DISCLAIMER NOTE: The views expressed on this blog are my personal views, and are not the views of Landmark. Refer to this site's Terms of Use for further details.
Landmark Education Glossary
Table of Contents
Preface
This page is a companion document to my original 3-part special write-up revisiting my attendance of The Landmark Forum in 1994, originally published to this blog in 2009: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. I regularly get asked questions about word meanings and terminology from readers of that 3-part write-up, which is how this rough Glossary came to be. I really have nothing new to add about my Landmark experience that hasn't already been said in those write-ups, and I speak with no authority on this subject there or here: just my own personal, unbiased, memory.
The terms, phrases, and definitions below are a modified fork of the original Landmartian Glossary - Wiki University, a Landmark Graduate-created page no longer maintained and not endorsed by Landmark Worldwide.
IMPORTANT NOTE: terms and definitions on this page are my own personal work product (merging afforementioned resources with my understanding) and are not reviewed or approved by Landmark Worldwide.
Special Notes
Special Note: The intended audience for this page is limited only to Landmark Forum Graduates seeking a refresher, or non-biased/academic researchers. If you visited this page to make some decision about attending The Landmark Forum, don't: this page is aimed at Forum Graduates. Non-Grads breezing through terms here would be folly, and confusing for most people (see FAQ item #1). This Glossary is also not intended to be used or cited by those with axes (or rackets lol) to grind with Landmark Worldwide. The only points-of-view expressed here are focused on the terms themselves without judgement: for personal analysis read my articles above. These terms are my own personal interpretation of The Landmark Forum technology, sourced from 30 year-old notes and the above-referenced Wiki University page. Nothing more.
Personal Side Note: I am of course familiar with the published criticisms of Landmark, how it is an LGATs, how they say that it leverages NLP, etc. I discuss Landmark criticisms in my 3-part blog series (a mini-memoir of sorts) found above under the Preface section. This page is not about validating critics, or even validating Forum Graduates. It's purpose is for any person wanting to revisit the terminology in an unbiased setting.
The terms, phrases, and definitions below are a modified fork of the original Landmartian Glossary - Wiki University, a Landmark Graduate-created page no longer maintained and not endorsed by Landmark Worldwide, and no authorship or ownership to any material in this Glossary is claimed in any way.
Terminology
Every discipline has its own language that borrows general terms and provides their own specific, distinct meanings. We usually call it "jargon". For example, in physics the words "force", "work", and "power" are all given specific meanings for mathematical modeling to work consistently. So while "work" means force through a distance in physics, the common term of "work" means applying effort, for any layman. To a physicist, however, pressing as hard as you can against a wall and not moving it = no work; but to everyone else listening to the physicist it was possibly a lot of useless work! So every discipline has its own language, and so it is with Landmark and why this Definitions page exists. The Landmark Forum's 3-day course borrows words from common language, and gives specific meanings in order to communicate new ideas. Every NLP system and LGATs has this trait, and this page sets out to help give definition and context to Landmark Forum terms.
Sometimes there is confusion with commonly-defined Terms as-used by Landmark Worldwide. For example, the term "enrollment" is officially defined as "enrolling others in a possibility", so that they are "moved, touched, or inspired" by any breakthroughs that you share with them. It has no relationship to people signing up for the 3-Day course; however, people often confuse the term as meaning "enrolling people into the Landmark Forum". Any terminology can create misnomers like this, especially for people who have not experienced or used the terms (e.g. people who have not attended the 3-day Landmark Forum). For the NLP complainers I read abuot, Landmark actually already has a term for signing-up, anyway: "Registration". Registration is the signing-up for a course in the context of the acceptance of an offered choice. That is the "Registration" exercise, which is your first exposure to choice as one of Landmark's concepts, before you've started The Forum.
So terminology should be taken as a plastic, moldable, thing -- because The Forum is all about language as something that can be used generatively. For some people (maybe English majors, I don't know...) that might be a bridge-too-far, and I get it!
Feel free to write-in other terms or definitions to me, if you see something here that needs adjusment, amending, or adding. If you are a representative of Landmark Forum you are welcome to contact me as well; however, please do re-read my Terms of Use before writing me!
Terms and Definitions here are Landmark Grad-written and not endorsed or approved by Landmark Worldwide. At all. This resource is intended to briefly cover the Ontology used by Forum Leaders during the 3-day seminar, and by Landmark Forum graduates in the community. This page does not propose (or state) that any of these definitions are the "correct" meanings of Landmark's terminology. At all.
IMPORTANT NOTE: These definitions are my own personal work product and have not been reviewed or approved by Landmark Worldwide.
Definitions
• Act. An Act is an inauthentic way of being that someone takes on-often automatically-to navigate social situations or personal insecurities. You can act in ways that "make yourself look good"; or (motivated by being right) a manner you take on for yourself in furtherance of your own desired self-image or as part of your strong suit. People Act in accordance to different Contexts, Example: we have a professional "face", or Act, that we project at our job. Two further examples: someone might adopt a “tough guy” stance to conceal fear or insecurity, or a “people-pleaser” persona to manage anxiety or avoid conflict. You may like to show up for others as an extroverted or outgoing person, but if you're always feeling a need to prove it...it's simply an Act.
Landmark advocates acknowledging where you’re being inauthentic as a first-step to becoming aware of your "Act", and owning it: “I realize I’m acting like everything’s under control, but truthfully I’m anxious.” This is a step in your journey of ultimately learning how to "drop your Act" (covered more deeply in the Advanced Course). "Dropping the “Act” means letting others see what’s real, even if it’s uncomfortable or unpolished. Landmark constantly ties authenticity to “integrity”—having your words, actions, and inner states align. When you spot the “Act,” the practice is to step into integrity by speaking candidly or taking actions that reflect what’s really so.
• Advanced Course. The next immediate course, which now appears to have become a selection of courses you can choose from. When I attended The Landmark Forum, the immediate second required course was fixed as you needed to complate that Advanced Course as part of what Landmark called the "Curriculum for Living." I never attended any Landmark courses beyond the original 3-day Landmark Forum
• Aliveness. A sense of being fully aware, fully present and fully yourself. It is a state of being that Landmark Forum wants to help you to create for yourself.
• Already always listening.™ Undistinguished pre-existing interpretations that shape, color and influence the way people experience their relationships with other people, circumstances, and even themselves. AAL is that "little voice in your head" that is finishing other peoples' sentences (the voice of your imagination), complete with baked-in and on-the-fly interpretations and stories* that you're constantly creating (even unconciously). Only by recognizing whenever you're doing this, and changing your Listening, can you break out of the Already Always Listening and Story cycles. AAL one of THE major concepts in Landmark, and managing it is a major goal of The Landmark Forum.
• At Cause. Taking responsibility for how you experience and respond to events, believing you can generate new possibilities rather than being limited by old stories or external constraints. “At Cause” is the stance of recognizing your agency and power to interpret, respond, and create new possibilities in the face of virtually any circumstance. “Cause” = You create your experience. See also At Effect.
• At Choice. In Landmark terminology, “at choice” broadly means you are consciously choosing your actions or perspectives rather than feeling forced, compelled, or constrained by circumstances. To be at choice means you fully "get" the distinction between Choosing vs. Deciding, and can be in the stance of recognizing you can choose your perspective or actions. When you are at choice, you are able to be at cause and uneffected by circumstances. And when you are in the mode of “choosing,” you are effectively “at choice.” See At Cause prior to this term, and At Effect in the following term.
• At Effect. Feeling that you are at the mercy of (or “victimized by”) external events, other people’s decisions, or your own past stories and beliefs. Another usage may be "at the effect of some circumstance": to be a victim of circumstances (or even dependent upon some circumstance for success). “At Effect” is the stance of seeing life as happening to you where your thoughts, feelings, and outcomes are determined by external forces. “Effect”= You are responding automatically to external triggers (or forces). See also At Cause.
• Authenticity. (also expressed as "Authentic" or "Inauthentic"). In the Landmark Forum’s context, “Authenticity” refers to a way of being in which you are fully aligned with what is so—in other words, telling the truth about your current experience (thoughts, feelings, and circumstances) without hiding, pretending, or being driven by concerns about “looking good” or “being right.” One is being authentic when one is being consistent with how they portray themselves to be, with others and themselves. People who are authentic are more direct, and offer absolute candor, in their internal dialogue and also expressing themselves with others.
• Breakthrough. Freeing yourself from some limitation that allows you to achieve immediate and permanent leaps in performance and quality of life. When "the light bulb clicks on in your head" and you "get it", and it causes a discrete change in behavior. Breakthroughs are one of the first results building towards Transformation.
• Cause. See At Cause
• Being (often expressed as a "way of being"). In Landmark the phrase “way of being” (or simply “being”) describes the overall stance or presence a person brings to any situation. It’s not just a single behavior or attitude, but rather a combination of:
• Mindset and Emotions: The beliefs, assumptions, or emotional tone you hold.
• Body Language and Tone: How you carry yourself physically, speak, and gesture.
• Underlying Commitments: The intentions or priorities (often unspoken) that shape how you engage with others and respond to events.
Rather than focusing solely on behaviors, Landmark asserts that how you show up—your manner of “being”—underlies the results you get. In The Forum, participants discover that much of their “way of being” is automatic and shaped by past experiences. People operate as if they have no choice about how they are being, acting, or showing-up in certain given situations. And Transformation arises when you distinguish (or “notice”) those default ways of being—and realize you can choose new ways that serve your commitments or possibilities. Landmark activities (exercises and coaching) aim to help you consciously “create” a way of being—e.g., being bold, being generous, being unstoppable—instead of defaulting to what’s comfortable or habitual.
A key aspect of shifting one’s way of being is to do so authentically[#authenticity] (in alignment with your truth) and with integrity (aligned with your word).
• Breakdown. A breakdown happens when some possibility, intention or commitment is frustrated, stopped or thwarted. When things don't go as expected or intended, or when you don't do as you said you would -- "not keeping your word" (also known as a loss of integrity), a breakdown has occured. In Landmark Breakdowns are viewed as opportunities to apply what you learned to re-commit, get complete, and restore integrity.
• Change. (versus Transformation). Change begins with a something that is made different in distance (from here to there), or in time (from now to then) or in form (for example, from a square to a circle). An aspect of the nature of change is that change causes the persistence of the something being changed. Change is a gradual, continual shift. Transformation, on the other hand, is a discrete jump: a caterpillar transforms into a moth or butterfly, but the metamorphosis that happens in the cocoon is change. Improvement and evolution are in the world of change. Transformation, unlike Change, is about something entirely new and different: a creation. So Change = a+1 , Transformation = before was A, now is B.
• Choosing vs. Deciding. In Landmark Choosing vs. Deciding is a distinction that highlights two fundamentally different ways of approaching an action or commitment. While both involve selecting one option over another, “deciding” is framed as a response to constraints and worries, whereas “choosing” is a generative act of creation that stems from freedom and ownership.
In language, "Deciding" is a somewhat destructive word, related to other "*cide" words like "suicide", "insecticide", "genocide", and many others. "*cide" words like Decide are the result of applying reason to eliminate alternatives: effectively killing other options or possibilities. Usually a single thing is left, and that becomes the decision. Choosing, on the other hand, is about making a choice purely for the sake of choosing, not applying reason, not applying logic, and not removing or disqualifying (killing) the other choices.
Choices don't run out in life, only your decisions make you run out of choices. At the bottom of every decision is either fundamental choice or reason: "I choose to believe ..." or "I choose to trust ..." --adding "... because" makes it a reason. By using reason (decision), you absolve yourself from responsibility for the choice: it becomes the fault of the reason or the reasoning process if it fails. Choice, though, demands responsibility for making the choice. Landmark’s core message is about being at cause in life, rather than g at effect of circumstances. See also At Choice and At Effect.
• Clearing. A "space" created in your head for something to exist, positive or negative (thoughts or interpretations, etc). The most common analogy is of a field, and removing the stones and stumps and whatever obstacles are there in the field, that interfere with the functioning of the field: whether to grow something, or to play a game, or something else. The abstraction in this case is a mental construct in which possibilities can be placed, or created. The clearing is like a vacuum, and can draw things towards it. If the thing in the clearing is "I'm no good" then it draws things that supports that attitude. You are then a clearing for "I'm no good". If you want the possibility of contribution to the world to be in your clearing, to draw those flavors of possibilitiess and opportunities, then you would need to remove the "I'm no good" thing from your clearing.
• Complete. When one is complete with any aspect of their past, and therefore the past has no constraint on who one is being or how they are acting in the present. In communication, being complete is one left with no lingering resentments, regrets or "unfinished business".
• Cost.(as used in Rackets™). The impact of one’s reactive ways of being and acting. The costs of Rackets™ are love/affinity, vitality/well-being, self-expression, and satisfaction/fulfillment, all of which fall under Aliveness. See also Payoff
• Context. Context is your occurring world; the total of how the world around you, and the people and things in it (either in totality, or in a given situation), and how they show up for you. Nearly all context in which humans live is created. As a "meaning-making machine", it forms the setting and the background of your story and you tend to take actions based upon it in response. And you take it for granted and don't realize it: the one thing your occurring world doesn'tautomatically occur for you as... is context. For example, for a fish, water is a major part of his context. A fish has no appreciation of water, it's just there: his life consists of dealing with it all the time, he 'swims in it'. No other fish has ever been out of water for any length of time and come back to tell him what it's like, so the fish doesn't know anything but water, and nothing else is possible to him. (The difference is, the fish's context of water is beneficial to him, and he can't overcome it and survive. You, however, might "swim in" a context that isn't altogether beneficial to you, and that you can overcome. By contrast, [responsibility(#responsibility) is an empowering context.)
When your life sucks, when you're in a negative or disempowering context; the way to break out of it (to overcome the negative or disempowering context) is to distinguish something. Then you can see your disempowering story as a story, and take new action in alignment with reality; or take on one or more new ways of being that might work better for you.
• Curriculum for Living.™ The Landmark curriculum, which includes the original 3-Day Landmark Forum ®, The Advanced Course ®, The Self Expression and Leadership Program, and The Landmark Forum In Action Series.
• Disappear. To "disappear something" is to eliminate it, or experience it disappearing, such as to disappear a Complaint. See also Racket.
• Distinction. A distinction is a linguistic phenomenon that brings something into being as a presence, for which previously there was no presence. Distinction also comes from sublanguages created to facilitate an area of thought or information -- the example of physics I used above. A distinction is simply a term, a word used to name something to facilitate the abstraction, for the discussion and/or use of that thing. Being able to make distinctions is about the most critical aspect to getting anything out of The Landmark Forum.
• Distinguish. To take something from an undifferentiated background and bring it to the foreground.
• Dominate/Avoid Domination Axis. Human beings often unconciously find themselves either trying to dominate a situation or avoid being dominated. This age-old natural dynamic can shape how we communicate, make decisions, and relate to others. Landmark sometimes refers to this as operating on a “dominate or avoid domination” axis, and it's closely tied to "the need to be right". Landmark suggests that many of our actions (and reactions) stem from a largely unconscious need to ensure we’re in control (dominance) or not under someone else’s control (avoidance of domination). This is seen as a primary driver in interactions, from workplace conversations to personal relationships. This dynamic is where "Rackets" come from, and the overall “dominate / avoid domination” pattern keeps people stuck in defensive / reactive cycles. Becoming aware of it frees up mental and emotional energy for more creative or authentic action.
• Effect. See At effect.
• Empty. Not real, made up, no substance. Generally used in conjunction with "meaningless" as in "empty and meaningless" and used in the "Emtpy And Meaningless" exercise. "Empty" can also be used when creating a space for something (clearing). See "Meaningless".
• Enrollment. A kind of sharing that causes a new possibility to be present for another person, such that they are touched, moved, or inspired by that new possibility. This term has nothing to do with signing-up for The Forum, which is Registration.
• The Landmark Forum. An accelerated learning experience, set up as a guided dialog between the instructor and participants designed to bring about a *transformational shift in the participants. Effectiveness and quality-of-life can become altered, even Transformed, in 3 days (plus an evening). A Forum is usually a larger group (sometimes 100+ people), and the Forum Leader reads the overall energy of the room, tracks where different conversations are going, and strategically orchestrates the flow so participants stay engaged and supported in their breakthroughs.
The first course that leads to the "Advanced Courses (part of the Curriculum for Living but there are several you can choose from, now). The Landmark Forum ® is the entry point for all Landmark programs and Advanced Courses.
• Forum Leader. The primary facilitator who guides participants through The Landmark Forum 3-Day (plus an evening) course. More than a typical “presenter,” the Leader’s role combines aspects of a teacher, coach, facilitator, and catalyst for each participant’s personal discovery. Forum Leaders undergo rigorous selection and training within Landmark, often years of leadership development, feedback, and coaching before they’re qualified to lead a Forum on their own. They’re steeped not just in Landmark’s curriculum and distinctions, but also in how to manage group dynamics, encourage breakthroughs, and handle sensitive conversations responsibly.
The Forum Leader knows the material inside and out—every exercise, “distinction,” and the underlying theory behind each. This helps them adapt to participant questions or scenarios on-the-fly. It’s the Leader’s job to establish a space where participants can be open and introspective. At the same time, they challenge participants—calling out inauthentic or guarded communication—so people can have genuine breakthroughs.
• Freedom. A State of Being. Freedom comes from being at ease. Freedom comes from being effective. Experiencing Freedom comes from being generative (e.g. having conversations that are possibility-based).
• Get it or Getting it. When you “get it,” you have a moment of genuine insight or clarity about a Landmark distinction(#distinction), exercise, or concept. It’s not just intellectual understanding; rather, you see something or experience dialoge in a way that changes your perspective or shakes up your assumptions. Example: you might be wrestling with the notion of “responsibility” in Landmark’s sense (i.e., distinct from blame or fault). You would have heard it explained multiple times, but at some point, the concept “clicks”—you actually grasp the power of holding yourself as the source of your experience. That’s when you might say to the Forum Leader or facilitator: “I got it.”
In the context of Landmark, “to get it” and “to pop” both point to different shifts: “getting it” emphasizes the cognitive clarity or understanding of a key distinction, while “popping” zeroes in on the emotional/experiential breakthrough experience—a moment of sudden freedom or new possibility that often feels palpable in the room. So each term highlights a slightly different aspect of experiencing sudden insight or release. Together, the experiencing both of these things are required to achieve Transformation. “Getting it” often precedes a behavioral shift or a deep internal shift. Once you truly “get” a Landmark principle, you’re more likely to live it, not just talk about it. See also Pop.
• Graduate. A person who has completed The Landmark Forum.
• I. What people tend to think of, in its capacity as an Identity, as being a collection of characteristics, attributes, and experiences from the past. Landmark tries to (at least temporarily) get you to see and understand I, not as a concept of self but instead just simply a pattern of neurons firing*. This allows you, at least temporarily, work to view Events, Moments, and Interpretations differently. See also Identity in the following term.
• Identity. A Story that we invented about ourselves. The process of inventing an Identity begins in childhood, as we gradually adopted ways of Being and Acting to deal successfully with things that didn't quite go the way we thought they should.
• Informative Learning. Learning that increases what people know and adds to their skills by bringing new knowledge to an existing worldview and frame of reference. Compare to Transformative learning.
• Integrity. Integrity is a state or condition of being whole, complete and unimpaired, in perfect condition. For a person, integrity is a matter of a person’s word. The extent to which who you are reflects the person you intend to be. It is presented, though, from a perspective of workability. The more workable, the more integrity, the less workable, there is a loss of integrity. Keeping one's word is associated with integrity -- agreeing with common usage -- but in Landmark, it is a progression. Not keeping your word means you were inauthentic about your word. Inauthenticity leads to unreliability, which reduces workability, and thus a loss of integrity. If you say you will be at a business meeting at 5pm and show up at 5:10pm, there is some inauthenticity, and there is the loss of 10 minutes of time, reducing the workability of the meeting, which may have to still end on time. So there is less time for discussion, information sharing, etc which can lead to incompleteness, which reduces workability. Thus a lack of integrity, a loss of integrity, or simply, no integrity.
• Life. As in "yourself and your life." Our entire set of relationships with people.
• Listening. In Landmark Education, "Listening" does include the action of actually listening to another person in the common sense, but also includes a state of being. In this regard, the qualifying statements are similar to "... in your listening". This state of being is recognized as providing a coloration to your listening to what others are saying, and to what is happening around you, even if no sound is hitting your ears. It is the application of interpretation, and the recognition that we are always applying some sort of interpretation to our sensory input. By recognizing that we are applying color, and the color that is being applied, we can then choose that coloration. The state of being is referred to as "your clearing", and that clearing provides the coloration, the interpretation, and the responses produced.
• Meaningless. The absence of inherent meaning. Used in conjunction with "empty" as in "empty and meaningless", which comes up towards the end of the course during the "Empty And Meaningless" exercise. This sentiment comes from Ecclesiastes and other philosophical texts from several eras. Meaning is the association of things with other things. This is an action of interpretation, of creating "story" anytime we are in the act of making-meaning. Since it is made up, it is not real, and therefore empty. People tend to use "meaning" to ascribe substance and value to something. But since the meaning is made up (empty), it is really meaningless, without substance, and thus subject to change, alteration, transformation, or disappearance by you. Being able to suspend or "remove a meaning which does not serve you", instead of the default of being a Meaning-Making machine (see term below) is one of the more powerful concepts taught during the 3-Day Landmark Forum course.
• Meaning-Making Machines. The Landmark Forum establishes that "humans are meaning making machines" on Day 1, which means: we assign meaning to everything that happens to us. Everything. The problem, Landmark states, is that most of the time meaning gets assigned subconsciously, and often we assign things a negative meaning. That’s just the nature of the human mind: we go negative (our minds are these "if it bleeds, it leads" things, when it comes to Interpreting). And because we often do this subconciously, we do not see that we're creating-meaning and feeding an overall Interpretation or Story", of an external event or moment. And, again, because we do all of this subconciously and automatically our "stories" are often taken as fact --- not the Interpretations that they actually are in reality. Getting this concept early is an important core foundation for understanding concepts later on like Rackets and how they can rob us of Aliveness. See also Story and What Happened terms.
• Occur (often used in the plural form, as in "how it occurs ..."). An active form "occurring" and in the past tense "how it occurred ..." both allude to the interpretation of something. Occurring applies story and reason to create your view of what happened, or to how you think about something (often independent of facts or what's so). Occuring is Landmark shorthand for “the way I see, perceive, or interpret this situation.”, and occurring is a subconscious summarization and associative process that hits the conscious mind as real or as truth (again, often independent of facts or what's so).
It is really difficult to grasp occurs / occurring without training or practice. It's hard to understand it just by reading this concept in a book, or this Glossary. Example: someone yelling at you could occur as them being angry from far away (if you don't hear everything they're saying, and only looking at their face); or you first are thinking that they think you are deaf or "stupid"; when in actual (objective) reality the person may have just been trying to urgently get your attention to an oncoming car, or other danger or emergency. To stop and briefly note to yourself "how something is occuring" can help you suspend our "meaning-making" nature so that we might avoid creating an unhelpful story about what happened inaccurately.
Learning to see how things occur for you is a big first-step towards trying to describe what happened or understand what's so, otherwise the alternative is to automatically be beholden to your interpretations unknowingly-and not able to evaluate how something occurred for you. When you are noticing how something “occurs” to you—you can reframe that view and open new avenues for action or collaboration.
Landmark underscores that what “occurs” (internally) and what “shows up” (externally) are both distinctions you can notice, and choose to alter.
• Ontology (and/or Ontological). A set of concepts and categories in a subject area or domain that shows their properties and the relations between them. Ontology deals with the nature of Being. Landmark's emphasis on language and it's Ontology is predicated upon the notion that humans think in language, and that mastering one's internal language is one key to living powerfully.
Ontology in the philosophical sense is a theoretical discipline, considered by some Philosphers to be (roughly) a possible science of what is, of the kinds and structures of objects, properties, events, processes and relations in every area of reality.
• Payoff. A payoff is something one gets out of certain ways of Being and acting that is not immediately obvious. Rackets, for example, are all about payoffs; however, Rackets also exact many hidden Costs*.
The payoff can be addictive*, because it reaffirms your self-image and your story about the situation. Payoffs usually satisfy an immediate emotional or ego need (to win, to be validated), but they don’t necessarily foster real connection or growth-and they often come at a Cost.
Landmark’s goal is to help participants see these dynamics (and the payoffs/costs they yield) so they can choose new ways of interacting—ways that aren’t locked into being right or avoiding being wrong. By breaking free of the dominate/avoid domination cycle and acknowledging that the need to be right is just one expression of that, you open space for authentic communication, mutual respect, and real collaboration.
• Pop. There are no statistics on this, but it's generally understood that everyone who completes The Landmark Forum gets transformation on at least some matters. The experience of it is distinct from one person to the next. Some people experience a more powerful transformation in the Advanced Courses than from the original Landmark Forum. But Landmark says the bottom-line is that if you participate in the program, and take what you get, you will Pop -- meaning: you'll "get" a Landmark principle or concept, such that you will pop and experience transformation.
A “pop” can be catalytic. Once you’ve had that emotional or embodied breakthrough, your communication, relationships, or sense of what’s possible tend to change markedly—and often quite quickly.
When attendees pop or otherwise "get", it manifests via physical and emotional indicators: People sometimes describe a wave of relief, laughter, or even tears when they “pop.”
An anology often used by the Forum Leader is: "when making popcorn, the kernels cooking will all "pop at different times. So if you stay with it, and honestly take what you get, you* will pop at some point during the course."
There is some overlap between when you "get it" and when you "pop". When you “get it” you usually have made a big [distinction(#distinction)] that leads to a new inside (setting the stage for a breakthrough), and when you “pop” your breakthrough leads you to experience a release and sudden shift which can lead quickly to transformation. Graduates and participants often use “get it” and “pop” in conversation to describe specific turning points during the Forum or other Landmark courses. The language helps them name those breakthrough moments.
• Possibility. A phenomenon in language that creates a new future right now. Possibility leaves us with Power and Freedom.
• Power. The rate at which an intention is turned into a result. Power comes from possibility and from being authentic.
• Racket.™ A Racket is a persistent complaint combined with a fixed way of Being. Rackets are maintained because of Payoffs, and they persist until dropping the Racket (and thus its associated cost) is chosen. This complaint pattern can give you an ongoing sense of righteousness or victimhood—both of which feed the need to be right.
By giving up the need to be right, you a can own and drop your Rackets and live Authentically and foster relationships built on honesty and mutual respect, rather than hidden agendas. Landmark says that Rackets (and their costs)rob us of Aliveness. See also Payoff and Cost* terms.
• Reality. That which is real either independently of language (e.g., "a car"), and that which is real only in language (e.g., a concept). A proper understanding of how reality exists as a concept is critical to understanding the concepts covered in the "What Happened" terminology and exercises.
• Reason. An excuse we invent to justify choices we make. That would be Ambrose Bierce's definition. When choices are made according to "reasons," they are distinguished as the "machine" operating, based on assumptions about truth and reality. Genuine choice operates on another level. Reasoning is not denied, but distinguished as rooted in our stories about reality. NOTE: This is not a Landmark term. Just the generic meaning of the word is used in Landmark programs. See also Choosing vs Deciding and Reasonable.
• Reasonable. To justify acting, or not acting, based on reasons and justifications. See also Choosing vs. Deciding. The Forum wants you see that there is possibility, power, and self-expression available to us by being The ability to choose when you want to be reaonable or unreasonable is one of the main key life-altering breakthroughs that The Landmark Forum wants to impart to its Graduates.
• Registration. See also Enrollment. Some action that registers a commitment to the future, for example registering for a gym membership.
• Resentment. A poison people swallow hoping it will kill the other person. NOTE: This is not a Landmark term, specificially. Just the generic meaning of the word is used in Landmark programs. Rackets are often driven by resentment cand create unseen costs.
• Responsibility. This is a key area of the Landmark Forum that people can struggle with, and is one of the most difficult to explain to anyone who hasn't attended The Forum, so I will let founder Werner Erhard explain it:
“Responsibility begins with the willingness to take the stand that one is cause in the matter of one’s life. It is a declaration not an assertion, that is, it (Responsibility)is a context from which one chooses to live. Responsibility is not burden, fault, praise, blame, credit, shame or guilt. In Responsibility in Landmark, there is no evaluation of good or bad, right or wrong. There is simply what’s so, and the stand you choose to take on what’s so. Being responsible starts with the willingness to deal with a situation from the view of life that you are the generator* of what you do, what you have. and what you are. That is not "the truth". It is a place to stand. No one can make you responsible, nor can you impose responsibility on another. It is a grace you give yourself – an empowering context that leaves you with a say in the matter of life.”
-Werner Erhard
• Self-Expression and Leadership Program. The final courses in the original Curriculum for Living ®. This program expands one’s natural capacity for providing leadership and making a difference as a natural self-expression.
• Show up (as in "how you show-up, or "how something shows-up for you"). “How I show up” or “how something shows up” generally refers to how someone or something appears or presents itself in a given situation. This could include your body language, your choice of words, your energy, or how you act toward others (e.g. showing up authentically, or showing up having integrity). Example: “You consistently show-up as annoyed, which impacts how everyone interacts with you.” The emphasis is on awareness of impact. Another Example: if you’re showing up distracted or closed-off, that may affect how people interact with you.
Becoming conscious of how you show up is a step toward being at choice in how you present yourself—so you can align your way of being with your commitments or intentions. Last Example*: if you're going with your default interpretation of something, how it shows-up for you (your experience of a situation) may be negative leaving you At-Effect(#at-effect) of a disempowering story.
Landmark underscores that what “shows up” (externally) and what “occurs” (internally) are both distinctions you can notice, and choose to alter. By consciously choosing how you “show up,” you can positively influence relationships, teams, and outcomes.
• Speaking into the listening. Effectively communicating to another such that the communication is heard in the way in which the speaker intended.
• Stand (as in "taking a stand", or "standing in your commitments"). “Stand” refers to a powerful declaration or commitment you make—both to yourself and to others—that shapes how you show up and take action in the world. Unlike a mere opinion or belief, a “stand” is something you choose to be...rather than something you simply have. It serves as a guiding principle or commitment that informs your choices and interactions, creating a powerful context for transformation and possibility.
The Landmark Forum emphasizes that language isn’t merely descriptive—it can be generative. By taking a stand, you use language to generate a new possibility or reality, not just talk about it. That’s why “I stand for X” has a different impact than “I’d like X to happen.” A stand also tests your integrity and authenticity—if you say you stand for something, your actions, words, and presence should align with it. Whenever you break from that commitment (see Breakdown), you can notice the gap and restore integrity by recommitting to your stand.
A stand should not ever be confused with a goal or wish: a goal might have a deadline or a specific outcome. A stand is broader and more fundamental: it affects how you relate to everything, including unexpected circumstances or failures, because it’s an expression of who you are being, not just what you want to accomplish. Also taking a stand might feel arbitrary at first (because you can choose any stand you want), but once declared, it becomes a guiding principle you own and live by. It’s less about being “right” and more about being true to what you’ve publicly committed to.
In Landmark (and est before it), taking a “stand” means creating and inhabiting a powerful context or commitment that informs every aspect of your behavior. It’s an active, generative way of shaping your actions, language, and relationships, rather than passively being shaped by circumstances or beliefs.
• Stinginess. Deliberately holding oneself, and one’s contribution, "close to the vest" and without generosity. Also not being authentic or having integrity are two ways in which we might be or show-up for others as stingy or not generous.
• Stoicism. Not directly related to The Landmark Forum curriculum or a term from the 3-day course; however, Stoicism as a philosophy informs the concepts of "At Cause" and "At Effect".
• Story. A "story" is an account or interpretation of past events often mistakenly taken for what actually happened. “She told a story” does not mean “she lied.” Rather, any account (in our internal dialogue, or when talking to another person) is subconciously an interpretation. Yet we tend to believe our interpretations are facts when they aren't. If another Landmark Forum Leader or Graduate asks you "is that really what happened, or is this your story?", they aren't calling you out or saying you're being untruthful: they are inviting you to stop and examine if you are unconciously confusing your interpretation with what's so or what actually happened](#what-happened).
• Strong suit. A way of being and acting that one relies on to produce results and make it in life.
• Superstition. The system of ideas, beliefs, social and cultural assumptions, and taken-for-granted conclusions (etc) through which an individual interprets and interacts with the world, other people, and himself or herself. Living with others' Dogma and adhering to it, instead of living so to speak. NOTE: This is not a Landmark term. Just the generic meaning of the word is used in Landmark programs.
• The Need to be Right. For the need to be right, possible payoffs include: feeling superior, maintaining the illusion of control, voiding vulnerability or scrutiny, or getting sympathy or attention.
• Transformation. The invention of a new realm of possibility for yourself and your life. The invention of the realm is a necessary condition, but not sufficient for transformation. Without resultant new actions in alignment with the possibilities populating the realm, the invention is just a mental exercise.
• Transformative learning. Transformative learning, gives people an awareness of the basic structures in which one knows, thinks, and acts in the world. From that awareness comes a fundamental shift that leaves people more fully in accord with their own possibilities and those of others. Transformative learning is contrasted with Informational Learning. Informational learning increases knowledge and ability. Transformative learning results in new perspectives and new abilities (and sometimes disabilities). The common example is of learning to ride a bicycle. Very little information is provided, like "pedal". Suddenly the learner gets balance and is able to ride the bike without help. They have discovered it for themselves, and may never loose the ability to ride a bike. The experience, the learning, transforms the person, their perspective and their abilities. Before they couldn't, now they can. And, a whole new world or realm of possibilities is opened up.
• Unreasonable. Not to be mistaken for irrational or wrecklesss. To be unreasonable is to go beyond one’s reasons, justifications or lengthy considerations to act on something one is committed to. See also Choosing vs. Deciding and reasonable.
• Unreasonable Request. A request that requires one to go beyond one’s reasons, justifications and considerations to act on something one is committed to.
• Vicious circle ™. The human tendency to collapse what happened with the story we tell ourselves (or others) ABOUT what happened. The story creates a clearing, a listening, for that which supports the story (confirmation bias, etc), resulting in more occurrences of things that further support the story, forming a self-supporting Vicious Circle.
• What Happened. Consensual (agreed-on) shared reality, or "objective" reality aside from (not relating at all to) judgment, blame, right/wrong, good/bad, and other forms of "meaning." What happens occurs to us as it is analyzed our Already Always Listening to be good/bad, etc. If my ex-wife told me she had a problem with what I've done, that's what happened. If I say in response that "she was unreasonable and mean to me", that's my story about it, not necessarily what happened. See also Story which is a core component of understanding this term and concept. --NOTE: In our current era where "Alternative Facts" inflames or distorts discussions requiring an agreed-upon reality, successfully working through What Happened or What's so (for The Forum's purposes) is truly a challenge!
• What is and/or What's so. In Landmark there’s a difference between the raw facts of a situation and the interpretations or stories we layer on top of those facts (See What Happened above). Landmark uses "What's so" to direct attention to reality(#reality) as it is: independent of our habitual biases, judgments, or narratives.
Landmark emphasizes that: while “what is so” is factual, our experience often depends on the meaning or story we create. By recognizing the difference, you can see where your emotions come from (the story) look only at the facts themselves. Landmark suggests that if you can distinguish the fact from the interpretation, you have the freedom to choose a new way of responding. Landmark Forum Leaders conduct group exercises where facilitators ask participants to state only what’s so about something, before discussing feelings or interpretations. This exercise reveals how quickly we add personal meaning or “take things personally”, allowing the participants to have a breakthrough.
• Workability. “Workability” refers to how effective or functional something is—whether it’s a plan, a conversation, a relationship, or even an individual’s approach to life. The standard of workability is straightforward: does it produce the desired outcome without unnecessary friction, conflict, or breakdown? If yes, it is “workable.” If it leads to persistent breakdowns, frustration, and unresolved issues, it’s “unworkable.”
Rather than judging something as morally right or wrong, Landmark encourages you to ask: “Is this working?” or “Does this achieve what I’m committed to?” This departs from good/bad or correct/incorrect judgments, focusing on tangible results and practical alignment with one’s commitments.
Something “works” when it aligns with “what’s so”—the facts on the ground—and with the agreements you’ve made. Workability often ties back to integrity and authenticity in Landmark’s view. If your word is out of alignment with your actions, relationships often become unworkable.
In Landmark, unworkability suggests you’re often “in resistance” to how things are (the facts), or you’re not in clear communication about your expectations.
Rather than labeling an unworkable situation as “bad,” Landmark invites you to see it as an opportunity: What’s missing that, if provided, would make this workable? A new agreement, a new action, or a shift in mindset?
Terms or phrases with "™" or "®" are trademarked or registered properties of Landmark Worldwide, are openly used in their public literature, and are only referenced here for complete Definitions. All rights to these terms belong to Landmark Education and Landmark Worldwide, and no authorship or ownership is claimed in any way.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The terms and definitions on this page are my own personal work product and are not reviewed or approved by Landmark Worldwide.
FAQ
1. This is a LOT of information! How could I (and how do you) ever keep it all straight? How can I ever be sure I understand Landmark's terminology, let alone apply any of it, after studying resources like this?
A:
The short answer is: you probably can't. This Glossary and my Landmark posts are not intended for fully learning any significant understanding of Landmark's terminology for lay-persons. Any discipline teaching conceptual terms, "knowledge through direct experience" is primarily how you learn the terms. Landmark's teaching is Ontological, that is, the idea that our understanding of the nature of a thing ("being" etc) is primarily formed through our immediate firsthand interactions with it, rather than relying solely on abstract concepts or external descriptions -- like this Glossary! In other words: experiencing something directly allows for a more profound and intuitive grasp of its essence.
To put succintly: the phrase "If you know, you know..." (IYKYK) applies here. The knowing (understanding and retention) of these terms and concepts typically requires attending The Landmark Forum (or perhaps pursuing a degree focused on both Eastern and Western Philosophies...but The Landmark Forum is quicker and cheaper). I believe people reading this Glossary without having attended The Forum is folly, and only invites frustration if your goal is to try and learn it. That is why the intended audiance are Forum grads or non-biased/academic researches.
2. Are you a Landmark Forum fan, enthusiast, or shill? Otherwise what is the point of this page?
No. I am just a guy who got a free ride (company sponsored / paid-for) to attend The Landmark Forum in 1994. And the point of this Glossary is twofold:
- This Glossary is a companion piece to my 3-part special write-up on The Landmark Forum that I published here in 2009.
- This Glossary is my own personal reference and offered to Landmark Grads-to provide a place for unbiased and direct definitions of Landmark terms, as I understood them after attending over 30 years ago.
So I talk about Landmark Forum without fear or favor, and I am not any kind of proseletyzing fan. That I attended and got something out of Landmark way back in 1994 was personal for me, and me alone. But my personal stand here is to create a place to keep track of my original notes on these concepts from 30 years ago, because I find some of them useful to this day. Nothing more.
So I am not trying to "get people to join" Landmark Worldwide, nor will I wave people away from The Forum. I do beleive The Forum is useful for some types of people with certain personality traits which include curiosity, and a strong sense of who they already are (and don't mind self-examination from time-to-time). It is certainly not for everyone, and I think Landmark Worldwide reps and Forum Leaders would 100% agree with me on that.
3. I have read many of these terms and concepts in other materials, or experienced them in other seminars and conferences that I have attended in the past. Can you share what Philosophies inform the Landmark Forum curriculum?
A:
Below is a list I compiled over the years, of some of the primary philosophies (or philosophers) that I have read, which seem to be the core knowledge that informed Werner Erhard in his creation of the original est curriculums. I will include specific Landmark terms (in parenthesis) next to each philosopher or philosophy that I cite:
Alan Watts () Edmund Husserl and phenomenology (the rigorous study of concious experience as it appears) influenced 20th-century existential thought (Occur), Epictetus (Stoicism) Marcus Aurelius (At Cause and At Effect come from Stoicism), Martin Heidegger and also The Kyoto School of Zen Philosphers (Being), Seneca (his letters are studied in Stoicism as they encouraged self-master, choice, and detachment from circumstances as paths to equanimity), Taoism (Taoist notion that events are empty until we give them meaning resonates with Taoist themes of wu wei (non-forcing) and the idea of “allowing” or “not resisting” what is), Zen (Being, Ontology)
3.
A:
Terms or phrases with "™" or "®" are trademarked or registered properties of Landmark Worldwide, are openly used in their public literature, and are only referenced here for complete Definitions. All rights to these terms belong to Landmark Education and Landmark Worldwide, and no authorship or ownership to any material in this Glossary is claimed in any way.