Landmark Forum - Yes or No?

If anyone out there has any experiences good or bad of the Landmark Forum, I would love to hear of them.  It might, or might not, help me to decide if I should enrol on this course - although writing this has pretty much made my mind up, as you will see if you read on.

When the Landmark Forum was first suggested to me as a means of addressing the problems in my life, I dismissed it - I had already spent enough money and time on counselling, therapy and now life coaching, and had made a private decision to stop, once the current series of self-examination sessions is over.  But inevitably the suggestion came up again, and I decided to find out more.  I had never heard of it, and was inclined to look at it favourably, since I like and respect the person who made the suggestion. 

So I checked out the website, and yesterday I turned up for an evening’s free introduction, in an office block behind Euston Station.  On the way, I really enjoyed a small Italian restaurant on Eversholt St. - despite its unfortunate name, Pasta Plus, it served genuine quality Italian food - I can still taste the grilled calves’ liver with sage - at a reasonable price.  I decided to stay sober, although the wine list was tempting. 

Anyway - by the time I got there, the place was packed, and I was sat right at the back of an enormous room, listening to a very long (too long) and slick (in a deliberately informal way) presentation, with lots of jokes, pauses in which the audience were supposed to communicate with each other about their deepest fears and desires, and a longer pause for the organisation’s sales team to operate, persuading people to sign up for the paying course.   I was accosted by two people separately, at considerable length, and finally roused the energy to refuse any further persuasions.  People got up (skilfully prepared to appear informal) and “shared” their life experiences (some laughably trivial, some truly awful), and the joy and success they had found since taking part in the Landmark Forum’s courses, usually involving tearful reconciliations with their loved ones. 

The presentation was actually quite entertaining, and I found myself quite carried along.  But I had no intention of signing up on the evening - luckily, I can’t make any of the scheduled course dates - and I eventually got out, so late that I took a taxi to the station.  The driver was listening avidly to a phone-in about Barack Obama’s comments on “baby fathers”, which chimed with the “relationships” theme of the evening.

Today I have been googling the Landmark name, and found an enormous number of pro- and anti- comments, a few of them listed below.  For all the people whose lives have been “transformed”, there seem to be an equal number who have been damaged in some way.  Interestingly, most of the organisation’s supporters have “landmark” in the URL, suggesting a level of involvement rather than independent approval.  So although I was minded to go ahead, now I’m not so sure.

Here are some links with information and comment on Landmark:

Tom Hume’s blog - an interesting post, with lots of comments which led me further, to The Truth about Human Potential Seminars - a blog apparently set up to debunk Landmark.

The Skeptic’s Dictionary entry on Landmark.

THE FREETHINKERS PAGE - a rambling personal account with lots of interesting comment - anyone who quotes Frank Zappa is ok with me.

Apologetics Index - another site investigating Landmark, which seems to anticipate harassment and feels obliged to print all sorts of legal disclaimers.

The Scoop About the Landmark Forum - a fan site

What’s the deal about Landmark Education? - a broadly favourable site, hosted by “psychology professionals” (sorry, my bias is showing)

Oh, I give up.  I can’t do this.  I could spend the money on a new camera.