A couple of months ago, I participated in The Landmark
Forum. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a 3 day seminar, part self-development,
part psychology, part life coaching… actually it’s very hard to describe. Here’s
what their website says:
The Landmark Forum, our flagship program, is designed to bring about positive, permanent shifts in the quality of your life – in just three days. You’ll experience a new and unique kind of freedom, effectiveness, and power – the freedom to be at ease in any circumstances, a new effectiveness in areas that really matter to you, and the power to make what you’re committed to into a reality. In those areas of life that are most important to you – the quality of your relationships, your personal productivity, the difference you’re out to make, the degree to which you enjoy your life, and more – you’ll experience benefits both practical and profound that continue to expand and unfold over time.
Wow. That’s quite a promise.
What happens is that you sit with about 100 others in a big,
bland, conference room in South Melbourne, on a quite comfy but standard plastic
chair. And you stay there from 9am to 10pm each day for 3 solid days, apart
from two ½ hour breaks and one 1½ hour break per day. Yep, seriously.
The rules are strict. No eating during the Forum. No taking
notes. Be back on time from breaks. The reason for this is that in order to get
the full benefit of the Forum you are supposed to be totally immersed in what is
happening up the front of the room, with no distractions.
Over the three days there is just one speaker, the Landmark
Forum leader. This incredible person has seemingly limitless energy, focus and
patience, and they are there to get you to understand a number of ‘distinctions’.
This is Landmark-speak for ‘concepts’. Yes, Landmark has its own, strange
language, for reasons I still haven’t quite fathomed.
A distinction will be explained, then the leader will invite
participants to come up to one of the microphones set up at the front of the
room and ‘share’, or describe an area of their lives that isn’t working for
them, or they would like to improve. The leader then coaches them, in front of
the group, to help them see how applying the distinction would improve things
for them.
And that’s pretty much it, on repeat. About 15 distinctions,
covered over 3 days. Here’s the syllabus, if you’re interested.
Participants come from all walks of life. The youngest was 18, and the oldest in her 70s. Lots of businesses send their employees, and there are lost looking folks too, looking for answers.
It can be harrowing listening to someone stand bravely up the
front of that room and, sometimes, relate some pretty awful things that have
happened to them. While it all turns out well in the end, once they ‘get’ the
distinction, it doesn’t make listening to them easy. There were a lot of tears
shed, both by the people up the front and those of us listening.
The registration paperwork you need to fill in prior to
attending actually specifies that if your emotional or mental health is not
good, you are strongly advised not to participate in the Forum.
I can see why.
To find out what my verdict was on the whole thing, check back soon for Part 2…
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