In this enlightening discussion, Werner Erhard, the founder of the transformative Erhard Seminar Training (EST), reflects on his journey of self-discovery and personal development. He explores the origins of EST, diving deep into the contrast between performance and true personal identity. The conversation covers the unconscious influences from childhood that shape behavior and the potential for growth in corporate cultures through compassion and authenticity. Erhard emphasizes the power of kindness in personal healing and the importance of genuine human connections.
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Werner's Journey West
Werner Erhard left his wife and four children to seek answers in the West.
He felt a pull towards something beyond his current situation, similar to Rilke's poem.
insights INSIGHT
Shifting Motivation
Werner's motivation shifted from performance to self-discovery.
He sought to understand his true identity and explore possibilities beyond his current state.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Diverse Influences
Werner's development was influenced by various sources, including Reality Therapy, Zen, and Richard Pryor.
He learned from every discipline he studied, valuing direct experience over gilded explanations.
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Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, written by L. Ron Hubbard, presents a pseudoscientific system aimed at treating mental and physical health issues. The book posits that the human mind consists of two parts: the 'analytical mind' and the 'reactive mind'. The reactive mind, according to Hubbard, stores traumatic memories called 'engrams' which cause aberrations and various health problems. The book describes 'Dianetic auditing' as a method to eliminate these engrams, leading to a state called 'Clear', characterized by superior IQ, moral purity, and improved mental and physical health. Despite its claims, Dianetics has been widely criticized by scientists and medical professionals for lacking scientific evidence and being pseudoscientific[1][2][4].
Speaking Being
None
Bruce Hyde and Drew Kopp
Reality Therapy
A New Approach to Psychiatry
William Glasser
Reality Therapy, developed by William Glasser, is a therapeutic approach that differs from conventional psychiatry and psychoanalysis. It emphasizes realism, responsibility, and the concept of right-and-wrong, rather than mental disorders. The therapy focuses on the present and the individual's ability to make choices that fulfill their basic needs: survival, love and belonging, power, freedom or independence, and fun/pleasure. It does not delve into past experiences but instead encourages clients to take responsibility for their current actions and decisions. Key techniques include the WDEP system (wants, doing, evaluation, and planning), goal-setting, active listening, and empathy to foster a supportive therapeutic environment[2][4][5].
Everyone has questioned who they are and what their purpose is at one point or another, but very few of us have left our spouse and four children behind to head West and go look for some answers.
But then not many of us are comparable to Werner Erhard, developer of Erhard Seminar Training (EST), later Landmark Forum.
“What motivated me was to discover something that actually made a difference. And for a long time it was about performance. And then it morphed from performance into who am I really? What is it to be really, and just the sense that there was something well beyond what was available to me.”
In this episode of Into The Magic Shop, Werner shares what drives his desire for self-development and his passion for helping others with their own journeys, through the creation of EST.
“It's a fact that we get into this groove over time. Now, some people have a very successful groove. And others of us have either a less than successful or even a disastrous groove. That's not who anybody is really. And the work that I've been able to develop allows people to complete that aspect of themselves by owning it.”
So just how do you transform yourself? And is it possible for anyone to get to simply being? These are the questions Jim and Werner explore in this incredibly illuminating episode. So if you want to be free to be and free to act, instead of being burdened by the reality in which you live, download and listen today.
Into the Magic Shop 
