Two weeks ago, I had vaguely heard about Landmark Education and other LGATs. Today, my family's lives are upside down. A family member recently "graduated" from the Landmark advanced seminar and subsequently suffered a serious psychotic break and had to be hospitalized. Let me be clear - this is someone who had absolutely no signs of ANY mental illness, no drinking, no drugs. Frankly, I've rarely met anyone as grounded, confident and full of life. Our collective jaws are on the floor, we are heartbroken, and I for one am mad as heck !!!

I hesitate to provide many details due to the fact that legal options are being discussed. I can tell you that I've spoken to doctors from Toronto to Seattle to New York City who are leaders in Psychiatry. All of them 100% attributed the psychotic break to Landmark's tactics.

My question is merely this - why is the general public not aware of this phenomenon? All of these doctors said they were very familiar with similar cases - psychotic breakdowns following Landmark sessions, NXVIUM sessions, etc! They weren't surprised at all to hear our story! They'd all heard it hundreds of times before.

Through reviewing the carefully-worded Landmark signup paperwork (you can see this too on their website), it's clear that they've painstakingly covered their butts legally to some degree (although this is not to say that all stipulations would hold up in a court of law). What they cannot control is victims approaching their local media. I urge ANYONE who has been victim (directly or indirectly) to call their local papers and TV stations and urge them to do a story.

I consider myself to be relatively educated and worldly - yet I'd never heard of the severe repercussions of Landmark and other LGAT's. It's unbelieveable how shrouded in secrecy all of this is.

If anyone has the contact name and number to 60 Minutes Australia - please post it here. I'm looking to contact them with my story and also discuss pitching it to 60 Minutes here in the US, as well other national shows and media outlets.

First I extend my condolences, its always heartbreaking to read these stories.

It is alarming that with all these Doctors and Therapists aware of the problem with LGAT technology that no attention is given in the media as to how damaging these groups can be.

You have the right idea though, its simple genious really, take it to the media, drag the beast out in public and reveal its ugly nature.

Hi Cousin2004,

I too am sorry to hear your story, a story allot of us here relate to so well. Landmark and other LGATs do need to be stopped.

You have requested the Austrlian 60 Minutes contact details so here they are including the relivent thread from here:

Kathryn Bonella - 60 Minutes Producer
Sydney, Australia
Phone: +61 2 9438-3433
email: kbonella@nine.com.au
website: [sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au]
(you will notice down the bottom of the page they are still requesting people to come forward with Landmark stories)

relivent thread:
[board.culteducation.com]

Please let us know how things progress and if we all here can be of assistance.

Oz

Hi there,

This was from the Autralian 60 Minutes website:


>>Have you been to a Landmark forum? 60 Minutes would like to hear

from anyone who has done a course with Landmark Education in
Australia. Please e-mail us, phone 02 9438 3433 or fax 02 9436

0527. "Bonella, Kathryn" <kbonella@nine.com.au> >>>


Also, "canadacat" is looking for someone to interview:

>>Hello,
I am doing research for an investigative news story on Landmark Forum in Canada. If you have been to a Canadian branch of Landmark, please contact me at the email below:
cstancl@ctv.ca

Thank you.
Catherine>>>

Quote
Templar
If that doesnt work, hire a gun. :twisted:

careful. if you say stuff like that, somebody might use that quote and take it out of context.

In reference to Cousin2004's story:

Quote
patrick-darcy
i would like to know if u can furnish us one little bit of information on your family member.

did this person fight the brainwash of landmark.

it seems that people who have breakdowns are many times the ones that are not as suceptible to landmarks tactics, which is very few people.

this could be relavant. maybe u could ask sometime in the future.

AND

Quote
patrick-darcy
yes my post was about the psychotic breaks.

i have no proof of this but i have thought for years that there are a few people that wont fall under landmarks spell and that these are the people that have the breakdowns.

i talked to one on a newsgroup and he said that he couldnt believe in God anymore because of landmark.

i have heard of others but havent had any contact with them.

[board.culteducation.com]

I think that there are many reasons for why some people have psychotic breaks and others do not.

Even though the person may be on an even keel prior to Landmark, if they have a sensitive and self reflective disposition, the confrontional approach of the LE psychological process may trigger them adversely, especially considering that their critical thinking has been dampened in the first day of the Forum.

For this to happen, I see three possible factors at play:
1. Critical thinking shut down;
2. Participant Ego abuse;
3. Participant is in a state of cognitive conflict internally.

Point 3 I can relate to my past. I refer to a time 13 years ago when one of my fellow participants exclaimed to me that when we die, we don't go to heaven but we become one with the cosmos. A sudden fear came over me that:
1. This must be true
2. That means my own personal identity will be lost forever.

The feelings of helplessness was overpowering. What I was experiencing was what is called an Existential Crisis. The framework for what I held to be true was shot down in pieces. An existential crisis can have the same affect as any other crisis triggered by a precipitating event - a traumatic car accident, loss of a loved one, destruction of the family home, loss of career etc.

At a deep level, a person who has a frame of reference or belief system that provides answers to the meaning of life experiences is presented with a sudden shift in meaning.

But why then do some Christians not have the conflict?:
I would take a stab at, that for ther to be an existential crisis, there must be still some critical thinking active to have this internal debate going on in the person's head. The ones who do not see the conflict and so are not in crisis, have their critical thinking turned off to a greater degree.

For example:
A Christian, Jew or Muslim may believe that when things go wrong, God will support me - this is a very strong meaning to existance.

Once the person goes into Landmark they are confronted with the philosophy of:
[i:49f08935ff]You are responsibile for everything in your life or, "I am it".[/i:49f08935ff]

This is quite a sudden shift in belief, one that I understand as enough to trigger an existential crisis and possible breakdown.

In the case of the clergy adopting LE philosophy, I think they are in denial of the conflict and they try and make the opposing belief system compliment each other to arrest there unease in conscience. I know I was in total denial about this.

Oz

i would like to add a possible fourth reason that people have
breakdowns.

i believe it is possible that in some instances that landmark
has intentionally broken the person down with the intent
of harming them.

if we look at the statistics, i believe its probably at least ninety
nine percent that a person that takes the forum will come out of it
with some form of landmark think.


i would like to know how many people that have taken the forum
under jinnendra jain had mental breakdowns.

of course that information wont be furnished by landmark.

when i took the forum, jennendra played a mental game with
me. fortunately i didnt attend the forum to get awareness
trained per se but i attened because i knew that the person
that had invited me there had some problems. i began with
an open mind. almost immediately i put up a mental barrier
it seems to what jinn was saying.

he was one of the filthiest mouthed people i had ever known.
i have read that landmark ditched the filthy talk when they
changed to landmark from est. apparently these coaches
that have been around landmark for awhile are quite versed
in est.

if u have people in your audience and i feel quite certain landmark
does its homework there, that may not be gotten by their
techniques, i believe there is another game started, one designed
to harm the person in case they dont come around to landmarks
way of thinking.

that is why i feel it would be quite enlightening for us to know if
possible any information the person that took the forum could
give.

it may seem rather bizarre and unbelievable but if we knew and with
my experience in the forum i believe we may be able to construct
what landmark does to people that they cant move them.

that would be some very important data and i have not seen any
of it yet.

hopefully this person can help us with information.

if the person tells us about some rather strange events that many
people would put aside as maybe their imagination, we may
find that it is not their imagination but landmarks way of winning.

we must always remember that this is a nasty mean game, designed
to make u or break u. this is mindgames.

Thanks you guys. To answer Oz & Patrick - He actually was really jazzed by Landmark Forum (the first course), although he questioned their tactics and expressed misgivings during and after the weekend. A month later, he was harrangued into taking the advanced course. He is indeed a very sensitive but also secure and confident. I think it is extremely possible that perhaps the psychosis was a result of "fighting" the tactics. Truth is, I really don't know. The good news is, he is visiting his new doctor for the first time tomorrow - - and this doctor has treated a handful of patients who have suffered this very same thing.

I have also hired a heavyweight publicist to advise me on approaching the media and telling the story from my side. I am not naive enough to think my story can shut Landmark down - - but I will talk and talk and talk to anyone who will listen until Landmark acknowledges that there is a very REAL AND SERIOUS risk to one's long-term mental and physical health as a result of their "training." All of the doctors I have spoken with (5 at this point) concur that his psychotic break was a direct result of participating in Landmark.

Since they (Landmark) have so carefully amended their fine print to reflect the complaints & lawsuits that just keep a-coming, the VERY LEAST they should do is fully disclose the catastrophic repercussions which could apply. If they want to truly cover their butts, they ought to just be straight!

The funny thing is, when a loved one's life is threatened... material possessions seem so insignificant. If I end up draining my savings on legal advice, publicity advice, etc... it really won't bother me one bit.

Hi Cousin2004,

I admire your determination and shear grit, willing to get your hands dirty.

I don't know if you are being literal or symbolic as to getting LE to fully disclose on the agreement form and to accept that their courses are dangerous.

Landmark know their courses are dangerous. They are not in the business of causing breakthroughs in peoples lives but are in business to make money through a thought reformed unpaid sales force who are led to believe that they are enrolling people in the possibility of world peace by 2020.

Every piece of the psychology and perverted existential philosophy applied to LE participants is geared to the Landmark aim of producing an unpaid sales force. There is no ultraistic motive to their corporate strategy. Landmark is not misguided in their exploits. They know very well what they are doing.

You will find support on this board for your noble quest. I have embarked on my own way some 15 months ago. It nearly broke me - financially, emotionally and physically. For what it is worth, take time out during this to recharge your batteries the way you would normally do it. There will be moments when you will be deflated - expect these times to come and nurture yourself for the long haul.

Take care,

Oz

if u would just ask him what happened.
its possible that as others have said that he just went
into a mental type slumber if u will and broke,

but let us know what he feels happened.
listen for things that sound outrageous or impossible.