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Rswinters
1. Breaking down phase which involves mentally, emotionally, and physically.
2. Retraining and building up stage with Marine Corp philosophy and standards in mental, emotional, and physical standards.
3. I can't remember the last stages name. But its basically a polishing stage of these parts of a marines mental, emotional, and physical elements to what give the man the means to succeed in the Marine Corp life.
It's called "freezing," in other words making the changes as fixed and permanent, as stubborn and resistant, and as closely held as the original aspects of personality that the individual arrived with. And yes, you are right -- the Marine Corps and other elite military groups use the same tactics for the reasons that they work. There are major differences, deception being front and center, however. You might be interested to read Margaret Singer's, "Why the Marine Corps is Not a Cult."
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Basically, LGAT's are no different in how they operate. The breakdown stage or seminar is what opens a person to the LGAT's philosophy.
Who would not want to change their life when they are confronted with how destructive a belief is and how it is creating problems as I hang onto it.
We all have destructive beliefs within us, and LGAT's have found methods to make us face them in a breakdown fashion that is very powerful and overwhelming when experiencing it.
Only catch is this though. Because of this breakdown we are like a blank sheet in our psyche and prone to buying into the belief system of the company not doubting it since they made us face ourselves in such a powerful manner.
This is where I think the Attorney General has a legal case with LGAT's.
Because within the confines of a licensed professional psychiatrist that has years of medical training with peoples psyches this kind of a breakdown is healthy. They help you discover by slowly working with you in discovering what is emotionally healthy and sound within the context of yourself, and living in relationship with others.
LGAT's are creating this breakdown that is undeniably powerfully proven to be where people turn of their brains and embrace these tools with a strong application that is entrenched in narcissism, and hedonism philosophy driving the fast paced delivery of using these tools.
The tools are tools and I don't argue this. What I do see is these tools are delivered within a context formed from humanism, narcissism, and hedonism belief and philosophy at its core.
In proof reading my post here. I remember Brian Klemmer is a West Point graduate, and served in military for some years. As I look at how he has created his company, and how he delivers his LGAT philosophy to participants in his seminars. As I am processing the boot camp process that I went through in the Marine Corp that still affects my life with both good and bad in regards to how I interact with other people in my life.
How I needed to be to be a Marine that would be able to survive in a war zone, is not necessarily the best way to be with people in the civilian world. I have been out 20 years and still run into relational aspects that I was engrained with in the military.
So this very known and effective process of being broken down, retrained, and polishing process that takes place in LGAT's is very much something to be addressed in our society by the Attorney General.
What you've written is very interesting. I'd like to recommend Alexander Lowen's little book "Narcissism," to you in which he talks about the necessity of essential narcissism in combat. Also, David Grossman's, "On Killing," if you haven't read it.
Ellen