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Sonnie-dee, since you have done Landmark, how do you see it is effecting your life right now? What is positive, what is negative?
Maybe others would like to shine their light on this too.

Landmark still has a fairly big impact on my life unfortunately. I don't think it is possible to have been involved in it as much as I was and not have it impact your life.

Some of the biggest impacts are in regards to how I view myself. My self confidence actually took a massive dive, constant coaching and belittling by landmark forum leaders, seminar leaders and others who just felt they had to right to do so left me feeling like I was the biggest piece of crap on the earth.

At the time I resigned our centre was doing very badly as a result of some negative articles and radio shows. I was constantly told the lack of people registering was a result of who I was being. I was also told that I was covertly hostile which looking back I probably was but it was a result of being so tense and worried all the time.

When you get involved in landmark it becomes your life, you give up friendships, things you enjoy, your life essentially and it takes a long time to rebuild it when you leave.

I am lucky that I had some friends who never ditched me completely even though I was a horrible person to be around for quite a while there. They are really the ones who have helped me move on with my life.

good things I got from landmark are very hard to define. I think some of the technology in the forum is good to think about and use in your life but that stuff is common sense and could be found in a lot of books.

some of the other good stuff is because of the negatives, i.e. landmark taught me to deal well with stress beacuse the level of stress they put on me was unbeleivable.

Landmark taught me to get up in front of a crowd and not get stage fright but I could have learned that in toastmasters.

Sonnie-dee, how right you are!
Boy can I handle stress! People in my surroundings wonder how I do this... I could reveal the secret but maybe they get tempted to go the same path. :wink: Today I had a particular hectic, and very stressful day (loved one is very ill) - but I still handle all tasks that need to be done, and it seems effortless. :?

I never heard Landmark teaching anything regarding handling stress. I guess that's just a bonus. :D :P

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I never heard Landmark teaching anything regarding handling stress. I guess that's just a bonus.

Yeh, a bonus derived from surviving the nature of the program. In order to survive the extreme burden placed on you by landmark, at every aspect of your life; the emotional, physical, psychological, spiritual, social, and financial, you obviously managed to cope without experiencing a debilitating psychotic episode/breakdown.
In essence, "what didn't kill you, made you stronger". The excessive stress you gained strength from, is likely the same stress that contributes to, or causes, the emotional and psychological breakdowns we hear so much about, in forum participants with less ability to fight.
The end result: The perception/realization that normal, non-landmarkian, life is no where near as difficult and impossible to live, as landmark makes it out to be. So really, when they are spewing the sales pitch "we have the secret to happiness, success ....blah, blah, blah...", they should actually be saying, "if you think life is difficult, confusing, and stressful now, you should try out landmark education!" And that would be the truth.

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mazellan
I notice that a lot of people here haven't done any Landmark courses, yet have very strong opinions that 'everything' that Landmark teaches is 'bad'.

I'd suggest that before you completely dismiss the 'teaching', you do the Forum. I'd actually like to do it again myself, but this time looking closely at the way they manipulate people. It would make an interesting research project. I haven't yet worked out how to protect myself from the mind control. I wonder if tin foil wrapped tightly around my head would work?
:D

G'day Mazellan,

I don't think a person needs firsthand experience to have strong opinions. For instance, on the surface, my firsthand experience of Landmark came from attending an Intro Night. I was invited by 'loved' ones and, at first, I was kind of excited to see what the hullabaloo was about. Admittedly, I had already developed a bad taste in my mouth from the hysterical phone calling done by these 'loved' ones, but I was willing to suspend judgement because I valued these 'loved' ones.

Well, I tried to be neutral. Immediately, it just didn't feel right (whatever that means) - I thought I'd landed on Planet Mormon ... all those smiling faces and suits and name tags and regimented order and ...

Anyway, although my firsthand experience was limited, I continue to experience the affect it has on my 'loved' ones. Their new inability to discuss the sorts of things we used to discuss. In many ways my relationship with these 'loved' ones has become estranged. Now, I'm seen as arrogant, self-serving and completely ignorant - because I haven't done the Forum. Give me a break! I don't have to join the army or a political party or an orthodox religion to have a strong view based on observation, reason and a fair dose of common sense.

And I don't think you have to swim into the belly of a whale to know what lurks inside ... there are other, safer methods. Besides, there seem to plenty of honest testimonials floating around to give enough hints to what lurks within Landmark ...

BTW, the tin foil and other paraphenalia would work. I reckon they'd let you through the door and not even mention mental instability. To this kit you'd also have to include a bed pan.

As this thread implies that Landmark has some (if not, many) redeeming qualities, would someone please list what they consider Landmark's positive contribution to education and/or life management?

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As this thread implies that Landmark has some (if not, many) redeeming qualities, would someone please list what they consider Landmark's positive contribution to education and/or life management?

"A good tree bears good fruit, a bad tree bears bad fruit"...What are LE's roots made of? If LE bears good fruit, why is its fruit so poisonous?

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ON2 LF

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As this thread implies that Landmark has some (if not, many) redeeming qualities, would someone please list what they consider Landmark's positive contribution to education and/or life management?

"A good tree bears good fruit, a bad tree bears bad fruit"...What are LE's roots made of? If LE bears good fruit, why is its fruit so poisonous?

it all starts after the first course when landmark wants to get something from you. Evidently there has been some good things happening during the forum as participants get results. But now it is time for landmark to collect on that favour. And their demand is hugely out of proportion. They now own your life they think - and all your possible recruits.

It is the way Werner Erhard made the empire to work. Give them something that makes them feel they owe bigtime.

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As this thread implies that Landmark has some (if not, many) redeeming qualities, would someone please list what they consider Landmark's positive contribution to education and/or life management

I got some positive things out of landmark but went through hell to get it so I would not recommend landmark to anyone. They have no positive contribution to education or life management other then the fact that I can deal with large stress volumes easier simply because nothing has come close to the stress I dealt with at landmark.

To me landmark is almost like dealing with a disease that threatens your life. When you survive you realise you are stronger then you thought. But you wouldn't wish the dealing with the illness on anyone.

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sonnie_dee

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As this thread implies that Landmark has some (if not, many) redeeming qualities, would someone please list what they consider Landmark's positive contribution to education and/or life management

I got some positive things out of landmark but went through hell to get it so I would not recommend landmark to anyone. They have no positive contribution to education or life management other then the fact that I can deal with large stress volumes easier simply because nothing has come close to the stress I dealt with at landmark.

To me landmark is almost like dealing with a disease that threatens your life. When you survive you realise you are stronger then you thought. But you wouldn't wish the dealing with the illness on anyone.

I agree fully - after you have been through the enormous stress that landmark inflicts on you life seems to be a breeze after you get out.
But how can a life so stressful be a world that works for everyone I wonder?

I guess as sonnie_de said (i think in an earlier post) every staff member has to do the equivalent of 7 jobs if they cant enroll assistants do their work for them. If they should succeed to get 7 assistants probably the center manager would find more things to put on the staff members shoulders.

[quote="mazellan] I'd actually like to do it again myself, but this time looking closely at the way they manipulate people. It would make an interesting research project.[/quote]
If you think going back to the Forum would be "fun" or "interesting", you must not understand that the Forum leader is using one technique after another to destroy the defenses of vulnerable people. Many people do not psychologically survive this mental assault.
Would it be an "interesting research project" to watch a guy beat old ladies on a bus? I can't imagine you really understand the abuse you have witnessed, otherwise as the decent person I assume you are, you would not be casually considering going back and just sitting there and watching this abuse.