Gary Lachman wrote a book entitled 'Turn Off Your Mind'--it is a history of the occult ideas that influenced the 1960s. Turns out science fiction and fantasy writers (wierd fiction in general) were a huge, huge source of inspiration. This article 'The Spiritual Cyborg' compares and contrasts two modern Gnostic systems: ( finally in article entitled 'Spell-Bo
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

on psychotherapy ethics. What you're describing can be understood as a boundary ethics issue. URL for the thread is
Forum: Clergy and Therapy Abuse

There was an Australian group, very affluent, led by a charismatic woman named Ann Hamilton-Byrne. Had an interest in Eastern spirituality and a stunning genius for recruiting professionals and respectable people, whose membership concealed the full extent of what was going on. The entire, very lenghty article is illuminating and can be read here.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Montreal mentions receiving a PM that reads: Quote I have noticed an aggressive, self-important, opinionated, self-righteous, holier than thou attitude from you. Was it Landmark that caused you to be this way or something else? There has been nothing at all the matter with Montreal's tone. It appears that that PM was sent to undermine your confidence. We have had some individuals la
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

It isnt the belief system that makes a group dysfunctional, its the group process itself that triggers a shift in a dysfunctional/cultic direction. There is a new book by Professor Janja Lalich in which she sees this as a process of 'bounded choice'---people feel free, continue to think quite logically, but they make their decisions within an increasingly limited menu of options. Lal
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

is a spin off of Eckankar. Both of these appropriated material from an authentic Indian system of yoga. The person who has done most to research all this is David Christopher Lane, a philosophy professor in San Diego. (One word of caution: his fascinating website is full of infuriating pop-ups, and on a couple of occasions, has crashed my system. Just keep zapping them and read what's there.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Dr. Dubrow-Eichel's contact information is here Steven Dubrow-Eichel, Ph.D. E-mail: steve@vpsych.com Web site: www.vpsych.com Address: 9877 Verree Road City: Philadelphia State: PA Zip: 19115 (215) 698-8900 Having said this, we must to keep this thread strictly to the topic of the MOL gro
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Karla McLaren describes this New Age cultural milleau and reports that she abandoned her own career as a New Age writer and healer after realizing that there was no support for reason or critical thinking, and she came to believe that despite her own good intentions, she'd played a role in harming people. The entire article is well worth reading. 'I
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The family enmeshment Toni describes appears to show up with some frequency among among New Age clients who were seen by two psychotherapists, Steve K. Dubrow-Eichel and Linda Dubrow-Eichel, who published some observations in an article entitled 'Trouble in Paradise: Some Observations on Psychotherapy with New Agers' published in Cultic Studies Journal, Volume 5, No. 2, 1988, page 177-1
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

'Concealed Control of Choice' resembles what Professor Janja Lalich has called 'Bounded Choice'---in certain high-demand groups, members continue to think quite rationally, but they are unaware that they're exercising what they 'experience' as free choice within a menu of options that progressively shrinks without their realizing it, until (in certain tragic cas
Forum: Coercive Persuasion and Undue Influence

Compared to their old website there is now less informaton available on their website, since the various message boards have been active. www.miracle.org However, there is a way to examine previous editions of websites. which is otherwise known as the 'Wayback Machine' Plug www.miracle.org into the search ('take me back') slot. It will take you to the older ve
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

When an authentic Asian belief system is taken out of its cultural context and transmitted by a single, ambitious person to Westerners who have not been taught how to tell an authentic guru from a wannabe, problems arise. Indians are well aware that one must test the authenticity of a guru. One teacher told us that there was a Sanskrit proverb that, in English reads: 'A greedy guru and
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

thanks to Hope. She found the URL and made sure we found out about it. Thats the great thing about the RR.com message board. Everyone here has different interests and concerns, different styles of dong online reading & research. As a result, we get a rich selection of material.
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Quote One thing that I have found, is that many like me who got out of the corruption, still hold on to the religious parts of the movement, and are actually not bitter! Welcome to the board. However, if one's phase of recovery requires feeling anger and grief one has disowned for many, many years, thats a necessary part of recovery and must not be dismissed or criticized as 'being b
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

Here are two sites by Native Americans listing persons they're concerned about--there may be some information here on what you're looking for:
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

kinds of difficult custody disputes--very valuable since men are often at a terrible disadantage in court. An excellent cover-your-butt resource. Its possible that if you go to www.bpdcentral.com ( you may be able to get referrrals to attorneys who have experience in tricky custody suits. Love and Loathing: Protecting Your Mental Health and Legal Rights When Your Partner has Borderlin
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Certain kinds of dissociation (disruption of normal conscious awareness) can be confused with spiritual breakthrough and healing, if a person is under pressure and in social situations where they're encouraged to get confused. Hope found this article. See if it has some clues: You asked whether the double talk is a result of hypnotic suggestion? (quote) Is the double-talk languag
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

QuoteI think that our friend, when he says he investigated it prior, saw the statements from people that said stuff like just go to the forum, stay aware, get what you can from it and then don't do any more. That seems far more dangerous to me because everyone likes to think that they can't be taken in so it's almost a challenge. You're on to something important. Some of t
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

First, he wrote on his post of 10-3-2004 QuoteI'm a researcher at Mclean hospital. Dr. Bruce Cohen, whom is quoted above, is my boss and the head honcho at Mclean. Then, on 10-5-04 after I posted the article on psychotherapy ethics and the problems of dual relationships, laslow backpedalled and wrote QuoteFor the record, I'm working in biochemistry research. I couldn't wri
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Can be read in this article 'Dysfunction in Training Organizations'
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

'laslow wrote: QuoteI and a number of my colleagues did the Landmark Forum for both personal and professional reasons. At no time was anyone humiliated in our presence. If you and your colleagues mentioned your occupations & affiliations (health care professionals/graduate students at a prestigious university/medical institution) when filling out registration material, for the
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Some excerpts from Psychotherapy Cults: An Ethical Analysis Kim Boland,Lewis & Clark College, Portland, Oregon Gordon Lindbloom, Ph.D. Lewis & Clark College Portland, Oregon 'The essential characteristics of these groups were described variously. Appel wrote that “therapeutic cults frame the salvation they offer in psychological terms, as personal l
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

entitled 'Manipulating the Room Environment.' Certain LGATs may perhaps pack their punch by combining indoctrination with a specific way of setting up the room, and all social interactions are very tightly scripted. Drew Kopp, who was involved with LEC write a remarkable analysis of the room set up, which can be found and read on this thread. He suggests that to the extent that on
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

see if this matches with what you've already observed. and
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

there are few message boards available to persons who want to discuss concerns they have about LGATs and who wish to discuss recovery resources, as well as objective information on LGATs. RR.com has LEC's official website listed on its database, so there's already equal coverage given to LEC along with data from outside sources. If anyone wishes to celebrate, justify or discuss
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

can be accessed here (text of first article)--other articles are also on this same thread ------------------------------------------------- This seems to be a relatively new group. But anything that is a spin-off of TM deserves a close look. Up to date information appreciated.) Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is a guru who spent some time with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (Transcendental Meditatio
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

concerning Art of Living here are some quotes from various sources. The FACT Net correspondant wrote: 'Hi, Ravi Shankar and the art of living foundation operate mainly in north-west europe, and India (with hq based in Bangalore). They are especially big in Holland, Germany and Denmark with ashrams and such. I have heard a lot about this organization from former martial arts trainin
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

In the US, back in the 1960s and 1970s, advertising emphasized the quality of a product. And a lot of the advertising on TV was humorous. Those were the commercials which became famous and quotable. Remember some of the more famous ones? 'Avoid the heartbreak of psoriasis?' (Head and Shoulders shampoo) 'Mikey likes it' (Life cereal) 'I can't believe I at
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

The belief that we can re-invent ourselves, triumph over any and all circumstances with little regard for limitations, is very American. Americans have been hungry for self improvement since at least the early to mid-19th century, and there were major social movements for religious revival that swept large areas in the 18th century. Just have a look at the original Pilgrims: they were a g
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

For another take, I highly recommend 'My Father's Guru' by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson. Masson's father became a disciple of Paul Brunton (PB), a Theosophist/Vedenta guru, and young Jeffrey in effect grew up in a secretive family cult. Years later, after studying Sanskrit at Harvard, young Jeffrey Masson realized that Paul Brunton was a fraud and felt furious at having been lie
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"