List of large-group awareness training organizations

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The methods, courses and/or techniques of the organizations listed here have been identified with Large-group awareness training by reliable sources.

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Erhard Seminars Training, Inc. was an organization founded by Werner Erhard in 1971 that offered a two-weekend course known officially as "The est Standard Training". The purpose of the training was to use concepts loosely based on Zen Buddhism for self improvement. The seminar aimed 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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Werner Erhard</span> American author, lecturer, founder "est"

Werner Hans Erhard is an American lecturer known for founding est. In 1985, he replaced the est Training with a newly designed program, the Forum. Since 1991, the Forum has been kept up to date and offered by Landmark Education. Erhard has written, lectured, and taught on self-improvement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Landmark Worldwide</span> Company offering personal development programs

Landmark Worldwide, or simply Landmark, is an American employee-owned for-profit company that offers personal-development programs, with their most-known being the Landmark Forum. It is one of several Large Group Awareness Training programs.

The term large-group awareness training (LGAT) refers to activities—usually offered by groups with links to the human potential movement—which claim to increase self-awareness and to bring about desirable transformations in individuals' personal lives. LGATs are unconventional; they often take place over several days, and may compromise participants' mental wellbeing.

Werner Erhard and Associates, also known as WE&A or as WEA, operated as a commercial entity from February 1981 until early 1991. It replaced Erhard Seminars Training, Inc. as the vehicle for delivering the est training, and offered what some people refer to as personal and professional development programs. Initially WE&A marketed and staged the est training, but in 1984 the est training was replaced by WE&A with a more modern, briefer, more rigorous and more philosophical program - based on Werner Erhard's teachings and called "The Forum".

The Human Potential Movement (HPM) arose out of the counterculture of the 1960s and formed around the concept of an extraordinary potential that its advocates believed to lie largely untapped in all people. The movement takes as its premise the belief that the development of their "human potential" can contribute to a life of increased happiness, creativity, and fulfillment, and as a result such people will be more likely to direct their actions within society toward assisting others to release their potential. Adherents believe that the collective effect of individuals cultivating their own potential will be positive change in society at large.

Lifespring was an American for-profit human potential organization founded in 1974 by John Hanley Sr., Robert White, Randy Revell, and Charlene Afremow. The organization encountered significant controversy in the 1970s and '80s, with various academic articles characterizing Lifespring's training methods as "deceptive and indirect techniques of persuasion and control", and allegations that Lifespring was a cult that used coercive methods to prevent members from leaving. These allegations were highlighted in a 1987 article in The Washington Post as well as local television reporting in communities where Lifespring had a significant presence.

Mind Dynamics was a seminar company, founded by Alexander Everett in Texas in 1968. The company ceased operating in December 1973 after the death of co-owner William Penn Patrick and the resignation of President Robert White, alongside investigations for fraudulent representations and practicing medicine without a license.

<i>Outrageous Betrayal</i> Book by Steven Pressman

Outrageous Betrayal: The Dark Journey of Werner Erhard from est to Exile is a non-fiction book written by freelance journalist Steven Pressman and first published in 1993 by St. Martin's Press. The book gives an account of Werner Erhard's early life as Jack Rosenberg, his exploration of various forms of self-help techniques, and his foundation of Erhard Seminars Training "est" and later of Werner Erhard and Associates and of the est successor course, "The Forum". Pressman details the rapid financial success Erhard had with these companies, as well as controversies relating to litigation involving former participants in his courses. The work concludes by going over the impact of a March 3, 1991 60 Minutes broadcast on CBS where members of Erhard's family made allegations against him, and Erhard's decision to leave the United States.

<i>Werner Erhard</i> (book) Book by W.W. Bartley, III

Werner Erhard: The Transformation of a Man, The Founding of est is a biography of Werner Erhard by philosophy professor William Warren Bartley, III. The book was published in 1978 by Clarkson Potter. Bartley was a graduate of Erhard Seminars Training and served on its advisory board. Erhard wrote a foreword to the book. The book's structure describes Erhard's education, transformation, reconnection with his family, and the theories of the est training.

<i>Bounded Choice</i> 2004 book by Janja Lalich

Bounded Choice: True Believers and Charismatic Cults is a 2004 psychology and sociology book on cults by Janja Lalich. It was published by University of California Press.

<i>Evaluating a Large Group Awareness Training</i> 1990 non-fiction psychology book

Evaluating a Large Group Awareness Training: A Longitudinal Study of Psychosocial Effects is a non-fiction psychology book on Large Group Awareness Training, published in 1990 by Springer-Verlag. The book was co-authored by psychologists Jeffrey D. Fisher, Roxane Cohen Silver, Jack M. Chinsky, Barry Goff, and Yechiel Klar. The book was based on a psychological study of "The Forum", a course at the time run by Werner Erhard and Associates. Results of the study were published in two articles in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology in 1989 and 1990. Fisher and co-authors gave initial context for the study, providing analysis and discussion of academic literature in psychology regarding Large Group Awareness Training.

<i>Est: Playing the Game</i> 1976 book by Carl Frederick

est: Playing the Game the New Way is a non-fiction book by Carl Frederick, first published in 1976, by Delacorte Press, New York. The book describes in words the basic message of Werner Erhard's Erhard Seminars Training (est) theatrical experience. Erhard/est sued in federal court in the United States to stop the book from publication, but the suit failed. The book takes a 'trainer's' approach to the est experience, in that it essentially duplicates the est training, citing examples and using jargon from the actual experience.

PSI Seminars is a private company that offers large-group awareness training (LGAT) seminars for professional and personal development. Programs are held in many locations in the U.S., Canada, Japan and worldwide. There are PSI Seminars offices in major cities throughout North America.

<i>The Program</i> (novel) 2004 novel by Gregg Hurwitz

The Program: A Novel is a novel by Gregg Hurwitz, first published in 2004. It has since been released as an Audio CD, an Audio Cassette, and was reprinted in paperback format, in 2005. Hurwitz's prior book, The Kill Clause, will soon be made into a motion-picture. The Program picks up where The Kill Clause left off, following a series of books by the author involving fictional Deputy U.S. Marshal, Tim Rackley.

Leadership Dynamics, also known as Leadership Dynamics Institute (LDI), was a private, for-profit company, owned by William Penn Patrick. The company focused on executive training, personal development and self-improvement. Leadership Dynamics was the first form of what psychologists termed "Large Group Awareness Training".

Alexander Everett (1921–2005) was a British self-improvement and personal development consultant. He was the founder of the company Mind Dynamics, and author of the motivational books The Genius Within You and Inward Bound. Everett's coursework and teachings had an influence on the human potential movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EST and The Forum in popular culture</span> Training sessions in pop culture

Werner Erhard and his courses have been referenced in popular culture in various forms of fictional media including literature, film, television and theatre. The original course, known as est, was delivered by the company Erhard Seminars Training (est). Under the name The Forum, they were delivered by Werner Erhard and Associates. Also, the Landmark Forum, a program created by Erhard's former employees after purchasing his intellectual property, has had an influence on popular culture. Some of these works have taken a comedic tack, parodying Erhard and satirizing the methodology used in these courses.

<i>Getting It: The Psychology of est</i> Non-fiction book by Sheridan Fenwick

Getting It: The Psychology of est, a non-fiction book by American clinical psychologist Sheridan Fenwick first published in 1976, analyzes Werner Erhard's Erhard Seminars Training or est. Fenwick based the book on her own experience of attending a four-day session of the est training, an intensive 60-hour personal-development course in the self-help genre. Large groups of up to 250 people took the est training at one time.

<i>The Book of est</i> Book by George Cockcroft

The Book of est is a fictional account of the training created by Werner Erhard, (est), or Erhard Seminars Training, first published in 1976 by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. The book was written by est graduate Luke Rhinehart. Rhinehart is the pen name of writer George Cockcroft. The book was endorsed by Erhard, and includes a foreword by him. Its contents attempts to replicate the experience of the est training, with the reader being put in the place of a participant in the course. The end of the book includes a comparison by the author between Erhard's methodologies to Zen, The Teachings of Don Juan by Carlos Castaneda, and to Rhinehart's own views from The Dice Man.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Fisher, Jeffrey D.; Silver; Chinsky; Goff; Klar (1990). Evaluating a Large Group Awareness Training . Springer-Verlag. p. 142. ISBN   978-0-387-97320-3. Page. vii. – "The research reported in this volume was awarded the American Psychological Association, Division 13, National Consultants to Management Award, August 13, 1989.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Vahle, Neal; Connie Fillmore Bazzy (2002). The Unity Movement: Its Evolution and Spiritual Teachings. Templeton Foundation Press. pp. 399, 402, 403, 480. ISBN   1-890151-96-3.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Singer, Margaret; Janja Lalich (1995). Cults in Our Midst . Wiley. pp.  42–43. ISBN   0-7879-0051-6.
  4. 1 2 3 Coon, Dennis (2004). Psychology: A Journey. Thomson Wadsworth. pp.  520, 528, 538. ISBN   0-534-63264-5. Large-group awareness training refers to programs that claim to increase self-awareness and facilitate constructive personal change. Lifespring, Actualizations, the Forum, and similar commercial programs are examples. Like the smaller groups that preceded them, large-group trainings combine psychological exercises, confrontation, new view-points, and group dynamics to promote personal change.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Coon, Dennis (2003). Introduction to Psychology: Gateways to Mind and Behavior. Thomson Wadsworth. pp. 648, 649, 655. ISBN   0-495-59913-1.
  6. ↑ "Atlas Project".
  7. ↑ Benjamin, Elliot (June 2005). "Spirituality and Cults" (PDF). Integral Science.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Singer, Margaret; Janja Lalich (1996). Crazy Therapies: What Are They? Do They Work? . Jossey-Bass. pp.  114. ISBN   0-7879-0278-0.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Langone, Michael (1998). "Large Group Awareness Trainings". Cult Observer . 15 (1). Archived from the original on 2007-10-13. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
  10. 1 2 3 4 DuMerton, C. (July 2004). Tragic Optimism and Choices: The Life Attitudes Scale with a First Nations Sample (PDF) (Master of Arts Thesis, Graduate Counseling Psychology Program, Peer Review by Paul Wong, Ph.D.; Jill Charlie, M.Ed.; Marvin McDonald, Ph.D.; Rod McCormack, Ph.D.). Trinity Western University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-11-09. Retrieved 2007-04-14. The researcher contends that the Choices seminar is a type of Large Group Awareness Training (LGAT) program. LGAT was a name coined for personal development programs in which many people at one time receive intense, emotionally focussed instruction over a period of hours or days to help them begin to discover the full potential for their lives. Described as part psychotherapy, part spirituality, and part business (Langone, 1998), notable LGAT programs, which originated from the human potential movement of the 1950s and 1960s, include the Erhard Seminars Training (est), Landmark Forum, Lifespring and Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP). These simplistic, highly structured and lucrative methods have spawned hundreds of take-offs on the original seminars, each attempting to create their own unique version.
  11. 1 2 3 Tindale, R. Scott (2001). Group Processes: Blackwell Handbook of Social Psychology. Blackwell Publishing. p. 630. ISBN   1-4051-0653-0. EST, FORUM and LIFESPRING are all examples of LGATs, for members seek to improve their overall level of satisfaction and interpersonal relations by carrying out such experiential exercises as role-playing, group singing and chanting, and guided group interaction.
  12. 1 2 Pettijohn, Terry F.; Charles G Morris; Eliot Shimoff; Charles Catania (1988). Annotated Instructor's Edition, Psychology an Introduction, 6th Ed. Prentice Hall. ISBN   0-13-734500-3. A recent development has been the emergence of large-group awareness training. Erhard Seminar Training (EST) is one of the best known.
  13. 1 2 Finkelstein, P.; Wenegrat, B.; Yalom, I. (1982). "Large Group Awareness Training". Annual Review of Psychology. 33. Calvin Perry Stone: 515–539. doi:10.1146/annurev.ps.33.020182.002503. ISSN   0066-4308.
  14. 1 2 Lieberman, MA (April 1987). "Effects of Large Group Awareness Training on Participants' Psychiatric Status". American Journal of Psychiatry. 144 (4): 460–464. doi:10.1176/ajp.144.4.460. PMID   3565614.
  15. 1 2 Denison, Charles Wayne (1994). "Children of EST a Study of the Experience and Perceived Effects of a Large Group Awareness Training". University of Denver: Ph.D. Dissertation.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  16. ↑ Smart, Paul (August 15, 2002). "The Sterling Men Of Woodstock: A Series (Part III) – The psychology of cults and secret societies". Woodstock Times. He held his first Large group Awareness Training session, for nearly 1,000 paying attendees, in San Francisco in 1971. By 1991, his "est" (Erhard Seminar Training) movement had hit some 700,000 converts by the time Erhard sold his "technology" to brother Harry Rosenberg in 1991 and moved out of the country facing bad press for both his movement and a soured personal life. Since then, Rosenberg turned est into The Forum.
  17. 1 2 Zeig, Jeffrey K. (1997). The Evolution of Psychotherapy: The Third Conference. Psychology Press. pp.  352, 357. ISBN   0-87630-813-2. Training or T-groups, sensitivity training, and encounter groups spread and were followed by commercially sold large group awareness training programs, such as est, Lifespring and other programs.
  18. 1 2 Burlingame, Gary M. (1994). Handbook of Group Psychotherapy: An Empirical and Clinical Synthesis. John Wiley and Sons. pp. 528, 532, 535, 539, 549, 550, 555, 556, 581, 583. ISBN   0-471-55592-4.
  19. 1 2 Curtis, Adam (2002). "The Century of the Self". pp. episode part 3 of 4.
  20. ↑ Kilzer, Lou (July 18, 1999). "Desperate Measures Network of Behavior Modification Compounds Known as Teen Help Has Straightened Out Hundreds of Defiant Adolescents, But Its Methods Aren't For the Faint-hearted". Rocky Mountain News . E. W. Scripps Company. The first of the genre psychologists call "large group awareness training" was the Leadership Dynamics Institute...
  21. ↑ Szalavitz, Maia (2006). Help at Any Cost: How the Troubled-teen Industry Cons Parents and Hurts Kids . Riverhead. pp.  134, 157–159. ISBN   1-59448-910-6.
  22. ↑ Shea, Courtney (12 Mar 2019). "How Cults Target Women". Chatelaine. Toronto: Rogers Media. ISSN   0009-1995 . Retrieved 17 Apr 2019. Many alleged cults, including Nxivm, are structured around a large-group awareness training (LGAT) model [...].
  23. ↑ "Option Institute International Training & Learning Center".
  24. ↑ "Source Point Training".
  25. ↑ Jacobs, Alan (May 1, 1996). "Autocratic Power". Idea Journal. 1 (1). ISSN   1523-1712. or some version of large group awareness training or LGAT like est or one of its offshoots, such as Transformation Technologies, the Forum..
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