Counseling in Chicago with Bill Martin, LCSW

Archive for the 'LGAT/Large group awareness trainings' Category

Dec 30 2009

What Are Mirror Neurons?

Published by Bill Martin, LCSW under Counseling & Psychotherapy, How the Brain influences our lives, LGAT/Large group awareness trainings

Understanding the function of mirror neurons helps us understand why others’ intense emotional catharsis during large group awareness programs is such a powerful experience for those witnessing.

In many ways, it is like the witness is also experiencing the same powerful emotional “remembering.”

This also leads us to explore the potential for retraumatization of witnesses during these experiences. One never really knows what might trigger someone’s trauma memories. If the context in which the memory surfaces is not safe, there is a risk of retruamatization.
Here is another link to a great article on mirror neurons.

Comments Off

Nov 05 2009

Colleen Conaway: Committed Suicide While Attending a James Ray Seminar in San Diego

Published by Bill Martin, LCSW under Counseling & Psychotherapy, Suicide, Trauma & Abuse, Ethics, Violence research, Narcissism, LGAT/Large group awareness trainings, Torture

Read about it here.

No responses yet

Nov 05 2009

Mickey Reynolds: Caught Up in the James Ray “Movement” As a “Coach and Team Leader” and How Ray Betrayed His Trust

Published by Bill Martin, LCSW under Counseling & Psychotherapy, Trauma & Abuse, Ethics, Violence research, LGAT/Large group awareness trainings, Torture

A video of Reynolds talking about his gullibility and feelings of betrayal by James Arthur Ray. Watch it here.

No responses yet

Nov 05 2009

James Arthur Ray: Read His Smug, Hostile and Ignorant Views Toward Welfare and Health Care Reform and His Message of Extreme Personal Accountability for Everyone Else

Published by Bill Martin, LCSW under Counseling & Psychotherapy, Trauma & Abuse, Violence research, Narcissism, LGAT/Large group awareness trainings, Torture

Read his article here.

If you carefully evaluate the structure of his words and sentences, you will see that he is appealing to the ultra conservative, wealthy Americans who probably hate people on welfare.

Ray takes some very, very cheap shots at people on welfare, as well as people who are sick, need healthcare, or obese.

To him, these are all lazy people

No responses yet

Nov 05 2009

Attachment, Psychological Influence and Mind Control

Published by Bill Martin, LCSW under Counseling & Psychotherapy, How the Brain influences our lives, Trauma & Abuse, Ethics, Violence research, Narcissism, LGAT/Large group awareness trainings, Torture

Would you stay in a sweat lodge where people around you are vomiting, passing out, and you are beginning to feel yourself losing consciousness?

It’s easy for us to say “no”, but people just as smart as us did not out in Arizona. Three of them died, and almost half of the other participants became very ill.

Mind control. These people weren’t taken into a room and hypnotized. They still had the ability to think and make decisions.

No responses yet

Nov 05 2009

Preventable Sweat Lodge Deaths: The Ethical and Legal Problems of James Arthur Ray, Self-Help Guru

Published by Bill Martin, LCSW under Counseling & Psychotherapy, Trauma & Abuse, Ethics, Violence research, Narcissism, LGAT/Large group awareness trainings, Torture

You may know by now the police are treating the three deaths in the Arizona sweat lodge led by James Arthur Ray as homicides.

Ray is not a licensed therapist of any kind, so he did not have the help of any professional ethical code to guide his behavior.

Whether he will ultimately be viewed as a huckster operating a sweat lodge wildly out of control or a thoughtful professional who led an experience where three people were killed accidentally remains to be seen.

There seems to be a lot of evidence right now pointing to the former possibility. Here are just a few of the ethical principals (see NASW Code Ethics) he may have violated:

Helping people in need to solve problems

Respect for the integrity and worth of human beings

Acting with integrity and competence as a professional

Also, here are a few ethical standards which he may have violated:

Commitment to the well-being of clients

Provide full explanation of services so client can make an informed decision about their participation

Competence in whatever service offered as demonstrated by completion of educational, training, and professional experience

Based on the information gathered from police, participants, James Arthur Ray and his

No responses yet

Sep 24 2009

Mankind Project (MKP): New Transparency Policy for Programs and Sweat Lodge

Published by Bill Martin, LCSW under Counseling & Psychotherapy, LGAT/Large group awareness trainings, Research

Speaking as a therapist with some knowledge and experience in the MKP programs, I applaud MKP and its governing Board of Directors and Leaders for developing a new policy of openness and transparency.

I had a long discussion with the MKP Executive Director and read his press release describing the sweat lodge policies and the new transparency policy.

They offer clear explanations of the purpose, methods, safety precautions, and the efforts of the program to dialogue with Native American people to clarify the intentions of the MKP Sweat Lodge program.
Further, they offer anyone the opportunity to talk at length with anyone from the organization about specific exercises and any and all processes on the weekend.

The frequently asked questions page on their website offers good details on what happens and why.
Having participated in a few of these Lodges, I can say without hesitation, they are safe, do not exploit Native American spirituality, participants are free to leave at any time, and the men who lead this process go through extensive training before they are authorized to lead this part of the program.

While I personally did not like the heat inside the lodge, I did not feel claustrophobic, there was plenty of light to see around, plenty of drinking water was available, and the door was opened often to allow fresh air inside.

I would add that what happens outside of the sweat lodge is very valuable as well. Men are responsible to provide care for any men who approach the lodge.

Often when I staffed, I would go to the lodge area and spend time with the men there who were very affirming, kind, and accepting. They knew exactly what to do…be there, stay connected and remain affirming and non-judgemental.
I long ago began describing the experience in detail to anyone I knew who was considering going to the weekend.

I found that no matter how vividly I described it, most had a very powerful experience and whatever I had said really didn’t matter.

I believe it has something to do with the different ways the thinking brain and emotional brain of human beings process reality, but this is another discussion.
Bravo to MKP for its new policy of transparency.

No responses yet

Apr 14 2009

Pat Bowlen, Owner of the Denver Broncos and Josh McDaniels, New 32 Year Old Head Coach, “The Emperors With No Clothes” Fired by Jay Cutler

Published by Bill Martin, LCSW under Counseling & Psychotherapy, Narcissism, Myth, Music and Meaning, Bullying and abuse by athletic coaches, LGAT/Large group awareness trainings, Allegory

Ok, making the symbolism easy, Pat Bowlen and Josh McDaniels represent the shallow, narcissistic leaders in our world who have been exposed as the “emperors without clothes!”

I have really enjoyed this story. Just as McDaniels and Bowlen have been trying to manipulate Jay Cutler, treating him slightly less than a piece of property,

Comments Off

Mar 08 2009

Mind control or how to become a cult leader, made easy: Check out this video

Published by Bill Martin, LCSW under Counseling & Psychotherapy, LGAT/Large group awareness trainings

Click here. This is pretty grainy video, but it has all the components of the mind control process used by cults and cult like organizations. If you view it, you will see similarities to many organizations, including organized religion, self-help programs, get-rich quick or weight-loss schemes, personal growth programs and LGATs, Large Group Awareness Trainings. There is some humor in the video…I guess you have a sense of humor when looking at these issues.

No responses yet

Mar 01 2009

LGATs: Large group awareness trainings, the 4 basic components of each program

Published by Bill Martin, LCSW under Counseling & Psychotherapy, LGAT/Large group awareness trainings

Scholars and researchers studying LDATs suggest that each of the programs, large or some of their smaller cousins follow three basic strategies to enlist their participants in the pyramid process of creating more followers, believers, adherents, or whatever words they use to describe their paying customers:

Creating an altered sense of reality to help people let go of their sense of self and prepare them to accept the new definitions of themselves influenced by the larger group
Encourage “catharsis” or the release of deeply held emotional memories through “confessions” and disclosures
Rebirthing or the rebuilding of the person’s identity through positive reinforcements
and recruitment of others to join the LGAT

Of course, we can look at almost any larger group activity, even political parties and find these steps in the life of an individual within these groups.

No responses yet

Categories
- Stress Reduction (4)
- Counseling & Psychotherapy (232)
- Inspiration, Education & Personal Growth (30)
- Guided Imagery (8)
- Divorce (4)
- Suicide (8)
- Alcohol and other Drug Abuse (15)
- How the Brain influences our lives (24)
- psychodrama2 (2)
- Case Examples (3)
- Help for Chicago Relationships/Marriages (25)
- Parenting (8)
- Elaine’s Inspirations (11)
- Trauma & Abuse (38)
- ACA/ACOA:Adult Children from Alcoholic Families (8)
- Psychodrama (2)
- Ethics (12)
- Journaling (5)
- Violence research (17)
- 17 Marital Adjustment Scales by John Gottman (4)
- Narcissism (15)
- Myth, Music and Meaning (14)
- Attachment (7)
- Cognitive Therapy (10)
- Depression (4)
- sexual health (3)
- HIV/AIDS (1)
- Bullying and abuse by athletic coaches (6)
- Attention Deficit (Hyperactive) Disorder (1)
- Blogs vs Traditional Websites (1)
- LGAT/Large group awareness trainings (10)
- Allegory (4)
- Sexual Abuse (2)
- Movies: Themes and Symbols (1)
- Torture (6)
- Research (7)
- Build the Life You Deserve (12)
Monthly
- December 2009 (1)
- November 2009 (12)
- October 2009 (10)
- September 2009 (3)
- July 2009 (1)
- June 2009 (2)
- May 2009 (8)
- April 2009 (20)
- March 2009 (5)
- February 2009 (1)
- January 2009 (4)
- December 2008 (6)
- November 2008 (6)
- October 2008 (8)
- August 2008 (9)
- July 2008 (13)
- June 2008 (16)
- May 2008 (8)
- April 2008 (30)
- March 2008 (5)
- February 2008 (13)
- January 2008 (10)
- December 2007 (8)
- November 2007 (7)
- October 2007 (7)
- September 2007 (8)
- August 2007 (3)
- July 2007 (2)
- June 2007 (3)
- May 2007 (3)
- April 2007 (3)
- March 2007 (3)
- February 2007 (4)
- January 2007 (2)
Useful Information

Exploring counseling & psychotherapy, what works, and the research that supports it.
Bill Martin, LCSW, 1300 West Belmont #309, Chicago, Il 60657, 312-409-0632

Archive for the 'LGAT/Large group awareness trainings' Category

What Are Mirror Neurons?

Colleen Conaway: Committed Suicide While Attending a James Ray Seminar in San Diego

Mickey Reynolds: Caught Up in the James Ray “Movement” As a “Coach and Team Leader” and How Ray Betrayed His Trust

James Arthur Ray: Read His Smug, Hostile and Ignorant Views Toward Welfare and Health Care Reform and His Message of Extreme Personal Accountability for Everyone Else

Attachment, Psychological Influence and Mind Control

Preventable Sweat Lodge Deaths: The Ethical and Legal Problems of James Arthur Ray, Self-Help Guru

Mankind Project (MKP): New Transparency Policy for Programs and Sweat Lodge

Pat Bowlen, Owner of the Denver Broncos and Josh McDaniels, New 32 Year Old Head Coach, “The Emperors With No Clothes” Fired by Jay Cutler

Mind control or how to become a cult leader, made easy: Check out this video

LGATs: Large group awareness trainings, the 4 basic components of each program

Latest Posts

RSS Feeds

Search

Useful Links

Categories

Monthly

Useful Information

Exploring counseling & psychotherapy, what works, and the research that supports it.Bill Martin, LCSW, 1300 West Belmont #309, Chicago, Il 60657, 312-409-0632

Archive for the 'LGAT/Large group awareness trainings' Category

Latest Posts

RSS Feeds

Search

Useful Links

Categories

Monthly

Useful Information

Exploring counseling & psychotherapy, what works, and the research that supports it.
Bill Martin, LCSW, 1300 West Belmont #309, Chicago, Il 60657, 312-409-0632