Does anyone wish to share opinions on the Association for Christian Character Development (ACCD) and their Breakthrough, One Accord and GAP - LGATs?

From looking at the website, this group looks at the very least, a high demand organisation.

There appears to be a "high demand for purity" within this group.

From the website: [www.associationforchristiancharacterdevelopment.org]
The Momentus Series-Breakthrough Training, developed by Daniel Tocchini, produced by the Association for Christian Character Development, (ACCD) is a powerful and life changing experience.
The Breakthrough Training, a part of the Momentus Series, is founded on the premise that God has created us to live meaningful and rewarding lives, regardless of circumstances, happenstance, and the wayward times in which we all have lived.

Hmmm

The testimonies show examples of existential concepts whereby people believe that they can make choices and design their life accordingly. Its all Me, Me, Me - typical of LGATs.

Swimmer - What is your interest in this?

Oz

According to the article on this website there is a Lifespring connection.

[www.equip.org]
“LIFESPRING” FOR CHRISTIANS?
MOMENTUS AND MASHIYACH MINISTRIES
ATTRACT FOLLOWERS AND CONTROVERSY
Daniel Tocchini’s Mashiyach1 Ministries, best known for its Momentus Training Seminars, has launched into the general trade book market with the publication of Killing the Victim before the Victim Kills You, authored by Tocchini and his two close associates, Derek Watson and Larry Pinci."


AND

"Mashiyach Ministries has received considerable criticism from secular and Christian religious movement researchers, both for its roots in the New Age human potential group Lifespring, and for its assumptions and practices that critics say are contrary to social and mental health and to sound biblical principles of discipleship and personal growth. In addition to noting widespread reports of personal dissatisfaction and church division, the Christian Research Institute observed in an interim statement that “a number of principles embraced and promoted by the Human Potential movement (in particular Lifespring) have been carried over into Momentus Training Seminars under a thin veneer of Christianese.”2 Secular sources such as the Los Angeles Times3 and the Santa Rosa (California) Press Democrat4 also note personal and church reports of dissatisfaction as well as its similarities to the human potential movement."

[b:de2931f02c]Additional info:[/b:de2931f02c]
[www.equip.org]

[b:de2931f02c]And an indepth report on it's course structure with some good referencing:[/b:de2931f02c]
[ex-ces.faithweb.com]


[b:de2931f02c]Relatedness to other LGATs, refer to this thread: [/b:de2931f02c]
Listing of LGATs and their founders
[board.culteducation.com]


Oz

Does anyone out there have new info on the ACCD training? Although it's new and improved it continues to use the same techniques and emotional torment as did Momentus training.

I would love to see comments from family members who have observed those that have graduated from the course.

So far what I see isn't impressive. Seems to be completely contrary to the bible.

Love is patient and kind. Yelling at people and pointing out their faults is a very bad idea and even damaging.

This is copied from another thread but gives important information....

Listing of LGATs and their founders new
Posted by: Concerned Oz ()
Date: November 12, 2004 05:14AM

The following is a list from the website below which may help in investigating the origins of particular groups.

The writer links these groups to the Esalen Institute in Big Sur California.
I am not endorsing the viewpoint of the writer in its full text, (I have not read it all yet), but am acknowleging the relatedness of the LGATs to each other and their founders as factual.

[www.talkaboutreligion.com].


- Silvan Mind Control (1966, Jose Silva)

- Mind Dynamics(1968, Alexander Everett)

- Leadership Dynamics (1970, William Penn Patrick)

- EST (1971, Werner Erhard from Esalen and Scientology)

- LifeStream Personal Growth Seminars (1973, Jim Quinn from Mind Dynamics, Janet Quinn)

- PSI World Seminars (1973, Thomas Willhite from Mind Dynamics, Jane Willhite) [board.culteducation.com]

- Lifespring - San Jose (1974, Bob White, Randy Revell, Charlene Afremow from EST, John Hanley)

- Life Dynamics-Japan (1976, Bob White from Lifespring, Duncan Callister)

- Actualizations Education Seminars (1977, Stewart Emery from EST)

- Insight Seminars (1977, John-Roger, Russell Bishop from Lifespring)

- Inward Bound (1977, Alexander Everett of Mind Dynamics)

- Context Training (1978, Randy Revell from Lifespring, Judy Revell, Phil Holcomb)

- Life Training - Kairos Foundation(1979 (Roy Whitten and Brad Brown from EST)

- Sterling Institute (1979, Justin Sterling from EST)

- Trimtab Fund in Ottawa (1981, Val Scott from EST, Actualizations, Lifespring)

- Impact Training (1985, Hans Berger and John Webb from Lifespring)

- New Warrior Training (1986, Robert Bly from Sterling Institute, Ron Hering, Bill Kauth, Rich Tosi)

- Pathways - Temenos (1986, Carole Kammen and Jodi Gold from Actualizations)

- Resource Realizations (1988, David Gilcrease from Lifespring)

- Lifespring in Russia (1989, John Hanley, Candace Hanley, Svetlana Chumakov which split in two in 1995, up to seven companies in 1997)

- Landmark Forum and Landmark Education Seminars LES (1991, Werner Erhard of EST)

- Integral Transformative Practice - ITP (1992, George Leonard and Michael Murphy from Esalen, finally getting in on the flood of revenue they started)

- AsiaWorks (1993, Jim Cook, Amelia Davis), is linked with
- ArgentinaWorks,
- ChileWorks (Gabriel Nosevich from Lifespring),
- WorldWorks ... formerly Lifespring DC (Lisa Kalman and Gabriel Nosevich from Lifespring),
- The Legacy Center ... formerly Lifespring North Carolina,
- Essential Education ... formerly Lifespring Florida, and also
- Humanus Institute - Formerly Lifespring Chicago

- Landmark Forum in Russia (1993, Werner Erhard)

- Momentus - Association of Christian Character Development (1994, Daniel Tocchini from Lifespring) [board.culteducation.com]

- Phoenix 2000 (1995, Mike McKeon and Martha Borst from Lifespring, Jaimes McNeal), is linked with
- Vistar/Serendipity (Ray Blanchard and Betty Spruill from Lifespring) and also
- LifeDesign Education (Janet Beasley)

- UltraMind ESP System (1997, Jose Silva of Silvan Mind Control)

.... and finally, these movements influenced and trained the trainers for Scientology (this was a two-way sharing of training).[/color:e4b08ddf2f]



Oz

In reading other posts on this site, I found one that summarized the experience that appears to be accurate and common from Lifespring. This is what ACCD does with a Christian twist. Communion, (loud) Christian songs and confessions.

It was written on June 15, 2010

An LGAT experience can be summarized as following a three step
pattern.

1) Psychological breakdown/opening up the subconscious mind.

2) Catharsis or the releasing of repressed emotions usually caused by
interpretations of childhood events.

3) A rebirthing or psychological buildup with processes designed to make participants
feel good about themselves, the trainer and the course.


If any of you out there disagree, then this is your chance to clarify and make an argument why this is helpful in the Christian circles.

Many have felt helped but only to experience more depression as the weeks and months go by.

This is about me me me. Not Christ. Many have felt the Church has neglected the pain and suffering of their congregations and therefore men like Tocchini is doing everyone a favor.

I don't get it. Someone please explain. I want to be fair if this is what is needed in the church but something doesn't seem right.

This field of medicine is regulated and ACCD seems to be crossing the line.

If you want to see the connection between Breakthrough training from ACCD and Scientology then watch the documentary "Transformation"

Interesting stuff.

At times Werner Erhard appears to be a sympathetic guy. Did he mean to hurt people? Probably not, but POWER and MONEY can be dangerous. Same with Tocchini.

Bringing these techniques into churches are not good. Judge for yourself.

It's amazing that this group is alive and well and going after church members.

I wish more people would post here about their experience because it is helpful for others to read.

Although I use my first name, most people don't use their names. It's easy to sign up and post.

Some things are worth fighting for!

Please do your research before attending any 4 day seminar that claims to be able to transform your life.

Thank you all for posting here. The posts are somewhat old, so I am hoping they are still read and I can get more information on Revenant Training developed by Daniel Tocchini, founder of Blood & Ethos, founder of Momentus/Breakthrough, formerly of LifeSpring (and many, many other enterprizes) I had no idea what a cult was until someone close to me entered a residential rehab, Crossing The Jordan in Santa Rosa, California. This rehab was founded by Michael & Dana Bryant. They are partnered with Daniel Tocchini. The curriculum follows the Revenant Training and includes an event called Intrepid, which I will touch on below. Michael Bryant served a lengthy prison term for vehicle theft and insurance fraud. According to Mchael Bryant, his wife Dana robbed nine banks. In my research, and I am by no means a skilled researcher, I have found what many would certainly see as a completely brilliant vehicle to make a goodly amount of money at the expense of people who are surely at the most vulnerable point in their lives -- the price for them is dangerously high. The expense to tax-payers is probably pretty heft, as well.

And so I was pressured to attend a four-day training course, given by Daniel Tocchini, having no idea what it entailed, as no one could explain it to me, though I had asked many people and many times. I did, however, decide it was in the best interest of a continued relationship with the person I am close with, who is in residence at this drug rehab, to attend. I was told to lie about psychiatric medication I take and having been in marriage counseling previously.

This experience stands out as the most unbelievable event of my life. I was chastised. I was bullied, I was called names, I was singled out, I was expected to share intimate details of my life. Unethical and unprofessional would be a gross understatement. Four of the female staff members were embarrasingly and obviously throwing themselves at my husand. Dan Tocchini whispered several times in my ear telling me how beautiful I am, and intelligent, too, says he. In passing, Daniel Tocchini is a self-described misogynist. I have since been removed from their contact list, but they continue to communicate with my husband. I have no knowledge as to why I have been cast out as a failure, nor would I particularly give a fig under other circumstances, but my family is not their toy (I say this for a reason -- a damn scary reason;) people's lives and relationships are no game and a moral, ethical line has been crossed. I was assured prior to the training, as any normal person would expect, that conversations were confidential, but information has been shared and I am, in fact, no longer in the same communication with the person I am writing about. The training and subsequent and exceptionally strange interaction with the Blood & Ethos and Crossing The Jordan staff and residents is destroying my marriage and my life is collapsing. But at the end of it all, my very real fear is for this person. This person is my child.

Which brings me to Intrepid. Intrepid is an event which is part of the curriculum of Crossing The Jordan Rehab. As described to me by Michael Bryant, this is a four-day event designed to test the resident's resolve in pursing their "transformation". It is a staggering psychological and physical task involving sleep and sensory deprevation, a physical fight to victory with a peer-opponent whom they have grown especially close to, and then being taken by boat to an island in the San Francisco Bay, dropped in the water and expected to swim to shore. This will take place in mid-January.

I fear for my child's life -- there is a history of four suicide attempts, psychiatric hospitalizations, psychiatric drugs, mental unstability. I do not believe Intrepid, nor any of this reabilitation curriculum, should be even remotely considered for anyone with this background.

Obviously, as you all know, there is so very much more. I am looking for any advice/contacts/knowledge I can get. At this point, I am thinking I need to hire an attorney or some sort of expert quickly so that Intrepid is not carried out in mid-January (2019.). Ironically, I found this site roughly the same time I was scanning the book "Cult Fiction" by Daniel Tocchini -- Rick Ross is spoken of, and not favorably, in Tocchini's book.

Thank you all for taking the time to read this. Thank you for any guidance you can proivide

Gwen:

Momentus has a troubled history and is an LGAT (large group awareness training).

See [cultsinsideout.com]

This book has two chapters specifically about LGATs like Momentus, which can help you to sort through the issues. It is carefully researched with extensive footnotes and bibliography.

I am sorry to learn of your situation.