...someone approaches you about Asiaworks and they may say that this program "makes dreams come true." And then say, "Why don't you come to our introductory presentation?...
...Asiaworks is actually based upon established techniques used by much older LGATs like Mind Dynamics, Lifespring and Werner Erhard's seminars (EST), often called the Forum and now known as Landmark Education. Chris Gentry the founder of Asiaworks simply reworked this old "technology,"...
(more from Asiaworks: Mass Marathon and Large Group Awareness Training Comes to Asia)
..."Whether it's good or bad, they are playing with people's minds," he says...
...Based in Hong Kong, AsiaWorks was founded in 1993 by American Chris Gentry, a veteran of other personal-development groups like Outward Bound and Life Dynamics...
(more from Looking for a New Path)
...(The trainer) then begins the laborious chore of explaining and getting participants to comply with Vitality's ground rules. This is a crucial process, since his unwavering goal is to achieve a total, unquestioning compliance with the rules from each of the participants. If participants are not willing to comply completely with the rules they are not allowed to continue in the training...
(more from DESCRIPTION OF THE BEHAVIORAL STRUCTURE OF THE TRAINING)
..."A truly Suppressive Person or group has no rights of any kind and actions taken against them are not punishable." Life Dynamics is listed...
(more from The Scientology Enemies List)
...Werner Erhart, a student and trainer for Mind Dynamics, founded est in 1971; evolving into The Forum, today it is the largest and is known as Landmark Education. John Hanley founded Lifespring in 1974. Bob White left Lifespring, went to Japan and started a training organization there called Life Dynamics that evolved into AsiaWorks...
(more from Champion Every One - Alfa Thinking)
...If you study science long enough & deep enough & don’t come out sounding wacko, you haven’t understood a thing. – What the Bleep to (sic) do we know...
(more from Champion Every One - The Foundation)
...Many LGATs such as Lifespring, EST and Vistar have a history of bad press and lawsuits. Lifespring was apparently forced by litigation to close down. But now it seems they have simply spun off a new enterprise under another name in Asia...
(more from "In my opinion Asiaworks is an evil 'cult-like' group")
...At the end of the 2nd program, they do their best to get you into the third program. At this point I began to feel alienated from the whole thing. I remember that everyone went around saying whether they were going to keep going, and that I
and the others who chose not to were met with significantly less approval from the group...
(more from Lifespring - One person's account)
... LGAT programs are purposely designed to affect your emotions. They typically start off with authoritarianism and confrontation. This is to "piss off your past" or "put you on edge". The best advice here is to just "ride it out" and "don't make waves" unless you like confrontation...
(more from The Awareness Page FAQ)
...red flags in a program you are considering, I recommend that you avoid that program like the plague. * Secrecy around the processes and techniques used (This is very different from protecting the confidentiality of any participant’s work, which should be absolutely sacred)...
(more from Choosing a Personal Growth Program)
...(Chris Gentry) has completed over 350 training weeks during his career, founded and serves as Chairman of The Works Partnership Asian operations and continues to mentor developing trainers. He is based in Bali...
(more from The Works Partnership)
...(Chris Gentry) has completed over 350 training weeks during his career, founded and serves as Chairman of AsiaWorks and continues to lead public training courses and mentor developing trainers...
(more from Asiaworks)
5 comments:
The trainings are intensely confrontational, and place the individual under severe psychological stress. In fact, you virtually surrender your individuality for several days.
The "euphoria" doesn't last. In fact, it is amazing—you stay "high" for sometime.
I got duped into taking the course—of course I take full responsibility because I violated one of my principles: INFORMATION. No information is given about the training, except that is is "fantastic" "experiential learning"--vague stuff like that.
Anther beef I have with AW is that they "do not show up in their committment"—which is actually what they teach. I asked for a refund to the next (hard-sold) course, after a moment of quiet reflection away from the AW environment. I was given nothing but the run around by a few of the AW's "representatives" — I use quotation marks because many of these people volunteer their unpaid services to "spread the word".
Unless you like to blow your dough and have yourself put through the ringer for a few days—the trainings are long and intense—and then hug strangers in a state of temporary euphoria, avoid these folks like the plague.
IMO, they are the ones who don't "get it". If you can stand up to them and their high pressure bullshit compa$$ion, you don't need a course in "personal effectiveness".
These folks are really thin on morality, IMO. If you trust your intuition and your reason you're own internal "bullshitometer" will give you signals.
Don't do what I did and "rise to a challenge", because I was set up. I don't back down from challenges, one of my former weak points, so the person used my own weakness against me. I find this highly objectionable because when you TRUST someone, you CHOOSE TO trust them because you THINK AND FEEL that they will not hurt you in anyway.
Suffice it to say, my relationship with the person who threw me the challenge has deteriorated to the point where I won't trust this individual any more. Worse still, this person still thinks he/she did it "for my own good".
Thankfully I have a lot of friends and family who I do trust and they trust me. What an idiot I was. I am so ashamed that I even tried to "sell them" the AW course. I am thankful I chose my friends well—they were strong enough to resist me and overlooked the fact that I was not "myself".
Beware of heightened emotional states. They do impair judgement.
Be who you are, and be proud. If you are religious, we are all God's Kids, and the begining of faith in someone or something BIGGER than ourselves is the begining of the end of fear.
Cheers. Thank you for setting up the blog.
You might want to consider posting the url to the S'porean blogshere and local forums.
I think your voice needs to be heard. No one needs a silly, confrontational course to stand up and make a difference. The greatest people in human history who did good were guided by the conscience—if you are religious—the voice of God speaking to his Children.
Best wishes,
P.S. I'm an atheist, but I do believe in something bigger than myself. I don't know what exactly, but I have a very strong intuition that is is "there"—wherever "there" maybe.
Validation!! Thank you.
IS AsiaWorks like WorldWorks in LA? Are they both spinoffs of LifeSpring?
i need more support! my gf is VERY involved.
and it's not helping in our r/s.
i need help..
I took basic training and advanced training, left it at that. Got high yes... Went down, forgave my past, moved on... No regrets. Tge key was that I was open to discover this training, stayed aware most of the time, even when I was 'high'. I maintained my awareness,and kept using my brain and my heart through the process. Nothing is perfect btw...
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