- Report: #278821
Complaint Review: IMPACT TRAININGS - Hans Berger - Sally Berger - Quest - Summit - Lift-Off - Bluffdale Utah
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IMPACT TRAININGS - Hans Berger - Sally Berger - Quest - Summit - Lift-Off
14823 S Heritagecrest Way Bluffdale, 84117 Utah, U.S.A.
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801-572-9700
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IMPACT TRAININGS - Hans Berger - Sally Berger - Quest - Summit - Lift-Off Charged hundreds of dollars to my credit card caused me and my family great harm!!! Bluffdale Utah
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REVIEW UPDATE: May 16, 2018: Impact Training remains committed to increased customer satisfaction and has improved their business practices over the years to better serve their customers. Impact Training is truly dedicated to making sure their customers are satisfied and that any complaints which do arise are addressed promptly and fairly.
To date, Impact Training has made good faith efforts to resolve all complaints reported on Ripoff Report. Based on our experience, the member business has proven to be among the top members of the Ripoff Report Corporate Advocacy Business Remediation and Customer Satisfaction Program as a Verified Safe Business™.
Over time and since becoming a member, Impact Training has remained actively engaged and improving the way they address customer service complaints. As an active and current member of the Ripoff Report Corporate Advocacy Business Remediation and Customer Satisfaction Program we are happy to report that now more than ever Impact Training remains committed to improving customer satisfaction.
Remember, no company or individual can ever satisfy 100% of the people 100% of the time. There are no products or services that will always be perfect for everyone and even the best companies will receive complaints from time to time. However, by participating in the Corporate Advocacy Program, the member business has made a commitment to working with its customers to resolve complaints quickly and fairly whenever possible.
Please keep in mind that as a consumer you have some responsibilities as well. Success has many definitions that based on your past experiences, current situation and your perceived expectations. Success with any product or service is always based on the proper application and understanding. The fastest car will not run if you never turn the engine on. Look at how you used the product or service that was provided in relation with the instructions that you received. The Corporate Advocacy Business Remediation and Customer Satisfaction Program will help you get your voice heard but please be prepared with documentation and fair representation of your concern, also have an idea of how the company can fix your concern. Can they offer additional services, extend warranties, offer a fair refund or just get you talking with someone that can help. ..let them know and let us know!
*Any consumer not receiving satisfaction from a member of the Corporate Advocacy Program should email us at [email protected].
Ripoff Report Verified™ REVIEW:
EDitor’s UPDATE: Positive rating and recognition has been given to Impact Training for its commitment to excellence in customer service.
Ripoff Report’s discussions with Impact Training uncovered a real focus by Impact Training on 100% client satisfaction. Although thousands of customers attended their trainings, Impact Training notes only a small percentage did not fully enjoy or find value in their experience. This represents just a fraction of 100,000+ seats filled since 1985 in Impact Trainings; yet the company remains concerned and committed to individually review each case. Their follow up with each trainee is extensive and thorough.
The feedback gathered is taken very seriously at Impact Training, leading to a number of improvements. Impact Training's success is based 100% on word of mouth growth, relying completely on positive client experiences. Without overwhelmingly positive customer reactions, Impact Training would have been out of business a long time ago. If anyone has a negative experience, Impact Training works diligently to integrate constructive changes to infuse more quality into their trainings. Impact continually polls students to have most current client opinions. Most recently, Impact Training hired an outside company to conduct reviews and collect feedback about each training. Over a span of four months, upon the completion of each session, the students were asked to complete a short survey about their experience. After those four months, the review company reportedly shocked with the results. They had never seen a company receive as much positive feedback as Impact did. With the exception of 2 reviews (one was 3 out of 5 stars and one was 4 out of 5 stars) every review was 5 out 5 stars. In their experience, this level of customer satisfaction was unheard of. Although the majority of trainees complete Impact Training with a positive experience, if you have had a negative experience, Impact would like you to call them at 801-572-9700 and find a resolution.
Based on a thorough review of Impact Training, it is Ripoff Report's expectation that new customers will have a positive and life changing experience with Impact Training. Since opening their doors in 1985, Impact Training has consistently sought customer feedback to improve every facet of their operation and achieve full client satisfaction.
The information provided in this report below is based on comments made by David Berger during an on-site inspection held by a third party verification company with no biases toward Impact Training.
Ripoff Report Verified™ .. part of Ripoff Report Corporate Advocacy Business Remediation & Customer Satisfaction Program.A program that benefits the consumer, assures them of complete satisfaction and confidence when doing business with a member business..
Impact Training is a company specializing in providing training to help people grow in both their personal and professional lives. “[We] help people get rid of self-imposed limitations,” explains David Berger, a representative of the company. Impact Training “provides educational experiences to empower the human spirit towards free unconditional loving and harmonious living,” he states. Leads are acquired solely through word of mouth referrals, they do not conduct cold calling. Every Tuesday, Impact Training hosts an informational session and invite the referrals to attend and learn about the services offered. “We also call potential seekers and educate them on our offerings,” explains Mr. Berger.
IMPACT TRAINING CUSTOMER CARE & COMPLAINT RESOLUTION
At times, a customer may fee dissatisfied or unhappy with the service they’ve received. “We essentially have people ‘look in the mirror.’ Sometimes people don’t really like what they see. There could be certain situations where people feel uncomfortable being called out for things, say being late. We make punctuality a very important part of our trainings and if you are late, you will be called out in front of everyone. This could be a scary situation for some people,” explains Mr. Berger. However, he states that this is not a common occurrence and they only have a 1% dissatisfaction rating. To resolve the situation if a customer feels uncomfortable or unhappy, the team at Impact Training focuses on face-to-face interaction, to determine what the customer is learning and invite them to re-commit to the training. Mr. Berger states that the customers usually resolve the situation very civilly; however, refunds are not given once a customer begins the training process. If a problem exists, the team at Impact Training follows up with the customer within 24-48 hours after resolution of the issue, to ensure their continued satisfaction.
Since receiving complaints on Ripoff Report, Impact Training has focused on weekly trainings conducted by the manager to update the employees and keep them current on their training. They’ve also employed the use of a coach/mentor system, which is a one-on-one system between the mentor and the customer. “Before, you would come to class each day and be expected to come back the next day. We now have a coach that follows up every day with you,” explains Mr. Berger. However, no one at Impact Training has any credentials or accreditations, but Mr. Berger states that this is not necessary. “We train with life’s experience because we educate about life,” he explains.
Mr. Berger and the team at Impact Training recognize the value of working with Ripoff Report and the Corporate Advocacy Business Remediation and Customer Satisfaction Program, and the platform it provides for businesses and clients to interact and resolve issues. “It means reputation repair – it gives us a chance to get the truth out there about what we really do and how we help people every day,” he states.
IMPACT TRAINING / WHAT REAL STUDENTS SAY ABOUT IMPACT TRAINING
"We have included a sampling of what real students actually say about their Impact Training experience:”
"I'm learning to live in the moment and to lean in to my life! I'm creating love and trust in my world and to be my word.”
“It took me 7 years to go to Impact. I cannot believe I was so skeptical. Impact Training is a series of experiences that assisted me to look inward and release bad experiences from my past and to appreciate life. Appreciation in good times and bad. My experience started in January 2013; life still gets better every day. It sounds strange but I see issues that come up with a clearer outlook. Everyone seems to receive different gifts about themselves because it is individual learning. It isn't a lecture it is a different learning experience I have ever know. I am thankful everyday that I went through their doors! I have lifelong friends across the country now that I consider family! All I can say is don't be like me and waste 7 years - go to a free Tuesday class or phone conference. Sit in the back of the room or be silent on the phone and just listen...listen to your heart and you will know if this is right for you!”
"When I started my first training with Impact Training, it was completely different than what I thought it would be. Six years later I honestly can't believe (or I can) how the trainings have positively affected my life. Relationships are better. Businesses are better and I can create peace in my life at any moment I choose...amazing experience...I love experiential learning...go for it!”
“As I have attended courses at Impact Training, my life has been dramatically improved in a positive way! I have gained clarity for my life's purpose, who I am, and why I am here. I have released guilt, regret, and resentment towards others and myself that I had upon entering Impact. I gained a new-found gratitude for a 5 year relationship with my ex-husband that I used to feel pain and sorrow towards; I often victimized myself. I learned to be accountable for me and my life. Impact worked based on how well I kept my word and trusted the process. I came up with all of my own profound answers and most of the time it felt like I wasn't learning something new, but rather remembering.”
“My experiences at Impact Training continue to improve my relationship with others every day. I was very shy and mad about negative things that had hurt me or betrayed me. I would smile through life but suffer in silence. Impact has brought out the positive happy side and assisted me to appreciate everyday as a gift no matter what. I am so grateful for my angels Diana and Kelly for introducing me to this beautiful place. It holds a special place in my heart :)”
"It was amazing. I was inspired when I saw my sister graduate from Quest and then Summit and seeing the huge changes. I have known her all of my life. My biggest break through was letting go of all the pain and feel weightless filled with light of love. And by looking into someone's eyes seeing their spirit; not by outward appearance - but the inside. Letting myself go being fearless, finding my voice. Being me and only me and I love me. Sharing my love with everyone even strangers. And now I truly see and the world is so much brighter than it has been in a long time. And I am happier then I have been in a long time. I can be happy for no reason at all just because it’s my choice. I will never forget Quest - it was a breakthrough for me. I would recommend Quest for anyone wanting a change and feel that there is more to life. I am so excited to do SUMMIT!!”
“Walking through the doors at the Impact Training Center I felt swallowed up by my insecurities. I would spend my days replaying all of my failures through my head and worrying about how I was supposed to fix my future. Then I stepped into the loving, accepting environment there and had the opportunity to take an honest look at myself and to take on my life. That act alone has empowered me to claim freedom, clarity, and passion for life again! I know who I am. I know my purpose in life. I know that I have a valuable contribution to this world that is unique to me. And what's more I know that I am deserving of these amazing miracles in my life .I literally can't stop smiling these days!" ~ D
"My experience was great! I shifted several times during ropes, I had the time of my life and want to experience it again and I know I can throughout my life. Thank you so much for creating this program, I'm so grateful.”
"My experience with Impact Training’s courses was fantastic! I have learned many new tools show up to life positive manner reflecting my own magnificence! It was amazing. I learned to forgive myself. To love myself. To trust myself. I learned who I was. I had a spiritual and uplifting experience. I learned to live in the moment and to be my Inner child.”
“I went through Impact Training in 2006. It was the best thing I have ever done not only for myself but the change it had on my family and other relationships in life. Impact opened my eyes to who I really am and that everyone has a purpose in life to fulfill. Impact, I feel, is a very inspired program. GO impact!”
"My Impact Transformation started in August 2013 and now after completing all the training I am living a life based on LOVE and not fear or anger. It has brought me a true sense of peace knowing who I truly am and always have been. I started my training with no trust and a body that was recently diagnosed with some confused cells (cancer). I completed my training in March 2014 and was recently blessed with the news that I had NO detectable cancer in my body and I left my doctors scratching their heads. I can't really say Impact cured me but I can say that as a result of it I was able to do what we are all able to do and that is healing from within. All my relationships in my life have so much more depth and meaning now and I once again am able to LOVE and TRUST as I have always deserved to. I will forever be in gratitude to the amazing staff and one-of-a-kind trainers at Impact Training that do this out of pure love and inspire me to continue my spiritual, physical and emotional growth. The beauty of the Impact vision is that they were not there to fix or change me, but rather they have been and always will be there to wake me up and take accountability for my life and the way I show up for others. No two people come in or out of the training the same way, it was all based on me and how I was willing to take it on. To share this life journey with so many of the most amazing new friends has been one of the most powerful heartwarming moments in my life. These are not just passing friendships but lifelong relationships with beautiful people that will always be there as a part of my life. Thank you thank you thank you Impact trainings for the tools you have given me to take on my life and come from my heart.”
“I started my training at Impact Training in May of 2013. Since then, I have had two very important relationships healed. As soon as my perspective changed…meaning that I stopped judging others, and accepted them exactly as they are…shifts began to happen and so did the miracles. My relationships in my family have been greatly improved and I attribute all of that to the shifting of my perspective….letting go of the stinkin’ thinkin’. Although a lot of these principles may seem simple, and certainly not new, oftentimes they are were not EASY to CONSISTENTLY apply in my life. It seems almost magical the way my view of my life has changed. What always seemed like a chore, no longer does. I see the good in things. I think of things to do that bring me joy. Lots of it! My life and its purpose are more clearly defined than ever before. I am more confident from within and have more trust and faith in my choices, I am excited about life and the possibilities I have to create a wonderful life for myself…A LIFE FILLED WITH LOVE, LAUGHTER, FULFILLMENT AND JOY! “
“My work with Impact Training has made many positive changes in my life. All of my relationships have improved immensely, including my relationship with myself. Prior to my trainings I lived with fear of the future and regret of the past. I now have an expanded understanding of who I am. My past, present and future are now clear and all positive. I have made lifelong friends and am excited to share this experience with others. I would recommend Impact Training to anyone who wishes to expand their life!”
"Impact Training has changed my life and my relationships with my family and friends. The biggest change since I began my trainings is in my relationships with myself and others. I am a better father, husband and friend. I also have a greater spirituality in my life. If you are unhappy or dissatisfied with any aspect of you then you deserve to visit Impact Training.”
“The most heartfelt experience I have ever had in regards to myself”
"This experience was miraculous, this is the first time in memory I can say I love myself. I'm perfect! It's amazing to feel this way and because I love myself I can love other people. It's the greatest gift I could receive.”
"My experience at Quest was real love throughout. Support from other Quest trainees to those who have completed them and are still there to serve, to assist, to support. It was quite moving and I have and will continue to recommend this to everyone that wants more out of life. Thanks to all the wonderful people on staff!”
“My experience at first was really hard to take in and didn't know if it was worth my money - then after opening my mind to the possibilities and trusting, I can't put into words how amazing it was. I was able to find who I really am and loving every minute! I also can see the beauty in the little things in life that I always overlooked and I would pay countless dollars to feel the way I get to! I wish everyone was brave enough to take the biggest challenge of their own life!!!!”
"My experience at Impact Training has been empowering!!! I have felt such an amazing shift in my life and will be forever grateful. My trainer was such an inspiration and the staff insightful and 110% loving and supportive in all the right ways. Thank you!”
"Impact Training is the best thing that has ever happened to me! It has been life changing and life saving, to say the least. Through my trainings I have learned how to let go of my past, freeing me from holding back in life. I gained such confidence with myself and confidence in my purpose in life. I was able to start loving me for the first time in my life. I have had such a huge amount of healing from my past that I have been able to create an amazing future for myself. I found my true beauty through the work I put in at Impact Training. Impact Training guided me to find my own answers and to be accountable for who I am. When I walked into their doors for the first time I was nervous and shy and had no idea what I was getting myself into. I didn't think it was possible to change my life, attitude, confidence, strength, love, and life in just a matter of days but it did. All of that has changed and more. For the first time in my life I am really living! So many members of my family, friends, and even co-workers have seen a complete transformation in me that it has inspired them to go through Impact trainings as well. It has been an amazing experience to see them gain all of those things too. One of the things I like the most about Impact is they don't force any opinions on you. They just give you the tools and exercises to come to your own conclusions and to have your own breakthroughs. You immediately feel safe, respected, and unconditionally loved there. The minute you step into their doors you have a huge new family of supporters that are there for you without any expectations. It was a feeling I had never felt before. It has been only a year since I started my first training and I have created huge miracles for not only myself, but for my family and friends and even for my community. I believe that if we taught this kind of training in our schools, the world would be an entirely different place. But, they don't teach about confidence, love, self-worth, individuality, or purpose in school so I am just glad I learned it so I can guide my son through life with those lessons. Thank you, thank you, thank you Impact!!!!”
STATED IMPROVEMENTS FROM IMPACT TRAINING
Impact Training recognizes that complaints posted on Ripoff Report (whether true or not) are issues that need to be addressed, not ignored. If handled correctly, complaints can be valuable learning opportunities. With the feedback generated by Ripoff Report’s Review, Impact Training has improved its operations and trainings.
In summary, after our review, which included discussions with Impact Training and many of its past and current associates, Ripoff Report is convinced that Impact Training is serious about delivering high quality services resulting in total client satisfaction.
Read more about why consumers should feel confident when doing business with a member of Ripoff Report's Corporate Advocacy Business Remediation & Customer Satisfaction Program. Yes, it’s a long name for a program that does a lot for both consumers and businesses alike.
Read about Ripoff Report Corporate Advocacy Business Remediation & Customer Satisfaction Program, a program that benefits the consumer, assures them of complete satisfaction and confidence when doing business with a member business. This program works.
ABOUT THE RIPOFF REPORT BELOW:
Ripoff Report would like to let readers know that Ripoff Report emailed this customer so the member business could make things right with them. When a business joins the Corporate Advocacy Program, Ripoff Report emails everyone from the past so the member business can make things right with them. Of course, everything within reason. In order to confirm that the complaints were resolved, Ripoff Report is copied on all responses so we can insure that the member business did right by their customer. Sadly, the author of the complaint below never responded to our request so Impact Training could have the opportunity to make things right with them.
ABOUT THE RIPOFF REPORT BELOW:
Ripoff Report would like to let readers know that Ripoff Report emailed this customer so the member business could make things right with them. When a business joins the Corporate Advocacy Program, Ripoff Report emails everyone from the past so the member business can make things right with them. Of course, everything within reason. In order to confirm that the complaints were resolved, Ripoff Report is copied on all responses so we can insure that the member business did right by their customer. Sadly, the author of the complaint below never responded to our request so Impact Training could have the opportunity to make things right with them.
NOW TO THE ORIGINAL REPORT THAT WAS FILED
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IMPACT TRAININGS - Hans Berger - Sally Berger - Quest - Summit - Lift-Off Charged hundreds of dollars to my credit card caused me and my family great harm!!! Bluffdale Utah
I had to endure more than 3 years of therapy to undo the harm caused by Impact Trainings. The training was psychological in nature, but facilitated by people with no professional education, license, or oversight.
For two evenings at Impact Trainings followed by two full days, we are led through a series of games, lectures, and exercises. In between, we are encouraged to share personal epiphanies. Some exercises are uncomfortably intimate. During one, I sit across from someone, stare into his eyes, and complete sentences the trainer provides: "What I don't want you to know about me is..." "The way you can love me is..." In another, we split into pairs and take turns lying in each other's lap. One of us plays parent, the other child. There is a lot of nervous laughter, but in time the physical closeness begins to seem normal, even comforting.
The games explore themes that are amplified in the next lecture, and the exercises that follow encourage personal exploration, which lead us to our epiphanies. People participate enthusiastically, even when it gets difficult. Periodically, there are tense moments. On the first day, a participant refuses to attend a follow up seminar and, after a brief confrontation, he is asked to leave. On the second day, a quartet of people is late getting back from a break. They are called to the front of the room.
"What was more important to you than being on time?" the trainer demands. The four hang their heads. "What was more important to you than being on time?" he asks again. When they don't answer, he mocks their behavior. He tells them this is a perfect example of why their lives have stalled. He calls their tardiness self-indulgent. Resistant. Weak. He asks them to confess other ways they are self-indulgent, resistant, and weak. They do. "You want a better job?" he asks one woman. "Tell me why you deserve it. What do you have to offer? Indulgence?"
When the others sit down, they're sobbing. The same thing happens to other people who question the training or are uncooperative. Sometimes it happens for no reason. But I assume the pain has a purpose.
Early on, most epiphanies are weepy stories of failure and disappointment. But by the third day, the stories are self-congratulatory. We begin to pinpoint, in various exercises, the major stumbling blocks in our lives. In my case, it is arrogance. I sought success as a means of self-glorification, rather than serving the world and humanity. I failed to keep my commitments. So, I decide it is time to stop cutting myself slack and start, as Impact Trainings put it, "TO GO THE DISTANCE."
By then, "commitment" is a crucial concept. The trainer mocks the outside world, where promises are rarely kept. He implies that we are in on a glorious secret: We understand, as few people do, that the success we are seeking will arrive as soon as we learn how to make commitments, and then "enroll" other people. Enrollment, we learn, is key. For one thing, we can't do everything alone. But more important, enrollment is the only true test of our commitment.
That night there is a graduation ceremony. We stand while friends and family come into the room and stand in front of us. When I open my eyes, Alex, "my angel" is there. "I'm so happy for you," he says, hugging me.
The following Monday, a friend from college comes to stay with me. I try to tell him about Impact Trainings, but he won't listen. "I'm going to call the Cult Action Network and have you deprogrammed," he says. He calls the Better Business Bureau to ask if there are any complaints against Impact Trainings. I think he is being obnoxious. When we go out that night, my other friends won't listen either. When I invite them to the Impact Trainings lecture, they start to choose their words carefully, the way you might talk to someone standing on the wrong side of a balcony railing. It makes me furious.
"Listen, I don't want you to run off with these Impact Trainings people," someone says later that night. I ask him his reasons, and listen politely while he explains about jargon, recruitment, and brainwashing. Secretly, I think he is an idiot.
Most people assume they would know if they were being brainwashed. They think it involves great force, or some obvious, epic struggle in which the mind slowly and grudgingly succumbs. But mind control only works when the subject cooperates. And cooperation requires that a reasonable person not know what's happening. You have to lead her where you want, but she needs to think she's going someplace else. In Impact Trainings, self-help is the distraction.
To brainwash someone, you first have to break her. Under the guise of identifying our obstacles, we were encouraged to catalog our failings and confront fellow participants about their own. Even though the early exercises and lectures were confusing, anyone who asked for an explanation was ridiculed--told to stop thinking so hard. Doubt, we were told, came from arrogance and certainty. Arrogance and certainty had caused our failures. Instead, we were supposed to trust the process, let ourselves go, and just be. There was a certain amount of relief in the idea.
According to experts who study groups like Impact Trainings, people faced with stressful, incomprehensible situations begin to defer "ego functions" like logic and reason to the nearest available authority. In other words, Impact Trainings participants quickly learn to rely on the trainer to interpret their reality. At this point, about two days in, the trainer starts to talk about responsibility. Impact Trainings's philosophy is based on the assumption that you caused everything in your life, including the selection of your parents. The death of loved ones. Rape. Abuse. Job loss. All yours.
Psychologists Janice Haakken and Richard Adams published a paper about a Impact Trainings-like seminar in Psychiatry magazine in August 1983. They found that introducing the concept of responsibility turns what had been an "infantile helplessness" among participants into an "infantile omnipotence," that allows "grandiose fantasies of unlimited power." In practical terms, this meant that suddenly I felt in control again. After two days of self-doubt, I believed there might be some hope for my future. It didn't mean I agreed with the whole Impact Trainings worldview. I didn't have to. I just had to believe enough of it to keep participating.
Once we began to play along, our cooperation was rewarded with exercises that promoted intimacy and community. Presented with different situations, we were asked to "choose" how we would respond to each other. Feeling fully in control, we responded generously, which meant that exercises kept collapsing into group hugs. The more it happened, the more I wanted it to keep happening. The more it kept happening, the more central it became to my existence.
That's brainwashing.
By the time I graduated from Summit, I was hooked. And I wasn't alone. Of the 34 who went through the first seminar with me, 20 returned for the second. Of those 20, 13 returned for the third. Some who dropped off stayed in touch and finished the training later that year.
Those who remained became the civilian equivalent of foxhole buddies. Increasingly under fire from our friends and family, we sought comfort and community among people who understood how we were trying to live. This informal support network included fellow seminar participants and, in increasing numbers, Impact Trainings alumni from earlier seminars. At the end of Summit, the group linked arms to rock each person in a human cradle, telling them they were "unconditionally loved and accepted." It felt that way, too.
By that time, James and I had started to spend time together outside the seminars. We met for dinner or talked on the phone for hours at a time. I was certain that the Impact Trainings seminars had laid the groundwork for a powerful and intimate relationship. I'd stopped thinking about my boyfriend, who was doing his best to keep our relationship going from half a world away.
Graduation from Summit fell on my 23rd birthday. We were supposed to invite family and friends to our graduation, and I took perverse pleasure in extending invitations to people I knew would never come. A few days later, one of those friends came over to use my computer. While he worked at my desk, I lay on the bed behind him and called each person from Summit. I had long, personal conversations, and before I hung up would always say, "I love you." I remember watching my friend's back. He didn't turn around once. He never said a thing. When he finished his paper, he said good night and left. I figure that was the day my friends wrote me off for good.
On October 29, I wrote in my journal: "I know I am loved---deeply, and for the rest of my life---by all of these people in my Impact Tranings family, and by James...I am willing to devote my life to that love."
At that point I was halfway through Level III: Lift Off. A multi-week program, Level III was advertised as an opportunity to practice the Impact Trainings model of success in a group setting. It would teach participants to stretch the limits of what we believed to be achievable. After all, the only thing holding us back was the lies we told to keep ourselves small.
Level III was structured around a group challenge and a series of personal goals. Individually, we each wrote a "Letter of Intention" or "LOI," setting multiple, measurable objectives in seven areas of our lives. Under "Work," I committed to finding a job. Under "Health," I dedicated myself to running twice a week, giving up dairy products, and eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. My LOI contained 22 goals in all.
Almost parenthetically, we were asked to commit to enrolling at least one person in one of several upcoming Impact Trainings Quest seminars. After all, our success in enrollment would be the best indication of whether or not we "WERE GOING THE DISTANCE". I committed to enrolling one person. Some people committed to as many as four.
It was a frenzied time. There were daily coaching calls with Impact Trainings graduates called "angels," who were not unlike camp counselors. There were daily calls with an assigned "buddy." There were weekend meetings to gauge our progress. Weekdays, there were other various meetings. We were expected to demonstrate total commitment, GO THE DISTANCE. Other Impact Trainings participants reported that friends had accused them of participating in a cult. We rolled our eyes. People in on the outside clearly didn't get it. They just dont understand.
I don't know how those with full-time jobs and families managed it. On a good night, I got four hours of sleep. Awake, I tried to make the rest of the world work like Impact Trainings, tried to generate the same love and connection. I was challenged to give various gifts to public servants as a way to recognize there service to the community. Walking down the street, I said hello to everyone. I made friends with the homeless men who rode my bus. I sat with them in the back and laughed.
I was exhausted, but I couldn't afford to stop. Tiredness was a lie, something I had to push through. Rather than withdraw from the group, I turned to it for coaching and support. When people did withdraw, missing a meeting or a phone conference, we bombarded them with calls or went looking for them. After all, we had promised to hold each other to greatness, TO GO THE DISTANCE.
As the weeks ticked by, we grew frantic. We worked harder, slept less. Our seniors Impact Trainings alumni kept focusing on enrolling new members, and so we did too. We called people at midnight or at work. We approached strangers on the street. We offered to pay their fees if they would just give Impact Trainings a chance. Between this recruiting and other Impact meetings, there was little time left for our personal goals--so we started to cheat. My buddy had committed to hiring a salesperson for her graphic-design business, and I had committed to finding a job. She hired me and we each crossed a goal off our list.
Finally, the seven weeks were up. We had got 53 new people to enroll in Impact Trainings.
Meanwhile, I broke up with my boyfriend in early October and James (my Impact Trainings love) and I started dating (starting a relationship was one of the goals on his LOI). One week later we were engaged. When I called my best friend to tell her, she hung up on me.
After graduation from Summit, my social life revolved around Impact Trainings. The sense of community was staggering. When someone moved, dozens of people would help carry furniture. When you needed something, 50 people who would instantly drop whatever they were doing, whether you needed a shoulder to cry on, a ride, a meal, or help paying your property taxes. Everyone in Impact Trainings believed in you. They showed up when they said they would. They delivered what they promised. Every week there were events packed with people who were thrilled to see you. There was nothing like it in the outside world.
Then again, in the outside world, my life was falling apart. I had an internship and some part-time work, but I was spending too much time working for Impact Trainings to look for a job. I didn't have a car, health insurance, or money for food. The worse it got, the harder I worked the Impact Trainings formula, which promised: Once you get enrollment, you get everything else. Desperate to master enrollment, I joined the Impact Trainings sales team. But despite endless hours of phone calls, heart-to-heart talks with anyone I could corral, I failed. I never enrolled a soul. After a while, I became unhinged. I cried myself to sleep. I cried walking down the street. When I ran into old friends, I accused them of jumping to conclusions about Impact Trainings. I told them my life was better than ever. I was beginning to doubt it myself, but what else could I say? If I told the truth, to myself or anyone else, I would never enroll anyone in the courses and my life would never work.
Things finally came to a head when I applied to be a senior for Lift Off. It was June, seven months after my own Summit graduation. And I was chosen, with one caveat: I had to enroll someone first. I spent two weeks trying. During the last two days I worked out of a friends basement, cold-calling people from stacks of cards collected at various recruitment events. In between calls, I would set down the phone and weep. Just hours before the Lift Off kickoff, someone finally agreed to take the course and I copied down his credit-card number over the phone.
The following weeks brought a series of confrontations. The small group I was coaching wasn't enrolling anyone, and I was held responsible. One evening I was summoned to an emergency meeting, where two staff members cataloged my failings in excruciating detail. I cried. I promised to try harder. A week later, there was another emergency meeting because I'd told someone I wanted to quit. I was attacked again. I promised again to stay and try harder.
A week later, two of my three fellow staff members skipped a meeting. One of those absent was a friend, who ran Lift Off. Midway through the meeting, she called to lecture the participants about their lack of commitment. There was no speakerphone in the room, so she delivered her tirade, piece by piece, to the guy who answered the phone. Piece by piece, he delivered it to the rest of us. It was absurd. Still, I wasn't planning to quit that day. I was just tired. There was a staff meeting scheduled for 8:00 p.m., and that afternoon, I took a nap. While I was asleep, a storm knocked out the power. It took out the alarm and the cordless phone. Messages piled up in my voicemail. I slept until the next morning.
The next day, in an ugly, curt telephone call, I was removed from my position. I was both elated and mortified. Mostly, I was relieved. I figured I would take a break and then throw myself back into Impact Trainings. I would try even harder. After all, that's what a lot of people did. Is it really possible TO GO THE DISTANCE?
My deprogramming happened by accident. A week after I lost my position as a Lift Off senior, I was in Barnes & Noble when the word cult caught my eye. When I picked up a book called Cults in Our Midst, I felt triumphantly traitorous, until I came to a detailed description of Impact Trainging Quest. I put the book back and fled. Later that same night, I went to a different bookstore. Another cult book. Another description of Impact Traingings Quest. I visited several more bookstores in the next month. It was awhile before I could bring myself to believe it, much less buy it.
After I had read the books, I told James (my Impact Trainings love) that we had been conned. It took him some time to come around. We talked about it for months. We planned a lawsuit. We planned to blow the whistle. In the end, these plans went nowhere.
One reason people stay in cults even when the experience is deeply painful is that it can be far more psychologically painful to admit to being unreasonable and wrong. For me, throwing off mind control was a matter of education and time. I learned that what keeps people in difficult and painful situations is an unwillingness to admit that they might have made poor choices. Before long I applied the same logic to my marriage. James and I were married in July 1998. Shortly thereafter, he started drinking heavily. We fought about it for a year, and then I left. Eventually we agreed that without Impact Trainings, we never would have married.
During my marriage and afterward, I had nightmares in which I would suddenly find myself in an Impact Trainings training room. I would know what was coming, and I would know there was nothing I could do. I felt a similar dread each time I spotted Impact Trainings people around town. I didn't feel safe until I moved out of state.
Sharon
Salt Lake City, Utah
U.S.A.
