For me, reading this is a trip down memory lane. It was almost half a lifetime ago that I attended one of these events. I could fill up at least a whole Rambling reminiscing about it, especially with my memory being jogged by reading this lengthy and insightful summary. Suffice it to say that it was quite a "landmark" in my life. I still sometimes (internally) use several of the distinctions learned there when I contemplate things. Though I did later develop some serious qualms about the organization, overall, I'm still glad to have had the experience.

(While the article that I am linking to directly is quite balanced and objective in its portrayal, readers who are curious enough to click around and/or visit the root index page of the domain on which the article is hosted will find quite a wealth of material which connotes the darker aspects of the program. (I do need to write an article or three of my own about this!) Right now, suffice it to say that there is a very fine line between organizations or structures which use something akin to "shock therapy" to bring about genuinely positive personal transformation, and those which exist to enslave and control the weak-minded. (i.e. Scientology) Sometimes, they might even do both. Tricky.)