Sincere apologies Moderator – That’s a sound principle of discouragement and I’d not thought this one through (inexperienced poster learning though mistakes). Suffice to say that in a previous post I’ve stressed the genetic link with bipolar disorder and made a distinction between real hypomania and quasi-hypomania out of concern that some people who have done LGAT trainings might become un
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

I’ve had a private conversation with DL - Dopamine Link - about my last post. DL has a lot on at the moment and won’t be posting here for a bit, but has given me permission to share the private reply to my post - I agree with your comment on real vs. quasi hypomania and I think we're saying much the same thing. By hypomania I simply mean that dopamine levels are pushed beyond the normal r
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

I think the discussion of hypomania and bi-polar regarding LGATs on this thread will be of interest to two different groups of people – those who are thinking of participating in LGAT training (and/or their concerned friends and relatives), and those who have already participated in one and are concerned about long term affects (and/or their concerned friends and relatives). I think perhaps there
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

I'm not the key person on this thread, but I looked at your post and read your story on the other thread and thought I'd reply quickly in case other contributors are on holiday at the moment. Your story is tragic and my heart goes out to you. You were so young and to put children under the sort of stress you describe was/is criminal. Also, with your mother having suffered abuse as a
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Corboy - I don't think you've read me properly here. Will send you a PM in the week. All good wishes LM
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Hi Corboy - Yes I agree with you about Jung - he was the grey area example I was looking for to qualify the general discussion on mythomania (Steiner was a bad example). LIke the mythomaniacs Jung had episodes of psychosis that he interpreted in grandiose terms (his psychosis which he thought in smoe way adumbarted the carnage og the Ifrst World War for example); he also had a circle of rapt d
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

OK Corboy - you've convinced me that Steiner wasn't as benign as I'd thought; have looked at the UK website you suggested and it is instructive. As far as Steiner's racist mythologizing is concerned - that I hadn't known about - it stinks to high heaven; but I guess you might find that some more conventional thinkers and innovators in education of that time who we respect
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Hi Corboy – (I do have a rather splendid site name in ‘lordmayor’ – but it actually refers to a joke that has stuck to me, largely at my expense, since I was young:-)) Yes I read Masson’s book about life with Paul Brunton some time ago. And yes – Brunton is an excellent example of a type which you term ‘mythomaniac’. As ever there is real pathos in a book of this kind– Brunton obviously did hav
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

DL - terribly sorry to have missed this message and not replied to it; it's kind of you to be concerned that I might be about to do some LGAT course. Thanks for the discussion about authority - it was useful; I'm not well versed in this area but I am aware of it in a general way and have heard about Milgram's rather ghastly experiment. By the way, when I met Derren Brown a
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Hi Corboy I'm back from holiday so can look at/ reply to threads again. Yes - I too can totally identify with Anthony Storr’s very sensible hypothesis about the origins of charisma as being something rather ordinary – raising one’s mood by first raising the mood of others. In a sense it is something that anyone with a degree of extraversion in their personality gets up to from time t
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Hi LM Sorry I missed your first post to me – no danger of me doing an LGAT (And I once met Derren Brown at a Christmas party before he was famous) Thanks for your second post. You raise a number of complex and fascinating issues – I’ll try and add my two pence worth (and hi Corboy – if you read this - I’ll reply to your email about Paul Brunton tomorrow) I agree with what you say about the
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

That's a very interesting and useful post. Will get back to you when I have some time later in the week. Thanks for that
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Yes I'd largely agree with what you have said here - and there is some real pathos in Bartley's book in that he gives away enough about himself to show how very vulnerable he was (and he looked like Dudley Moore too). I love the phrase 'bliss technician'! Also 'mythomaniac' is a useful category - as is the idea that mythomaniacs draw in others to bolster their my
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Hi Corboy - you drew my attention to Bartley's biography of Werner Erhard some weeks back, and I've since read it. For all his intellectual gifts he was a proper innocent abroad when it came to Erhard. The book is full of dark dramatic irony (with hindsight - it was written before any scandal broke). A particularly ironic moment is the chapter 'One Big Family' where Erhard
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Hi - I'm on holiday at the moment but will get back to you about this on return.
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Thanks Corboy. Have followed the link and the MA programme referred to is accredited/bona fide. I'm from England and have no idea how to evaluate educational quality assurance in California. I can only say that IMHO the thesis I mentioned is full of poor arguments - especially, but not exclusively in its use of argument from authority (relevant authorities quoted out of context, incompetent
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Hello DL – What you say – and say very well and courageously –makes complete sense to me. I’ve never participated in an LGAT – but I have been a target of concerted recruitment by a friend of mine who is a Landmark Graduate. I too suffer from bipolar – not as bad as you, mainly of the cyclothymic variety but have had a couple of episodes of Bipolar 2 going on Bipolar 1. So I know the symptoms
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

I've had a think about this one - read over my post and consider it to sound like coming form someone wiht a bonnet full of wild bees. I think there is scope for discussing whether or not the ideas behind the Forum are sound or not - but it probably is not so appropriate here. I've found another site where this discussion si going on and it will be a better place for me to hone and sort
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Dear Ellen and ‘Corboy’ Thank you both so much for replying to my overlong post, and for your constructive advice. Yes Ellen, you know your stuff and have a far greater knowledge of the original influences behind Erhard/est than I do (it’s interesting to know that Erhard first got his potted existentialism from Hubbard – I reckon Hubbard probably got his existentialism from a Reader’s Dige
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

I’d like to write something about Jack Rosenberg/Werner Erhard and the German philosopher Martin Heidegger – and the implications of the latter’s involvement with Nazism. I think it’s of general relevance to the theme of this thread. Hope someone finds it useful. It is well known that Heidegger’s philosophy is a hugely important influence on Landmark Forum. The Forum ‘teaches’ that - • Life is
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Yes John - that's the one (should have been more precise). Hope you enjoyed it!
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Has anyone seen the comedy slot - Daniel-Ryan Spaulding 'Is Landmark A Cult?' - on YouTube? It's very funny - stating the obvious with impeccable timing. Check it out quickly before the video is withdrawn as the comic gets bogged down in tirivial litigation with Art Schreiber and co. (Did Daniel-Ryan Spaulding merely have a nasty cough on the night of the comedy gig or did he actua
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"