Monday, September 14, 2009

Weekend with the Wrights*


We Are All Fragile Beings:
Has anyone here heard of the Wright Institute? I have been trying to find good material about this group, which we both believe to be a cult, but ...


I spent two days in a room of mind controllers and left intact. I guess they didn't have much to work with in my case. Let me explain...

I discussed with my doctor how getting my blood pressure under control, I've been reading quite a few books on dealing with stress, psychology, changing damaging thought patterns through emotional intelligence and meditation. He recommended I check out the Wright Institute in Chicago. (He will not be my doctor tomorrow.)

Bob and Judith Wright run a cult. It was very apparent to me. They use techniques to discover peoples' soft spots, twist their emotions into pain, then capitalize by hard selling their program to the marks. I found it interesting that the Curriculum Director, Dr Mike, introduced as from Yale University never took the microphone, had nothing to say but lurked in the back of the room seated and watching everything. (He wasn't the only spooky vibe I got.)

When Bob tells you he is full of shit, believe him. When he tells you you are full of shit, have some self respect and defend yourself. Judith is simply the Center of the Universe and her favorite time was telling the "Judith Wright Life Story". They never stayed on stage together for long because the room could only hold one over-inflated ego at a time.

People are searching for comfort. There were many sincere, nice men and women there on their life's journey of seeking a better life and expanding their human potential and I wish them well. But this place isn't going to help them on that endeavour. It could hurt their souls tremendously. I can honestly say, I left without feeling I wanted to see any of the participants again except to hear their thoughts about what a frightening scenario the whole thing is.

Never write down your innermost thoughts and vulnerabilities on a piece of paper and hand it to strangers for them to plan through the night how to manipulate you. You don't need to win the raffle. Cherish your private self and share it with people you trust.

Don't ever work for free like all the "students" of the "school". They were sad pathetic people, there by personal choice, so I have no pity. Like many soulless and totally focused bright intellects, no one ever mentioned what a beautiful day it was outside. These people never smelled a rose.

I would suggest we all take Bob's advice and "invest in yourself" but I will not recommend the Year of MORE as the vehicle. Saunter down to you local library, get a library card and take out a stack of books addressing the personal issue you feel exists in you and read them to understand and help yourself. Not a finer investment in yourself than a library card. And free.

Judith talked several hours on Emotional Intelligence, but never a mention of the work of Daniel Goleman, former Science writer of the New York Times and leading developer of this type of study. I found that very strange. Her presentation was shallow, at times wrong by what I have learned. I think EmoIntell is an important concept deserves better than to shill her books of pop mindpulp.

Clearly, Bob Wright is an ass, but he's awfully proud of that fact. He is a mind controller of huge proportions, a bully and cold. He has those poor sap "students" in fear of his presence and it shows. Thinking that help is at the Wright Institute is a lose/lose situation (your mind and your bank account). It's a "double flip" (in WI speak) or some other such hooey they promote.

Sitting in a crowded, uncomfortable, and oppressive atmosphere for too long for little reason except to see and hear sick people getting sicker, my thoughts and desires kept drifting back to wishing I was on my yoga mat and how the people I meet at the studio, by and large, are personable, together, relaxed and pleasant to work together with on mental health issues. Deep breathing and a smattering of Buddhist concepts will work for me for now. One of my very first classes, the teacher ended with a short soliloquy on the importance of having compassion for yourself. It touched me deeply then and applies so well to all the misguided souls that end up in front of Bob and Judith to exploit.

I'll be back on my mat in the morning. It's a soft addiction doing me good.

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35 comments:

  1. this is a great summary. I will forward this to my family member who's Life of More has impacted our family relationships. What a crock!

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  2. I'm relieved reading this. I just left the weekend and immediately felt the need to begin researching their likelihood as a cult. I went in blindly but its very clear to me now.

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  3. Thank you for writing this. You captured my expereince this past weekend perfectly and gave me comfort after such a violating experience.

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  4. I have a friend who got sucked into this mess. The Wrights are still wrong AND they're still at it! (I went to one meeting and thank God I have a decent, working bullshit detector.)

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  5. For anyone who knows friends or relatives who may be getting involved with Wright, I recommend checking out the Wikipedia page for the organization:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_Business,_Inc.

    It has a pretty good summary of the business and what they do, as well as a section on the cult issues and legal problems the org has had in the past. It's full of citations for those who want to continue their research and understand the Wright Institute as much as possible.

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  6. I was introduced to the Cult by a doctor who claimed that the Women's Essential was the best thing that happened to her. It's a weekend in WI woods. After I signed on, I started receiving calls from other cult members. I wondered why they were calling me. I specifically asked one if there would be any men present at the seminar and was told no, a complete LIE. I started to get a bad feeling about it and ignored my intuition. I was living in Chicago and drove to the WI woods. It was a very isolated camp and a MAN greeted me at the entrance and took away my car keys and cell phone. Now I was really worried. I should have just driven off and never looked back. To this day, I don't know why I stayed. A MAN gave me a map and told me to go to the next station where I was greeted by another MAN who proceeded to verbally abuse me. There were several other women standing around crying. One told me she was really scared and thought she was going to be raped. I told them let's stick together. We continued to follow the map and had to go to several other stations were MEN continued to verbally abuse us.This went on for HOURS! It was awful! Then I was told to change into a swimsuit and me and other women stood before Bob and other men while they verbally abused us. It was AWFUL! I demanded my car keys and cellphone back and they refused to give them back. I thought about running away and going to the police, but it was such an isolated place that was afraid I would get lost and die of dehydration. We were not given any food or water during this ordeal. Then Judith came out in a white dress and sat in front of what only could be described as an alter and proceeded to tell us lost souls that we were provoked to understand our coping strategies. There was nothing about this in the Women's Essential brochure. We got very little food, water or sleep the whole weekend. I couldn't wait to get home. I told my husband I was going to call the police because they held me against my will. He was furious about it but thought it was best I let it go. Again, I ignored my intuition and let it go. I really regret not pursuing my legal options against these horrible people. They should be in jail! Consider yourself warned!

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  7. Both Bob and Judith's social work and counseling licenses have been revoked by the state of IL! BEWARE OF THEIR PRACTICES! Below is the link to the ACTUAL COURT DOCUMENT.

    They are NOT psychologist...have NO degrees in psychology and emotionally break people down. It is scary and all should stay clear. They are "coaches" because there is no national body to regulate it, like counseling/social work. Any Joe off the street can be a "coach." Not everyone can be a psychologist. Who should you trust your life with?

    http://www.state.il.us/court/opinions/appellatecourt/2004/1stdistrict/september/html/1031117.htm

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  8. Hogwash. These comments are short sighted and foolish. I honestly think the people who have so many problems with this new system of thinking because they don't understand it. It does take a willingness to challenge our old ways of doing things in order to move up to higher levels or organization and self-other supportive ways of being.

    What were you all doing there in the first place, if you weren't interested in forming new relationships and exploring the possibilities of living up to greater potential in your life and the positive effects you have on others?

    I believe the truth of the matter will reveal itself when held up to the light of our consciousness & awareness.

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    1. You are OK with being affiliated with a company who's founders are "Dr.'s" of education but talk about neuroscience, Alderian and Freudian PSYCHOLOGY? They have ZERO Psychology background AND their licenses were revoked by the state of IL to practice social work and counseling!! They are scam artists! They got their PhD's from an online school...perhaps you need to learn how to Google more and stop defending these monsters who charge $10K for "year of transformation." Or get suckered into a Graduate degree in Coaching...bet those credits aren't transferable nor recognized anywhere else. I would be aware posting your name Peter, if CPS finds out you are affiliated with a cult you might lose your job, be careful who you defend without knowing the full story.

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    2. Thanks but I can stand on my own two feet and I make my own decisions- & I fail to see the problem w/ studying these areas of focus? My life is dedicated to the transformation of society on and elevation of humanity to a higher level of consciousness. This has always been the case. The work I have done at Wright has assisted in this process greatly. Do you have a better system in place that can further my life's mission? Do you risk your life every day to teach children in Englewood, where homocides and gun violence are more the norm than the exception? What exactly do you do Mr. Anonymous, and how are you developing the consciousness of the planet? If you have a better system, please enlighten me. I'll go to your grad school too! Otherwise, may I suggest you work on YOUR self and your investment in the evolution of humanity. PLUR- Peace, Love, Unity, & Respect.

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    3. You obviously are sucked into the cult, like the celebritiessucked into the L. Ron Hubbard cult. What you need is cult briefing by a real psychologist.

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  9. I too got sucked into a "bob and Judith as centers of the universe" weekend. My first clue that there was something amiss was when they yelled at me, a complete stranger Snd a paying client, for being 20 minutes late, after driving for three hours in a snowstorm. They wouldn't let us go to bed (I did anyway and they tried to drag me back), they wouldn't let us leave the premises (I did anyway and they sent a search party after me), and they just continued to abuse everyone there. I saw through it right away and just made as much trouble as I could the whole weekend. The only reason I didn't leave was because I had driven my friend (a ploy they use to get you to stay). 20 years later, I still wish I had left. I rush that I had filed a lawsuit against them. When I got home, I did report them to the state board of regulations, told a close friend, a prominent columnist at the chicago tribune and told every influential person I knew. It is a cult, they are fraudsters, they want your money, they want power and they want complete control. They are evil.

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  10. I'm surprised nobody commented on the hideous PURPLE office. All joking aside, it struck me as odd going into the office first after the weekend of transformation. Why are they in a residential building? Why do they have multiple offices on multiple floors? Why isn't that consolidated? Very bizarre.

    But as you walk through the office, you see how old and outdated everything is! Cheap 80's artwork. Mismatched furniture. Papers, books everywhere, looks like total chaos. The coaching rooms are right outside the door of staff members! You can hear staff on the phone and talking during the "life coaching" sessions.

    I had a session with a Jillian who is a total nutjob totally feeding me into the YEAR. Very aggressive. I stayed for my 45 minutes then never came back. Though I was bombarded by calls from her and numerous staff members pondering why I am not ready to "achieve my fullest human potential."

    I own a very successful small business. My "life coach" had ZERO clue about business but bc she serves "people" she felt qualified to coach me. This place is a joke and disgusts me. I hope they get shut down by whatever body governs them: the National Psychologist Association?

    PS- has anyone ever seen Bob in his "heavenly" white suits?! Does this man seriously think he's God or something? Oh hail mightly leader Bob everyone bows down to you but you look ridiculously in your white suits, STAY CLEAR.

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    1. This place is an utter shame. I wasted over $10,000--that I did not have to join the "Year of Transformation." All of the brainwashing, the coercive, manipulating tactics, the "leaders" acting like psychiologists but only have "coaching" experience from Bob and Judith and the blogs they get their "scientific based" research from, I actually lost friends and a job once people saw how I was changing due to my affiliation from them. I was PROUD of being apart of Wright! I was "working on myself" I was "underdeveloped" I was striving to achieving my "fullest human potenial" or so I thought bc I was guilable to Bob's abusive charm. Its really fascininating how someone putting you down and telling you how "bad" of a person you are, that you belive them. I am so glad I am free bc you know what I was never "bad" I had nothing wrong with me. I was down on my luck like people get from time to time but thats it. They exploited my emotionally, financially and use the scariest of all reinforcement, group persuasion to really bring you down even though they insist its uplifting. Save yourself $650hr to talk to Bob he got his PhD from an ONLINE SCHOOL he is schmuck, a pervert and I hope he gets shut down.

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    2. Of all the comments (including the under-investigated article), yours I know to be true! That purple office is something of a crap show.
      I was recently in a relationship with one of the staff/students there. Our arguments left me feeling incompetent and manipulated. And she always struck me as not quite in touch with reality. Our breakup was cold, contrived and emotionally one-sided.

      I'm not sure if they're a cult or just a bunch of goofballs trying to make their way through life on the desperation of others...

      So... dodgy, sure. Unique, definitely. A CULT? That may be pushing it a bit far. The person I dated may have been a little off center in my opinion, but she was a far cry from drinking cyanide punch. Granted I haven't been through what other here claim to have experienced - but keep in mind, if you're already damaged and you're looking for salvation; going with a "world changing method" may not be the best route to start with.

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  11. Unquestionably, the most dysfunctional group of people I have ever met. They are poison; They send me emails ... on and on ... trying to solicit money for their bullshit training; I have told them repeatedly I am not interested .... yet they continue to send me these harassing emails; I have decided to call and email them asking very nicely to "Sleep Around" the Institute with as many women as I can; They now send me an email saying that this is harassment and not to contact them again..... what a joke..... those women at Wright are only good for one thing .... a glory hole.... and the guys at Wright need to be beat-up in an alley; I welcome the day one of these guys from Wright cross me.... come and get it.... i'll give you what you want!!!

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    1. I agree. I always wanted to kick the crap out of Bob Wright, and his flat chested wife!

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    2. I take back this comment. What a horrible thing to say, and I hope that the owner of this blog remove this comment from the site. I don't even know Judy Wright, and she seems like a really good person. It is Bob Wright that I have anger towards, for what I observed in his behavior in the past. Still, I wish both of them well, and I would never express any anger toward them, just an old memory of his behavior that affected a colleague in a bad way.

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  12. I did a practicum training with Human Effectiveness Incorporated in the 1990s, a cult led by Bob & Judy Wright. I knew, though I never discussed this with anyone, that Bob Wright was a megalomaniac, and one of the most insecure men I ever met. I saw right through his inferiority as a man. He verbally attacked in the most cruel manner one of the practicum student, referring to him as "you probably never got a erection and were impotent, students simply because that individual was ambivalent about being on this ridiculous retreat. This individual never recovered from that comment and went on to be screwed up psychologically. This was the first evening of Bob Wright's retreat. His patients were over-the-top ruined by his strange therapeutic approaches. Bob & Judith Wright are insecure people, neither of which are truly comfortable in their skin, but they think they have life's answers. When I left the organization, it took me years to get over my anger that I participated in their cult organization.

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    1. I want to elaborate on the last comment. All of the students (psych & social work) were required to attend Bob Wright's retreats, and spend 2 1/2 intensive days observing him working with around 6-8 of his patients that attended using his model of therapy. I understood that his model was influenced by Gestalt therapy Fritz Pearle and Werner Earhardt Est. This model was built on confronting clients to demonstrate who they were being in the moment. The practicum student Bob Wright verbally attacked was a small, diminutive male who was trembling in fear when Bob Wright came down and verbally abused him, and I witnessed him change for the worst afterwards. Bob Wright had heard from the supervisor of students that this individual was resistant to the rules set forth, but in no way causing any trouble. Bob Wright launched into yelling at this person, and used comments referring to this student's lack of masculinity and supposed impotence. I was shocked, and thought, this was completely unethical, out of line, and served no therapeutic purpose. I also thought that Bob Wright struck me as someone also diminutive and impotent. You could just tell by his swagger, yet he exuded insecurity, contradictory to his persona. You could tell his ego was too strong, but hollow. I never got over the fact that I did not stick up for my fellow student, mainly because I did not want to lose my status in grad school over being kicked out of the program. I just want to say that Bob Wright was way out of line, and after this incident, many of the others in the program continued to treat this poor individual with sarcasm, contempt, and shame him with their methods, and this person gradually became clinically depressed form deep shame. I saw this in many of Human effectiveness Incorporated clients.

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    2. Please remove this paragraph, as I regret writing it - see below next paragraph.

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    3. Please remove this and the comment of the paragraph below. I do not know Judy Wright, and this comment was really a reaction I had to dealing with Bob Wright in the very early 1990's. I did witness his verbally attacking a fellow practicum student in a cruel way, where he screamed at this person and referred to his lack of masculinity and called him impotent. From then on, I observed Bob Wright abuse his power on helpless clients with a swagger and directive confrontation. This is what I observed. His clients were there to receive this type of therapy. It is not my place to judge HEI, as the organization was called, but I felt the environment to be continuously oppressive, controlling, and that shame was the main method of therapy. That is what I saw, and my year at HEI felt like a horrible nightmare. I kept my mouth shut and went along as best I can. However, I believe that the intentions of the staff were good, I just don't care for the methodology. So I want to apologize for any comments made, and wish Bob and Judy well. Perhaps they help a lot of people who prefer to use this type of therapy.

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    4. Bob is a egotistical asshole and completely full of shit. He "cries" when selling his program and you can see right through it. Dr. Savage who's mentor is Bob Wright is full of shit as well and should NOT be trusted as a physician....trust me!

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  13. I wish I had read this earlier. I had a harrowing year in 2015. I had been set-up with a coach from Wright to work through some issues I was having (the reality is that I needed an actual therapist). She convinced me to attend the weekend that September. Since I don't live in the Chicago area, this required that I take two days from work, fly across the country, and stay in a hotel. I did meet some nice people, but I felt very weird about the entire thing. The whole presentation was about being your "authentic self." My reality is that I am very honest, blunt, and I have a hard time hiding my distaste for BS. I realized that there was nothing this organization could do for me, despite how everything they were trying to do was to sell me on the YEAR OF TRANSFORMATION, and all of the other empowerment workshops and books that they have. I slowly got out of the situation with the coach as I also realized that at $150/hour, there was nothing she could do for me. I actually still get follow-up e-mails and texts asking if I want to continue the sessions. In addition, my past company even paid for a facilitator from Wright to come out and lecture our group on SEO at a huge company event. I have people I am friends and people I care about who are now entrenched in the teachings of this group, so I need to be careful with my criticism. Thank you for writing this honest, candid piece.

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  14. First let me say that ANYONE who buys into their bullshit deserves to fork over a lot o money. I can see the initial weekend thing but its basically high pressure sales, little rest, and they treat you like a piece of dirt if you don't "commit" to their bullshit. I worked for a company where a lot of employees were involved with Wright and I saw first hand the end result. I was encouraged to start with Wright and boy did I hear it when I said "I can see right through their bullshit". There are much better ways to better yourself for free and I would never pay anyone to listen to my problems or issues I may have. I talk to my animals and all is good. I have heard that when Wright goes on trips a few of the clients have to go ahead of the group to make sure Bob and Judy's room is set up just right and also for meals someone has to make sure the table is setup to their liking. WTF

    Again, ANYONE who falls for their bullshit gets what they deserve.

    BUYER BEWARE

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  15. Thank you so much for taking the time to post on this blog. I recently was invited to attend the weekend training by a dear friend of mine. I initially didn't want to go, but after she explained it was a big part of her life and it would mean a lot to her, I conceded. After reading various comments that validated my concerns, I went ahead and cancelled my reservation to the weekend training -- which probably saved me a lot of grief and money. It was difficult to break the news to my friend, who has been deeply involved with this group for almost two years. It was hard to hold back from telling her this group sounds very cultish and full of BS. I'm really at a loss of how to proceed since I consider her a dear friend. She claims that because of the "Year of Transformation" she has been able to express anger is a healthy manner...and then proceeded to tell me how she now swears at her mother when she gets angry. It's truly amazes how easily people can be brainwashed when they are vulnerable. I find it quite sad and disturbing this has been going on for years. I can only imagine how much damage the Wrights have inflicted on those who have participated in their trainings/coaching over the years.

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  16. I just attended the introductory weekend training, and signed up for one of their additional paid programs. I went into it knowing it would be a trojan horse for upsells, as any free motivational seminar is. So the whole time I was waiting for the hard sell. They didn't actually hard sell it any point. They brought up info, they had people come up and share their experience, but they didn't do any forced sign ups. They also said on day 1, "this is an introduction to larger paid stuff."

    I found the transparency refreshing.

    My experience was largely positive. I repaired a broken friendship, connected deeper with my partner, and got some strategies to apply in business. The criticism that I'm reading of Bob....I did not see most of these behaviors. In fact he was picking up trash at one point.

    I did see him do mini-cries when talking about certain life events. Largely I thought it was genuine, but there was one instance where it looked like crocodile tears. On the whole I looked at it as being in touch with his emotions. He did yell at one attendee who asked a question on the microphone after she tried to rebuttal when she wasn't satisfied with the answer, which I thought was ridiculous to yell at someone for that, but she said afterwards that he apologized to her for the outburst.

    They didn't take away our phones. They said 'we ask that you be present and not look at your phones, but if a pressing family or business matter comes up, please just step outside and take the call.' They asked for confidentiality related to people's personal stories, but didn't say we aren't allowed to speak about the training.

    Some of the activities we did I thought were ridiculous and had no impact on me (like 'act like a baby exercise', 'close your eyes and visualize your dreams'). Other activities were really helpful (analysis of how you emotionally react to problems in your life)

    All in all my personal experience was really good, the people in my group's experience was really good. No one had a 'I ruined _____ moment'. There were even people at the event who run in the same professional circles as me and by no means seemed out of whack.

    Things I found strange:
    -For what I am led to believe is a flourishing institute, some rooms had their baseboards completely stripped or never put on at all. Some rooms definitely didn't look like they were kept well.

    -the audience being filmed the whole time. I'm sure it's to monitor which attendees are reacting positively versus negatively and then to make sure staff has side convos with those people to get them on their side and ultimately purchase.

    -The emphasis on coaching. If the program I signed up for is ultimately to just lead me to become a Wright coach and recruit people for more Wright training, I'm out.

    -The graduate program (which they said is an accredited Executive M.A.) starts in less than a month, and they are still taking sign ups. On top of that, they mentioned nothing of a selection process. They said you fill out an application, but it seems like all who apply and can pay are accepted. (They did say you are eligible for federal loans which is a good sign). But typically grad school requires reference letters, a less than 100% acceptance rate, and so forth. I have not looked into where the credits are recognized.

    -An awkward encounter with a sales rep who came to me and asked a personal question without having any prior interaction with me.

    -They are an NPO (Not for Profit Org), and said the intro training used to be $800, but because of donors they can now offer it for free. I'm curious was it ever actually $800? I do see they are listed on the website nationalnonprofits.org as an actual 501c3.

    ...
    My takeaway here is that I'm going to continue with what I purchased because I personally saw some immediate results, but I will keep on guard, and I've told my partner to keep me in check.

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    1. WRIGHT FOUNDATION A.K.A. WRONG FOUNDATION

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  17. This report was written 9 years ago. I'm sure the scam has made some changes, but I find it hard to believe it's' Bob who changed. Buyer beware.

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    1. Consider me warned and proceeding with caution. I'll report back with anything else that looks fishy in the coming months. Or hell, maybe they'll brainwash me and you'll never see me again

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  18. Bob a coward and a creep that runs a pyramid scheme from the start. The Wright foundation behavior is the same as Tony Robbins acted towards Nanine McCool. Don't waste your time, money, and energy with Wright 'Energy/Time Vampire' Foundation. Bob feeds you miseducation and misinformation.

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  19. This summary is just as accurate today as it was in 2009

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  20. For more extensive details on the Wrightorganization see information available at
    https://forum.culteducation.com/read.php?4,15161,page=17

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  21. I participated in their one on one coaching sessions and attended a few of their monthly Thursday night group events last year. I didn't get a cult vibe but did find the whole thing pretty amateurish. I stopped the coaching sessions short of the 12 I had initially committed to. The coach was unprofessional, made me feel really uncomfortable in the room with his aggressive posturing, and was just a weird person in general.

    The group events felt like junior grade Tony Robbins. A lot of energy but very little substance. They're two hours long, and Bob spent the first half hour of one of them bragging about his wife. Judith tells the same stories about how great she is at each of them. It also felt like the goal was to turn everyone into an extrovert.

    Unlike a lawyer, engineer, or 'real' doctor that requires certification to dispense their expertise, this felt more like a life coach or relationship guru - total racket. Anything you get out of it is likely going to be a placebo effect. If you need real help, go to a professional.

    Some statistics they tout:
    "94% of students have more purpose and meaning in their lives" How on earth is that measurable or quantifiable?
    "75% of job success is related to social and emotional intelligence" Um...OK I guess. I would have thought achieving results but whatever.
    "92% are calmer and better able to manage stress" That's an oddly specific number. Not 90 or 95%? Exactly 92%?

    Would not recommend.

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  22. I am looking to speak to anyone with stories about: Bob Wright, Wright Graduate University and the Institute. I went to High School and one year of college with Bob and can share a few interested stories as well.

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