Landmark — Local services in New York

There's something about Landmark...

It has lots of positives, and some negatives... one negative is they pretend there are no negatives...

Landmark was started by Werner Erhard in the 1970's under the name "The est Training", which was really an amazingly creative program and community. It changed over the years, as Werner sold it to Brother and they changed the Name to Landmark Education.

They homogenized and somewhat dumbed-down the content, which was Originally very creative, evolving, edgy, imaginative, intense, confrontational, but very creatively enlivening and empowering...

The current organization, at least in NJ and perhaps other areas, for all it's genuine and potential good, has a way of periodically breeding -pardon me - obnoxious staff people -these are the paid staff, a hand-full at each center. The majority are clearly great people, but for some reason the organization periodically breeds obnoxious, power tripping staffers - it is pretty remarkable.... In the previous days, these were famously called "est holes" - people who would take the training and then do a power trip on you like they know everything what's best for you, and you are wrong.

They pretend that they don't breed "est holes", and periodically obnoxious power tripping staff people, and that is a negative to watch out for They obsessively talk about "telling the truth", but it is taboo to bring up any of this...

You could say it is a microcosm of society, where there are great people, and some jerks... but because they pretend and don't acknowledge this is an issue in the organization (in the previous est days, they did acknowledge it), there is something somewhat unseemly about it - at times.

It has the elements of being a fairly good to great venue, but because of this in-bred chronic issue, it is tough to swallow at times.

If you are above average intelligence, you may have a rough time with Landmark periodically, the way it is now...

Positives and some Negatives; the negative is that they just don't address this and enlighten their process - It is so taboo to be objective and discriminating about Landmark, and that is one of the somewhat deflating negatives... like a great dinner with a bad ingredient that shouldn't be there.

Also, about breaks in programs - Physiologically it's creatively and kinesthetically important to have a break - of course Werner Erhard's original programs had a break, where you may network, walk around, etc.- smart programs generally do/ it's not rocket science. It was eliminated from LM for some reason; a bit silly and counterproductive, and not well thought out.

They've gotten somewhat dogmatic about what was a very creative innovative process.

So it's really a very positive, potentially excellent venue - but the unacknowledged unaddressed areas, and the lack of interest in learning from an observation like this - has to pull down their rating a bit... they really can do better

So taboo to say this!!!!! Because it's actually a great place, but...

Zevi Kramer and Mary Ellen Kramer found me through an ad I placed on Craigslist seeking funding for my business. Zevi contacted me and in his very first email sounded excited about product when he didn't even know what it was. His exact words were "I'm interested in investing in your product and making your business thrive. He signed an NDA and made everything look really good and official. He sat my partner and me down and we met and made plans and designs...that he never intended to pursue. After a few flow charts and block diagrams, hiw wife Mary Ellen Kramer offered that I attend an empowerment seminar, completely ignorant of the fact that I am the most empowered person she has ever come across. I politely declined. I sensed a change in the tone of the relationship before she said her next words. There were a few more phone calls and a meeting in an attempt to throw me of their trail, but it was clear that these people were no longer interested in me. The follow the motions because my business idea and product are sound in every aspect. On the night of my 40th birthday, while I was enjoying dinner with my lovely wife and our children, I received an email from Mary Ellen Kramer as if they had consulted with an attorney and decided not move forward. When I asked them what it was that caused them to change their mind, they could only reply with riddles. And when you point out that they're speaking in riddles, they tell you that they gave you access to the answer. For over a month, Zevi Kramer And Mary Ellen Kramer wasted my time and money in attempt to recruit me and my partner to go to their stupid seminars. They raised our hopes with promises of quick delivery because of their experience with a company called Maritime Broadband. They were never interested in investing in our business and did just enough to get us to trust them enough to fork over $600 (which I never did) for their Landmark seminars. They did everything except invest any real money or do any real work. If these people have come to you with promises that are going to change your life, RUN!!! If you have already been victimized, contact me and I will put you in contact with others who have been scammed by...

I did a bunch of these courses. It's a scam and a cult. They brainwash participants using NLP: Neuro linguistic programming and emotional abuse to scam you into paying for additional courses. Shameless crooks who meet several of the markers on the list of cult definitions. They were banned from the whole of France over their unethical free labor policy. They made big promises about ending world hunger by 2020 yet they threw that mission away and pretended it never existed. However their main teachings are based on integrity and keeping your word. *Edit, the person "tfarber" who replies to these comments is a liar he never responded to my emails so all of his reply posts on here are just for show and further proof that landmark staff are con artists. They WERE banned from France over their free labor "assisting program" at one point in the past. Also the founder of landmark education"Werner erhart" was a staff member for the creators of NLP (neuro linguistic programming) which is a form or verbal hypnosis. If you compare landmark scripts/language to nlp you will see exact copy cat wording in several places and poorly disguised similarities throughout landmark literature. In their seminars there are constant exercises that ask participants to recall/remember extremely traumatic events followed by extreme pressure to sign up for more expensive courses when they tell you that you're whole, complete and perfect in the first course yet they use the emotional manipulation tactic of getting you into a deeply saddened emotional state JUST for them to demand that you pay for more courses and invite people from your life that you rightfully closed the doors to. Satanic intentions on the part of...