QuoteShaking My Head Everything appears like a kiss, but down deep, it's a germ that's being given. Wow. That's pretty deep! There is some discussion on 'memes' and 'thought-viruses' in this thread; ideas that appear 'spiritual' and helpful on the surface but that end up 'corrupting' a person's mind in a similar way that a computer vir
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteShaking My HeadLater, I told my husband, I wish I had thought fast enough to tell her I don't want her New Age kiss of germs. LOL!
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I didn't know anything of Byron Katie's work till someone recommended her book. The only thing I felt instinctually when I was reading it was "This is mind fu*king." And, some of the other stuff I read here about the baby in the fire and "all is good" and war is okay and everything is wonderful and it's all just a projection, and when you're dying you'
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

ALSO: This is where Stephen Mitchell seems to come in. Before him, Katie's books like Losing The Moon, could get her into trouble, for all the serious claims she was making. This is why they seem to have shredded all those books in their basement. But the way Stephen Mitchell writes and edits those books now, they are done with a FINE-TOOTH COMB. They very carefully massage any claim
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

One thing Solea's post above triggered in me is something that is so easy to forget. When anyone is caught in one of these "systems", they can't see it. For example, basically no one in a cultish system ever seems to know they are in that system, often they think they know the "truth", or that "there is no truth" etc. One is pretty certain very few reg
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

To me, looking back, a lot of my cult expeirience was a lesson in insane thinking. Surrendering one's individual power to another human being is sheer madness. In this modern age there are people who accept to live live a life of slavish devotion to an individual or group ... as though they are feudal serfs instead of dignified, thinking, autonomous human beings. One of the ways that
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Yes, Dr. David Burns has put together some excellent books, take from very carefully studied and researched methods of Cognitive Behavior Therapy, CBT. His material is all grounded in reality and science, yet he has an accessible style, and keeps things optimistic, while staying realistic. There are literally decades of research studies behind that material, all published in peer-reviewed jour
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteSusanDI am reading a David Burns books that anticult recommended which is giving me some grounding after the months I was in BK's "unreal reality". *coughs* Hey, thanks for reminding me about the Burns book, I want to read that too. I've just put it on reserve at my library. Psychology really can be a wonderful thing. How could I have missed that for so long? BK actual
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Thanks for the welcome, info and book recommend, helpme2times. Yes it's hard to keep up here, but I am finding it all fascinating. I am reading a David Burns books that anticult recommended which is giving me some grounding after the months I was in BK's "unreal reality". *coughs* Quotehelpme2timesDuh, I see that Susan has already posted here, back in mid-June, so my
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Duh, I see that Susan has already posted here, back in mid-June, so my "welcome" to her is a bit tardy. Oops!
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteSusanDDaphne I would like to address the "Four Questions". They are the mental equivalent of spinning someone round and round on the spot for ten minutes, then telling them they must walk straight. I feel the same way as the Amazon reviewer helpme2times quoted. I am still recovering from being sucked in just by reading and believing the book Loving What Is. Tellin
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteDaphneif byron katie said she "healed" someone, she was simply wrong. however, i'm a little lost on this cult part. no one trashing her work seems to address the four questions and turnarounds, which is the useful part of her stuff. if you don't like the suggestions of healing or the stuff about roaches or whatever, then toss it aside, i agree it's fairly meaningless
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

alleged QUOTE from the book: ________________________________________________ Excerpt from Byron Katie's A Cry in the Desert-The Awakening of Byron Katie: (the introduction) Attempts to articulate the life and teachings of Byron Katie defy language. "In the beginning was the word. Unknow the word." This is what she tells me as I struggle to write this book: "The wo
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Its amazing that apparently not one person inside or promoting the Byron Katie system is able to reasonably discuss the various Techniques Byron Katie is using in her seminars. Not one? The best they seem to be able to do is try to Distract, Deflect, tap-dance, or attack. Fairly typcial. the best defence is a good offence. I wrote this for Daphne, and I send it out to all the other random-ID
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Thank you very much, RR. :-)
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Some good news regarding one of the apologists in our midst: [http://forum.culteducation.com/read.php?4,9147,58903#msg-58903] Thank goodness for forum boundaries!
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

To whom it may concern: Daphne has been banned from this message board.
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

QuoteDaphneif byron katie said she "healed" someone, she was simply wrong. however, i'm a little lost on this cult part. no one trashing her work seems to address the four questions and turnarounds, which is the useful part of her stuff. if you don't like the suggestions of healing or the stuff about roaches or whatever, then toss it aside, i agree it's fairly meaningless
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

" ... if byron katie said she "healed" someone, she was simply wrong." Simply wrong about healing someone? Making claims of the ability to heal someone is a decidedly complicated business. I know because I have worked in the field of 'complementary medicine' in the cult group I have been in for many years. We have to be extremely careful in the way we word our
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

"Daphne" Here is a way you can help. Please email Stephen Mitchell today and ask him to provide you with links to the specific peer-reviewed studies which indicate the results of all of the controlled studies that have been carried out to test The Work by Byron Katie. (So far there are none posted anyone is aware of). Remember, a Control Group study, is not the same as Testimon
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Taking the Two Actions Again, whenever someone shows up this seems to have the effect of disrupting/derail the discussion, take these Two Actions * What was being discussed before the disruptor showed up? * Audit the disruptor's posts and see if this visitor's strategy resembles other disruptive visitor's behavior.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

That is what Byron Katie apparently said in that banned book, that she healed someone like Jesus Christ, and she hints at that stuff all the time. Probably Stephen Mitchell came on the scene, and wanted to rewrite and fine-tune the Byron Katie marketing image, so he recalled all those books from before 1998, and shredded them in his basement. Kinda funny how Byron Katie manages her "story&
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I have a question for Daphne, if you feel folks are trashing her work, why are you in this forum anyway? I had a friend who ripped me off badly, this happened. There are many angles at which someone can view this, such as The Work, the bottomline however, is that I was hurt. People are being hurt by The Work in ways you refuse to understand, or possibly you can't understand. What i
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Daphne: Stop attempting to change the subject of this thread through personal attacks. The topic is Byron Katie, not her critics or other gurus etc. Focus. Last warning
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

if byron katie said she "healed" someone, she was simply wrong. however, i'm a little lost on this cult part. no one trashing her work seems to address the four questions and turnarounds, which is the useful part of her stuff. if you don't like the suggestions of healing or the stuff about roaches or whatever, then toss it aside, i agree it's fairly meaningless. [...] the
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

If Stu is indeed a "senior dharma teacher" of the Kwan Um Zen school as he has claimed in various places on the internet, then he would have vowed to uphold the "ten precepts": ~I vow to abstain from taking life. ~I vow to abstain from taking things not given. ~I vow to abstain from misconduct done in lust. ~I vow to abstain from lying. ~I vow to abstain from intoxican
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Well this is "enlightening"... [Dialogue with Seung Sahn: The Medicine Buddha] Interesting excerpt from the dialogue: PP: Nowadays many people have problems with drugs and drinking. What kind of karma is this? How can these people be helped? ZMSS : Sometimes it may be before-life karma, but sometimes it may be because of doing "together action" with others: "
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

All joking aside, some folks who happen to have known lots of people who have done various forms of rec-drugs for many years off and on, see the end results, and that result is always the same. Everytime. Its extremely irresponsible for people in the so-called spiritual community to be making internet blog posts about how certain drugs and controlled substances can be used in so-called enligh
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

That is fascinating fact. You know, these guys are very tricky, but not tricky enough, it seems. Just some applied critical analysis, and the facts come out pretty quick. One can take a wild guess at who thought of the strategy of branding analysis of Byron Katie's persuasion techniques as "victimology"? Notice how they try to project the blame for their own behaviors onto
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

According to a reviewer of one of the books that Byron Katie's husband Stephen Mitchell edited for Seung Sahn, Dropping Ashes on the Buddha: "I first read it 20 years ago and always enjoy opening it. Stephen Mitchell, now married to Byron Katie, was an early (as Americans go) student of Seung Sahn's and has gone on to a career of writing and translating many spiritual books.&quo
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"