Review of The Landmark London 5*

Wow, look at all the reviews… they're either in total praise or have complete disdain. Let me give you a balanced view as a habitual cynic that's been through the basic programme. The Landmark Forum takes knowledge from psychological and philosophical principles and distills it into a three and a half day intensive course of self reflection and behavioural introspection. You'll hear words like 'coachable' (to actively listen (per Dale Carnegie) ) and you'll learn your life is 'meaningless' in an optimistically nihilistic way (per Jean Paul Sartre). The content requires you to be present in a way that uses the best of Western and Eastern philosophies. It encourages you to undo your destructive habits through group sharing and to build new behavioral thought patterns that aim to let you be more productive, fulfill your own goals and create more valuable relationships with others. When on the course, the knowledgeable and accessible lecturer takes advantage of the power of social accountability encouraging you to be true to your word. They invite you to be real, authentic and have integrity with what you say. Landmark Forum focuses on doing rather than knowing. Above all, the style of learning is transformative rather than informative — listen, experience and be present in the moment. With a comprehensive proverbial toolkit, there's even about twenty minutes of group hypnotherapy to help you allay the fears that keep you from living your life. Now to dispel a couple of myths I heard: Is it a cult? No, there is no social deviancy here. In fact they encourage the opposite: spreading the message of social connection with others around you: parents, siblings, partners and friends — how can you not say "That's beautiful"? To go down the ridiculous route, there is no lobotomising or spinal microchips (these kinds of ideas borne of distrust and cynicism, which they help you highlight). Is it a pyramid scheme? No, these are illegal in the UK and most of the western world. It's true they ask for money — it's currently ~£600 for the basic course — and they are a for-profit organisation, but the efficiency with which they are able to function means those results you expect to see can impact you nearly immediately. Typically 'not-for-profit' orgs will depend on handouts and don't last long so they've been smart in this respect. My only concern is whether it was worth my personal time, hence one less star. Seats can be uncomfortable and the breaks are short and sparse. However, I can see the programme deeply impacted others around me who had honestly gone through some traumatic life experiences. Their changes were heart felt and quite frankly, inspiring. Social change is difficult to achieve. But I'll be bold enough to say this is the closest we have to gaining world peace. If schools implemented this kind of education, we could be there within a couple of generations.