I was involved in a group based on the Law of Attraction teachings in Lynn Grabhorn's book, "Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting". We had an Abraham-Hicks follower attend some meetings, as the work is similar (based on the Law of Attraction and positive thinking). What bothered me about this woman is that she refused to do any exercises that she saw as "negative", because
Forum: Multi Level Marketing and Commercial Schemes

QuoteAmyswerldI guess from the lack of response that I'm the odd person out on this topic. It's been suggested to me that I look into sexual anorexia and join a sex addicts 12 step group. I don't think that's a good idea to join a sex addicts group. However.... I think there's something to the level of involvement in church and the propensity toward a sexual phobia. I
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I wanted to revive this thread because I just saw a holistic doctor yesterday who was pushing Mannatech on me. I refused, because I remembered reading here that it was a shady MLM. Now I'm seriously wondering if I should even go back to this doctor.
Forum: Multi Level Marketing and Commercial Schemes

Quotenotalone I have tons and tons of research from 10 years of trying to help my daughter. And yet you never found Rick Ross's site until now? :?: When I started researching cults, this site was one of the first I found.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Amy, I would guess that this might depend on the type of cult. I would think if a person had been involved in a cult that expects its members to be celibate, that person would have a hard time getting over the feelings of guilt about being intimate. Same with a cult where members were encouraged to "hook up": I would think that would also create residual fear of intimacy with othe
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Oh, how fun! "You choose your own reality." "If you're not happy with your life, change it. If things in your life are bad, then you must not really want to change." "That really resonates/doesn't resonate with me." "Are we complete?" "Thank you for sharing." "Everything is an illusion." "Drop your a
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Sounds interesting! I was curious, so I googled with the words "pills gas mileage" and here's what I found:
Forum: Multi Level Marketing and Commercial Schemes

QuotezeuszorHa. Ha. :-) IHOP is the International House of Prayer, not the pancake house. Rootie-tootie, these guys are fruity.... I'm glad you explained that, because I was confused as well.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I have a friend who worked at PETA headquarters in VA for 2 months and quit out of disgust at the "cult-like" atmosphere there. She was very disillusioned. The higher up you get in that organization, the more cult-like it is. They intentionally hire young, idealistic, childless people so that they can work them crazy hours to the point of exhaustion. On their few days off, PETA e
Forum: Terrorist and Extremist Groups

Quotecaptainchlorophyl Capatin chlorophy I guess they don't teach you to spell your own name in these workshops. Not surprising, considering how poorly written the Millionaire Mind brochures were.
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Quoteanon0820Did anyone ever see this link? Yes, I know about this. I went to a private screening of the movie a couple months ago. The beginning was pretty stupid: they made it look like The DaVinci Code with all the ancient mysterious religious images and dramatic music. But the rest of the movie was interesting. It was basically about the Law of Attraction, which I was familiar with
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Quoteanon0820 Do you think you could get more details from your friend as to what exercises they performed? I bet your ex and my friend were in the same workshop. I know it was in upstate NY. Is he at the weeklong Ultimate Leadership thing right now? I can try to pry her for info, but if they actually have to sign a confidentiality agreement as another poster here said, then she may not te
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

QuoteBrad69 QuoteWesly Engals, reads a lot of business books, 03/01/2006 Now, yes, we know Robbins uses many different LGAT methods, but personally I don't find him harmful - I have attended his firewalk course. It was really boring, but hey, I got to do the firewalk. That reminds me: my friend told me they did the firewalk at one of the Millionnaire Mind workshops she went to.
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

I'm glad this thread popped up, because my husband and I just spent the weekend in NYC with my friend who is involved in this whole thing. She has already taken the Warrior training and was off last Sunday to a weeklong Ultimate Leadership camp in upstate NY. She kept trying to sell us on the whole thing and gave us some pamphlets and brochures. I caught a bunch of typos on them, so I gue
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

QuoteSchwarzieI can only hope these issues will be mentioned to the physician, but, unfortunately, the 1st pychiatrist/doctor that hospitalized this niece was uncommunicative and almost sent her home without any kind of real treatment (sister-in-law almost had to rage at him to listen) ...was just going to temporarily sedate the girl & send her home. Now that the niece is in another ci
Forum: Abusive and Controlling Relationships

The police finally caught up with Warren Jeffs:
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteandycheeThose guys in jail are felons, and they deserve to lose all their legal rights. Making them pray could make them act better when they get out of jail, too, so maybe they won't do it again, ether. Not everyone in jail is guilty of a crime and not everyone running around free is innocent. I don't agree that prisoners should lose ALL their legal rights.
Forum: Coercive Persuasion and Undue Influence

QuoteSchwarzie So, then, having these Wiccan connections most likely didn't exasperate things further? ...maybe it's more coincidental that the bipolar symptoms manifested around the same time as those connections? As Kath said, usually the teenage years/early 20s is when symptoms of bipolarism or schizophrenia tend to first manifest. I think it was probably just a coincidence that
Forum: Abusive and Controlling Relationships

One morning I overheard a very upsetting anti-semitic discussion on the subway. One of the men was preaching anti-semitism right in front of his small child! That disturbed me a great deal to know that this child was being indoctrinated to hate at such a young age. I was too frightened to say anything, but it bothered me all day. That night I went to a satsang with an Advaita teacher. Advai
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Templar, I understand you are angry at this person, but in the future you might want to run a spell-check program before calling someone else "moronic", "retarded" or "not smart enough". Your multiple misspellings don't really help support your argument; in fact, they detract from it.
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

QuoteMadshus QuoterrmoderatorIf Byron expects people that attend her "therapy-like setting" to sign a release form limiting her liability that would be a big "red flag." The thing that caught my eye here is that you say 'if Byron expects...' ...but she doesn't, does she? And since she doesn't, then why talk about a red flag that doesn't exist? T
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

QuoterrmoderatorGulab Jamon: Many controversial groups, movements and leaders are discussed here that are not labeled as "cults" and have not been called "cults." I know you yourself have not called Byron Katie's organization a "cult", but a poster above implied that she is a guru and has guru-like tendencies, and even said that her denying that she is a g
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

QuoteHopeQuoteWhen you are dealing with a serious problem like childhood sexual abuse (as the original poster was), you can't expect a "quick fix", and Katie's method may or may not work for that problem. Well - here is the problem. The client will have wasted time and money, and perhaps even have further damage done, in the process of finding out that someone like Katie
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Redboar, I don't think you can receive or send PMs until you have a certain amount of posts to your name. You'll hve to keep checking the public board here for any responses.
Forum: Abusive and Controlling Relationships

QuoteBuddyBear Dahn Yoga is a cult. Do your research and be careful. Yes, Dahn Yoga IS a cult. But Ashtanga yoga is a style of yoga. Do your research.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I have never heard of Ashtanga yoga being associated with any particular cult. I agree with other posters here who said that it's just another sign that commercialism has taken over the yoga world. I don't see how charging money (even too much money) for a class makes one cult-like. This sounds more like a complaint for the Better Business Bureau than one for the Cult Education Forum
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

FYI: Skeptic must have responded above while I was in the process of writing my previous post, and I just want him/her to know that I had not even seen his post when I wrote that sentence about "skeptics", so the comment was not aimed at him/her or meant to single him/her out. I didn't see his post until mine was already posted.
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Elena, I also want to thank you for posting that article. I think it was very balanced. Personally, I don't see the point in attacking Byron Katie and "The Work". There are plenty of REAL cults out there that are actively harming people. As much as I love this board and enjoy the discussions here, I think there is a tendency by certain members to be too quick to label everyone a
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Quoterrmoderator Byron is a "combination mystical guide, wisecracking therapist." I'm surprised you'd use that quote as "evidence" to back up your argument. That quote is not a statement of fact; it is a subjective opinion of one particular reporter.
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

I've been to one of Byron Katie's talks and I enjoyed it. I don't think she should be worshipped as a goddess, as Grace seems to think, but I also don't think her teachings are harmful as Skeptic seems to think. I also have the same CD skeptic has (I assume), but I confess I've never listened to it. I have, however, attended a "The Work" workshop that was
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"