THINK ABOUT IT
The Landmark Forum
Protective Measures
The Forum cannot do without some protective measures against uncovering its shallowness
and potentially destructive methods.
a. No resource material available at all.
b. No note taking, or recording is allowed.
c. (*revised*) I must admit I fell into the trap of believing that participants are told
not to "tell". I got a bit of fire to that. So, I stand corrected. The Forum is
much shrewder.Participants are manipulated into thinking that the Forum is an
"experience" which cannot be explained in words. Thus, they do not reveal what
goes on inside. Of course, everything that happens in the Forum can be exaplained in
words. Simple, even. But that would take out the the metaphysical "halo" that
surrounds the Forum.
d. Participants are informed, that the slightest deviation from the rules might result in
failure.
e. A key sentence is inserted into the participants’ minds: "The Forum only
gives you what you want to take from it". Of course, this way, the system never
fails. Only people fail.
f. The notion that you must not carry your past with you. Forgetting old day prejudices
can be good. However, critical thinking is a positive thing some people bring from home.
Denying that ends in automatic acceptance of "what is now", ie the Forum.
This combination prevents critical and medical examination of the system. It makes it hard to prove that a tragic outcome was the result of the Forum. Add all this to the fact that the ideology behind the Forum is not as farfetched as, say, Scientology, and you have a very hard nut to crack.