Landmark Education Program

[cutelildeadbear]

Hi,
I could use some help.
I am wondering if anyone here has any experience or information regarding the Landmark Education Program or EST as it was formerly called, or "the Forum".

My boyfriend went to this 3 day seminar years ago with his ex. He didn't get sucked in (as far as I know, but I'm learning all sorts of new things it seems these days) but sometimes he uses phrases that they use and some psychobabble crap. Well, I suffer from manic depression and he has known this for the 5 years we've been together. Just last night, when I was talking to him about changing my medication, he blurted out that I should go to this Landmark Education Forum thing. And I asked him what it was about, he couldn't describe it to me. He just said it was like Fight Club. For no reason other than the fact that I'm extremely stubborn, I told him that I'm not interested in standing in front of a bunch of strangers and telling them my deepest darkest secrets (lol although I have no problem doing that here!) Anyway, he got mad that I didn't want to go after he even offered to pay for it for me. He said it could "change my way of thinking and in turn change my life for the better".

So, just to be fair and open minded, I looked it up on the internet today. I figure maybe it can't hurt. Well, come to find out it is apparently a cult. Some self-help crap that gets extremely expensive and kind of creepy. I read a lot of different articles, all that I could find on google anyway from 8 am til now. I read what they say about their own program and what others say and what doctors and clergy say. The only conclusion I can come to is that its a cult.

I was wondering if anyone here has any experience with this particular group.

[cutelildeadbear]

Doesn't anyone ever come to this part of the forums. :(

[MollyThe Hippy]

landmark education is one of the good cults... stop thinking, give them all your money and do whatever they tell you to do

[cutelildeadbear]

HA! well, I guess a smartass response is better than none at all. I just wasn't sure if it was a cult at all. You know how some people just start raving like a lunatic. LOL.

[NatureFreak412]

Stay away from it...

[Bluesbilly Dave]

It's widely considered a cult.Perhaps not the most harmful one ever,but they will try to suck every dollar they can out of you,and if you start participating and change your mind,they will pester you with phone calls until the end of time.If you think you could use some therapy,find somebody with a good reputation that you can relate to.
"Talk therapy" along with medication is supposed to be better in a lot of cases than medication alone.
I was involved in EST almost 30 years ago,and not for very long.From what I gather about Landmark,it's a sort of EST-Lite.I can't paint it as all bad.It's a pastiche of self-help therapies,and at the time I was into it,I liked it.There's just some creepy elements to it,and the idea of charging big bucks and people getting rich from it is one of them.
If you've read ex-members' critical accounts of it online,I'd believe what they say.

[MollyThe Hippy]

dave is right, it can be dangerous... best to try dianetics

[Bluesbilly Dave]

Dianetics (a front for Scientology) is worse.Way worse.

[MollyThe Hippy]

that's not true, scientology is saving earth from the theton invasion

[cutelildeadbear]

LOL, thanks guys. I kind of figured it was cultish as soon as boyfriend said it was like $300. My only problem is believing in myself and he thought that would help me out. I have a lot of issues from my childhood and my dad (which I am seeing a therapist for), but supposedly this Landmark Educational Forum thing is supposed to help you get past your past. And that is what my boyfriend thinks I need. Honestly I think I might need another boyfriend, but that is a different topic entirely. Thanks again. And I think I'll stay away from Scientology too.

[2cool]

that's not true, scientology is saving earth from the theton invasion
Stop acting like you know what your talking about. It's just stupid.

[2cool]

And I think I'll stay away from Scientology too.Do you even know what Scientology is? Don't let some stupid remarks deter your from something that may very well change your life.

[Bluesbilly Dave]

scientology is saving earth from the theton invasion

Yeah,like George Bush saved Louisiana from the North Vietnamese invasion.Except the North Vietnamese actually existed.

[2cool]

Yeah,like George Bush saved Louisiana from the North Vietnamese invasion.Except the North Vietnamese actually existed.
Do you write your own material?:confused: What's funny is I've read all the rumors and the slander and that thing about "thetons" invading isn't even a rumor. A Thetan, is your spirit coming from the greek word Theta.

[Bluesbilly Dave]

The thetans invading thing is a reference to "body thetans." Re-read the Xenu story--it's the secret OT lll level in the church you think is so cool.

[2cool]

I'll pass. OT 3 is something you must work for. Besides I'm sure that website distorts the OT 3, just like everything else.

[cutelildeadbear]

Ok guys, ummm this was my thread right. Take it to PM if you aren't going to give me constructive info regarding my topic. Thanks! ;)

[averagejoe777]

I just finished the third day of my Landmark Forum and I recommend it to anyone who is intrested in the possibility of having the life you want for yourself. It is about personal transformation and living your life authentically. It is not a cult. Cults have only one leader and Landmark Education has over fifty leaders. While it is expensive, ($475) there are business and sales seminars that go for $5,000 and more. Over 2 million people have attended the Landmark Forum. Anyone who is interested should at least go to the free introduction. It is offered all over the world. If you can manage the tuition, why not spend three days in exchange for the rest of your life?

It's funny that your boyfriend compared Landmark to Fight Club because the movie Fight Club actually began as a project in a Landmark Education course. The artist, Alex Grey also attributes much of his success to Landmark. (alexgrey.com).

I would strongly consider all of these opinions and then check it out for yourself.

I wish you the best.

Damn, I just noticed that this thread is from 2005! ha!

[omgimmatt]

Lol to you joe

[cutelildeadbear]

That is ok, I still come back and check on most of my old threads. Thanks for the advice, but I really don't think it is for me. Too cult like. I have 2 friends who went to it, and like I said my boyfriend knows a little bit about it as he went to a seminar once.

And yes, I knew it was like fight club, we are from Delaware, that is where fight club was said to have started. Wilmington-A Place to be Somebody (who gets mugged).

But the fact that it has more than one leader doesn't mean it isn't still cult like. I don't think it is intended to be a cult like some others, however, anything that wants to modify the way I think, kinda gives me the creeps. I don't even like the Bible. And the fact that they FORCE you to call people and get them to join as well, is creepy too. But for the record, in the beginning it did have just one leader, Werner Erhard.

[dd3stp233]

Some friends that were involved in Landmark edu., heard nothing good about it. Scam is probably a better word then cult, aleast from what I heard. Friend lost a bandmate because of it. If working through issuses, is it probably better to go to a professional.

[Sueseas]

I was wondering if anyone here has any experience with this particular group.

I realize that this is two years plus later from the last post, but none the less, I have experience with Landmark.

Yes it is hard to describe, but I tend to start the conversation with it is an authentic communication and leadership course, but it is much more. It does offer you the tools for you to take your past and put it back in the past. The experience is nothing more than a conversation, of which you don't have to do anything but listen...and even at that I spent my forum comparing it to all the other things I had read or listened to. It didn't matter I got it on Sunday (day 3) evening at dinner break, sitting at a restaurant, with a new friend, I was explaining what I heard about the clearing it creates and it just happened for me, I was free of my past. An epiphany. And a series of epiphanies follow as you go through the various conversations.

I have gone on to take the Advanced course which I found to be the most profound thing I have ever participated in. It offers you how to be effective in groups and truly listen to others from a different way than perhaps we do now. Generous listening is what they call it. It would get past the whining and complaining we hear often in life, work, traffic, school, etc and see what lies behind it for others and speak to that, not the surface complaint. I find everything about this education fascinating.

I and my 16 year old daughter have gone through their curriculum for living and both of us are much more effective in our lives, just by who we are being in any given situation. (my business has increased, my daughters school grades have gone from sub-par to As & Bs, and she has been promoted in her part time job ... it is about taking responsibility for yourself, your actions and your surroundings) It makes a huge difference.

The forum is only $485 and with that you get a free 10 week seminar, to keep you in the conversation and offer you more insights, compared to $3500 for one year of a school tutoring program, which got my daughter, barely, through her sophomore year and now she has her entire life out of a 3 day seminar.

It is my life and I choose to live it, not be a victim of my circumstances.

Peace and Possibility!
Sue

[DonGenaro]

I also have attended the Landmark Forum twice..I thought it was pretty cool..cult..I dont know about that..it was only 3 days and a night..the breakthroughs can be pretty intense and fun..kinda pricey though

[liquidlight]

I accompanied a friend once to a promotional evening of theirs. I didn't like their way at all. It's an effective thing for alot of people, but i found a rather obvious, greedy, manipulative and controlling tone to the whole proceedings. The highpoint of the evening was when a girl stood to speak and told of how she had come to realise she was just fine as she was.
:)

[bluesafire]

Back when I was about 20 yrs old I did the Forum, the Advanced Course and then some Leadership seminars. I was involved in the "club" for about 6 months or so. Yes I believe there was some value... but then I was determined to have some value from it. I also didn't like the vibe and after a while my intuition was yelling at me too loud to ignore. I can't stand the sales and pressure tactics and it relied heavily on peer pressure and using emotional ties to manipulate people into attending by telling them how much they need it. I feel that these tactics undermined the whole program. At the end I found that the most valuable aspect of my involvement with it was being able to say NO to it and get the hell out. I remember when I decided enough was enough... someone called to sell me on another one of their seminars and my response was that I didn't have the money for it anymore. She immediately went into the shpiel of criticising my mindset of not having enough money, yada yada yada, at which point I told her that it wasn't that I didn't have enough money, it was that I didn't want to spend any more of my money on THIS. It was the first time that I experienced one of them become completely silent. Maybe I taught her something. LOLOL!

So, in summary, save your money and take one deep conscious breath every chance you get. It's completely free and you'll accomplish more for your own Self and peace of mind than any program out there.

[mariaG]

I have been researching Landmark Education because a friend seems quite heavily involved and I have been very concerned. This thread came up on my google search...I just want to point out (though it is now 3 years later!!) that it is my understanding that anyone on medication or with a history of mental illness can not actually participate in the Forum. So it's a bit pointless to ask people's opinion in this case.

[blackcat666]

been there, done that. it is a corprate boot camp. fuck them! i did not do one thing god damn they told me i HAD to do! i was one of the people, who filed the joint lawsuit aganist est for psychological abuse.
landmark seem to to be the same old shit just in a new package. it is just a matter of time, before they are sued and shut down again.

my suggestion would be, that you give some philosophy/religion like buddism a chance, to help you grow and develop for your long-term needs.

[Tisha Mc]

My dad and step-mom are very involved in the Forum. They got many other people involved as well, including my brother. They've been asking me to go for a long time, but it's seemed like a cult to me ever since I was a kid. To me it seems like they teach self serving and talking down to people. Many times that I've tried to talk to my dad about something that is emotionally had for me, he starts this Forum speak. Just ruins the whole thing, I want his advice, not some organization's. My brother who used to be the nicest kindest kid before, came back looking out for number one. He's soooo self serving and kind of cruel sometimes. Complete oposite of what he used to be. At most times it seems like just another upper-middle class country club, but at others I really hate it. It has really put a hurt on my relationship with my dad and brother. I also have to wonder about them sending a 16-year-old to counsil 40-year-olds. My brother was brought up to an advanced position, somehow, and was involved in being a sponsor for people more than twice his age. While I do agree that there are mature children out there, what 16-year-old has the life experience to council a 40-year-old. Definitely not my brother. I love him, but we were very sheltered from the evils of the world growing up. Would you trust a group that sent a teenager to help you with your "advancement"?

[flowerchild92]

I went to landmark education program i did the creativity one and one other forum (i forget which now) I was like 11 at the time though ha, my mom got me into it. I don't think I really got anything out of it. They do try to change your way of thinking but in my opinion it's in a bad way, I feel like they want you to place the blame for anything that is wrong in your life on other people, this is just my opinion.

[flowerchild92]

p.s. it's not at all like fight club ha, if it was it would be awesome.