Hi - I have been lurking for the past few days, and it is time to post.

Me and my girlfriend (let's call her for the purposes of this discussion Jen) were going through some relationship trouble and the girl got sucked (by a convincing co-worker) into PSI Basic. That was 3 weeks ago. Comes back, says how much she loves me and that we are splitting-up and she will be leaving town in a couple of weeks ( a weeks ago she left indeed).

Jen had all the classic signs of having found new life, new friends, new goals; trying to signup everybody for PSI etc. And the ubiquitous answer that she can't talk about the seminar.

So two weeks (is that like a world record or what) after the PSI Basic she leaves for the PSI Seven seminar at the High Valley Ranch where she's at right now, till Saturday Feb-28.

In the meantime her family is going crazy with fear. In her last phone call Jen tells them that she is going to the Ranch and that she won't be able to call for a week. When asked what will she be doing there and what was it she was doing in the initial Seminar, she just gives the usual answer you will hear from any PSI-head ad nausea: "Can't tell you, because you would have preconceived notion". But you should see for yourself and sign up .... etc, the usual sales pitch (do they get those two things - the secrecy and the sales pitch) into their head under hypnosis? However they do it, very effective.

I have now reasonable understanding what went on in the PSI Basic 4 day course and the usual LGAT curriculum. On the other hand, I can find only very little regarding the higher stage - the PSI Seven and the PSI Leaders. I understand that it incorporates some outdoor Fear Factor type activities and a more intense version of the PSI/LGAT brainwash.

We are concerned how she will pull through it since she has a lot of issues from the past, and an extremely high family risk for suicide, is very nice but fairly gullible (perfect target for the PSI boys) and put the PSI Seven course on her credit card ($3200). They will probably work their magic while she is at the Ranch and try to sign her up for the next level - $4000.

If anybody knows more about the PSI Seven and the PSI Leaders seminar, I would be grateful.

Also - lotsa posts here regarding Landmark, few about PSI. Why is that? It has been around since the 70's...

Thanks
Snailster

Thanks, GC4062!
Interestingly, Rick’s database does not have a separate entry or link for PSI, although search of his website contains number of documents that do mention PSI. It has been around for a while, since the 70‘s.

Here is the info I was able to find regarding PSI:

Personal experiences:
[www.ripoffreport.com]

One reference regarding PSI and generally a great article regarding LGAT:
[www.culteducation.com]

PSI webpage:
[www.psiseminars.com]

What I found are mostly tidbits about PSI in the context of LGAT.

PSI Basic - 4 days, $350

PSI Seven - 7 days, $3250

PSI Women's Leadership - 9 days, $4000

After that, if you haven't quit your job yet, you're free to do so and start volunteering full time.

Corboy - the Psi Tech may be unrelated to Psi Seminars - that's my impression from looking at the website, not sure. The concept sounds somewhat off the wall, though, so you never know...

There is a lot of information on PSI over at alt.fan.landmark

Just Google within the group.



Ellen

I did PSI 7 and Women's Leadership. I am embarrassed to admit that I actually went back and staffed. After your girlfriend has done the basic most of the stuff on the web won't phase her. What I have read on the web about PSI that is negative just isn't going to ring true for her. Some of the stuff you can find on the web is just rants from pissed off people and contains misinformation. I read it and felt that the writer was making stuff up to scare people that just didn't happen. However, I have experienced PSI Seminars and will tell you DON"T GO. Stop immediately. Your money is much better spent just about anywhere else. Go buy lots of candy! You will be better off.

If you have seen the awareness page on the web there is an outline of the PSI 7 course. It is under success course..........here is the link.
This is exactly what they do at PSI 7. The facilatators move the class from one exercise to the next pretty quickly. The students go from emotional high to emotional low like a rollercoaster. It is all planned that way. Going back and staffing I saw that the facilatators play a role just like in a play. They say EXACTLY the same things for each exercise at each PSI 7. It is highly orchestrated [i:6328f6157b]to produce a specific result[/i:6328f6157b] . "GET MORE STUDENTS".

It is not about the students creating results in their lives, although PSI Seminars will be happy to take credit for any results that your girlfriend creates in her life. Just watch for her to say something like" I could never have done this without my experience at PSI" Call her on her bullshit immediately. Tell her that she needs to take responsibility for what she has created in her life and stop giving the credit to PSI.

Your girlfriend can call you if she wants to. There is a phone at the ranch. She will have several opportunities to call. You can call the ranch and say it's an emergency and they will have her call you back asap. I don't believe that PSI Seminars would qualify as a cult. She can leave if she wants to, the peer pressure is enourmous to stay involved.

Anyway the main reason I am against PSI Seminars is because the leadership are not adequately trained in anything about psychology. THEY ARE SALES PEOPLE. They are all about getting you to sign up for the next course, to get you to enroll your friends and family, end of story. They will use unethical tactics to get you to do what they want. Most of the exercises at PSI will get the students worked up emotionally. It may very well be mass hypnosis. I am not an expert in that area, but my experience was of being in a very open and trusting emotional state. PEOPLE ARE VERY SUGGESTIBLE IN THAT STATE. The facilitators will take advantage of students in that state. They will use students to get their own needs met. That was my experience and I don't believe that anyone is safe from that abuse at the ranch. The facilitators play the role of caring, kind, understanding people, but they are not. What I witnessed was a clear lack of ethics and integrity in regards to behavior towards students.

You should ask your girlfriend to try and remember what was "suggested" to her. She will be told that the value she is creating in her life is because of her PSI experience. It will be suggested to her that she sincerely wants her family and friends to have this experience too. And they can only get it by enrolling in the seminars.

I would never enroll anyone into PSI Seminars.

Don't try to argue with any of her "cliches" e.g. "win-win", "integrity", "results", "Look,see,move", "responsibility", "Victim", etc. They really aren't bad concepts, but you don't need to go to PSI to learn them. I didn't hear one new thing at PSI that I didn't already know.

You will be doing her a favor to get her to see that what PSI Seminars really wants from her is to become their "unpaid" sales staff.

All and all I think that PSI Seminars and the like should be stopped. It is a pyramid scam that make the principles a lot of money.

Does anyone know of any laws about organizations like PSI? As far as I can see the seminar business if totally unregulated. Let the buyer beware!

yes the seminarr business is unregulated but no one is holdng a gun to anyoneshead to make them become an unpaid
staffer/slave.. In the case of my husband that was
volunteering until woke up, I think it made him feel
important to be a part of something- until he eventually realized that he was being abused and also realized all of his long /hard hours were benefiting the higher ups in his LGAT.

Amazing how many suckers there are out there.

Quote
liz
yes the seminarr business is unregulated but no one is holdng a gun to anyoneshead to make them become an unpaid
staffer/slave.. In the case of my husband that was
volunteering until woke up, I think it made him feel
important to be a part of something- until he eventually realized that he was being abused and also realized all of his long /hard hours were benefiting the higher ups in his LGAT.

Amazing how many suckers there are out there.

Indeed it is amazing. And you are right about the gun to the head concept, absolutely. People must decide for themselves. What they decide is the interesting part. :)

Best Regards,

Markus

Found wealth of info about PSI on FACTNET.ORG:

[www.factnet.org]

Snailster, What ever ended up happening with you and your girlfriend?

7 months later:

Snailster's ex GF seems to be still firmly submersed in the PSI World.
Do not have much contact with her anymore.

If there is any change in the future, will post it here.