-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 >From: vatco@panix.com (William Gluck) >Newsgroups: alt.mindcontrol >Subject: Lifespring - merely self improvement? >Date: 31 Aug 1994 10:47:27 -0400 >Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC >Lines: 18 >Message-ID: <34255v$778@panix2.panix.com> >NNTP-Posting-Host: panix2.panix.com >Summary: Inquiry on lifespring >Keywords: lifespring Two friends of mine recently have taken this "self-improvement" course. They claim it has revitalized their lives. When asked how or what goes on there they are vague. There appears to be heavy emphasis on recruitment. From what I have read there appear to be mindcontrol elements involved. There are introductory, middle, and expert levels to this program. I would be interested in hearing anyones personal experience with this organization, particularly if they were involved at the higher levels. Specifically, I would like to know if you benefited from the program and whether those benefits if any were transient? Anyone with secondhand knowledge is encouraged to reply as well. My understanding is that lifespring is a spinoff of EST, so any insight as to their past program would also be welcome. Thanks, Bill (vatco@panix.com) >From: Jon Ruth >Newsgroups: alt.mindcontrol >Subject: Re: Lifespring - merely self improvement? >Date: Thu, 1 Sep 94 21:04:16 -0500 >Organization: Delphi (info@delphi.com email, 800-695-4005 voice) >Lines: 102 >Message-ID: >References: <34255v$778@panix2.panix.com> >NNTP-Posting-Host: bos1d.delphi.com >X-To: William Gluck - -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- In Message-ID: <34255v$778@panix2.panix.com> Bill Gluck wrote: >Two friends of mine recently have taken this "self-improvement" course. {{ i.e. Lifespring }} >They claim it has revitalized their lives. When asked how or what goes >on there they are vague. There appears to be heavy emphasis >on recruitment. From what I have read there appear to be mindcontrol >elements involved. There are introductory, middle, and expert levels to >this program. I would be interested in hearing anyones personal >experience with this organization, particularly if they were involved >at the higher levels. . . . {{ TEXT DELETED }} You may find the books and articles listed in the attached bibliography helpful. Some of them are positive about Lifespring, some are critical of it. <*>-<*>-<*>-<*>-<*>-<*>--< BEGIN ATTACHMENT >--<*>-<*>-<*>-<*>-<*>-<*> +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | A PARTIAL BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ARTICLES AND BOOKS CONCERNING LIFESPRING | | *** COMPILED MAY 1994 *** | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ 1. Conway, Flo and Siegelman, Joe, _Snapping:__America's_Epidemic_of_ _Sudden_Personality_Change_ (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Com- pany, 1978), p. 219. 2. Rivera, Geraldo, "Lifespring," _ABC's_20/20_(transcript)_, 30 October 1980, (New York: Media Transcripts, Inc.) 3. Rivera, Geraldo, "Lifespring," _ABC's_20/20_(transcript)_, 6 November 1980, (New York: Media Transcripts, Inc.) 4. Halverson, Dean C., "Lifespring and the Sovereignty of Subjec- tivism," a pamphlet from Spiritual Counterfeits Project, 1981. 5. Haaken, Janice and Adams, Richard, "Pathology as `Personal Growth': A Participant-Observation Study of Lifespring Training," _Psychia- try_, Vol. 46, (1983) pp. 270-280. 6. Asakawa, Gil, "Stress for Success," _Westword_, Denver, Colorado, 11-17 December 1985, pp. 8, 10, 12, 14-15. 10. Lieberman, Morton A., "Effects of Large Group Awareness Training on Participants' Psychiatric Status, _American_Journal_of_Psychiatry_, Vol. 144, No. 4, April 1987, pp. 460-464. 11. Fisher, Marc, "Inside Lifespring," _The_Washington_Post_Magazine_, 25 October 1987, pp. 18-35. 12. Vahle, Neal, "Lifespring and the Development of Human Potential," _New_Realities_, July/August 1987, pp. 17-22, 51. 13. Solomon, Anita O., "Psychotherapy of a Casualty from a Mass Therapy Encounter Group: A Case Study," _Cultic_Studies_Journal_, Vol. 5, No. 2, 1988, pp. 211-227. 14. Hanley, John, _Lifespring:__Getting_Yourself_From_Where_You_Are_to_ _Where_You_Want_to_Be_ (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1989) 15. Keegan, Paul, "Into the Void," _Boston_Business_, February/March 1990, pp. 24-29, 68-77. 16. Mathison, Dirk, "White-Collar Cults: They Want Your Mind...," _Self_, February 1993, pp. 120-156. 17. "Readers Write/Fax," _Self_, April 1993, p. 20. 18. McAndrews, Anne, "I Lost My Husband to a Cult," _Redbook_, May 1994, pp. 60-72. +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ Some of these items are available from: Cult Awareness Network, National Office 2421 West Pratt Blvd., Suite 1173, Chicago, IL, 60645; 312/267-7777 <*>-<*>-<*>-<*>-<*>-<*>--< END ATTACHMENT >--<*>-<*>-<*>-<*>-<*>-<*> - -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6 iQCVAwUBLmZx54/7FZCeP3XVAQF6FgP9HU17zrjIr0O4mjpXTHztUfqxXArdZHwQ FU102bYuFVRp8Zvbejzn9Ltpib3b9QtZBZyFy/rHjbOGXAHCXrOn9pOYCW5z8dvG Wd9wcijMX62c6SfebrBLePsJvlLksRiNsdVHdb+u5fJWK1gquzc+N4PpdE4i/06u 6qgPuJa9MqE= =lpdt - -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- - -- Jon Ruth [ ruthj@delphi.com (192.80.63.2) ] ** PGP 2.6 Fingerprint: ** ** 14 BF 01 F9 AD 0C 27 BF 19 BB C4 01 7E DB B5 D0 ** ** Key available via e-mail ** >From: jmorris@aardvark.ucs.uoknor.edu (MORRIS,JOSH) >Newsgroups: alt.mindcontrol >Subject: Re: Lifespring - merely self improvement? >Date: 3 Sep 1994 23:24 CDT >Organization: University of Oklahoma - University Computing Services >Lines: 52 >Distribution: world >Message-ID: <3SEP199423242851@aardvark.ucs.uoknor.edu> >References: <34255v$778@panix2.panix.com> >NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.15.10.11 >Summary: Inquiry on lifespring >Keywords: lifespring >News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41 In article <34255v$778@panix2.panix.com>, vatco@panix.com (William Gluck) writes... >Two friends of mine recently have taken this "self-improvement" course. >They claim it has revitalized their lives. When asked how or what goes on >there they are vague. There appears to be heavy emphasis >on recruitment. From what I have read there appear to be mindcontrol >elements involved. There are introductory, middle, and expert levels to >this program. I would be interested in hearing anyones personal >experience with this organization, particularly if they were involved at >the higher levels. Specifically, I would like to know if you benefited >from the program and whether those benefits if any were transient? > >Anyone with secondhand knowledge is encouraged to reply as well. > >My understanding is that lifespring is a spinoff of EST, so any insight >as to their past program would also be welcome. > My girl has a few friends who are involved with Lifesprings. She decided to attend one of their introductory meetings at their urging, but was skeptical of the organization's motives, so asked me to come along and watch. The organization does seem to do wonders for the confidence and self-esteem of its members. People who were timid and depressed got into the group and apparently learned how to rely on themselves. Lifesprings seems to have had good effects in that regard. However... There is a _lot_ of stressing by the organization for members to recruit new blood. Members do not get paid for doing this (and they tell you this during the meeting to alleviate fear that it could be some sort of Amway-ish cult), but we (M and I) know for a fact that "superiors" put a lot of pressure on members to get new people. It is more about some sort of...honor than it is about money. About money, however...the introductory meeting is free. In it they go through some really basic self-improvement guidelines. These guidelines are very good, leading me to think that the classes would be very good. However, subsequent classes grow exponentially in cost. As I stated, the first meeting is free, but the first actual weekend session cost a whopping $450! It goes ever up from there. At last count, J's most recent class was going to cost her somewhere in the area of nine HUNDRED dollars for a single weekend. This is really all I know. From what M and I can deduce (with the help of a friend V), the teachings of Lifesprings are about ninety percent wonderful, life-enriching material. They just seem to slip in the brainwashing material in between all of the good stuff. I think the organization helps people (though not their pocketbooks), but is really much more about making money than abou altruism. I don't trust it. J... -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: PGPfreeware 6.5.8 for non-commercial use iQA/AwUBOrOXgzL5APkWv2amEQKCNACg/W1OmsSNm5u8Z9Irn30AuiCnywQAoKmH 68YmCuyQCOqLdniKT6OLKBNc =6Kgq -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----