❀ the cult of: ➥motivational speakers ➥life coaches ➥personal growth gurus ➥new-age charlatans ➥AWESOMENESS FEST

Also, I don't want to sound like I'm blaming the participants and letting the business off-the-hook. I fully think the business is responsible for the kinds of participants it attracts, and responsible to deal with them ethically and responsibly once allowing them to take their courses. I'm just pointing out that these kinds of businesses are always going to attract a particular group of participants. For instance, I don't think it's possible to take a Landmark course and go crazy because of the course. I think it's possible to start with a precarious mental situation and then have it degrade by taking a course. But I also studied Kabbalah + Chassidic philosophy for three years and met ppl who experienced psychotic episodes from that as well.

but is the course worthwhile in any way?

The purpose of est was "to transform one's ability to experience living so that the situations one had been trying to change or had been putting up with, clear up just in the process of life itself."

Let me translate? The stuff that you've been trying to change, or the shitty things you've been just suffering with - they will clear up without actually addressing them directly, just by changing your perspective. A huge part of the model (which IIRC Erhard got directly from Hubbard and was probably responsible for their rift and for Scientology trying to defame and then later kill Erhard) is that resisting things causes them to persist, and what is actually required is a contextual shift. That context shift is generally supposed to be creating a possibility -- generally something life-affirming and positive for your community. The idea is that you throw yourself into good works and the shitty stuff will disappear.

fwiw i would not have characterized my former college roommate as mentally unstable, before or even during the Landmark thing. she was odd and sort of bullheaded but she seemed pretty okay, honestly. i guess that could have been an elaborate front, but i don't know.

the main diff between the current milieu and landmark or w/e motivation seminars of old is the internet, like est/landmark is this huge org w/curriculum and and a marketing budget and whatnot but w/the internet you can just throw yr own shit out and see if it sticks, which is obv lol m/l how the internet has effected other industries, but i think w/this one which is a marketplace of ideas it has created this strange dynamic where everyone is an aspiring teacher, its just a bunch of teachers trying to teach each other, they make noises abt being students too but theres this hardly concealed undercurrent of ambition to dominate, and everyone is just sort of talking over each other in this inane gibberish, its v sad!

xp to horseshoe -- idk, I thought it was for me. I'm not going to plug it though. I'm way more fascinated by the political stuff -- like why Erhard had to flee the country and the whole network of mass encounter groups that were exploding in the 70s (and which obviously stuff like Mindvalley is the child of).

Back to Mindvalley briefly -- I was looking at their website and they remind me of Entertainment720.

mindvalley is my fav name for anything, really disappointed i didnt come up w/it myself

Wonder if these businesses are designed specifically to attract those types of people. When people are looking for help and guidance they're vulnerable, and some people when they're vulnerable are very suggestible or at the worst looking to lose themselves into something ... don't know much about Landmark itself, but you get people who can be easily exploited. Makes me sick to think about.

Rethinking your context about stuff is a good idea ... reminds me of Buddhism or even 7 Habits/Dale Carnegie kinda stuff, and totally appeals to common sense. But even that can be a hook all depending on how it's used.

mindvalley is v arrested development-y

ok can we stop being analytical and go back to finding awesome craziness to link?

life coach FAQ

Interesting btw how Tony Robbins has shifted from sketchy/cult-y to more the TED Talk style of self-improvement.

I had a roommate who was really into Landmark. Mostly it seemed like she had never reached an adult level of emotional function, and Lmark was showing her how to grow up. It was kind of like remedial emotional life skills, or at least that's what she was getting out of it and coming home to talk about.

It seemed like kind of dumb obvious shit to me, but she was a nice person who meant well and had had a lot of bad/violent things happen to her, and been poor and without options. Considering all of that, she had kind of made a success of herself, and she looooooved Landmark.

Mostly it seemed like she had never reached an adult level of emotional function

tbf this describes like 90% of the human beings i interact with on a daily basis on ilx and in real life.

lol there are some outlier TED Talks that are suspicious

I happen to know some people on ilx and irl too, and when I say that she was emotionally dysfunctional/unlearned, I mean in comparison to the other people I have known.

mindvalley is v arrested development-y

Located at the base of Fuck Mountain.

yeah there are definitely some dubious TED talks...
xp

ted is generally dubious imho

just the whole culture

This is such high end motivational stuff. I am really interested in the low end -- like this class by Alan Salami, LCSW

Want to learn how to talk to anyone at anytime and make a good impression. Are your fears of rejection in your way? Come learn how to:
o Overcome your fears
o Feel good about yourself and what you have to say
o Project self-confidence
o Start and continue conversations
We will practice self-image building and power communication skills. Alan Salami LCSW is an NLP Master Practitioner and Psychotherapist. He specializes in assisting people to learn new mental skills to transform their lives. Mat. Fee: $10

http://www.discoverycenter.cc/classes/il3556.htm

Start and continue conversations

I happen to know some people on ilx and irl too, and when I say that she was emotionally dysfunctional/unlearned, I mean in comparison to the other people I have known.

lol, fair enough. I was just trying to make the point that humans in general kinda suck at basic emotional competencies, but that's probably a discussion for another thread.

o Feel good about yourself and what you have to say

nbd

Alan Salami LCSW is an NLP Master Practitioner and Psychotherapist.

first glance thought this said Alan Salami LCSW is an NLP Master Practitioner and Psychobabblist.

The business development/futurism/positivity/self improvement axis is a slippery slope.

guys check this out, specifically the course titles that are of the form "If I'm X then how come I'm not rich/famous"

http://www.floatinguniversity.com/courses

Pleased to see local ChILX hero Alan Salami itt.

i think that might be the practical philosophy stuff i used to see advertised on MTA a lot. certainly something like that

These are not quite the same, but the format of:
Listen to genuine experts speak in broad, motivational terms about their fields
->
You are going to get some sort of insights and start your own business or come up with a revolutionary idea

While we're at it, how about this place?!

this is gonna be lol hueg

http://www.fairtalk.com/RashtraGita/MAHARISHI%20TOWER%20POSTER.jpg

lol those practical philosophy ads xp

That's Iowa btw. AKA Utopia.

I think that one that's always on the train is...another culty movement...energy manipulation, kind of...shoot WHAT is it called??

Founded by a lady named...Mary??

No, I don't know. I can't remember.

http://i.imgur.com/UICuK.jpg

oh man, anything that says maharishi

Is that referring to the maharishi school in Fairfield? It is a very interesting little community in that they have all these stores and nice stuff and it's in the middle of nowhere! I kind of wanted to go see David Lynch speak there a few years ago, lol

u really shouldve gone to that

Yes! My husband is from there.

I have been there many times too, obvs, but he grew up there. That place is BANANAS.

btw something abt that photo of the tower of invincibility looks not quite real idk

this doc was pretty good

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq0rsiw6IFo

NO WAY. I totally want to hear your husband's take on it. I wonder if he knows anyone I know from there. I take it he was a local and not in the school?

The kids that went to the Maharishi school always did the same nerdy academic competitions that I was in, but I am not sure they necessarily did really well?

lol just walked by a colleagues desk and saw a letter from landmark education on it. serendipity?

yes, he was a townie. dad still lives a little outside town.

http://www.bigdreamgathering.com/

Join
in the
Convo

Some of the people who have posted their BIG dreams in the past have…

scored a contract with a major shoe company
gone to Africa to help children living in poverty
launched businesses to sell art on-line
written books
transitioned into jobs they loved
launched non-profit organizations
run marathons
sent truck loads of school supplies to Africa
met new friends and made great contacts

^^ this thing had some local meeting and a friend went and they had some bizarro religion thing going on too