Jack,
I know of one person who did est, then Harmony, and one who did Harmony and is now heavily involved in Landmark. He states the reason he is doing Landmark is because of the number of courses, because you can take them for years. Which begs the question: when do you get to go out and live your real life?
He has posted a good bit here:
[
www.papergame.com]
(Just a warning for those who might want to post on that forum, they only allow warm fuzzies for these things, nothing negative)
Both say that Harmony is more about emotions where Landmark is more about your head. Whatever. Harmony is based very closely on the Lifespring model founded by two lifespring trainers, and follows it almost exactly from what I understand.
Looking at the comments that people make regarding LGATS, (those who say positives) that stand out for me, one is that people are never done. Even when their own courses are finished, they keep going back. Landmark seems to take advantage of that by developing more courses, others by the endless volunteer opportunites that they claim "really are the fourth level of training". You yourself did est, stayed with it for a number of years, from what you write left somewhat disapointed, but now are back in Landmark, with mixed emotions. What is the fix for you? I don't get why you still need it. You seem to recognize the manipulation and other aspects that bother you, why are you still fascinated by it? If you really did benefit from the experience, why aren't you done?
Do you know people who take it too far the way I do? My boyfriend came home from Harmony in the middle of a manic episode, a huge bruise on his chest, raving like a lunatic. I've known at least two marrages end, one come very close, and three or four committed relationships get tossed as soon as one comes back from Harmony. I got hit with the "if you don't go to Harmony, I don't think we can stay together", as have others I know. We got into this mess because of a group of people who mentored each other in business. The one thing we noticed was that if anything, those who when to Harmony had their business suffer, not improve.
I've not seen anything to be happy about from either Harmony or Landmark. It's easy for me to hear the pain in all the ugly stories because I lived it too. When I hear the "success stories" I see through them to the faces of the mindless zombies of the converts I know. I wonder from your standpoint what you think of those who feel their lives were completely torn because of Landmark. I wonder how you calculate the risks for people you recruit. Has anyone you signed up ever finished the forum and made some stupid drastic decisions? Have your own relationships suffered because of the jargon and the reality you create not meshing with the one they are living in?
I know you are trying to see both sides, and if you get upset that it seems you are being attacked for defending LEC, you must understand that the people here generally have been hurt by their experience with these things. I tried really hard to see some good in what my honey had gone through. As much as he'd tried to convince me, I tried to believe. I couldn't convince myself though. I saw nothing in him post Harmony that was even close to anything I wanted in my life.
In the end, it was another of our friends who was about to fly to Utah to attend Harmony that snapped him out of his delusion. He said later that the pain of knowing what they were going to do was greater than the pain of admitting that he was living a lie. And so he began in his words, to "wake up."
It was then that he told me the real truth of what they did to him. I still really don't think I've truely processed it. According to another friend who dropped out after the second level, it gets even worse. That people walk around talking about what an "amazing, wonderful" experience they've had astounds me. That's where the manipulation comes in. They do these terrible things to you and convince you that you like it. Amazing.
So forgive me Jack, because I can't help but think of you as being somewhat deluded because of the manipulation you've been subjected to. If you think you are better off because of it, then so be it. Good for you. But why do you have to keep going back?