NAFPS Selections: The German POV Trainers Manual, Swiss Bank Accounts, and Targeting First Nations

[A four-part post on New Age Frauds and Plastic Shamans forum by "Ingeborg," February 09-10, 2014]

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The PoV site also provides a German version of the Trainers' Manual. The English version of the Manual is discussed in several articles over at 'Morty the Dog':
http://mortydog.blogspot.de/2014/02/psychology-of-vision-trainers-manual_8.html (Dead link)
http://psychologyofvision.blogspot.com/2015/09/psychology-of-vision-trainers-manual.html
(substituted link)

German Trainers' Manual:
http://psychologyofvision.blogspot.com/2015/09/psychology-of-vision-trainerhandbuch.html
(substituted link)

There are a few interesting details in that Manual, e.g. regarding payment of licence fees. Apparently, every trainer is supposed to pay an annual 'licence fee' according to grade aquired:

Quote

    page 21
    trainer grade 1: 5,000
    trainer grade 2: 6,750
    trainer grade 3: 7,500
    trainer grade 4: 8,000


These were the amounts due in 2013.
The PoV site names 46 trainers altogether, with no detail given as to their resp grade. In the comment section of a YouTube video, Lency Spezzano claims there were 52 PoV trainers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJTpkQ6R4oQ
However, details as to actual figures might get adjusted subject to circumstance: While presently the PoV site claims eight trainers in Canada, a twitter message from Babs Stevens, a Canadian PoV trainer, dd April 27, 2009 reads:
https://twitter.com/babsstevens/status/1636002244

"14 Canadian POV trainers co-facilitated a 2 1/2 day workshop 'The Spirit of Partnership' awesome healing happened!! Go Canada Go!!!"

So assuming trainers will be paying grade II fees on average, a total of 52 trainers will pay an annual sum of $ 351,000.

However, payment details given for trainers in 'Mainland Europe' are also quite interesting:

    page 24/25
    "Payment of annual licences must be made in US Dollar per bank transfer to:
    International Association of Psychology of Vision
    Vom Staalweg 3, 4500 Solothurn, Switzerland
    Bank address: Credit Suisse (CS)
    P.O.Box 3xx, 4502 Solothurn, Schweiz
    Account no: 150 2491xxx
    Swift Code: CRESCHxxxxx
    IBAN: CH87 0483 5150 xxxxx
    Bank clearing: 48xxxxx
    All cost for transfering amounts have to be covered by payer.
    Further inquiries to be made with Susanne Ernst: su.ernst@xxx "
Oh, a Swiss bank account? To which all 'Mainland Europe' trainers are supposed to transfer their annual licence fee.

As of yet, 'Mainland Europe' consists of the three countries of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Since it is apparent that there are a few more countries to be subsumed as 'mainland Europe', this offers some future perspectives.

However, there is NO company or association by the name of „International Association of Psychology of Vision“. Google the name, and the only two results Google comes up with are from the PoV Trainers' Manual, English and German versions. It is nowhere registered as a company or an association, and it doesn't even get mentioned outside the Manuals.
This means European trainers are expected to pay their annual fees to a Swiss account owned by whomever and to which whoever might have access to. Isn't this quite convenient an arrangement? For whoever, that is.

The Manual also mentions a „PoV International Association“ or „PoVia“ - same again: this association is nowhere registered, and Google can only find two results for it: the PoV Trainers' Manual.

Since the English manual seems to date back from 2010 (specifying the fees due for 2011), while the German version dates from 2012 (fees due for 2013), this seems more than an accidental oversight.

Some more info re this „International Association“ which allegedly owns the bank account.

Googling the above mentioned address does provide results:
The address in the town of Solothurn belongs to a company by the name of:
PoV-DACH GmbH which was founded in 2012 and is a successor of a liquidated company named Psychology of Vision DACH.

DACH simply stands for the three countries Germany (Deutschland), Austria, and CH is for Switzerland.
'GmbH' is more or less the same as a limited liability company.

This is the info provided by Swiss authorities on PoV-DACH GmbH:

https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.moneyhouse.ch/domizil/Solothurn/Vom_Staal-Weg_3.htm&prev=search
(substituted link)

The official info names Susanne Ernst as a recipient of correspondence.
Three names are connected to the PoV DACH: Susanne Ernst, Mathias Keller, Josef Neuschmid.
While Ernst and Keller are mentioned on the site with a trainer's bio, Neuschmid doesn't show up anywhere on PoV sites as a trainer, but is mentioned in several advertisements of lectures and seminars done by PoV or Chuck Spezzano in person.

    PoV-DACH GmbH, in Solothurn, CH-241.4.011.204-3, Vom Staal-Weg 3, 4500 Solothurn, Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (Neueintragung). [company with limited liability (newly founded)
    Statutendatum: [date of statute] 31.07.2012.

    Purpose: Organisation and conducting of lectures and events in the field of awareness raising, personality development and communication as well as trading goods of all sorts, and realising of further services connected to the main purpose. May adapt related branches of business, hold interest in other enterprises at home or abroad resp resume or found enterprises, establish branches at home and abroad and furthermore engage in all commercial, financial, and other activities which will further the enterprise's purpose as well as purchase, hold, and sell real estate and properties at home and abroad
    Capital fund: CHF 21,000.00.
    Persons registered: Ernst, Susanne of Basel, Solothurn, associate and head of management board, single signing authority, 70 parts per stirpes at CHF 100.00 each
    Keller, Mathias of Oberbueren, Worb, associate and manager, single signing authority, 70 parts
    Neuschmid, Josef, Austrian national, Zurich, associate and manager, single signing authority. 70 parts per stirpes.

Please take due note that there is no mention of any therapies in general or psychotherapy in particular. Neither does counseling get mentioned, or healing.
However, the company's statutes give it the freedom to engage in a multitude of economic activities, like trading goods of all sorts, selling and buying real estate in all countries, it may aquire other companies both at home and abroad – in one word „engage in all commercial, financial, and other activities which will further the enterprise's purpose“. This is carte blanche for PoV-DACH GmbH to do whatever they like – or rather: whatever secures a profit.

And also please take due note that the GmbH was founded in 2012 to replace a former association or company named „Psychology of Vision DACH“ which had been founded in 2003.

On the other hand, despite having been liquidated in 2012, PoV-DACH still seems to have an active Facebook site with entries from Feb 2014:
https://de-de.facebook.com/pages/Psychology-of-Vision-DACH/129397559608 [Update: Dead link Dec. 2018]

This is info on the liquidated PoV-DACH:
http://www.moneyhouse.ch/u/psychology_of_vision_dach_CH-241.6.003.671-7.htm

    Date of registration: 09.12.2003
    Purpose:
    The Association's purpose is to further personality development, health, and spirituality. This may be achieved, amongst others, by offering courses, seminars, lectures or other events, through public relations as well as by other suitable activities.

Comparing the two statements re their purpose, the GmbH has a far broader range of activities.
However, the fields of 'health' and 'spirituality', mentioned with the association, have been omitted in the LLC statement of purpose.

Re: PoV First Nations Fund
February 10, 2014

The PoV site publishes a Trainers Manual both in English and in German language. At first sight, these seem to be identical, until one realises that the German version is considerably longer than the English one. Comparing the respective tables of content, it becomes apparent that the German version contains an entire section which is not to be found in the English one: Section K.

Section K deals with the so-called First Nations Fund. So it appears somewhat odd that this part of the Manual is not included in the English version. Further reading suggests a few reasons as to why Section K does not get published in English language:

    K. International Guidelines of Price Reductions for PoV trainers, staff, participants, and partnership with the First Nations (FN)

    1) Definition and Principles of the international funds and reductions within PoV
    PoV means to set an example of sustainable support. Therefore, our approach is that of an empowering system for individuals or groups who are in need of temporary assistance. The following principles are the result of first experience with financing participants and trainers. The goal is future success.

    Principles:

    No rebates and no special cases which would result in the loss of equality.

    All 100-Day Graduates (including trainers and participants of the Master Programme) receive a reduction of 50% on PoV events. Exception: Promoters who are not able to give such a rebate.

    Promoters have the option to grant free access to workshops in exchange with equivalent jobs.

    Trainers who feel inspired to support a certain issue are free to do so according to their own means. These issues will not be supported by the PoV Trainers' Programme – neither financially nor in the way of a reduced trainer's licence fee.

    Among the funds which have emerged from inspirations by various trainers are presently: Bangladesh, Africa, India, and Buddhist monks and nuns.
    This sort of funds have developed from trainers' own initiative, their commitment, and with the support of various trainers and are therefore no issues supported/promoted by PoV.

    2 PoV FN Partnership and Pov FN Fund definition

    There is a programme supported by PoV – the First Nation Fund. This programme developed from a vision which still unfolds. Through the actions of First Nations, many relationships between PoV and FN participants and trainers have developed over the years, and there were many investments. The PoV Trainers Programme will also in future financially support FN seminar participants and trainers. Subsequently, the details of the FN Fund will be given in detail:

    p 45

    3 The First Nation Fund
    Of the existing First Nation Fund, 50% go to FN trainers working with First Nations in remote reservations and communities and to FN trainers whose participation in Trainers' Conferences is supported.
    The other 50% of the First Nation Fund are used to support FN seminar participants in the 100-Day Programme as well as seminar participants who aim at becoming trainers themselves.

    Reduction of Seminar Fees

    Promoters who do not organise specific FN events are free to grant rebates of up to 50% to FN participants.

    FN seminar participants have to apply for the scholarship with the Promoter and are obliged to send a copy of their application to Susan How (susan @ povcanada com). Contents of the application is the reason why a reduction is applied for, and an explanation in which way an FN scholarship may contribute to the wellbeing of the planet (e.g. when the seminar participant intends to apply POV contents within family or community resp pass them on to tribal elders or supervisors in the tribe).

    As a gesture of „gratitude“ to have obtained a scholarship, the applicant is obliged to send their seminar results in the form of a letter to Susan How and to the Promoter of the event subsequently to the seminar.

    Financial Support

    Will be granted for events contributing to graduation from the 100-Day-Programme or meet Trainer expectations.

    Presently financial support is only given for longer trainings (at least 5 days) with Master Trainers, if the Fund is able to support the event.

    It is possible to have travel expenses of FN participants to an FN workshop supported financially.


    P 46
    FN participants must apply for additional financial support for travel expenses, accomodation or other expenses for the training chosen by them. Contents of the application is the reason why a reduction is applied for, an explanation in which way a scholarship could contribute to the wellbeing of the planet (e.g. seminar participants intend to apply PoV contents within family or community resp pass on to tribal elders or superiors in the tribe).
    As a gesture of „gratitude“, applicant is obliged to communicate their seminar results in form of a letter subsequent to the seminar.

    Applications for financial support must be sent to Susan How:
    susan @ povcanada dot com

    Donations which intend to support one or several FN participants with the payment of their seminar fees are welcome.

    The FN Fund manager receives $ 100 USD [sic] per month. Presently, Susan How is the manager of the FN Fund.


    4 PoV FN Trainer work (workshops on the basis of donation) in FN communities

    The FN community must write a letter to FN Fund manager Susan How (susan @ povcanada dot com) in order to initiate the support by an FN trainer in their community via contractual agreement. The agreement must contain all issues regarding the aspect of workshop costs.

    Splitting of costs: one part (50%) of the costs will be covered by the event organiser, the other part (50%) will be supported by the FN Fund.

    All materials (brochures, flyer, or other promotional material) must be marked as a PoV cooperation between an FN community or FN organisation and the PoV FN Fund.

    Should an FN fee occur, it must be identified that this fee will only cover workshop costs. The fee must correspond with local market value.

    Page 47

    A probable profit will be shared 50/50 between the PoV Fund and the FN community. The profit share of the FN community must be spent on future PoV events or on the establishment of PoV.

    Subsequently to the event, the community is obliged to write a letter containing a short financial report on the cost and number of participants of the event. In this way, balance and transparency of relations are meant to be observed.

    Workshop costs (including costs for staff):

    Travel expense or petrol, or both in case of confirmation
    Accomodation
    Catering for employees (lunch may optionally be served for participants if catering is not available otherwise; costs for lunch can be added to the seminar fee).
    Taxi to and from airport.
    Accomodation in town if the trainer cannot travel directly from flight to FN community.
    Rent of stereo equipment.
    Fee for DJ of $ 150 USD [sic] per workshop.
    Child care for the children of course instructor if necessary.
    FN workshops on donation basis with PoV Master Trainers or Chuck and Lency

    Other participants may participate in FN workshops on donation basis and pay a fee corresponding with event fees outside of FN communities. Fees of such participants will be used as means of payment for the costs of the workshop. The number of such participants is limited to 25% of the total number of participants in the event.


    Page 48

    5 Prerequisites for FN Trainers and Exchange of Trainer's Licence

    Payment of the same licence fees as all other trainers.

    It is possible to pay the licence fee, in part or in total, through work with FN participants:

    Balance of $ 350 USD [sic] per seminar day held in FN groups with at least 4 participants.
    $ 175 USD for every half workshop day of four hours (in the morning, in the afternoon, or in the evening) with at least 4 participants.

    $ 40 USD for every Coaching Session with FN clients (one session is one hour of interactive work on a specific issue). Further $ 40 USD will be paid by client.

    $ 50 USD for every counceling with an FN trainer applicant (cf Prerequisites of FN applications).

    Status control of FN trainers' licence will be done by means of quarterly reports of FN trainers and will be retraced by the FN trainers' year coach.

    The FN trainers' coach will report to PoV Trainer Programme Manager (Francine Girard).

    Note: If FN trainers receive payment for their event with FN participants, the FN trainer will receive no exchange on his/her trainer's licence, and the FN community is not entitled to finanical support from the First Nation Fund.

    Should the balance of exchange with the trainer's licence of an FN trainer exceed the cost of the trainer's licence, it will not be possible to transfer the rest of the balance into the following calender year. The trainer, however, is free to transfer the balance to the trainer's licence of another FN trainer.

    Page 49

    6) Prerequisites for application as an FN trainer

    All persons interested in the PoV Trainers' Programme must take part in the Master Programme one year prior to their application. FN members will receive a 50% rebate on the fees of the Master Programme.

    During their first trainer's year, FN Trainers will pay half (50%) of the current trainer licence of a T1 Trainer.

    During the year of application as a PoV Trainer, the FN applicant will receive monthly counseling by a current FN Trainer (the FN Trainer Councillor will receive a credit of one counceling worth $ 50 USD per month in exchange of their own licence fee).

    During the year of application as a PoV Trainer, the applicant is obliged to support FN Trainers in their workshops. Their costs will be taken care of (First Nations Fund) and their assistance will be credited with $ 100 USD per workshop-day on their first Trainers' Licence fee.

First of all it is to be noted that section K does not mention how the fund is funded. Where does the money come from? Are PoV'ers expected to make regular contributions? This is probably the or one way the fund receives monies, as a video put up at YouTube suggests:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYPG8Gzc-jI

However, there is no information provided regarding the funding, or how contributors to the fund will receive information on how the fund will spend monies received. The info provided by section K suggests that the actual use of monies is decided upon by the so-called Fund Manager which is PoV trainer Susan How. Apparently, there is no other body controlling the Fund Manager. Within the hierarchic system of PoV, How probably receives directions and answers to persons higher up in the system, and this will be the so-called Steering Committee comprised of Chuck and Lency Spezzano and the present four Master Trainers.

It is not transparent from section K who else may be responsible for the accounting of the FN Fund, so no information is available to contributors as to the amounts received by the fund, either. As far as contributors are concerned, the fund may as well be a giant black hole. I wouldn't say the fund was nothing but a black hole, but as transparency is neither intended nor offered, it is easy to see how the fund may become one. The only instance in which section K does demand transparency concerns the use of funds by FN communities towards the FN Fund. In other words: while the Fund expects transparency by recipients of monies, it is not willing to grant transparency regarding its own handling of monies.

Additionally, the way funding of events and trainers is described in the above section K, we may speak of the fund enabling and encouraging a systematic targeting of ndn nations and ndn communities, which is what happened and still happens in British Columbia. Our friends at Psiram have found ads, reports etc for PoV events in several nations throughout British Columbia.

Of course this system of targeting does not get lined out in so many words in the manual, however, there are various incentives to organise FN events presented in section K:

As far as I understand the manual, benefits under the FN Fund do not only apply to trainers who are FN themselves, but also to white trainers doing events and counseling in FN communities for an FN clientele. Trainers will have their expenses largely refunded and can even work off their trainer's licence fees in part or in total by events etc organised in an FN setting. This is quite an incentive - and one which works to the inclusion, or rather: targeting of more and more FN nations and FN communities. In particular since comparable regulations do not apply when trainers organise events for a non-NF clientele.

A second aspect targets FN trainers and trainer applicants, and through them, FN nations. In order to receive funding, they have to explain how their becoming a trainer may contribute to the 'wellbeing of the planet'. One may argue that this reflects a certain conceitedness on behalf of PoV, but it certainly puts pressure on trainers and trainer applicants since their work is expected to have effects on the entire planet, not just one ndn nation. Some possibilities are being introduced to trainers and applicants, like e.g. they must commit themselves to applying PoV within their families. They may also commit themselves to passing on PoV methods to their tribal elders (this is sheer colonisation!) and to their supervisors within tribal structures. From the word chosen in the German version, it is quite clear that applicants will promise to 'mission' their bosses within tribal managements and draw them into the PoV system and apply PoV methods and take PoV seminars and courses, too.

Given the structures and control instruments lined out in section K, these assertions will be more than a convenient lip service to receive funding, but their realisation will be supervised by PoV, e.g. with trainers having to hand in quarterly reports. So before being accepted into the trainers' programme, applicants will assert in writing that they will start their own snowball system of luring in more and more persons from their social and professional environments. Not only family members, but tribal elders and tribal representatives and managers, i.e. targeting both the traditional structures and the 'modern', present-day management of nations and communities.

This means the attack is not (only) from bottom up, but rather the other way round: from top to bottom. Get elders, managers, traditional representatives in your pocket who then will change tribal structures from above and make tribal members discard their traditional ways in favour of PoV. At the same time, FN participants not part of tribal managements or not of elder status will be worked at during seminars, 'joinings', 'counseling' sessions etc to drop tribal traditions in favour of PoV methods.

Communities and nations who accept PoV in their region thus invite termination and cultural ethnocide – and what's worse, the system will make them realise much of this themselves. As PoV members (and particularly as profiteers receiving benefits from PoV funding), they will have to discard whatever PoV tells them to get rid of in the way of their traditional way of life, world view, customs, etc., probably up to their identity as FN. All this, however, is done under the disguise of being particularly 'FN friendly' - although this happens to be the same old, same old: as a strategy, this has been applied for several hundreds of years, and during the last say 150 years with an emphasis. Or, as the founder of Carlisle Indian School (the first residential school for ndn children in the USA) used to put it: 'Kill the Indian and keep the man'. In plain words, PoV uses the racist approach of white persons knowing best what is good for the Natives.

Once again, First Nations are denied to make their own decisions and to develop on terms chosen by themselves, but are expected to accept whatever gets handed out to them and be grateful for it. And this gratitude is even demanded and controlled by PoV as persons receiving monies from the fund are 'obliged' to write letters to express this 'gratitude'. In most cultures on this planet, *expecting* gratitude is viewed as a no-go, and this includes FN cultures. So instead of being particularly FN-friendly and reflecting a vast similarity to FN cultures, as PoV claims, it in fact violates essential values of these cultures.

The eventual result for FN PoV members and trainers will be deculturation, in favour of an acculturation into a cult and snowball scam. Which means the trophy to be won is even less than with governmentally introduced strategies: not acculturation into the dominant culture, but into the fringe culture of a cult aiming at keeping a tight grip on their victims in order to keep profits rolling in for the cult's top few.

As a good part of PoV activities in native communities seems to be events and seminars for children and teenagers, they furthermore ascertain that part of the young generation is introduced to a set of rules and values not in compliance with tribal traditions and ways of life, while at the same time also making them more or less unable to adjust to the dominant culture. One way in which this is ensured by cults e.g. is the redefinition of terms and words who are given a different, cult-specific meaning. Terms like 'downloading' or 'joining' come into mind here, but are only two examples of such a redefined vocabulary. In the long run, this means communication with and relations to the world outside of the cult are becoming difficult for cult members, and thus get minimized.

Within First Nations, this targeting eventually will contribute to the creation of a two-class society of those who belong to the cult, and those who don't. As tribal managements are included in the assault, further pressure on FN members to take PoV seminars and counselings is easy to imagine and even encouraged by this system.

It is therefore quite apparent why section K only gets published in the German version of the Trainers' Manual: If I was PoV, I'd hate to publish section K in a language understood in Canada.