Includes a mention of Psychology of Vision:
"Psychology of Vision was founded by Chuck Spezzano who mixes an array of New Age teachings including A Course in Miracles, a manipulative mass training style he learned as a follower of Lifespring, and the Oneness Movement that borrows from Asian religion. Long sessions of emoting and breaking down the purportedly false ego are techniques in nearly all mass therapies including PoV. Ex-members of similar unlicensed mass therapies have complained of seriously debilitating after effects, panic attacks, confusion, and long months of recovery to get back to a sense of a sane self again. Others praise these workshops, claiming to overcome issues like fear of taking on challenges and low-self-esteem."
2 comments:
Great article worth reading, written by an ex-cult member who now provides exit counseling.
Szimhart's concluding paragraphs seem true to me re: Psychology of Vision:
"There is nothing indigenous about neo-shamanic workshops. In every case, I find advertisements to heal the self and to connect with the universe through some kind of special scheme centered on the purported power and insight of the leader. The neo-shaman becomes an entrepreneur in the spiritual seeker industries, no better than Scientology, the old est, or gurus from India ready to bottle sacred water from the Ganges and sell it for $1000 a pop.
Alice Beck Kehoe, an anthropologist, has been critical of the neo-shaman movement. She wrote that neo-shamanism is racism. By this she meant an intellectual or ivory-tower racism that looks down on and dismisses the achievements of a living ancient culture, as if shamanism represents a lesser evolved human being who needs a more advanced culture to properly interpret it. Thus the neo-shaman feels justified in appropriating techniques of shamanism and marketing them for personal profit. Furthermore, the neo-shaman imposes personal experience on ancient cultures as if he knows that shamanism underlies a common, perennial basis with all religious experience.[xix] In other words, the promise of ancient tribal consciousness comes to those that go along with one shaman’s transformation cult and are committed to sharing that vision with anyone that will submit to it and buy it. And yes, you must sign the liability waiver.[xx]"
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