Usacomplaints.com » Education & Science » Complaint / Review: PSI Seminars - Still feeling the effects years later!. #465369

Complaint / Review
PSI Seminars
Still feeling the effects years later!

I have read multiple posts about PSI Seminars and how the company, facilitators, employees and students have been running a huge scam against unsuspecting victims and it sounds absolutely horrible. My wife took the Basic and came back from it very excited. I honestly would say that she was on the "high" that I have heard others refer to. We had been together for over 10 years and I know her very well and consider her my best friend as well. This new and improved version was something new to say the least. A big red flag was raised in my mind! My reaction was "How much did it cost or how much is the next class going to cost?" She told me, $3000! My words to her were along the lines of "you think this is real and you're mistaken, you think you have some answer and I don't understand because I am closed minded unlike you now" She told me she really wanted me to take the Basic and then I would understand. I will say this; She asked and asked although she never talked down to me and treated me with respect, more respect than I gave her... I took shots at her whenever I felt she was using her PSI philosophy and asked if she thought she was better than everyone else. What I noticed over more than a year after she took the Basic is that at least once a week there would be some situation that would occur (just normal life stuff) and I would have to hand it to her, she was different than she had ever been in our relationship prior to PSI. Something changed for the better in how she was handling herself, the way she spoke to me, the way she listened to me - she really gave me her attention when I spoke instead of jumping ahead. Things were good before, this was just better. I started comparing how I dealt with these everyday issues and saw her "being" a way that I found very effective, responsible and positive. I noticed that she was creating more positive results in all areas of her life and she was having more fun too. I started to put two and two together and came to the conclusion that it had to be that stupid class! No way. The brainwashing wasn't wearing off! Then I realized why I hadn't taken the class, I had been afraid of taking a risk. The risk for me was to be in a situation where I thought I would "feel" more than I was comfortable with or find that I had still more to learn and didn't have it all figured out already. My wife and I are both college grads and we both enjoyed school although I also know that nobody "needs" to go to college to be successful. I came to the conclusion that I was comfortable where I was and didn't want to take myself on and learn something new and I didn't want to spend the money either. I would rather buy a toy or take a trip. I looked back and realized that I didn't go to my wife's graduation from the PSI Basic. I knew how excited she was and I didn't go and support her because I didn't want to be pressured to take the class. How lame! People talk about 20/20 hindsight, well I could have attended and just said no while showing my wife some support.

At this point, I considered everything that I had seen and heard about the class and the few grads that I knew and signed up to take the Basic. My class was led by Jeff R. Who I immediately looked at like a slick salesman type and I was totally turned off to the whole class and considered walking out. Then I decided to do something different. Trust, to at least trust my wife and finish the class and come to my own informed conclusion. During the course, I learned, relearned, became aware or more aware of so many different things about who I am, how I live and how I show up for others. I found that I was pretty darn happy about most of my life and there were some areas that could use some improvement as well. I saw that there is a difference between being self assured and being arrogant too. I saw that Jeff was a real person that had gone through his share of stuff and was there because he believed that these classes were the best way to get awareness training if that is what you want. I appreciated that he shared that he is still working on himself and that we are all a work in progress. I am a businessman and I did appreciate that he was very up front about the cost of the class and he told us all on the first day that we would have the opportunity on the last day of class to sign up and pay for the $3000 class. He was also very clear that PSI Seminars is a for profit company and they sell seminars. This was the first day! I couldn't believe it. The point was, he said that most people don't go to any other class, most take the Basic, love it, and some come back every year or so to reaudit for free. He did say that some people will create so much value that they will want to take the bigger classes. Sounded fair to me. The class was two evenings and the weekend. 6 - 12 Thursday and Friday and then 10 to 8 Saturday and Sunday. A person working a 9-5 can make that no problem so I don't understand the claims of sleep deprivation. I know that from my experience of me during the Basic, I had developed my way of interacting with others that worked just fine yet I knew that I could be more effective if I learned more about myself and with the awareness, I would have an opportunity to make the best CHOICE. Yes, we all have choices to make or not make, either way you still choose.

Awareness is empowering. Some people resent empowered people. I resented my wife because of the stuff I made up about her new attitude. It was my stuff, my fear or being wrong, or ignorant. I know from what I have read here that there have been relationships that have come to a horrible end and PSI is being blamed. I just heard some guy called 911 because McDonalds forgot the orange juice when he went through the drive thru! Bunk down little camper! McDonalds out to rip off the public by stealing your OJ money.

PSI is a company that has employees that are human and I am sure somebody has mispoke or misbehaved and that's where it should stop. Person to person. Not an institutional conspiracy like I have read in some of these posts. The PSI Basic is an educational class! I know on day one, we did an excercise to show how each student can react to the same instructions very differently and I learned what I saw as support, enthusiasm, and a challenge was felt by others to be pressure, scolding, negative. The support was just as real to me as I imagine the pressure was for those that felt otherwise. Your perception is your reality, right? That being said, there is a point shortly after the lesson about whether you felt support or pressure that you have the opportunity to own the fact that you decide for yourself how to react to external factors. It all starts and ends with you which you can translate into "take responsibility for your actions and decisions." Jeff never told anyone in my class to leave their family or quit their job. I don't even think that he tells anybody to "do" anything! It's like this, if you say you hate your job, the next question is what else do you want to do and what are you doing about creating that. Golden rule applies to it all, don't be wreckless, practice win/win, enroll support into your life, find someone to mentor you etc. My point is, you put a 20 year old or a 70 year old in the Basic and after 4 days of that class they are still the same person with probably more awareness of their decision making processes, not a PSI zombie!

My experience was fun, challenging, insightful, motivational. During group excercises the first few days, a man in my group didn't participate much and appeared to be mad most of the time. At the time I wished he would just leave. I will tell you that one of the biggest lessons was to not give up on anyone in your life. This man was doing the best he could to just stay in the class and I was pissin and moaning because he was in my group. On Sunday during lunch (they let us eat contrary to some other posts) this man shared with us that he hadn't told anyone in his family that he loved them for 20 years, he ran a company where the employees did their jobs and their best to stay away from him due to his bitter attitude. He wasn't going to do that anymore! I am so grateful that I met him and I was able to learn from him. Nobody "needs" to take a class, it is a freakin' class people. I feel that reading books about awareness would not have moved the man in my group to open up to his family and friends. There are people spending money or even throwing money away on all sorts of things. I am a consumer. I paid the tuiton and I am a happy customer. I believe 99% of the people that took the class with me really enjoyed it and for those that didn't, it is understandable that it is easier to blame others than to own their experience. Moreover, it is okay if they didn't like it. If they don't like it they can ask for a refund. Beyond that - if someone takes the Basic and goes on and takes other courses and then blames PSI - Wow.

I asked all my friends to take the Basic and most did not although those that did loved it and guess what? We are all still friends. I have seen people that are so excited about the class that they act wierd, it's true. Rather than be put off by it, is it possible to see that although really high energy is not normal, it doesn't have to be ridiculed either. My wife was so excited I took notice because it wasn't her normal level and now I know that I don't need to be afraid of people that are passionate about their lives, it is something to be celebrated.

To those that are trashing PSI I just want to ask you this: Is it possible that you are 100% free of any responsibility? Are you admitting or claiming on this message board that others have more control over your life than you do? Life happens fast, there are some bad people in this world, maybe in your family, company, community, military, government? Why don't you take shots at every group out there or do you? I would suggest to take care of yourself, be your own advocate, if someone treats you disrespectfully, speak up at the time and address it. If you are writing about somebody else, I would suggest that it isn't that your friend is brainwashed, it is you suffering from "false attributional error". Don't hang it all on PSI.By blaming PSI, you are giving them a whole bunch of credit for being super brainwashers which I don't feel they are. Oh, and the other two educational classes they sell are like $7000 combined, not $30000. When it is time to sign up for the other classes, my experience was if you say no, you usually get asked again like "really? You don't want to go?" If it is still a no, that's it. Please, if anyone has a specific issue to anything I have posted, feel free to post them and I will check back and respond.
By the way, it has been around 4 years since I took the Basic and some of the "high" has worn off. I still am feeling the effects of taking that stupid class because I am still quick to smile, lend a hand, be a good listener, stay in the now, live with purpose, understand that we are all connected and give back. Maybe I will go back and reaudit and see if I find what a lot of you are claiming to be true. The interesting part of that is when I say a lot of you, I bet I am talking about way less than 1% of the people that took this class that had any of this drama.

Eric
Phoenix, Arizona
U.S.A.


Offender: PSI Seminars

Country: USA   State: Arizona   City: Scottsdale

Category: Education & Science

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