Aha--thank you, Esquire! John Falk's wonderful article from November 2001 is here. The onset of his depression QuoteI remember clearly the day it started. It was a morning in the fall of 1981, and I was thirteen. I woke to a world that was different from the one I had fallen asleep in. The world, so full of possibilities and optimism, was now bleak and pointless. My mind ha
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Tolle claims that epiphany cured him. But how long has it been since he has functioned without a wrap around team of caregivers - ie his entourage? Have a look at how we have to function. We have to stand in line at the grocery store, move our cars so we dont get parking tickets (we hope), and all the other nit picky things demanded of us by modern living. A guy who is surrounded by an e
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

There is a guy named John Falk who had a dramatic, before and after with depression. Its damn interesting to compare his situation with what Tolle self reports about his suddenly dropping his own allegedly suicidal depression - and Tolle never saying a thing about where he got support during the time that he by his report, was blissed out on a park bench in London. John Falk woke up at age 12
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I love the projection thing. I want to tell the guy "Your thinking I'm projecting is just a projection of your own tendency to project." Is projection really anything more than the fact that we kind of figure other people are like ourselves until we know better? So a reaction of shock and disgust to the behavior of somebody you looked up to is in fact a *shattering* of project
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Here is an older thread Someone was discussing Tolle on an older Google listserve and mentioned something. There is a discussion on the Google listserve that raise intersting points []'A cessation of mentation as a result of intense concentration _may_ be a precursor to Awakening in some "accidental" enlightenment experiences (e.g. Eckhart Tolle's, or John Wr
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

This is a variation of what Jim Chamberlin identified as the 3 cards trick - its commonplace for these types to say its OUR problem or our lack of perceptiveness when we dismiss their stuff as twaddle. Chamberlin was discussing the case of Ken Wilber. But Tolle and others do versions of this as well. ----------- The Higher Level Card (i.e. Sorry, it's just over your head). You&#
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Thanks for the links. For me, one of the most arrogant interviews Tolle gave was on ABC when the reporter made the comment that his teachings were "flaky". Tolle's response was that "it is your mind that has some judgments about it, because it doesn't understand what I'm talking about", and "there has to be a recognition from somewhere deeper than the m
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

In the language of Self Psychology, Tolle has done all he could to turn himself into an 'idealizable self-object' -- which totally undercuts the agenda he verbally claimed. In the old days seating at Tolle events was priced according to proximity to him - a strange thing if the teaching is supposed to be independent of the personality of the teacher. And from someone na
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I've never read Tolle but have read quotes and accolades from followers. I always found him a bit fishy because of the sycophantic accolades. And as superficial as this sounds, the eyes freak me out. In anything I look into spiritually, I've come to ask myself "Is this making me a better person?" Then, of course, I need a definition of "A better person". Wha
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hello, I'm posting this because like many people on this forum, I've suffered because of the 'teachings' of this man. And why? Because I accepted what he was saying without questioning. This is the key to the whole thing. It is nice to know that it's not just me that became duped in this manner and also heart warming that so many people have the same critical views tha
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Robyn Okrant devoted a year to following Oprah's advice and wrote a book about her experience. I haven't read it and feel no urge to do so, but having said that the following article is interesting given that so many people (mostly women) do follow Oprah's advice. We never (or at least I never) hear about people who followed her advice and things went badly, whether it's putti
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

spiritedangel, you're most welcome. I finally finished the book a few days ago. If you decide to read Top Secret, it's worth reading the entire thing as the author will relate stuff in one chapter to previous chapters. He also includes info on The Secret, Deepak Chopra, Eckhart Tolle, Marianne Williamson's A return to love... The last several pages focus on cults in general: wha
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Soldiers, sailors and Air Force personnel swear away their lives when they take the oath. But..at least in the civilized countries, the military provides health care for its personnel, both in service and in retirement, and offers support for families and in event of death, a widower's or widow's pension. One fills out an insurance application. There is also a Uniform Code of
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Byron Katie a tycoon in the .05% pretending she is the 99% Its the pretending that is sinful. And if you dont pay them and get them to work as volunteers there are additional advantages No need to follow state safety regulations No need for health insurance No need to hire somone to oversee payroll and to report earnings to the IRS or Social Security Unpaid labor is yet another
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

??One way to disable the horror disgust response: Lemme tell us what might happen if, literally we lost the moon. The rhythm of life, of circadian light/dark cycles, the ocean tides, would all be gone. We do NOT want to 'lose the moon' for our planet would be messed up. In some cases, one must lose revulsion in order to function more effectively in certain specialized p
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Disgust may be linked to 'cringe factor' 'ickiness' and dismay. According to the NY Times article, the disgust pathways can be located in the amygdala region in the brain. That which is merely unfamiliar or strange may be different from disgust. In any case, watch OUT for anyone or anything trying to normalize what to you elicits disgust, creepiness, or dismay. I
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

This is not official. Just my private, non professional, citizens hunch: One criterion we might investigate which identifies if its cult or potentially abusive relationship: Be very alert if someone tries to undermine disgust towards events in history that ARE disgusting, such as the Shoah/Holocaust, Hitler, Stalin's socially engineered famines, any notion that some groups deserve to
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Trust Your Disgust Cockroach Story Power--the Manipulation of Evolutionary Emotion Hello dear readers. How often have you loitered around the New Age, Dharma Lite, Human Potential scene, felt disgust, expressed disgust (even if only by frowning) and were scolded for being "judgemental"? How often have you been urged to ingore your disgust as "bourgeois" "unev
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Also I found a snippet online that said Eckhart Tolle says it's good to use my mind to deal with moving through this world....hmmm..very interesting.this should help...just don't go looking any eckhart tolle things up on google, lol
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Alllsoo love all you can, think "i love you" and things of loving nature...ego means self, which means ego is you...you are capable of love, you loved your parents, you love yourself....love and ego do coexist.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Ego is good. Ego is good. Ego is good. Ego is good. Without it you will be like a zombie. Ego is essential for thinking. You need to think all the time! It gets you through things and the more you think the smarter you get because thinking is exercising the brain. To recover from this I would advocate thinking more often and exercising.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Sorry to tell you this but this was never therapy. As soon as this person became a LEC lackey, she ceased to be a therapist. Her credential and skills learned in clinical program are now in service to the Landmark Borg. A true therapist honors the dignity of the counselee and has the counselees ultimate interest at --not Landmark. Two, you can bet that someone in Landmark reads this
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

If anyone is into Advaita Vedanta, the key author is Shankaracharya (c. 800 CE) Shankara's text for beginning seekers is Crest Jewel of Discernment --- Scripture declares that there is no hope of immortality by means of wealth, so it is evident that liberation cannot be brought about by actions. 7 So let the man of understanding strive for liberation, abandoning desire for the
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

It never ceases to amaze me how people who consider themselves to be enlightened spiritual beings will put down anyone who disagrees as not being ready for the message. These self-annointed gurus yack on and on about the "ego" (other people's egos or people who aren't willing to follow along like good sheep), while their own ego is out there front and centre. Trolle does it, s
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Some good resources here Quote: In the early 1980s I also saw a short film of excerpts from one of Rajneesh's talks, and was able to see first-hand his hypnotically slow, coy, seductive, and provocative manner of speech and body language, with his strange way of hissing the "s" sounds at the end of many of his words. and Quote: Osho defrauded some of the most beautiful a
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

q
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

z
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The discussion continues. Read the material about 'crazy like a fox'
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

NIWH grade Gina Lake is offering a series of courses on quieting the mind, with material derived from Tolle and Katie. NIWH claims to be a science- and evidence-based school teaching a whole person approach to health. Enrollees must be some kind of certified/licensed/degreed health professional in order to gain admission. TOPICS COVERED The truth about the mind and who you really
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

From our newly registered member, Dr. Monasterio (Corboy-I organized this into paragraphs) QuoteSomebody was asking for some licensed psychoterapists to give their two cents over this most entertaining-and quite dangerous- subject. Here my review of of one of Katie's latest "pearls". This review is from Amazon: A Thousand Names for Joy: Living in Harmony with the
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"