Okay, I will add a little something here, (it's been bugging me). Most of this is over my head. I have no degree in psychology. Neither do the people running these LGATs. From the article: "Gottschalk and Pattison isolated 13 liabilities of encounter groups, some of which are similar to characteristics of most current mass marathon psychotherapy training sessions: They lack
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Waaay back when, JackSF wrote: "Listen for odd, abrupt pauses and changes in tone or tempo when teacher is speaking. "You don't have to help me with the dishes." (The embedded command is "help me with the dishes.")" Politics aside; do you mean like this? Watch A.M. @ 3:02 for what i would consider to be a glaring example: "and......... I'm
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

StopLGATs wrote: "I've also read somewhere that legitimate organisations seldom resort to action for defamation if they are criticised ..." Yes!!! And wherever possible, correct their behavior to prevent the same criticism in the future!! Unfortunately, Landmark operates more like the Scientologists, (where they seem to have gotten so many of their ideas), who in turn, (
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

In fact, how can Landmark possibly justify suing anybody for anything, when they preach over and over again that there are no victims??? Isn't the bringer of a lawsuit claiming to have been a victim of someone or something?
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

I wrote: "It sets up an inescapable circular argument/logical trap. You can't possibly win. The Forum leader told me that the fastest way to make something disappear is to choose it, but that you can't choose it to make it go away. So: "It's not going away, because you didn't choose it. If you chose it just to make it go away, they can argue that it's
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Here's what i really hate about the Chocolate or Vanilla exercise: It sets up an inescapable circular argument/logical trap. You can't possibly win. The Forum leader told me that the fastest way to make something disappear is to choose it, but that you can't choose it to make it go away. So: It's not going away, because you didn't choose it. If you chose it ju
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

I should add that, of course, the "stoning" is more symbolic and psychological than physical. If you watch the series, from the outside you would see nothing but differences. "Gilead" is (allegedly) a religious society, with much overt physical brutality. Landmark felt like more of a corporate cult, to me. The "philosophy " is very different. The whole thing had a ve
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

This just flitted through my mind, and you might find it mildly amusing; From my point of view, as someone who has watched the whole thing deteriorate: Groups like Landmark are to the metaphysical community, as Dolores Umbridge was to Hogwarts. (And no thanks - I'm a Weasley! ^^)
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Hahaha, ...and if you click on the link that says, "Other Experts..." who comes up but Margaret Singer, who had scathing remarks about Landmark in the first edition of the very book they mention. She retracted those comments and left Landmark out of the 2nd edition, because they sued her and were harassing her, including sending people onto her property. But apparently the Lekkie
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Great research, StopLGATs!!
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

This show is a ptsd trigger for me. I can barely watch it. The woman being tazed is Janine. In another scene, she relates how she was gang-raped. "Aunt Lydia" got all the other ladies in a circle around her, chanting, "It's her fault!" (I have searched, but can't find the scene). It will become "normal?" A scary thought! Go to 1:20 Next - If
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

corboy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > In response to Gloria~ > > "They made me feel bad for being disturbed by > their seminar." Yes, corboy, I believe that what followed was one of my replies, ("Yes, they will say that you are "too confronted" and can't handle it, ..."). To elaborate a little fu
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Allalong, I generally tend to pass on anything that sounds authoritative. LGATs and cult leaders are noted over and over to be very authoritarian. You can feel a definite contrast on exposure, especially if you have had experience with the ones that are not like that. You can usually tell just by cracking the book open in a few places and reading a few paragraphs. Theres a whole different &qu
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

allalong, I understand your concern. I would definitely NOT lump The Dalai Lama in with the charlatans. He is a legitimate religious leader. I don't know as much about Thich Nhat Hanh, but i believe that he is also legit. It is my understanding that the books by Don Miguel Ruiz draw from the Toltec tradition. I have no reason to think of him as a cult leader, but maybe others have mo
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

SpeakingUp, First, I must apologize for being vague. It is necessary. You seem to remember quite a bit of detail about the final, Tuesday night, session of the Forum. I am wondering if you happen to recall that the Forum Leader wrote an acronym on the chalkboard/dry erase board? If you attended in 2012, they may still have been using it. I don't know if they use it now or not.
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

SpeakingUp ~ I'm so sorry you went through this. It all sounds very much like what i experienced, and you're right ~ we can talk. The more who do, the better. As to owing money: would-be Landmark recruiters do that all the time. They pay, or pay the deposit, etc, to trap you into going and to make you feel obligated. The same rhing happened to me. It didn't even sound as if
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

rrmoderator Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Please don't discuss politics on this thread. Got it! I have tried not to. When we look at the latest LGAT/LGAT-like bustings, however, public figures are involved, and apparently even some politicians. Does the proscription against politics forbid us to even discuss these people, or is it merely an adm
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Bakkagirl, I do think your construct is correct, though. I especially like that you pointed out this part: "... the identification of 'individual' goals, which are, in turn, vetted by the group and negotiated DOWN," Yes, i saw a lot of that, if not outright substitution of individual goals with something entirely different. An easy substitution for them, I
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Bakkagirl wrote: "...I would offer, as well, that the creation of an external enemy would be almost necessary to this process, and this could be members who have fallen away from the group..." Well they even try to soften the "common enemy," (probably to give the impression of being less cult-like), by referring to them as "less educated," "less evolved,&q
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

...and it's all for this!: "'The standard est training promises to transform the capacity to experience life so that one is more satisfied with life as it is' (Sayre 1977)." Above quote from page 11 of the link egoldstein posted on other thread. That was the whole point of the "choice" (Chocolate or Vanilla) exercise. They wanted you to perceive tha
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Bakkagirl, Great commentary, LOL. I love his T-shirt in the first one. I see Andrew looking uncomfortable and seemingly trying to wiggle his way out. I didn't hear anything that screamed "Landmark jargon," to my ear, though. I do agree with you that Epstein did seem to be running a cult.
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

I'm just gonna leave this here. More from J.P. Sears, (comedian). Describes LGAT mentality to a "T," (and sadly, many of the people in the current "Nuage movement"). "Intelligent people don't know how to think. They know what to think." ~ J.P. Sears
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

From the link posted by StopLGATs: "Toloui is of the latter group. She explains, 'They would break you down then build you back up again with all of these ideas about how to manipulate others and how to get your way and succeed in life. Everyone who worked in management had to go through that training so they used that bullshit on us to manipulate the dancers. It was really infuriati
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

concernedprof, The best thing i can think of would be to try sending a p.m. to egoldstein, with a request. The link is a couple of years old, so maybe the site was updated.
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

I should add that the first link i posted, with the thesis, is not spefically about Landmark alone, but a very similar program, (from what i read, almost identical), in South Africa. Having been through Landmark myself, the features of the program described were instantly recognizable to me. The writer also did some research into Landmark itself.
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

concernedprof, I am not an academic, but i remembered this paper, which a I read about a year ago. I felt that it was dead-on, in its description of the methods used and their effects, and very informative. There is also a lengthy discussion on the thread about Landmark Health Warnings: Good luck! kdag
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Bakkagirl wrote: "Not one argument from me on this point. I still question, however, that money is the only, or even primary driver." From my perspective, power over people, and sadly money can buy that, at least to a degree. Some of the people i met in my LGAT were running for office. At least one, that i know of, succeeded. Landmark has always said up front that they want t
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Bakkagirl wrote: "As far as I am concerned, you can thank Harvard, Stanford, USC, the University of Pennsylvania (and other esteemed institutions) for your Landmark experience." True. I have read about this, off and on, for a couple of years. It was my understanding that Harvard had tried, (though legal means), to disassociate themselves from Landmark. The issue I recall at the f
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Yep, and to the list of enablers, you can add legislators and law enforcement.
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Pulling out another little thread from what Bakkagirl wrote: "It seems to me that this logic may resemble what goes on in some domestic abuse scenarios, and where we have the abused spouse trying desperately to reconcile the mixed messages. It also seems to me that in cases of domestic abuse and LGAT abuse, there has been emotional intimacy, or the perception of it, and then a MASSIVE
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"