QuotewaterbottleI went to a "therapist" for 2 years that started using Katie Byrons work on me and I didn't realize it. She finally recommended Katie's book to me and I realized that was her entire schtick. I went off to a Buddhist school and wound up having an existential crisis and was TOTALLY messed up. So I sought therapy, but didn't find the traditional therapist
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteshaktiThanks for info, Hope, I appreciate it. So Hopkins has a PhD. Or at least worked on one. Did he ever finish? The fact that his doctorate was on an idiot like Heinberg makes me wonder what his advisors thought. His doctorate wasn't ON Heinberg. "My note - TT is more about adjusting behaviors in order to effect change. " My guess is that is true. But it may be an
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Quoteshakti 1. Who the hell is Rob Hopkins? I have yet to read a bio that shows his higher education or career in the field of petroleum geology. Yet, we are supposed to take him as some kind of "expert" and follow a movement based on his "expertise"? From what I can gather he merely teaches permaculture classes at the British equivalent of a diploma mill. Sorry, not trying
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I was unable to attend the TT potluck dinner but a very good friend did, with her very skeptical husband, and they had a lovely time. Her husband pointed out that this group was established in Europe, and the questionnaire reflects that. It wants to know specifically who does what and how they know how to do what they do. The TT group used the questionnaire as a guideline but they host of the
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Same here. It's good to know our BS detectors are up and running. Also, we can do a lot as far as sustainability goes WITHOUT belonging to a group, but it would be nice to meet people who think alike, have the same goals and who can educate by being an example. We'll see.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Yes - their initiatives are right up my alley, too, but we'll see how they implement the program, how they deal with questions and other views, what is expected of members, etc. All "cults" have goals that speak to peoples' values and interests, which is how they attract members, but their intent and how they treat people is what is important.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Well what timing! I'm going to a Transition Town pot luck dinner/introductory meeting on Thursday. The questionaire that came with the invitation was a bit off-putting, which raised a teeny red flag, and then I came here and read the other two accounts. I'll keep the date just out of curiosity. Something I read elsewhere claims there is no empiric evidence that Transition Towns anyw
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I also received this message and forwarded it to Rick (sorry - Rick - didn't see this in thread). Hope
Forum: Tech support for this board

They also target peoples' strengths. No one is immune.
Forum: Coercive Persuasion and Undue Influence

From HEAL newsletter Shepherd's Hill Farm is a hell-hole--February 27th, 2010--Got problem kids? Man, when they hit those teenage years they all get rebellious and willful, and start thinking independently, and often start doing things their parents would rather they didn't. This is one of the tough responsibilities of being a parent — you have to be willing to let your children grow
Forum: Clergy and Therapy Abuse

That would have been the next phase of "therapy" had my BS detector not come back on full throttle. People in my physician's circle reported to me after I was away from him the trips to South America where a young woman became severely ill. I do recall hearing something about her not being serious about the context in which to receive Ayahuasca. M DMA is also another "therape
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteGarden of EvenHi... It's been a while Has it ever been discussed in this thread if Byron Katie has a narcissist personality disorder (NPD)? I think she does. That wouldn't be up to anyone here to diagnose. We could speculate, but what good is that?
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

So taking the negatives into account, how is Momentum accountable to people who attend and who have a negative experience? Why doesn't Momentum "fix" these problems with ineffective or aggressive trainers, and screen for attendees who shouldn't attend? Why don't they employ licensed professionals? In other words, it's a crap shoot for the consumer who is spending a
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

QuoteDr. LogicI've been lurking in this forum for a long time, and I have a few questions for The Anticult. 1) Do you think there's such a thing as spiritual truth? 2) Do you think there's such a thing as an authentic spiritual teacher? The reason I ask is because whenever someone starts a new thread about whether a particular teacher is legitimate or not, you always seem
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

They all flip the onus back onto anyone questioning them by asking what they are so afraid of, or who harmed you so badly in the past that you are reacting in fear or hate, etc. It takes the focus off of them, and they can then avoid answering questions.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

From ABC News, 2/4/10 "James Ray accepts responsibility for what happened in the Sedona, Ariz., sweat lodge that led to three deaths, but that does not make it a crime, said one of his lawyers, Brad Brian. James Ray's lawyer says he "accepts responsibility" for deaths. "After this happened he immediately reached out to the families. We have been meeting with the
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Motivational speaker charged in sweat lodge deaths By FELICIA FONSECA The Associated Press Wednesday, February 3, 2010; 7:58 PM FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Motivational speaker James Arthur Ray was arrested Wednesday afternoon on three counts of manslaughter for deaths that happened after a sweat lodge ceremony he led in northern Arizona last year. Ray was taken into custody on an indictment
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

But it makes her look good. Good for business.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi Penelope, Welcome! I don't know alot about Erica Jung's ideology. It's been decades since I read her but that surprises me, too. The other two are pseudo-gurus in training. If you search on Wayne Dyer, you'll find a thread about him, too. It is really criminal how BK and her ilk have infiltrated mainstream psychology. I went to a licensed therapist in the afterma
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The same bio is on Huffington Post, where she blogs. There is the typical lack of information regarding her own health (how do we know she had cancer), her training with shamans and healers (so what? - they all claim that), her real education (where did she go to law school, pre-law, what training does she have in human anatomy and physiology, and psychology in order to tease out those pesky supp
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Deborah King, lawyer with no apparent credentials other than she "cured her own cancer and horrible life with Truth. She wrote, Truth Heals: What You Hide Can Hurt You (Hay House, 2009). She is also an attorney (she received her Doctorate of Jurisprudence from the University of California Davis). She is featured regularly in broadcasts (she’s been on over 100 national and regional televi
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteWMHi Hope, What you describe above definitely fits the catbox. How closely does that follow EST/Landmark? Very closely. After I thought about it and wrote it out, it is difficult to separate est/EL from Dr. I approach to running the box. It does seem very odd that someone would put est on their bio. Graduates have the option of attending seminars at a reduced cost, so it could be
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Toxbox vs est/Landmark The Leader: Charismatic leader who lays down the rules and uses public humiliation to keep the group in order. There is "no talking" within the group in order to keep the message enforced. Monitors in the back of the room spot and report any whispering going on among participants who are called to task. Or, your private messages are read and you are warned,
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

EST, which is now Landmark Education. People who get involved with LE tend to NEED therapy. There are no victims in these programs, just perception. If you suffered abuse it is because you gave the abuse a meaning - that it was bad. There is no good or bad, just the meaning you give things. Everything is meaningless is there big revelation at the end of the Forum, and it's meaningless th
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Someone pointed this out to me today...Scroll all the way down. Association for Contextual Behavioral Science Irene Matiatos Psychologist Private practice Monroe, New York United States ACT Therapist Site member for: 3 years 37 weeks. Contact Information * Email Irene * Website Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) * ACT Background and Training A cognitive behavioris
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

It seems the rebuilding thread was merely intended to stir up drama. If I was a newbie on that forum, I'd very afraid. But that is the thing - newbies are at their most vulnerable now when they find the cat box and are looking up to the person who has provided a supposedly safe haven for them to talk with others about their abuse. Some of the posts by admin on the thread are classic abu
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

I can just ask: did it feel like rape at the time it occurred, or was it only later when you started ruminating about it that made you realize this was rape? Surely you are kidding? Please explain who "ordinary people" are.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Perhaps to celebrate the anniversary of the blow-up on the therapist's forum that occurred last year, the admin team posted a description of what happened, "Rebuilding the Catbox" history that has been rewritten, of course. Many of the people involved are no longer at the site, and many newer members were not present when the meltdown occurred, so they're only getting one side
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

I went to a naturopathic physician who was involved in Landmark Education. He didn't tell me that, but instead practiced Lnadmark "technology" on me and other clients, in essence doing a real mindf*ck that took a long time to recover from. I can't say I'm fully recovered. There is a lot to heal from - physical and emotional injury, betrayal, lack of trust - that will
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Freedomtochoose, Welcome to the forum here. I am very sorry to read that you were raped and then the Falun Gong people decided for you that that is not what happened. How invalidating, insulting and abusive. Are you getting some counselling from a rape crisis center or other therapist? Please stick around and read the posts here and on the RR home page. Many of our experiences with group
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"