Lanmark Education, or "the Forum"

[LeeDarrow]

Lanmark Education, or "the Forum" is back. They are one of these "New Age" training programs, designed to supposedly help a person "find themself" or somesuch. This post is sort of a consumer warning and my tale of my experience with them from many moons ago...

Back in the mid-70's, I ran into an early incarnation of this program and the outcome was rather amusing, but potentially nasty.

Their program was pushed out as an "offshoot" of the Esalen Training System (which the EST people fervently deny). and they did, at that time, "immersion" programs, where you did not leave the room for something like 36 hours, not even for breaks to hit the plumbing, which we were NOT told about prior to the doors being closed, locked and "kept" by two rather large and imposing individuals.

The "facilitator" then entered and told us that we were all A******s. and that the program was designed to help us overcome being A******s. When someone asked about bathroom breaks, they were told, unceremoniously to shut up, sit down and stay put and that they could go where they sat if they needed to!

Needless to say, at the ripe old age of twenty-something and having fought in a few tournaments and real encounters on the street in my life, this did not sit well with me. I had been housebroken for quite ome time by that stage of my life!



I stood up and said, "I would like to leave, then, as this is not for me." I was told to "sit down, shut up and pay attention, A******!" I'm not a big guy at 5'8" and back then, fighting weight was about 150lb.

"So, you are saying that you are going to keep me here against my will?"

Again I got the same response that I got before. This did NOT sit well with my Scots/Danish temperment. At all. I headed for the doors at the back of the room. The two imposing people moved to stop my egress.

I turned and addressed the "facilitator," "Tell your people to move, please. I am leaving." I was again addressed with profanity and told to sit down.

"We can do this where I walk out the door by myself or we can do this were your two friends leave ahead of me, at speed. It's your choice. Sir." I placed a hand on one of the chairs and twirled it on one leg for emphasis.

Needless to say, I left, unimpeded. Some folks just do not like the idea of having to deal with what I call "chair-jitsu," I guess.



So, if you get an invitation from this group, I understand that they now allow breaks to use the plumbing, but they still practice the rather abusive and pushy methods to get people to sign up for increasingly expensive programs.

Let the Buyer beware!

Lee Darrow, C.H.
http://www.leedarrow.com

[Dana Sheets]

Well that's yucky.

Though interestingly there is the stereotype of the DI/coach in our culture of yelling and shouting to help people push past their stories of "I can't do this."

Personal redemption through proving someone else wrong...perhaps there is a better way?

And there's a difference between yelling "You will do this you can do this" and "You will do this because you're lower than whale poop. Do you know where whale poop lies? At the bottom of the ocean. So if you want to crawl up from the bottom of the ocean you're going to do this, maggot. Oh wait, you're not even a maggot because a maggot is already on the ground. Do you wanna strive to earn my respect and try to become a maggot?"

Which, if you insert appropriate expletives, is what was reportedly yelled at my father on a regular basis in the Marines. But then again - you want the Marine to perform under stress...so you need to stress them out.

But do regular old people need to be yelled and screamed at by someone who knows nothing about them, insulting their character and questioning their virtue in order to become a better person. I doubt it.

[Dana Sheets]

Also Lee,

WELCOME BACK! And I'm glad you're feeling better too.

[Guest]

[Rick Wilson]

Lee you kill me -- RIGHT ON!!!!!

[Ted Dinwiddie]

I was goaded into attending one of Lanmark's (sp?) introductory meetings. Lots and lots of talk about what it will do for you, nothing about how. I just had a real distrust of all the hot air and sunshine being expelled in that room. I am real glad I gave it a miss.