The FORUM, according to Landmark Education Corp. (LEC), is a personal growth workshop. It is also the first step which potentially leads into a labyrinth of courses, volunteering, and trainings. LEC's own promotion is entirely positive. Yet, many describe an experience which is less (in some cases, far less) positive. The purpose of this web site is to connect the reader with information and opinions which are not found on Landmark's web site nor at it's "Introduction to the Forum" events.
Please Note! Personal Narratives of Large Group Awareness Trainings Wanted for Research - Research into Personal Development Programmes in the 1990s, Dr. Sue Odell, 1999
New Link! Apologetics Index: Landmark Education, September 1999
The Guilt-Pitch, by a Landmark refund recipient, August 1999
Case in Point, by Alex Beam, The Boston Globe, April 1999
Court gives Landmark Education Corp. (LEC) access to Cult Awareness Network (CAN) files, by Jim Beebe, March 1999
Big Brother Was Indeed Watching, February 1999
A "Quick Fix"?, January 1999
Abstracts of Articles in Psychological Journals Concerning est and The Forum, December 1998
The Con-Forumists, by Jana Martin, Swing Generation, November 1998
A Harvard Forum for Self-Promotion?, by Alex Beam, The Boston Globe, November 1998
Secular Religions, by David Millikan, October 1998
Lady Beatrice and Lord Benedick Review an ''Introduction to the Forum'', October 1998
Do You Believe in Miracles?, by Rosemary Mahoney, Elle Magazine, September 1998
Landmark Sues Elle Magazine for Libel, San Francisco Business Wire, August 1998
THINK ABOUT IT, The Landmark Forum, 1998
The est of Friends, by Traci Hulkill, MetroActive, July 1998
Est of 90's Hit with Lawsuit, by Jeannette Walls, MSNBC, January 1998
Landmark Settles Personal Injury Suit, Filed September 1997
(Contains graphic descriptions which may be disturbing to some readers. Not recommended for readers under 18.)
The Forum, by Bob Glickstein, 1998
Landmark Education: Self-improvement or Cult?, Common Cause, 1998
Landmark Education: Experience, Investigation, Research & Analysis, by Robert Black, December 1997
The est in the Business, by Jeannie Marshall, Saturday Night, June 1997
Open Letter to Landmark Education, May 1997
Landmark Corp.'s Lawsuit Failed Before Court, by Thomas Munster, Suddeutsche Zeitung, April 1997
USENET Discussions on LEC, October 1996
When it Comes to Landmark Education Corporation, There's No Meeting of the Minds, by Steve Jackson, Westword, April 1996
Is the Forum a Cult? Should We Care?, Phoenix Online, April 1996
Landmark Education in a Relationship, July 1995
Group Sues Cult-Info Network, Chicago Tribune, September 1994
White Collar Cults, They Want Your Mind..., by Dirk Mathison, Self Magazine, February 1993
The Siren Call of Modern Pied Pipers, by Lawrence A. Pile, Employee Assistance, January 1993
Self-Help Course Allegedly Shattered a Life, by Robert F. Howe, The Washington Post, July 1992
Victims Lured into Baring their Souls by Mind Games, by Ray Clancy, The London Times, July, 1992
Professionals Fall Prey to New Age Gurus, by Ray Clancy, The London Times, July, 1992
Mind Game Courses Aimed at Public Sector Workers, by Ray Clancy, The Times, July 1992
New Age Guru Goes into Hiding, by Ben Macintyre, The London Times, July, 1992
Seminars Leave Firms Divided, by Ray Clancy, The London Times, July, 1992
Forum Training Dropped, by Sylvia Brooks and Robert Ruth, The Columbus Dispatch, February 1992
Landmark Education, by Andy Testa
Landmark was formed in 1991 when Werner Erhard sold Werner Erhard & Assocs. and the ''technology'' of the Forum (formerly the est training) to a group of employees. There has been some evolution of both the organization and its courses since then. However, there is remarkable congruity in the comments made about both est and Landmark. Landmark's predecessor is worth studying as the formative stage of the present organization.
Erhard Seminar Training or The Landmark Forum - A profile
Landmark Education: Registration of Corporation
How Was Landmark Formed?, by esumerlin, Usenet Post, January 1997
Werner Erhard v. Commissioner IRS, February 1995, from Findlaw
Enlightenment in Two Weekends - The est Training, by Stephen Pressman, 1993
The Death of Jack Slee, est Participant, August 14, 1983, by Stephen Pressman, from Outrageous Betrayal, The Dark Journey of Werner Erhard from est to Exile, 1993
Cults & Psychological Abuse: My Experience in the Forum, by James B. Endres, October 1992
Werner Erhard Flees in the Wake of Tax Liens and Child Abuse Allegations, by William M. Alnor, Christian Research Journal, Summer 1991
Guru Erhard Accused of Trying to Hide Assets, by Martha Groves, Los Angeles Times, March 1991
More Allegations Against est Founder, San Francisco Chronicle, March 1991
Self-Help Guru Werner Erhard Selling Empire, San Francisco Chronicle, February 1991
The Sorrow of Werner: For the Founder of est, A Fresh Round of Charges, by David Gelman with Pamela Abramson and Elizabeth Ann Leonard, Newsweek, February 1991
Ex-Employees Describe Abuse in Suit Against est's Erhard, by Don Lattin, San Francisco Chronicle, April 1990
Heidegger for Fun and Profit, by Anthony Gottlieb, New York Times, January 1990
'New Age' Training Suit Against Market Settled Out of Court, Wall Street Journal, May 1989
Employers' 'New Age' Training Programs Lead to Lawsuits Over Workers Rights, by Martha Brannigan, Wall Street Journal, January 1989
Training Course Sparks U. S. Suit by Market Workers, by Martha Brannigan, Wall Street Journal, December 1988
Companies Seeking Advice Spawn Host of Consultants, by Peter Waldman, Wall Street Journal, July 1987
Motivate or Alienate? Firms Hire Gurus to Change Their 'Culture', by Peter Waldman, Wall Street Journal, July 1987
Report of the APA Task Force on Deceptive and Indirect Techniques of Persuasion and Control, by Margaret Thaler Singer, Harold Goldstein, Michael D. Langone, Jesse S. Miller, Maurice K. Temerlin, and Louis J. West, American Psychological Association, November 1986
The Winds of Werner, by Richard Behar and Ralph King, Jr., Forbes, November 1985
Mellow Out or You Will Pay: A Magical Mystery Tour of the Psyche with Werner Erhard and est, by Robert Farr, Argus Magazine, December 1980
The Power of Positive Eyewash, Forbes, December 1975
True Believers, by Ellen Barry, Boston Phoenix, September 1996
Few Agencies Interested in est-like Program, by Sylvia Brooks, The Columbus Dispatch, February 1992
Shining the Light on Hidden Link, by Rance Crain, Crain's Chicago Business, December 1988
The Hunger Project Inside Out, by Carol Giambalvo, January 1988
The Hunger Project and est: Close Ties, by David Hoekema, The Christian Century, December 1979
The Hunger Project: You Can't Eat Words, by David Hoekema, The Christian Century, May 1979
The Hunger Project's web site
Landmark Education Corporation's own website
Landmark Forum Rants and Raves
Unbiased information about the Landmark Forum
Landmark Education (Germany)
Landmark (formerly est)
by SIMPOS Foundation in The Netherlands for information on social problems and occult tendencies
alt.fan.landmark
A sometimes confrontational Usenet newsgroup which discusses Landmark and other Large Group Awareness Trainings (LGATs)
(alt.fan.landmark can also be accessed from Deja and RemarQ)
The Awareness Page
Links and information concerning Large Group Awareness Trainings (LGATs).
DISCLAIMER AND NOTE: Links and information on this web site provided solely for educational purposes. Access to published (electronic and print) articles is furnished pursuant to your right to know and form opinions based on many divergent viewpoints. The Webmaster does not necessarily agree with nor specifically endorse the opinions expressed by the authors. This website alone is not balanced, but is intended to provide balance when considered along with Landmark's own information.
Website created January 15, 1999. Last revised October 20, 1999.
