(Note: I am not a mental health professional. This advice is meant to supplement any work you do with a counselor and is not a substitute for professional guidance.) 1) Start writing this down. Examine the entire social context of this group and its leader. This will take some time, and you may have to update this as you gain new insights. Get a ring binder so you can insert pages, if you pref
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

(quote) 'Learnt that hissy fit or belittling participants *happens at all forums* so is in fact "staged" nay... "a staged sport" with underlying subtle aggression that we all revert to sheep waiting to be slaughtered. (unquote) In a way, your two posts were as terrifying as they were funny. You disliked the whole thing, you had grave doubts, kept your sense of h
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

First, you chose, 'out of curiosity' to read the material on this site. Two, you choose to keep tossing us gems, despite our being 'pigs.' It isnt RR.com that is the problem--that collection of material would not be on this site if it were not for the efforts of the newspapers who published the stories about the high death rate among young children in your church familie
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

There is a well regarded computer bulletin board called Craigslist.org, where people commonly post announcements and leave messages. Craigslist has a site for Denver. You can post your info there I advise posting both on 'General Community' and in the 'psychology' and 'spirituality' forums. (for the latter you need to register--easy to do) Keep your post
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

There would be no problem with the law. Your church would not have been listed on this site had there not been a huge number of newspaper articles relating to deaths of young children in church families. Instead of hammering at us, how about bugging the many newspapers who published the stories listed on the RR.com archives? An adult can make a free choice whether to risk his or her lif
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

you *chose*, on your own initiative, to come to this site and read the material about your church. It was probably the first time you ever got information about your church that came from outside sources. We did not kidnap you, strap to a chair in front of a computer and tape your eyes wide open. You came here and read the material. It is now up to you to face this new knowledge. It
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I dont have the time to go digging on my own--my dance card is pretty full these days. (grin) A tip: If you have not yet tried this, do searches of the Google groups (that is, the Google listserves), and the various discussion groups relating to Krishna and ex-Krishna topics on Yahoo and MSN. You may have to subscribe. Go to Google, click the 'groups' tab, then do a search. There
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

You're making assumptions about us, without any evidence. Just because someone disagrees with you does not, in and of itself, prove that that person is an atheist or a bad Christian. You appear to be quite fascinated by our material. Because you keep coming back and posting here. If your church and relationship with God made you fulfilled and happy, you'd not be wasting your t
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

a wide range of views expressed on all the threads of this message board. Our rules against 'preaching' in the bad sense is to ensure everyone gets a turn at the microphone so that diverse information can be shared. One sign of preaching in the bad sense is hogging the microphone, not letting others participate. The people in your group are not being persecuted because they are
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Another article Advice to you and your patron for further Google searches: The group that sponsors this event may operate outside of Louisiana. And you want to find out who they are, and whether they are affiliated with any Christian denomination or are a freelance church. Because, when you find out who they are, who their pastor is, your client can contact various seminaries in
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

communication is sharing information, and responding the the stated needs and preferences of the person or group you're with. 'Preaching' in the bad sense is when a person 'dumps' and imposes a viewpoint on people who say, courteously and repeatedly, that they are not interested. Its the difference between offering a guest a third helping of food, and respecting you
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

It all depends on the 'target audience' or 'niche market' the hustler has selected. Charisma is not universal, so at some point, the operator has to identify which niche market to target, and then selects his or her ideology and stage props accordingly. If your niche market craves power and success, you'll drive a Porsche or something like it. If you're targeti
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

At my college, one guy was notorious for his Porsche--it enhanced his 'batting average'. (Puke) And a guy in my neighborhood who went to a completely different university, said there was a guy who was notorious all over campus for his stuck up attitude--who ostentatiously drove a Porsche--and for the same reason. I am not against nice cars, but my first question is always: 1) I
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

especially when you are a practitioner in a tradition that the larger culture stereotypes in a negative way. When this is the case, people in a dysfunctional lodge, group, or coven, risk being isolated. Unlike being in a particular Roman Catholic parish (say), one cannot just 'transfer' to another parish. If you are in an esoteric group, and that group turns dysfunctional, you fi
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Though Dr Wren Lewis said he did not have any mystical inclination prior to his near death experience, it is interesting that he did not report feeling worried whether he'd incurred any neurological /psychological damage that could have mimicked enlightenment. This was after a medical crisis during which he had lost consciousness, been hospitalized and nearly died. Dr Wren-Lewis reports
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

when you can stand to do so, write a description of what you went through. Address the physical, emotional and social context. Writing things down helps stablize memory and helps you restore your ability to trust your perceptions of reality--vital to recovery. I would recommend that you work carefully with your therapist to ensure that you're grounded enough to handle the stress of doi
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Read this site--it gives a good overview of how to evaluate LGATs. Try and contact eldon. If you cant get him through the site, sign up on the message board. He often posts messages there, and you can find him. Be careful when you construct your profile when subscribing to any Yahoo listserve group. You must take extra precautions to conceal your identity when you go on any of the y
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

If anyone wants to understand narcissism as it affects cults, they should also read 'Prophetic Charisma' by Len Oakes Ph.D. Dr Oakes is a mental health professional, interviewed 20 charismatic leaders and used a wide range of theoretical models and research data, and writes with clinical precision and deep humanity. Mr. Sam Vaknin (by his own admission) has been affili
Forum: Abusive and Controlling Relationships

Try and go to go to their message board and do a search. Two, in addition to searching Google, dont forget to go to 'groups' and do a search there as well. A 'groups' search within Google enables you to search the discussion groups/listserves within Google. Ive sometimes found stuff on the listserves that was not on any website crawled by Google. Do searches on Yahoo
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Thanks, Snailster! Check 'em out. Their message board is a lot like ours. You can search it, too. Both pro and con viewpoints are represented. Go and look at all the subsections. There's information about ISA Experience (I couldnt access that thread, but my computer may be cranky today--you may have better luck) PSI Seven Choices Center Legacy Center
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

This just in on Craiglist.org My fiance made a commitment to holding the Landmark Forum in Cuba. If you know somebody who is in a position to make this happen, or know somebody who may know somebody in a position to make this happen, please send me a message with your name and what you are willing to do to facilitate a meeting or a phone call. I will respond to all messages. If you beli
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Depersonalization is a form of dissociation. You’re very likely to react this way after you've been pressured, against your real wishes, to engage in group sex on orders from a head chimp/guru. Leaders of coercive groups may traumatize you, get you to dissociate and experience depersonalization, and then convince you this means you’re on the way to becoming enlightened. *What th
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

From kittypaw's list you can see how existential philosophy is being twisted around to make ordinary skeptical human beings feel like dogshit if they have any hesitation about being coerced or put on the spot. Two, giving up all drugs, even aspirin and coffee, will make most of us subliminally uncomfortable, perhaps our neurotransmitters plunge, and then we are likely to respond to the en
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

the real subtext is power, and its often a way to discover your own identity, apart from your family. I knew someone whose mother hated the Catholic church, because she had a bad time growing up in it. So my pal became a Catholic for a number of years as part of her adolescence, and it pissed her mother off, big time. In the case of going online, a person can pick his or her choice of subj
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

If anyone here were to provide specific info on the exact 'levers' and other 'buttons' used by problematic LGATs to manipulate people, that information might: 1) be potentially useful in warning some vulnerable people away from LGAT recruitment. *However, that info probably become obsolete quite soon. The problematic LGATs would simply create a new set of covert techniques-
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

there are a number of conditions that can produce a combination of depression, paranoia, and sensitivity to paranormal events Schizophrenia Bipolar Affective disoder Schizo-affective disorder, which combines features of the first two conditions--here is a URL and, possibly, major depression These conditions each require different treatment strategies, and the only person who ca
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

and so did Da Free John. (Note: All of these are a layman's speculations and cannot replace counseling with a mental health professional. ) (This discussion refers to group sex that takes place within a context where there is a power imbalance and where trickery and emotional coercion are used to recruit subjects. Play has nothing to do with it. You're being used as an object for
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

..the concept of 'memes'--- which one author has called 'viruses of the mind.' Take a look at these threads. The worst 'memes' are the ones that are designed to elude detection and critical evaluation. ('Anyone who has doubts is going to hell') The ideas of scientific method and critical thought are memes, but they are special memes that enab
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

First, ask why you want enlightenment and what you think it is. IF you equate enlightenment with power or miracle working, you'll be entralled by anyone who panders to your craving for power. If you're unconsciously looking for a Magic Parent, you'll be exploited by anyone who presents as the spiritual equivalent of Santa Claus. Implications of this are, if you're consid
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Some have been through terrible experiences in bad churches and this board exists so you can warn others and get support. But the rules for the Ross Institute message board are: 'All messages express the views of the author, and neither the owners of this forum, Cult Education.com, Rick Ross.com and/or developers of bulletin software, will be held responsible for the content of any mes
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families