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CORRECTION: I recently found documentation indicating I attended my Forum seminar a few months later than my recollection: making it technically 1995—I conflated the Tuesday Night Intro Session in late 1994 with my actual Forum, which occurred a few months later. Thus the year correction in my articles.
It's now been 15 years since I wrote about my 1995 experience with "The Landmark Forum" on this blog. The Forum is a 3-day (and one evening) educational seminar, run by one of the world's largest for-profit personal-development companies—Landmark WorldWide. It remains one of my most top-read posts in terms of feedback, and even resulted in a brief discussion with a research PA staffer at a popular FX TV Show in 2017.
The above means, here in 2024, that it is almost 30 years (!!) since I attended The Landmark Forum.
That is wild.
I reread those old blog posts recently—and while I don't approve of my passive voice style in 2009 (I did make a few 2024 corrections to it), I must say I feel like my old Landmark Forum review still holds-up!
You know what also still holds-up? Some of those tools and distinctions that I acquired, in a dreary conference center 30 years-ago—and so I kept a few of those tools over the years.
I never returned to take additional Landmark courses, and have only spoken with a few fellow Forum graduates and volunteers over the years; however, 30 years on my recollection is still crystal for much of it. Brainwashing? Nah, it's just that some of it was really interesting to me at the time. 🤷🏻♂️
How interesting? Well, I went on to study Philosophy and read some books about The Forum's previous form, EST, and a book or two about its founder Werner Erhard. Why my fascination? Well, I wanted to better understand how Erhard repackaged so many tools and concepts (the "Technology") from the various philosophies that he did.
So I am not here to shill or condemn Landmark, nor can I tell you it's a cult from my own limited experience of one course 30 years ago; however, to this day I do jokingly call Landmark "Scientology Lite". Not to be derogatory, but to jokingly acknowledge EST's loose-connection to some terms and concepts from that religion. I have actually spoken with ex-Scientologist friends who told me that EST borrowed "technology" from it. But that doesn't much matter, since I believe L. Ron Hubbard also borrowed much of his own material from well-known Philosophers and Psychiatrists, anyway (which largely explains Scientology's anti-psychiatry stances). 🤷🏻
I've gone through 30 years of changes since I graduated The Landmark Forum, and since the Pandemic Landmark WorldWide went through some changes, too—a bankruptcy and reboot. Apparently (and hopefully) with new leadership.
So how well do I remember these tools, concepts, and distinctions that Landmark taught me, 30 years ago? Let's find out!
I reviewed my old journal notes—and created this rough Glossary of Landmark Terms to go along with my original mini-memoir. I think it is pretty accuarate. If you are a Forum Grad, feel free to write and tell me what you think.
My Posts this 30th Anniversary Landmark entry references, below:
A Funny Thing Happened After the Forum -- Pt 1
A Funny Thing Happened After the Forum -- Pt 2
A Funny Thing Happened After the Forum -- Pt 3
My Tiny Contribution to FX's "The Americans"
The Americans EST Episodes
Landmark Forum / est Glossary
*Note: no offense meant to any happy Landmark Grads for the "Scientology Lite" nickname. 😉 I am always open to hearing others' experiences with Landmark, good or bad. I also acknowledge that (while my own experience was mostly positive) that the organization has problematic aspects, and others have had harmful or negative experiences related to them.