An attempt at a balanced viewpoint

I had an on and off involvement with an international organization called Landmark Education from 1994 (and to a much lesser extent its predecessor est or "the est training" from 1981) until late 2001. They run personal transformation seminars, and for the most part my experience of Landmark courses was extremely positive. In fact it would be no exaggeration to say they were some of the most extraordinary and inspirational experiences of my life. I have rarely felt so ALIVE!

However, over the years it often seemed to me and many others that the culture of the organization makes it very difficult for anyone with a bit of sensitivity and integrity to sustain prolonged involvement (see my reservations below). Right from early introductory meetings I attended, I was always conscious of filtering out certain aspects of the Landmark experience so as to gain the considerable short-term and long-term benefits of the courses. They really can make a difference in your life, to use one of their phrases.

These days there are many other self help or awareness courses of a similar nature available, but having talked to many people who have attended such similar courses, many people feel that The Forum remains the most powerful and inspirational. Perhaps this is because Landmark have been developing their course far longer than anyone else, and so over the years have had the chance to carefully refine the whole process.

What is the Landmark Forum?

"The Landmark Forum is a seminar extending over three days and one evening. It allows people who are already successful in their lives to create something that is truly extraordinary. It is conducted as an inquiry, and poses questions and explores issues that are most fundamental in living our day-to-day lives. These questions are about how to be effective in our relationships, how to operate at our peak performance, and how to communicate so that we bring out the best in others. In The Landmark Forum, participants look at their beliefs, choices and actions, and, perhaps most importantly, what underlies who we are as human beings.

This inquiry is a guided dialogue between the instructor and the participants into what is possible in their lives, a dialogue that gets at the heart of what it is to be human. In The Landmark Forum, participants examine the basis of their identities and their personalities, as well as our formulas for living, relating and achieving success.

Approximately 150 people take part in each Landmark Forum. The Landmark Forum is conducted in a workshop setting in a college or university auditorium, hotel conference room, or one of our meeting facilities in major urban areas. The program is held in a room most often set up in a classroom type of format. Each day begins at 9:00 AM and ends about midnight. Breaks are approximately every three hours, and there is a 90-minute meal break each day.

The men and women who lead The Landmark Forum are extensively trained senior program directors of Landmark Education Corporation. They conduct our programs on a regular basis in more than 90 locations in the United States and Canada, the Middle East, Australia, India and Europe. The training program which qualifies them to lead The Landmark Forum includes three to seven years of full-time, rigorous and specialized study, preparation and practice" (Landmark Education).

My positive experience of the Landmark Forum and other Landmark courses

In late 1993, a friend of a friend came in to the university bar where I was working at the time, and enthused to me about a course called The Forum. As soon as she mentioned that it used to be called est, I could feel that now was the time to follow up on an introductory evening of 12 years previously... yes it’s always good to take some time to think things through before committing oneself! The astrological picture for me at the time was also an influence on me deciding to do The Forum. Astrologers may note that the next available course at the time (January 1994) coincided exactly with the final pass of transiting Saturn conjunct my natal Aquarius ascendant, a sure sign that something significant was coming my way.

So what exactly did I get out of The Forum? Was my life "transformed", and if so, what exactly does that mean and is it still relevant several years later? And if the course sorts out so many of your problems, or at least your relationship to them, why did I go back and do it again in March 1997 and September 2001? After the last one I even did the Advanced Course which was nearly twice as expensive! As it happens, I found it worth several times the financial cost.

I have vivid memories of many conversations from all the courses and other one off introductory seminars I attended in London and Brighton. There can be an extraordinary quality to the communication that opens up in the Landmark environment. You can choose to stand up and talk about your own life, or else remain seated and listen. Either way, the psychological and emotional barriers come down and secrets are openly shared by those standing up in front of everyone or sometimes with the stranger sitting next to you. A handful of people find this disturbing or threatening and walk out. On the whole I personally loved the intimacy. During the breaks, some people go off to phone relatives who they may not have spoken to for years. Many people share difficult or even traumatic childhood experiences with tears running down their faces. People get to see how our holding on to their interpretation of past events, the "story", has been preventing them from living fully in the present moment.

Other times, the whole thing is hysterically funny for many people. I spent a very large proportion of my second Forum in fits of laughter! This relates to the est or Zen idea of "getting it", "it" being the meaningful/meaningless tragic joke of life, or enlightenment, the truth, call it what you will. You are born into this life, you do some stuff for 70 years, you die, they put you in a box... that's it. Except that it doesn't mean anything that it doesn't mean anything. So what? There is the possibility that you can create the life you wish to have from "nothing".

Some "specific measurable results", to use their jargon!

1) During the Advanced Course I stood up and declared, "Who I am is the possibility of Love". There is something very empowering about literally making a stand for something to a room full of people. I believe this one act has improved my ability to give and receive love in all areas of my life (relationships, family, music, nursing, astrology). But there's still plenty of room for further improvement as a few people could tell you!

2) After the Advanced Course I said "I love you" to my Dad for the first time in many many years. In the context of my difficult early childhood, my mother's mental illness and other family problems, this was an important step forward (or 'breakthrough' as Landmark would have it).

3) Had a profound realization about the nature of the word "God" and that it can mean whatever you want it to mean. I recommend the "Conversations With God" books by Neale Donald Walsch here.

4) Gained an increased general awareness of the communication process in myself and others that will remain with me for the rest of my life.

5) Experienced a real sense of how similar all human beings are when the surface layers are stripped away i.e. basically the same hopes, fears, insecurity, need to be loved, and so on.

6) Made some very good friendships that have continued outside my involvement with Landmark.

Some of my reservations about Landmark Education

1) Some of the jargon is a bit tedious. The concept of "running a racket" for example, a tool to help clarify a specific area of your life where there is a "persistent way of behaving plus a complaint", I found a bit silly, although I know many others who found it useful.

2) I felt the courses were excellent value for money but some might say that Landmark themselves are running the biggest racket by the amount they charge for their courses. It is big business and has even been described as "the McDonalds of personal development seminars".

3) There is a very American flavour which is not quite the British cup of tea old boy!

4) Enthusiastic attempts to offer or persuade you to do further courses can feel very intimidating and really piss you off after a while.

5) I came across several cases of inappropriate insensitivity and even bullying by seminar leaders. Ultimately this was probably the main thing that turned me off Landmark at the end of 2001. Having said that, the seminar leaders do have a basically very positive and powerful commitment to people.

6) It is a bit of a "cult", although in my view this is not necessarily a bad thing.

7) Although I personally know no-one who has experienced psychiatric problems through Landmark involvement, it is easy to see how some people could be disturbed or unbalanced by the power of the experiences. For example, I came off the first Forum on a bit of a manic high and didn’t eat properly for a few days and this is the sort of state that can lead to mental health problems. Landmark do attempt to screen out people with psychiatric history, which in itself shows the limitations of what is on offer.

8) Sometimes the whole of Landmark Education seems to take itself too seriously.

Many people come to Landmark courses with specific problems or at a crisis point in their lives, and there are many cases of people having positively turned their lives around as a result of Landmark involvement. However, there are also many cases of unexpected and upsetting life changes as a result of Landmark involvement. Landmark themselves continually remind people that their courses are not therapy as such. I personally chose to take the courses when I felt my life was relatively free of obvious problems and I was therefore more likely to be able to deal with whatever came up for me.

Despite the above reservations I remain grateful for all at Landmark for some great times. My description of my experience of Landmark courses can not really do them justice as they touch you in a way that is essentially beyond language. If you are interested in doing The Forum and other courses, I suggest approaching with both caution and an open mind. Perhaps they are not for everyone but, all things considered, I still regard Landmark Education as essentially a powerful positive force for human transformation in individuals and society. Have a look at www.landmarkeducation.co.uk, www.landmarkeducation.com or for a more negative view with warnings about possible damage that can be done www.rickross.com .

2006 update

Over the last few months I have had several lengthy conversations with three friends who have recently completed various Landmark courses. The experience appears to remain essentially the same as when I wrote the above piece a few years ago.