Hi all,
Wow, I had no idea PW that you went to one of the Landmark Forums. I
was introduced to it by a friend of mine at the time a few years ago.
I rented space with a massage therapist who also worked for my
chiropractor back home in N. Va. She kept praising Landmark like it
was some kind of God. She kept saying words like "that's your story"
or "that's your racket" and "now we can be in the game". I was
like "huh"? She kept pestering me to go until I went to a freebie
meeting. She drove me. That's their shtick, if you don't have a means
to travel, they'll take you. I should have drove myself. At first all
I heard was "how Landmark Edu" helped me and my family. It was the
end of their forum type event where everyone was happy, happy.
It was okay, but I really didn't learn anything, except hype. My
friend at the time new I was tough to persuade so she paid for my
entire landmark forum weekend event. It was an all nighter type to.
When I came home my husband was concerned for me. Another hyped up
scenario like Arbonne was. He just asked the right questions after he
listened, just like he did with the arbonne bit.
So now I felt forced to go, my friend drove me, and paid for the
forum sessions which was almost $400 just for a weekend! The first
day was okay. Alot of philosophy stuff which I actually already new
most of. My grandfather was a philosophy professor at a college along
with working for a think tank type company. Then the next day was the
real clincher for me. This is when it turns freaky. You can't discuss
anything unless you go up in front of the group and spill your
deepest issues to the whole group of strangers. I did it once, and
never felt comfy doing that again the whole weekend. Just didn't seem
right. Then you discuss with your neighbor sitting next to you what
the teacher told us how to handle the scenario better. Nothing wrong
with that, just we couldn't talk unless we were told to, that is how
I felt. When I asked a ? to my neighbor whispering, I had beady
little eyes giving me the evil stare, uhg, making me feel like an
idiot. I mean I wouldn't have minded being "shhhshd" but this was
beyond the basic "shhh". It was made to make you feel embarrassed and
you can only go up to the mike and ask ?'s to the group. I got that.
After, a while they had us sign a questionnaire and give them our
name, address, tele, and name of significant other. I knew this was a
recruitment deal. They also make you check boxes on what has helped
you so far. Also, to sell their tapes and books ect. Sound familiar.
Also, they only had you check a certain kind of box that asked "did
you learn anything that helped", no box to say if you where not
happy, hmmm.
I wanted to leave the second day for I was tired of staying up until
midnight and I was not comfy in this group scenario, where it was a
tightly controlled environment. If Landmark really wants you to be
your best at being yourself "an individual" then why do they make
everyone act as 1 or like your in a pod of whales?
If you just want philosophy in a group, just got to one of those
seminars at a college or even a book club who discusses self help
books will do. My grandfather spoke at those kinds of groups to.
Landmark was just another cultish like atmosphere to me. I didn't
feel like I could be myself in there even tho that was what they
where saying their goal was "to make you a better person" kind of
deal. It's also, in my opinion, to "flippit" of responses they teach
people on how to get back at others. Not a lot of tact. If you want
to learn tact, take etiquette type lessons or communication type
classes. They are out there.
I really didn't see my friend thinking for herself without Landmark.
She volunteered so many hrs a week and I couldn't hang out with her
any more. She tried to sell landmark to all her massage clients, and
even to my chiropractor. We had a time on how to deal with this
person after a while. She probably is still "landmarked" so much she
can't hang out with her regular friends any more. I feel Landmark
took her away from me and the normal world. She was a great massage
therapist and because of something that happened in her past and that
Landmark brought it back, she changed her career to hypno birthing,
uhg and she was doing more hypnosis type crap. I just don't do that
kind of thing. I just felt it was a waist of her talent. She had
nursing skills as well. I don't feel Landmark helped her except to
fill a void in my friends life. I was very upset that I could no
longer have her as a friend unless I was doing Landmark. I had to
stop renting with her and it was a sad moment when I gave her back
her key. Between the Landmark and the hypno stuff, I couldn't see us
working out.
In my opinion, it's a lemming. A group of people trying to be leaders
but they can't be leaders without Landmark.
Janine
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