I’ve been too busy to supply my usual post-publication outtakes item on the Nov. 8 story headlined ‘Transformation’ sessions claim high cost. So, here are some of the comments I found interesting but couldn’t fit into that story or the sidebar on consumer protections.
Michael Langone, Ph.D. psychologist, head of International Cultic Studies Association
They (Large Group Awareness Trainings) go back well over 30 years. They grow out of the Humanistic Psychology movement of the 50s.
It was an attempt to find group techniques to help bring about change in people. What Werner Erhard was really a genius on was he found a technique that created an intensive one-weekend experience.
One could take Landmark at its word and say they bring about some perceptual change. You still have to ask the question is this the most cost-effective way to bring about the change.
I don’t think there’s been an adequate amount of research on transformational trainings, and there ought to be because probably billions of dollars are being spent on them.
Balancing actual benefits, perceived benefits and harms. The majority of people will speak well of the training. Is it really bringing about change in behavior?
The vast majority of people, esp. in work settings, they take the training, they get the high, and eventually the high wears off.
To me, the key issue is are they really producing the behavioral changes. Or are they only producing emotional experiences for people to think the trainings are great?
Jonathan Ellerby, Ph.D., Canyon Ranch
The term (Large Group Awareness Training) originated some years ago. Some see it as dated. There was a time in the ’70s where these kinds of larger seminars were emerging. The truth is, I think that the term has become used to lump a lot of different things together — motivational seminars, self-help seminars, even training seminars.
In my work and training, my experience is there’s only so far I can go in a large-group training.
There are some core philosophies that are prevalent and are the focal point of the most prominent programs. However, it is not the focus of all or even most transformational programs.
It’s very important to know that the world of personal transformation and self help is full of very diverse teachers with very diverse backgrounds.
Some of what becomes most popular and most commonly talked about is the stuff that is most appealing: You can have what you want. Wealth and health are available to everyone. Those kinds of messages are very dominant. They’re dominant because of popularity.
The catch-22 is this. I believe, from a comparative religion and a humanistic psychological perspective, there is very sound logic and value behind those messages. The caution, however, is that when misapplied or poorly contextualized, those same messages are incomplete and even harmful.
What a lot of these programs are doing is a throwback to ancient practices. They’re adopting, modifying or renovating ancient techniques to help people cultivate self awareness and help people overcome limiting beliefs or practices.
Physical settings, postures and activities can help us to overcome limiting feelings and beliefs.
Because there’s such a hungry audience for stress management and inner peace in this world today, people will grab whatever looks good.
When high finances become involved, then any program or teacher becomes more tempted by ambition.
The same activities can be used positively. In a lot of therapeutic settings, a person is broken down. But the thing that is broken down is the things that limit them. It shouldn’t be their esteem.
Philip Cushman, Ph.D. psychologist, Antioch University Seattle
The self of the individual can be thrown into a tailspin. People can become disoriented, confused, they can feel highly self-critical. Depending on how the group arranges these things, that can lead to pretty severe psychological experiences, which the group can interpret in various ways that can be effective
Everything they experience can be explained by the program and becoming more involved. Spending money and volunteering time in recruitment.
Matthew James, Ph.D. psychologist, teacher of Huna
James Ray definitely had a buzz factor like a shooting star across the sky. The question is, what are his credibilities?
We cut ties with James Ray back in 2005. The reason why is that after taking only a handful of trainings with us, he began teaching our teachings without permission.
Spirituality isn’t about pushing your body. It’s not about endurance or pushing the limits. It’s about finding a centered congruency inside yourself.
You have mental limitaions. You have emotional limitations. You have physical limitations. There are some limitations that are self-imposed on all of those levels. And there are some limitations that are a natural statement and a limit of facts.
You’ve got to separate the incident and this teacher from the larger body of knowledge that these people are seeking.
Stephan Desrochers, research psychologist at Colby College
Being there — even if you don’t know someone — it can be a very powerful experience to be part of a group of people that is doing something you don’t see done every day. Whether it’ s talking openly about money problems, or talking openly about spiritual problems, these are things that aren’t normally done in society.
Once a person has been involved with something … it gets harder and harder to walk away from it becuse it gets harder and harder to justify why you’re there.
People talk themselves into this. They talk themselves into it because there’s very little alternative given to them. There’s very little information that’s provided to them that could be used to talk themselves out of it.
James T. Richardson, Ph.D. sociologist, professor of sociology and judicial studies at the University of Nevada Reno
I think it’s rare that people’s movements are controlled and very rare that people’s thinking is controlled.
Where it gets troublesome is if someone is stopping people from exercising their volition to leave or have set up the conditions where it’s difficult to leave.
