This is my experience with People Synergistically Involved - PSI.
First, there were ground rules in which we pledged to go through the entire weekend.
I had always thought of myself as advertising and brainwashing-proof so I wasn't concerned.
We were repeatedly told the problem in life is "the three R's—Resistance-Resentment-Revenge. Not coincidentally, these are the key mechanisms for protecting the psyche from brainwashing.
Black and white false dilemmas were used to cause cognitive dissonance while alternating positive and negative feedback, seminar-based rituals, terminology, slogans further softened the person's core.
This was the sub-text for the next 20 hours:
If you really honor yourself—you owe it to yourself to take everything PSI has to offer no matter the price... Because YOU are worth it. If you don't accept this—you are cheating yourself and the people you supposedly love. Have your friends and family join too—if they really matter to you... Because you only live once.
Nearing the end, we were instructed to debrief life traumas with a seminar partner.
PSI participants were then lead into a group hypnosis-like mediation. During this vulnerable time we were asked to perform a self-assassination of sorts under the very suggestible state of mediation/group hypnosis—in other words: mind control.
While under this state of near hypnosis participants were guided to shed their filthy ugly old self into a "vat of acid" before donning a shiny happy new seminar-derived self image in the form of a precious seminar-derived suit of loving radiance.
Finally I was told that our friends and loved ones might not accept the new PSI me.
We were presented the story of the crab on a dock trying to crawl out from a bucket while all the other crabs tried to hold him back from reaching his full seminar-derived potential.
The participant is left with the following dilemmas:
If I don't embrace PSI after that—then am I truly playing the victim who trusted too much?
Isn't it far easier to celebrate the new PSI-me, than accept the pain and grieve the the strange experience they had me inflict upon myself?
PSI had three days with twenty of us. It takes a single day to brainwash a soldier.
Everyone lined up to sign up for the next course. Sadly, only one crab jumped free.
0 comments