Company type | For-profit |
---|---|
Industry | Self-help, Personal development, Large Group Awareness Training |
Founded | 1968 |
Founder | Alexander Everett |
Defunct | 1973 |
Headquarters | Texas, United States |
Key people | Alexander Everett William Penn Patrick [1] Robert White, President [2] John Hanley, Field Director [3] |
Parent | Leadership Dynamics [4] |
Mind Dynamics was a seminar company, founded by Alexander Everett in Texas in 1968. [5] [6] 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. [7] [8]
Mind Dynamics has been compared to Dale Carnegie, and encounter groups. [9] Mind Dynamics trained businessmen in personal development techniques, [10] but relied on unique activities rather than academic theories. [11] The coursework also utilized techniques that focused on visualization, and meditation. [5]
Techniques drawn from the Unity Church included periods of silence, focusing the mind on positive elements, and distinguishing the "intuitive inner voice." [6]
Some of Mind Dynamics' techniques were compared to self-hypnosis, and mind control. [12] Mind Dynamics has been described as part of the consciousness transformation movement, and has been compared to Scientology, est, Psycho-Cybernetics, and Amway. [13]
Heelas' The New Age Movement states that Mind Dynamics and Alexander Everett were influenced by Edgar Cayce, Theosophy, and Silva Mind Control, [14] and Curtiss' Depression is a Choice also cites Silva Mind Control and self-talk as the basis for Mind Dynamics. [15] Mind Dynamics has also been described by several authors on religious texts as an offshoot of Silva Mind Control. [16] [17] [18] According to Jose Silva, Alexander Everett was a graduate of Silva Mind Control. [18] Everett also drew on principles from the Unity Church, Egyptology and Rosicrucianism in developing Mind Dynamics. [19]
Other companies which had corporate relationships with Mind Dynamics included Leadership Dynamics and Holiday Magic, both of which were founded by William Penn Patrick, co-owner and Board Member for Mind Dynamics. [4] Holiday Magic later folded, amidst investigations by authorities and accusations of being a multi-level marketing pyramid scheme. [20] [21] Every employee in management positions at Holiday Magic was required to participate in the coursework. [4]
In December 1972, [22] Mind Dynamics was investigated for practicing medicine without a license, and fraudulent representation of the potential benefits of participating in their coursework. [2] [7] [23] [24] The company was also investigated by the state of California for making fraudulent claims. [10] A lawsuit brought forth by the State of California in 1973 requested that Mind Dynamics be barred from what California referred to as its unlawful practice of medicine. [1] William Penn Patrick was named as a party with Mind Dynamics in the lawsuit. [1]
Mind Dynamics ceased operating in 1973, after being investigated and charged with fraud and practicing medicine without a license. [7] According to an article in Forbes , as of 1974, the State of California was still seeking to enjoin the company from making fraudulent claims, and practicing medicine without a license. [8]
Neal Vahle's The Unity Movement lists nine personal growth organizations which grew out of Mind Dynamics, including: est and The Forum, Landmark Education, Lifespring, Lifestream, LifeResults, LifeSuccess, Context Training / Context International, PSI Seminars, Personal Dynamics in Switzerland, Life Dynamics in Japan and Hong Kong, Alpha Seminars in Australia, Hoffman Quadrinity Process, Dimensional Mind Approach, Pathwork, and Actualizations. [6] Vahle goes on to describe similar techniques used by these groups which were incorporated from Mind Dynamics' practices. [6] Berger's Agit-Pop also gives examples of EST, Lifespring and Actualizations as groups that grew out of Mind Dynamics and helped form the human potential movement. [25] The organizations cited above were founded by prior instructors from Mind Dynamics who had been trained by Alexander Everett, including Stewart Emery (who founded Actualizations), Randy Revell (who developed Context Training), James Quinn (who organized Lifestream/LifeResults/LifeSuccess), and Thomas Wilhite (who founded PSI Seminars). [6]
Werner Erhard, subsequently associated with est (1971-1984), WE&A (1981-1991) and Landmark Education (founded 1991, known as Landmark Worldwide since 2013) taught in the Mind Dynamics organization, [26] [27] [28] providing a link between Mind Dynamics and several subsequent Large-group awareness trainings (LGATs). [29]
Former MDI President Robert White founded Lifespring and ARC International [30] [ better source needed ] which delivered the Life Dynamics seminars in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Sydney.
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".
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.
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, was a commercial personal development program which operated from 1984 until early 1991. It replaced Erhard Seminars Training. Initially WE&A marketed and staged est training, but in 1984 the est training was replaced by WE&A with a briefer, a less authoritarian and more marketable 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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".
William Penn Patrick was an American entrepreneur, businessman, and fraudster. He was the owner of Holiday Magic, Leadership Dynamics, and Mind Dynamics. Patrick was a proponent of the sour grapes philosophy, and has been widely quoted as stating: "Those who condemn wealth are those who have none and see no chance of getting it."
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.
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.
Getting It: The Psychology of est is a non-fiction book by American clinical psychologist Sheridan Fenwick first published in 1976 which analyses 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.
A self religion is a religious or self-improvement group which has as one of its primary aims the improvement of the self. The term "self religion" was coined by Paul Heelas and other scholars of religion have adopted/adapted the description. King's College London scholar Peter Bernard Clarke builds on Heelas's concept of self religion to describe the class of "Religions of the True Self".
Erhard was an instructor in Mind Dynamics (a now defunct program devised by autodidact Alexander Everett to teach people haw to control their minds more efficiently, reportedly through self-hypnosis and visualization) immediately before starting est, and his delivery of the Mind Dynamics course closely resembled est, according to some clients of both.
Mind Dynamics is another major source for the est training. Not only was Werner Erhard trained as a Mind Dynamics instructor, he was selected by the organization's founder, Alexander Everett, to take responsibility [...].
John P. Handley [...], like Erhard, was a teacher in Mind Dynamics [...].
In the 1960s the encounter group movement was born. Advocating enhanced communication and intensified experience, this movement evolved into something that was part psychotherapy, part spirituality, and part business. In some scholarly articles, these groups were referred to as "large group awareness trainings" or LGATs. Erhard Seminars Training (est) was the most successful of these groups, and it has been widely imitated. Even though it no longer officially exists, in the minds of many est is identified with the entire LGAT movement. It is in a sense the progenitor of a myriad of programs that have been marketed to the public and the business community.