can't help but feel that the fear exercise consitutes some form of psychotherapy that should be overseen by appropriately credentialed professionals. I can see how how some people - those with serious past trauma - can have a really negative reaction this.

The forum is an intense experience. [i:bc7fafaa7c]The Landmark perspective is etched in my brain[/i:bc7fafaa7c]. The forum philosophy has dominated the thought processes that have guided my actions today. And remember -- I wasn't the most pliable of forum students. I didn't do the assignments, I drank beer after nights one and two, I kept my eyes open during the fear exercise, I didn't make any phone calls, I never "shared" before the class, and I barely shared anything sustantive with my sharing partners.

Ultimately, though, I am glad I took this... and I think it will help me make some fundamental and positive changes to my life. Today, I started a new business plan, signed up for Big Borther/Big Sister, phoned or emailed a # people I had not touched base with for awhile (and, no I didn't push the course on them) and am a bit more at peace with myself .. I think I've listened and communicated better. I am trying to act with integrity.

Is this going to wear off? Will I be back to my old patterns within a week like a forgone New Year's resolution? Will I feel a need to sign up for the Advanced Course to counter this? Will I end up spending 20 hours per week cleaning bathrooms at the Landmark Center while waxing about how transformed I am? Hopefully not.

Is Landmark a cult? I still don't know. It is a bit culty. I imagine it can become more so the more deeply one gets involved. But, ultimately though, aren't the two major religions of the world -- Roman Catholicism and Islam -- cultish as well?

The students I've seen on television in madrassas in Pakistan or classrooms in the West Bank and Saudi Arabia seem to be undergoing a much more thorough brainwashing than one could ever undergo by taking the Advanced Course, the S.E.L.P or the Forum for Living.

And is government action to restrict Landmark prefereable to free will? And finally, if someone believes that taking Landmark courses and assisting at the center enhances their own happiness, doesn't that in effect make them more happy?

Have a great night!
[/url]

Trooper:

I think everyone should also know what you emailed me.

And as I said in my response, please continue your discussion here.

Trooper said, "I hope Art Schreiber doesn't come knocking .. My posts are an honest reflection of my forum experience.. I went in as a skeptic and left, to a certain degree, a believer. It is a powerful experience. I do think they practice psychotherpay without a license. I'll be out of town this weekend, but I'd be happy to chat with you about uit."

For those interested in the threads regarding "Trooper" reflections on Day 1 and Day 2...

Here they are:

Day 1 see [board.culteducation.com]

Day 2 see [board.culteducation.com]

trooper ... relax, you are perfect, but some people might have negative feelings about or are JUST NOT interested in the FORUM experience and they are also perfect ... the world is perfect without the FORUM ...

Trooper,

I went into a different lgat a skeptic and came out - a couple "courses" later - a true believer. I became a zealous salesperson for the lgat. One friend remarked that I was so different, it was as if aliens had captured me!!!!

How exactly is this kind of thing accomplished? It isn't done with simple "education" or "psychotherapy". There is something else at work, and it's called "thought reform". Specific and known methods of reprogramming are used. And while some may argue that a certain amount of reprogramming can facilitate positive changes in one's life, make no mistake: the one and only purpose of the reprogramming used in lgats is to turn you into a salesperson for them. You are being reprogrammed so that the person at the top will be able to use you as his slave. While it may appear to be more than that, it's not. That's what lgats do and are. They are sociopathically deceptive and manipulative.

Wolf in sheep's clothing.

skeptic

Quote
The_Trooper

The forum is an intense experience. [i:1235e7d6c6]The Landmark perspective is etched in my brain[/i:1235e7d6c6]. The forum philosophy has dominated the thought processes that have guided my actions today. And remember -- I wasn't the most pliable of forum students. I didn't do the assignments, I drank beer after nights one and two, I kept my eyes open during the fear exercise, I didn't make any phone calls, I never "shared" before the class, and I barely shared anything sustantive with my sharing partners.

Intense, by design. Etched in your brain, right on target. Not exactly pliable, no problem. A very NON-pliable friend of mine went, as a condition of employment. I had tried selling it to him for years but he had no interest. To my surprise, he LOVED the course and set about to recruit. He even attended a second time, at his own expense. That the lgat CONverted [i:1235e7d6c6]him[/i:1235e7d6c6] was a clue to the strange power of lgats.

Everything you witnessed was carefully constructed to con and control you. Group psychology is masterfully manipuated so that you'll "see the light".

skeptic

Note the vote at the top of this thread.

Quote
The_Trooper

Following the tesimonials, the guests were ushered into separate rooms and, I'm sure, given the sales pitch. Our FL then, in fifteen minutes, summarized our three days. I think it was at this point that I "popped." Everything just made of sense to me. I could link a number of events in my childhood and andolesence (a number of which I had not thought of in years) and link them to the strong suits and rackets of my adulthood. I felt that some burden had been lifted off my shoulders. I felt more at peace with myself.

When the "high" wears off and you begin to perceive some of the foul-smelling hypocrisy, you might want to take a look at Conway and Siegelman's excellent book, "Snapping; America's Sudden Epidemic of Personality Change." It was written back in the 1970s and it discusses what you've described above as "popping." Werner Erhard used to tell people he "blew their minds," and though they took this to be a good thing, the old slickster didn't mean it that way. I don't think the newer editions of the book contain the references to "est," but my original edition does and features "est" on the cover. (You may be aware that the authors were sued, as was Margaret Singer, for including est/Landmark in their books about cults. Landmark did and does have plenty of money to devote to pursuing critics and they are following the dictates of L. Ron Hubbard to this day.)


Ellen

Something to consider, also: THE TROOPER has been a member since Jun 14 2005 ( a year and a half ) but has not posted until this experience?

Posts: 15

fishy.

It seems to me that Landmark is trying a new PR campaign these days.
Its a soft-sell technique.
They put Landmark out as being "controversial" but don't make many strong statements either way.
They also put forward people who claim they are not going to take any more courses, etc, and that Landmark didn't mean much to them...

It all seems to me more of the "get the suckers into the tent" strategy, where the scammers know if you can get them into the tent/seminar by saying anything, then you can work on them properly. This is why Landmark has the "free" night, to get the suckers into the tent.

But I do agree Landmark is doing 'group psychotherapy' without a license.

But what makes me suspicious about all this, is not one word is mentioned about all of the Thought Reform type of techniques being used by Landmark on people.
Also, this guy claims to have been very detached during the Landmark LGAT, and had pre-knowledge of some of the tricks.
For people who are more suggestible, and too trusting, Landmark sinks their teeth right into their jugulars, and can take hold of their lives.
Just like Werner Erhard did/does with his acolytes.