First, let me say that I have not attended any PSI events. However, I am in the process of losing my girlfriend of 3+ years to their little club. I believe Geoff's story, as it sounds like his ex is the kind of damaged person that would thrive in that setting. Having been fascinated by psychology, cults, and destructive charismatic leaders for over 20 years, I was naturally suspicious of PSI, its motives, and its methods. Most importantly, their lack of psych screening before the games begin is incredibly dangerous.
Michelle's reassurances to me that none of what I read regarding PSI being an incubator for sex partners was true, obviously were lies. Further, recruiting one's own daughter, knowing that there are issues with rape, abuse, addiction, and un-medicated bi-polar disorder; seems downright sinister to me. From what I've been able to gather, including reading the "secret" descriptions of each level, it is a huge engine that uses the threat of cognitive dissonance to coax people into a lifestyle where committed relationships are held in pretty low esteem, and real "love" is to be found in having sex with other people who paid a few hundred bucks to be at the PSI Ranch. The secrecy and confidentiality agreements seem to work as a wedge between any couples that do not both go to workshops. I have an IQ of 165; no real mental issues aside from occasional depression, 90% of the women I've dated will vouch for me as a loving, caring, gentle, deep, thoughtful person... In other words a fairly normal guy who is capable of deep rational thought and healthy emotions, and I'm certainly capable of working out relationship issues, provided the other person in the relationship shows up for the discussion. So, on this side, we have me. On the other side, we have an entire support network that justifies childish behavior, relieves guilt and responsibility, and gets everyone laid... To be honest, I can see why it's attractive, in theory, as it means you never really have to change your behavior or compromise, even in the context of a committed relationship. So if your partner is affected with the PSI “Love Bombing” while at the Ranch what does he or she care whom they’ve left behind?
"Love, intimacy, and sexuality"? They redefined "love" to be such a vague and meaningless term, that it's almost insulting to hear "I love you" from a PSI Group member. Intimacy should be a reflection of the emotional bond you have with somebody, not a way to form one with a stranger. And last but not least, let me describe what they've done for my sex life... In absolving members of all responsibility to their significant other, and encouraging (overtly or covertly) members to explore sex with one another, it returned to me a woman whose runaway Id, secretive relationships with other attendees, canned answer of "you wouldn't understand", etc put her in the role of petulant child... forcing me to take on the role of buzz-killer parent. Now, unless you're pretty sick, that is a huge obstacle to a healthy sex life. Well, it's an obstacle to my sex life; I'm guessing it works great for theirs.
To sum up, I've found their influence to be corrosive and counterproductive to any relationship that involves somebody from outside their PSI group. What they offer is no different than the selling of indulgences. If you're reading this, thinking about sending your lover off by themselves to the PSI Ranch, please think long and hard about how you feel about them sleeping with other people and feeling smugly justified in being ridiculously self-indulgent with the support of a large group of people. The members see themselves climbing phone poles, walls and standing on the edge of cliffs as a way to learn what’s important in life. They don’t realize that the ones that are left behind are the ones who were more important.
I'm sure at some point this will filter back through the PSI apologists, like Michelle here, to the aforementioned mother figure Jane Wilhite. I offer no apologies for not only speaking the truth, but I will also offer none for finding her participation in the recruitment of her own son, daughter and husband, to be reprehensible at best... for many reasons. You must be very proud Michelle.
Regarding Cults, my X BF (after I left him) joined a Cult – PSI Seminars. He tried to contact me, part of some "project" he was doing called PLD. Something to do with the place I believe about making amends to me (?)..... He did not get very far with that, as usual it was all about him and very little to do with me. Years before this my Best Friend became involved with PSI, heavily. I even attended an introduction night in Phoenix with her; she talked me into going. It was horrid; I kept wondering when they would bring out the snakes to dance with, some did these strange little confessions on stage, they wailed on in front of a room full of strangers exposing some very intimate stuff about themselves too. Most of the other people bleated & baa-baa'ed along like sheep and clapped loudly with enthusiastic abandon ... I just wanted to run. Obviously that was the end of PSI for me!
I watched my GF spend thousands (21 thousand as I was told). She even traveled to California to do some advanced courses. This didn’t include the airfare and hotel rooms prior to attending. Her talk of "rackets" and such made me feel uncomfortable around her from that point on. She was a very vulnerable person, always searching for answers in self-help books I recall.
I printed off about 100 pages of information from the Net about PSI for her (mostly negative); she was not interested in reading it at all. We are no longer friends and I believe PSI had much to do with that. She tried to get family and friends involved in it but none of them did, she became quite isolated except to those who were into it too. I heard this happened to my X also, his family were quite concerned for him at one point, I'm unsure if he is still involved now though. Funny, he said my GF was an idiot for being involved in PSI, but then a few short years later he got involved and sucked in himself.
It’s really interesting how much in common these groups have. One could go through the entire list. But just take one thing. For example, Jane has something she calls "STAFF". These are people who PAY Jane to go and WORK at her seminars! Yes, that is correct. They go there and work at the seminar, not for free, they PAY. (She disguises it somewhat, but it’s still paying for everything).
Notice also the George Orwell Doublespeak (that’s the novelist who wrote “1984.”) word 'STAFF.’ They are not staff, staff gets PAID to work. Volunteers work for free, but not for a for-profit enterprise! What do you call a person who PAYS to work for a for-profit enterprise? What is that? It’s called a CULT!!!!!!!!!!!!
Many groups do this, why? The cost of LABOR is the major cost of any business, its extremely expensive, hotels, per diem, salary, benefits, travel, etc. For example, if PSI Seminars needed to hire 10 people to maintain the PSI Ranch, let’s say they hired some unskilled labor for about 20K and year each, or whatever. That is $200,000 a year in labor costs, plus many other expenses. So instead, Jane gets the same idea as Byron Katie...why PAY people when you can get them to PAY YOU to WORK for you! Brilliant.
So if PSI gets only 1200 people over the year to pay 5,040,000.00 to PSI and work at the Ranch all day, also do the cleaning, etc. (you betcha they do that too). That would bring in 5 million right there. That is assuming 100 grads a month times 12 months at $4200.00 per person. Jane did not even pay out 200K in labor, but made over five million from the workers and they were the ones cooking, cleaning, mowing the grass, putting up the phone poles, walls, the and cleaning the sheets for after the barn dances.
So this is why all of these groups doing this? They have the techniques to get followers of the PSI brainwashing so pumped up these folks will PAY a fortune to go and cut the grass, farm, clean toilets, change sheets in the bunk houses, etc.
Its a Win/Win/Win.
For the group leader that is.
They win in saving labor costs.
They win by making money from people doing the work that has to be done.
They win by flexing their Power.
Don't kid yourself that is what it is about. Money and Power.
(also, notice that the PSI slogan “STOP TALKING, STOP TALKING; a nice double meaning...silence like a Monk, and it also shuts down ALL critical intelligence in people.
All these groups do that as well. They use the word SERVICE; it makes everyone think they are Mother Theresa when they work for free for the group in a for-profit enterprise. Landmark does that as well, they all do it. These people are very crafty, they have it all figured out).
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