Hi all

A recent graduate of the Landmark forum I can say that the course that were beneficial to me that have helped with certain aspects of my life to get back on track.

The account below is based on personal observations and experiences which may or may not reflect everyone's experience but I had to have a laugh hence the posting.

This is to be viewed as satirical...

Dear Diary

Day 1 - The Forum Starts - or gee 12 hours is a long time to listen to waffle!

Arrived early receive complimentary prison id...opps sorry I meant name card which was to become a close and personal friend of mine...with zer klear, implicitz instructions zat it must be on your person at all times in prominent place....to be handed in at breaks and dinner...I did think about using the cardholder pin to pierce it through my forehead but as I fear pain and blood decided that the lapel of my jacket would have to do

This was followed by a complimentary but artificial welcome to "Landmark" with the kind of "tired" smile that ought to have been upgraded or exchanged a long time ago.

It was this point I heard the cash register go "ka-ching...sucker!"

Chatted to fellow participants who seem to be here for a variety of different reasons but uncertain as to what to expect nor could anyone give an explanation as to what the forum was about except that they had "heard about it".

Time to start the forum, all file into the room going "baaa! baa!" past the "yellow tag badge guard brigade" like sheep not sure which one was the judas that lead us in. Ah well, sit back and see what they have to offer.

Room

Chairs are in rows in a semi-circle around a rise platform and appeared to be spaced out with precise measurement. Hitler would have been proud at such discipline, regimentation and order.

Either side of the platform there are two boards stating the Landmark Forum's aims when I read them initially while waiting for das leader to make a grand entry, I was starting to think I was becoming dyslexic (which I was once but have since over come) or someone in landmark has a serious problem with grammar!

The aims might as well have said "stop you are now entering the Russian Sector all passes to be shown" .

What a load of bollocks "have attained your gotten" what on earth does that mean....or to inspire,move and motivate others ...ahh huh...not terribly inspired by the gobble-de-goek on the boards but the moved and motivated part to get out of the place was there.

Room is devoid of any plants or colour, microphones are set up so that people can as the forum progresses "share their real or imagined dysfunctional behaviour,attitudes in life and how mean they have been to people vice versa". Hmm interesting.

Only things missing are the dogs, searchlights and barbed wire.

Das Leader

Looked like one of the participants except she sat up on the raised platform like one of those school mistresses of old that watched out for misbehaviour. Voice leave a lot to be desired not sure whether I can listen to that for 12/72hrs??

Note: buy glasses with paper cutouts of eyes glued to lenses at least you can "fall asleep" but look alert and interested perhaps the yellow badge tag brigade won't see my covert operation in non-participation.

The forum basically is about "conversations" that are one way streets, challenging anything that was said by das lader was verboten! Dissension was quickly shutdown...obviously thinking was not allowed not in the critical sense.

Breaks times were adhered to like a Swiss timetable for trains, (every 2-3 hours) toilet breaks would mean you would have missed out on your gotten.

I wonder if "gotten renal failure" is one of the aims of the forum? Sorry mate if I need to go I need to go try and stop me.

The yellow tag badge brigade watched everyone like a hawk, secretly writing notes, muttering to each other and enjoy marking people late.

....last time I had gone through this was when I as junior school....

For people that are supposed to be disciples of Landmark that they looked happy or smiled much, I thought the truth would set them free looked like it ended up depressing them even more.

Next 12 hours were the long and boring, uninspired garbbage I have ever heard in my life. Das leader liked to talk and talk and talk and talk...no wonder she's single no man could live through that.

If you like talking so much why not just sit in a room by yourself and spare 85 people the agony of your company.

HIGHLIGHT of day *DINNER BREAK*
DOWNSIDE of day *HAVING TO LISTEN TO MORE OF THE SAME*

Return and collect tag off table - most have returned - not the only insane one.

Went home grumpy...note to self ...sod the forum.

ROFLMAO!

BTW...did you "get" your renal failure?

Guy

Hi Guy

I got my "get" and it was a relief in more ways then one.

Happy in the knowledge that my contribution has provided a smile.

Realising of course that it was in no way intended to demean or be flippant about the real problems and concerns that others have had in conjunction to Landmark.

Dafellah

Sure do have to find your sense of humour after being at a forum it was just a pity I had not done a more research about them (like this web site) before signing up.

In hindsight, I now can distinguish and discern what are helpful non-threatening personal development courses and ones like Landmark.

I have, since attending discouraged several people out of "my gotten", and told them not to enrol or be tempted it just is not worth it.

In the last couple of days I have had to threaten them with making an official police complaint about harassment and misuse of the phone. Seems to be working but absolutely ridiculous that one is forced to take such action!

>>In the last couple of days I have had to threaten them with making an official police complaint about harassment and misuse of the phone. Seems to be working but absolutely ridiculous that one is forced to take such action!>>>>


Nothing like a little history to put things in perspective:

These sales tactics hark back to Werner Erhard's door-to-door, foot-in-the-door, high-pressure, emotionally manipulative, travelling salesman(woman) slickster-type, never-take-no-for-an-answer days peddling encyclopediae to parents. He took every advantage of the fear, concern, guilt, hope, and highest aspirations that parents feel for their children to get them to buy expensive books. (You can read about this, and the troubles his company got into in Steven Pressmans's book, "Outrageous Betrayal."


Ellen

I didn't experience those things. At my Forum, we were allowed to bring water to our seats.

Some people timidly asked if the AC could be turned down and their requests were met with some nonsense about how the people who run the forum know what works for most people, how they cannot adjust the thermostat to meet everyone's needs, blah, blah, blah. Within 15 minutes, however, the AC was turned down and many sighed a big sigh of relief. The interruption of the sighing, however, brought on another lecture from the leader.

What I found uncomfortable were the chairs and the lack of space between them. I'm small, and the people on either side of me were big. When we all sat back, I had their elbows in front of me. In order for this not to happen, they would have had to lean forward or turn in their chairs. So it was pretty uncomfortable.

What was the most infuriating thing for me was the lying about the schedule. I did not get out of that damned building before 12:30 a.m. on any of the weekend sessions of the Forum, one night it was after 1 a.m. When we finally had the 1-1/2 hour dinner break, since the building was in a corporate complex, there was no where to eat except for one place, a 20-minute drive away. So we had a 40 minute commute, 50 minutes to eat AND assignments that they expected us to do.

Hi there

Yes they controlled the ac at our forum as well, it was cold that I ended up wearing a jacket and I recall that most of us did were putting them on and taking them off throughout the sessions.

The temperature did fluctuate.

From what I recall it made concentration rather difficult, mind you listening to anyone for 12 continouous hours and who likes the sound of their own voice is hard going at the best of times.

They provided water coolers outside - we were only allowed one disposable cup each (I think that was to keep their cyborg accountant happy) and were told to write our names on it.

Others brought water bottles with them which caused a dilemma if you had to use the toilet during the "one way conversation talkfest" you were glared at for leaving the room.

Meal breaks were interesting being "encouraged" to go with others in a group. Being socialable is fine, nothing sinister in getting to know other participants, but when told you had to do an "assignment" or "discuss breakthroughs/possibilites" at dinner time was taking things to extreme.

The three different groups that I went to dinner with over the forum only one of group did what they were told, the others,like myself were just happy to talk about other subjects and have a nice meal.

There is no let up, its all about control, control, control!

I read a link on this site that was written by a former staffer of Landmark, very informative, lengthy article as to how Landmarkian Drones set up and control the forum, participants space, temperature,layout and environment.

Do any of the more senior members of this site know the article I am talking about ?

If you do can you provide the link here?

Thanks