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The Anticult

The main ones to watch, are the ones based on a Deception. The blog says its about Happiness Psychology...then after a few sessions or talks...the blog owner starts to say...
"you know, what might really work for you is a new technology of Happiness...its from this lady I've heard of...its called The Work...you should check it out....I happen to have a discount coupon code..."
DING DING DING!!!

I see what you are saying. There could be truth to that. I know I met a lot of people at The School who used their businesses (even therapists) to draw people into The Work. It wasn't because they were getting paid by BK for it (I mean, she doesn't even pay her own staff)... it was because that's what they had been programmed to do.

So much of what BK teaches is subliminal. It's like this woman can talk literally out of both sides of her mouth. She says things without saying them, but your mind picks up all the subtle messages faster than what she actually said. But, because she never actually said it, who can hold her accountable for it?

One of the messages she gives over and over and with force is the message that The Work will change the world... that it is THE ONLY WAY TO GOD... and that each participant should feel responsible for getting The Work "out there" into the world. She tells you how it is THE THING that will end suffering, end all war, and bring world peace.

When you're in that hypnotic trance... you just tend to accept this as reality. It goes into your mind somewhere deep in the subconscious, where people might not even know it's there... but it will drive them to proselyte for BK in fabulous ways. I walked away from the School feeling very uneasy about it all, and I still promoted The Work, against my better judgment... it was like a knee-jerk reaction, and I couldn't help myself.

That lasted for a few months afterward, and would reappear at the strangest times. I would see someone struggling, and my first thought was to get them to do The Work. It was pretty scary.

On this forum, I read that conversation by the LCSW who was using his practice to get people to do The Work. It's fair to say that most people who do The Work once or twice will be fascinated with it, because in the beginning... it seems to really work, and it's kind of bedazzling. It gives you this kind of high, that makes you want to do it again and again. So, just getting someone to do The Work is really most effective way to draw them in. No one told us this, per se, but the message was pretty clear-- just get people to do The Work. Tell them as little as possible, just get them to try it.

It's sort of the way I imagine a crack dealer approaching new customers. Just try it. Get hooked... Ask questions later. Oh, and bring your wallet!

I've been setting a timer to limit my participation on this forum... because I could seriously sit here for hours reading all your posts. I'm learning so much, it's great! I really appreciate all of you. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experience with me and others. You all are making a difference! Keep up the good work!

And... my timer just went off.

-jj

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jj52
One of the messages she gives over and over and with force is the message that The Work will change the world... that it is THE ONLY WAY TO GOD... and that each participant should feel responsible for getting The Work "out there" into the world. She tells you how it is THE THING that will end suffering, end all war, and bring world peace.

Just in case there are those out there who want to criticize and argue that Byron Katie does not make any such claims, please let me clarify.

No, she doesn't outright say "The Work is the only way to God."

However, she does repeat this phrase like a mantra to trance-induced people: "If The Work were the only way to God, would you take it?"

So, the subliminal message (hypnotic suggestion) is something like this "The Work is the only way to God, and if you don't take it, you're not going to get to God."

Most everything in BK land follows this pattern.

-jj

something really hit me today about this LGAT stuff, including the Byron Katie LGAT.

One of their main techniques is to keep as much about the LGAT School and seminars SECRET.
They want the subject content secret, and they certainly want to keep the LGAT techniques SECRET.
Why?

Because if you understand the subjects, ideas, and more important the LGAT TECHNIQUES they are going to use on you, they become much weaker, even ineffective.
So this is why they tell you to keep it a SECRET, and even the Byron Katie Trainers out in the world, like the one quoted on the Guruphiliac blog, [guruphiliac.blogspot.com]
they need to keep the CONTENT secret, and also give false and deceptive reasons for the purposes of the techniqes. This is so the techniques of Thought Reform persuasion are more powerful on your mind.


but ALSO, it has a second benefit for Byron Katie. It creates "us" and "them".
It also is their first training in traching your to DECEIVE others! If you tell your friend to go to the BK School, and the friend wants to know what goes on, you have to deceive them and NOT tell them!
Even many people don't tell their spouses.
So its the first BK step in teaching you to stop telling the relevant truth, that is, lying by omission.

As far as the BK Trainers, like the one on the Guruphiliac blog and elsewhere. They have clients who ask them WHAT HAPPENS AT THE SCHOOL. They should be bound by ETHICS and tell the truth.
But they don't. The deceive, distort, and flat out lie. That is what they are doing, as they are not doing Full Disclosure, which is what they should be doing.

These are only 2 of the dozens of reasons why a person should NEVER attend a Byron Katie School LGAT brainwashing week. Its starts with deceit, even double-deceit, and goes downhill from there.

Don't deceive your friends. Tell the truth, the whole truth. Tell them about the tactics, vomiting, peer-pressure gifts, fasting, and EVERYTHING else. Its your duty to tell people the TRUTH, and not even lie by omission. Lying by omission is still lying.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/28/2008 06:58AM by The Anticult.

I just took a look at the promo page for Byron Katie's 28-day "Turnaround House" - which purports to help one heal from addictions.

Byron Katie's "Turnaround House"

This is truly scary stuff, a whole new level to the madness. And it costs $20,000. That's right, $20,000. For an entire month of brainwashing.

The BK website says that next Turnaround House in March is already sold out. *shudders*

The promo page makes this outrageous claim: "Turnaround House, Byron Katie's new 28-day residential program, is designed to help you confront the ultimate addiction, the only addiction: the mind's addiction to the unquestioned stressful thoughts that cause all the suffering in your life."

Folks, nevermind about booze or crack or heroin. The "only addiction" is your thoughts. They're the pesky buggers that "cause all the suffering in your life".

Oh really?

Here's a little story that helped wake me up to the ridiculousness of this. After several weeks of delving into the work outside of BK's school or workshop environments - so I can only imagine what it might be like for someone getting immersed in her approach in a highly controlled setting - I'd gotten taken in by BK's oft-repeated claim that it's always/only our thoughts about something that create suffering. For weeks I believed that. Looking back, I'd been ignoring the occasional yet nagging concern that something might be off - but I wanted so much to believe in her Utopian claims that I blocked out any contradictory evidence that arose. Thankfully there came a day when I suddenly banged my shin hard against a coffee table. Immediately I screamed out in pain, without thinking. There were no thoughts for at least several seconds. That's how caught up I was in the shock of unexpected, intense physical pain. When my thinking kicked back in a little while later, I had a wonderful aha moment in which I saw right through Katie's lie that it's only our thoughts that cause suffering. Physical pain is a form of suffering that thought manipulation would be hard-pressed to erase.

Back to Turnaround House... I find it horrifying that Byron Katie is appealing in large part to a market of highly vulnerable people - although she includes high-functioning folks as potential prospects as well. She invites these types of people to take the 28-day plunge with her:

"addicts, veterans, prisoners, students, hospital patients, homemakers, executives, politicians, mental-health professionals"

Furthermore,

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We invite you to 28 days in Turnaround House:

If you are sad, angry, or depressed most of the day, nearly every day.

If you experience a loss of interest and pleasure in activities that are usually enjoyable.

If you have difficulty sleeping.

If you sleep too much.

If you are too lethargic or too hyper.

If you have a poor appetite and experience weight loss.

If you eat even when you're full.

If you experience a loss of energy or great fatigue after working or meeting others.

If your mind is full of negative thoughts, feelings of worthlessness and guilt.

If you are indecisive.

If you always need the approval of others.

If you have job burnout.

If you experience recurrent thoughts of death and suicide.

If you often hate yourself.

I shudder to think of what may happen to anyone who decides to take the program that experiences such serious symptoms as being "sad, angry or depressed most of the day, nearly every day." That's mental illness she's talking about. Ah, but then she was and imo still is mentally ill herself.

Last thing a mentally ill or chemically addicted person needs is a 28-day mindf*$k.

I wonder how much fasting and/or dietary deprivation is involved in the 28-day program? "For those of you who are overweight and are willing to follow Byron Katie's simple directions, remarkable emotional and physical changes, including weight loss, will occur."

As if 28 days weren't enough, there's an "aftercare program" that is "yours without charge, and yours for life".

BK finishes off her promo with the following shameless rationalization as to why it costs so much to do the 28-day Turnaround House:

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A Note from Byron Katie about Turnaround House

As many of you know, The Work is always free on my website. Everything that people need is there, as well as in my books, which are in as many libraries, school systems, prisons, and nonprofit organizations as we can afford to place them in. There is a free hotline on the website, and a free round-robin network where people can do The Work with trained facilitators.

That said, the decision to create Turnaround House was simple. We wanted to give people who could afford it a chance to experience the transformational effect of The Work and support it at the same time. The money raised through Turnaround House is used to spread The Work around the world.

We will continue to expand the scholarship program for those who cannot afford the nine-day School for The Work-teachers, therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and others who work in hospitals, public schools and universities, prisons, government offices, rehab and literacy centers, etc. These people and institutions don't always have the funds to allocate because their budgets are stretched to the point of bare essentials just to continue operating. They take The Work back to their families, their communities, and their institutions, and everyone who follows the simple directions in the School (I call it the School of You) carries less burden, more clarity, and a kinder life out to the world as a result of it. And I continue to urge people, if there's any way possible, not to live the rest of their lives without doing the School first.

The money raised also allows us to pay for our staff, the websites, our offices, and to travel to countries and to people who cannot afford to pay. We thank you for supporting The Work so that we can continue programs like our prison project at San Quentin, our education project, and our work with the V.A. for our vets suffering from post-war trauma.

Thank you for supporting The Work.

Loving you,
Byron Katie

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Byron Katie Turnaround House.
Question: how can that even be legal?
Does she have the credentials for in-patient therapy?
Is she a psychiatrist, with specialized training?

She is saying by her symptom list, if you have CLINICAL DEPRESSION, give me $20,000.

They are going to treat SUICIDE in that House? What if the person gets out and kills themselves, who is responsible for that?
She says "If you experience recurrent thoughts of death and suicide."
If she had one shred of human decency, she would say...then go find a licensed mental health professional, or if acute, go the the Emergency.
No, she says...COME TO ME if you are thinking of suicide. I CAN HEAL THE PAIN...
for over $700 a day. Some people will re-mortgage their house to get that $20 grand for Katie.

I cannot believe that suicide claim will remain on their website. That is way over the line. That is truly shocking, to exploit severe clinical depression.


She also makes the claim "unquestioned stressful thoughts that cause all the suffering in your life."

I hope people realize that is a FALSE claim, contradicted by the entire field of psychology and science. Its false. Thoughts can contribute to suffering, but thoughts to NOT cause ALL suffering in life. She is saying The Mind is All-Supreme...like a fanatical new age religion or cult. Its just not true.
Is It True? No, its false, wrong, and deceptive.
(notice all the CLAIMS TO TRUTH she is making in the sales-text? Irony?)

-----------------------------------------------------

Just as a side note of hope, rationality, and science...

in Cognitive Therapy, they also talk about how Cognition(thoughts) can be important in our lives...but that is profoundly different than what Katie is saying.
Here is a chart from the book Mind Over Mood, notice how Cognition, Emotion, Behavior, Somatic and the External Environment interact?
[mindovermood.com]
Also, that is a MODEL, its not "the truth". It is all explained in detail in hundreds of peer-reviewed journals.

We all need "models" for things. Cognitive Behavior Therapy, can be a good model and set of tools for some people.
We can all manage our Thoughts, which our Cognitions, but we need to do so properly.
For those who understand a bit about Cognition and CBT, what Byron Katie is encouraging is beyond highly damaging, something akin to trying to induce psychosis and dissociation.

There is an excellent book one could get from the library, or for a few bucks used.
There are no LGAT's, no Gurus, none of that. Its psychology based on science.
Its by Dr. David Burns, called The Feeling Good Handbook. That actually might be a great book to use on the road to recovery from Byron Katie.

[www.google.com]

I just noticed this text from Byron Katie.

She is offering FREE/discounted FEES to her School, to respected members of society, who actually might have the money. Why?
If she "gives" The School FREE to "teachers, therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and others who work in hospitals, public schools and universities, prisons, government offices, rehab.."
then that gives her some credibility and more influence.

Think of the cynicism. Some of those folks make $200K a year, and training is a tax-write off. She is going to GIVE it to them for free, so she can indocrinate them, get them in the door.
Meanwhile, Jane Blow, get out that credit card.

Byron Katie is treating post-war Trauma? PTSD?
Seriously, that cannot be legal, is it? Can any maniac just go out there and mess with trauma victims heads? People train for decades to deal with Trauma and PTSD.
Is it not illegal to practice psychotherapy without a license?
You can't give a massage or drive a taxi without a license, but can you treat War Trauma PTSD without a license? (legal loopholes)

to think, some of us thought Byron Katie was "crazy".
That ain't crazy, that is some serious diabolical strategy...with a Love Bomb thrown at the end...

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helpme2times

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A Note from Byron Katie about Turnaround House

...

We will continue to expand the scholarship program for those who cannot afford the nine-day School for The Work-teachers, therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and others who work in hospitals, public schools and universities, prisons, government offices, rehab and literacy centers, etc. These people and institutions don't always have the funds to allocate because their budgets are stretched to the point of bare essentials just to continue operating. They take The Work back to their families, their communities, and their institutions, and everyone who follows the simple directions in the School (I call it the School of You) carries less burden, more clarity, and a kinder life out to the world as a result of it. And I continue to urge people, if there's any way possible, not to live the rest of their lives without doing the School first.

The money raised also allows us to pay for our staff, the websites, our offices, and to travel to countries and to people who cannot afford to pay. We thank you for supporting The Work so that we can continue programs like our prison project at San Quentin, our education project, and our work with the V.A. for our vets suffering from post-war trauma.

Thank you for supporting The Work.

Loving you,
Byron Katie

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/28/2008 12:16PM by The Anticult.

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The Anticult

Byron Katie is treating post-war Trauma? PTSD?
Seriously, that cannot be legal, is it? Can any maniac just go out there and mess with trauma victims heads? People train for decades to deal with Trauma and PTSD.
Is it not illegal to practice psychotherapy without a license?
You can't give a massage or drive a taxi without a license, but can you treat War Trauma PTSD without a license? (legal loopholes)

Yeah, well... those people will have to sign a waiver, too.

Byron Katie makes it clear in her new book that she believes that there's no such thing as the "fight-or-flight" response. She says it's just all about thoughts. What the heck does she know about this? She says she's not experienced fear in years. To her, PTSD is just about thoughts... I mean, how can she believe PTSD is even real, if she thinks fight-or-flight in just in people's heads? How in the world can she treat something she doesn't even believe exists?

Unqualified is absolutely right.

As far as her treating addictions goes... scary stuff. I got a Newsweek in the mail today that has a big article about addiction, the physiology of addiction, and some legitimate treatments for addiction. It all had absolutely NOTHING to do with "thoughts". That's what the experts say, anyway. But BK knows better?

helpme2times, I really like your story about hitting your shin... sounds awfully painful... and it made it's point really well.

Thoughts do NOT cause all suffering in the world.

At the School, BK said, "The Work has been found to be the ONLY thing that works for trauma." I had some SERIOUS doubts about that at the time. How could it work for trauma, when it doesn't even acknowledge the reality of the fight-or-flight response? Cuckoo.

If you really want a look into Byron Katie's insane belief system, try reading "A Thousand Names for Joy". Just be warned... it's sheer madness.

-jj



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/28/2008 01:34PM by jj52.

Oh... and the "scholarship" program is not a discount. They give scholarships to just about anyone. It's really just an interest free loan. Recipients have to pay that money to BK International over time.

Ever heard of a "scholarship" that you have to pay back?

Not really a scholarship at all, is it?

-jj

you know, some aggressive Entrepreneurs should get organized, and put all of these several hundred concepts about advanced seminars and cross-business synergies into one Knowledgebase, so they could streamline their operations.
Oh that's right, they already did that decades ago.

Some got started in 1986, when Byron Katie started.
"Byron Kathleen Mitchell" ?
Lets see, she's being doing The Work Love-Bomb LGAT's for 22 years, officially?

How many years before than in training? Perhaps taking courses like EST, Lifespring, and being involved in various groups that formed the origins of this industry? Its all shrouded in Mystery, even the places she had her alleged "breakdown" conveniently don't exist anymore. That's rather convenient.

Thank goodness for the Internets, now people can learn how it all works...for free.

[www.google.com]

One wonders how work on the next generation of post-LGAT's is going to look like, now that they are going to need some new tactics, as the older one's get burnt out.

The Byron Katie sub-type of Love-Bomb LGAT, needs to be added to the list of LGATs.

hmm, I wonder though, as she talked about lower-fees etc, for those specific professionals?
I think they could offer it free or heavily discounted to psychologists, or psychiatrists to try to get them to take it. (if any have ever taken it? Lord I hope not.)
Other groups do similar things, like Scientology giving it "free" to firefighters, etc. Its PR and social proof.

Makes one wonder if a Licensed Clinical Social Worker would get that discounted professional rate? Seems they fit the criteria she mentioned. Her #1 person wanted was...TEACHERS.

I guess to find out for sure, one could ask a professional therapist to phone them up, and just ask for the full scholarship, as advertised?
A scholarship is not a loan. But if they call a loan a scholarship, then that is Byron Katie for ya.
Deception.

Define: scholarship
[www.google.com]

Just as a random side-note, most LGAT's offer "Financing", and that is a great way to get you hooked-in for a long time after.

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jj52
Oh... and the "scholarship" program is not a discount. They give scholarships to just about anyone. It's really just an interest free loan. Recipients have to pay that money to BK International over time.

Ever heard of a "scholarship" that you have to pay back?

Not really a scholarship at all, is it?

-jj