The following is part of an EEO Class Action Complaint regarding Motivational Training at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) in the 1980s
Some of the following examples seem innocuous by themselves, but taken in the context of the broad pattern, I believe they are significant.
8. “New Age Religion” at PSNS
a. “Train the Trainer” course
(1) Meditation and Guided Visualization (described earlier)
(2) On page 52 of Mr. Pike’s text, Creative Training Techniques, under “Things to Remember”, he warns, “Avoid any identification with sensitivity training, ‘T’ groups, psychodrama, body awareness, religious training, or any of the sales, personality, or skill courses being offered.”
But then he goes on to say, “Most of these programs are excellent but they have different objectives and techniques.”
(3) On page 63 as examples of role playing are the following exercises that promote the concepts of “self-love” and self-image reprogramming.
“LIVING UP TO YOUR POTENTIAL”
“Do one of the following:
A. You are given access to your personnel file. In it is a glowing letter of recommendation about you written from your boss. It is the most tremendous letter you can imagine getting. Assuming this were true, write out in the space below what you would want the letter to say.
B. You are in your hometown. An old friend of both you and your spouse is having lunch with you. The friend says, ‘Do you have any idea how much you are loved?’ and hands you a letter. It was written by your spouse to the friend extolling your virtues. Assuming this were true, write out what you would like the letter to say in the space below.
“ACHIEVING YOUR EXPECTATIONS”
“Group Leader: Read aloud and discuss.
1. What are your feelings about the letter that you have just written? How would you feel if such a letter were written about you? How would it affect your expectations for yourself? How would it affect your relationship with the person that wrote it?
2. In writing that letter you were, in a way, writing out your own ideal expectations for your life — painting a picture of the person that you would like to be. What could you do to move closer to this ideal?
3. We hear a lot about the expectations of others and their effect on our ability to perform, but how about our own expectations? How do they affect how we perform?
4. Do you have expectations of the kind of person you would like to be and what you would like to achieve? What are they?
5. What would it take to achieve these expectations?
6. How do expectations relate to goals and goal-setting? How could goal-setting help you to realize your expectations?
7. How could affirmations help you to realize your expectations? What are some affirmations that you could put to use in achieving your expectations?”
(4) On p. 66 is another “positive thinking” tidbit: “Even energy, as an example, can be managed. It’s being discovered that we burn three times as much energy when thinking negatively as when thinking positively and in control of our emotions and actions. Let me say that again, we burn three times as much energy when thinking negatively than thinking positively and in control of our emotions and actions.”
(5) On p. 87 is a suggestion involving an abdominal muscle tensing and Mental exercise for “Just Before You Speak.” Note the similarity between this and the one described in “Infiltrating the New Age into Society.”
“JUST BEFORE YOU SPEAK”
“Here are two useful tips for final preparation and eliminating butterflies:
1. Sit in Executive Posture, doing a silent version of the steam kettle exercise. Press against the chair with your lower back, directing your tension into your vital center. Keep your upper abdominal muscles taut. This leaves the butterflies no place to flutter around in.
2. Permit only positive thinking. Avoid succumbing to the negative by repeating to yourself any one of these positive catch statements:
I am
Poised, prepared, persuasive, positive, powerful.
Composed, confident, convincing, commanding, compelling.
Effective, energetic, enthusiastic, enjoyable.
Imaginative, informative, instructive, inspirational, impressive.
Zestful, zippadeedoo, zing and zowie!”
(6) On page 91, in describing “The law of the Lesson” and that “The truth or content to be taught must be learned through the truth or the content that is already known,” Mr. Pike also introduces the reader to concepts of being open to totally new understandings of the human personality:
“I was in a seminar that was dealing with some new concepts in the psychology of personality. I happen to be extremely interested in psychology. Some of my academic background lies in psychology and counseling so I was really interested in what this individual had to say.
“She began her presentation by pointing out that she was just finishing her doctorate from a well-known university and then she moved into her presentation by saying, ‘In order to really understand what I’m about to say, for the next 90 minutes you have to be willing to forget everything that you’ve ever learned about Freud, Jung, Adler, Maslow, MacGregor, Rogers. Because if you think about their concepts of personality, you’ll have difficulty grasping this one, because when I first looked at it I couldn’t understand it. It didn’t fit with my concepts and it was only after about 9 or 10 months of struggling with these new ideas that someone had given me that I finally came to see how they worked and how they would apply.’ And from that basic introduction she launched into her content.
“Do you know how difficult it is to NOT think about things that you already know? And not make comparisons to things that you already know? The almost universal consensus of the group at the end of the 90-minute presentation was that it was literally impossible to set aside what we knew and forget about it so that we could learn some new concepts that might conflict.
“A much better approach might have been to say something like, ‘As I have examined various models or concepts of personality, the psychology of personality, I have found many of them helpful and yet parts of them to cause me problems. For example …’ Then she could have done a brief review of the concepts of personality, saying for example, ‘Freud has these things to say in his concept of personality which are very helpful, but the things that have caused me problems with it were this and this.’
“And to repeat that process for Jung, for Maslow, for Adler, etc., then saying, ‘That’s why I’m interested in this NEW approach that I want to present to you today because while it may seem very, very different, I think you’ll see how it answers the problem that I have raised, the problems that I had in reviewing these other concepts of personality.
“In this way we acknowledge the benefits that can be gained from our prior knowledge. And at the same time we’re made aware of potential problems in these and we’re now open to something that may give us an answer to those problems.”
(7) Mr. Pike introduced the class to Tony Buzon’s book about “using both sides of your brain” which is similar to Marilyn Ferguson’s book mentioned by Richard Watring.
(8) Mr. Pike introduced the class to Maxwell Maltz’s book, Psycho-Cybernetics which is also the book that, as Dick Sutphen explained, helped to get Americans to “look within.”
b. “Instructor Training” course
(1) On page 19 of Mrs. ——- ‘s text, “Designing and Delivering Effective Training Programs,” she introduces the class to a deep breathing exercise. Note the similarities with the deep breathing technique discussed by Dick Sutphen in “Infiltrating the New Age Into Society.”
“HOW TO AVOID ANXIETIES AND RELAX!!”
“Seasoned speakers use a variety of relaxation methods. Just prior to speaking (a few moments before actually speaking) you might try the following:
* Place your hands on table, palms down.
* Uncross your legs under the table (if applicable).
* Avoid focusing your eyes on any one object.
* Let your body go completely limp.
* Slowly inhale, and hold air in your lungs for several seconds.
* Just prior to feeling uncomfortable, slowly exhale.
* Wait several seconds, keeping your body limp.
* Repeat the procedure several times.
* Just before speaking, repeat the procedure one more time.”
(2) During the class a film from the toastmasters was shown in which the listener is told to “Take responsibility for effectiveness in communication, for your life.”
(3) On page 32 in item #20 on “How to Win An Audience”, she states in all capitals: “EFFECTIVE SPEECH IS NO LONGER A LUXURY, IT IS A NECESSITY! THE WORLD NEEDS BETTER SPEAKERS. THE FUTURE BELONGS TO GOOD SPEAKERS. THE WORLD CAN BELONG TO YOU!”
(4) During the class she introduced the Buzon book title on “Memory.”
(5) She discussed: the importance of “feeling good about yourself”; the Socratic concept “It is best to discover for yourself.”
(6) She spoke of thinking of yourself as “confident and relaxed” and “you will become.” She said “I visualize myself as a millionaire.” “You have to believe it.”
c. “Increasing Human Effectiveness” as taught by Edge Learning Institute
(1) A civil service employee took this course 20-21 July 1981 as taught by Dick Anderson of Edge Learning Institute (formerly United Learning Institute). the employee’s course evaluation stated there was a “constant hint of Christianity” as if clothing “New Age” theology in Christian terms makes it more palatable. Also, the statement was made that “all disease is caused by the mind.”
(2) Another civil service employee took the PSNS “Increasing Human Effectiveness Course” as taught by Dick Anderson of E.L.I. in 1986 during working hours. He stated that he was taught that we are ultimately controlled by our subconscious that must therefore be reprogrammed. The class was led through meditation and guided visualization. The employee stated that the training was very similar to the following:
“The ‘perennial wisdom’ is really the bedrock of all the world’s spiritual traditions. Our training uses the perennial wisdom to teach that we all have an incredible Source of power within us that quite literally has the answers to all our questions.
“We try to teach corporate employees, teenagers, and others in our courses that getting closer to their Source entails letting go of this fear and learning to trust that Source of love, wisdom, and energy. And that letting go is a choice they can make.”
This was taken from an interview in the February 1987 issue of “Science of Mind” magazine. The interview is with Larry Wilson, founder of Wilson Learning Corporation, author of THE ONE MINUTE SALESPERSON, and promoter of “Human Potential” spiritual philosophy. The interviewer was Ron Nelson and the article is entitled “Changing the Game In Business: Exploring Spirituality and Human Potential.”
The article also says, “The heart of our new management training represents a return to the ancient spiritual wisdom about the true identity and power of the individual. The students are “empowered” to “get in touch with their creative Source.” He teaches that, “fear is a choice”, each person has a” deep purpose”, “we can create visions that align our goals with our deepest purpose”, and “we can take action to realize our vision.”
Mr. Wilson goes on to say, “Now that was by no means an easy concept to sell to hard-headed businessmen at that time. They didn’t believe it. So I had to package my ideas as sales training around more conventional techniques. But that was really a Trojan horse. You see, business has this thing called bottom-line profit that provides instant feedback on its activities. What doesn’t work tends to get changed pretty fast in business, unlike other segments of our society — like government and religion — that don’t have the same incentive to change with the times.
“The challenge facing business today is to take people on a massive scale and retrain them to respond differently so they will recognize the power they inherently have within themselves to make a difference within the organization, instead of just doing what they’re told.
“That changes everything. Once a sufficient number of employees get in touch with their true potential, the organization changes.”
Mr. Wilson says that “a company must fulfill three roles …”, first be a “business organization,” second “a life time educator”, and third, “The company must be part ‘church’. It must involve itself in the spiritual growth of its employees.”
“Words like values, mission, and purpose are being increasingly heard on the corporate scene. All of the things we used to pay attention to only on Sunday, in church, are things we now want in our lives all week long.
“So, if employees want lifelong learning, the company provides it. If they want to develop their higher, spiritual selves, the company helps them do that, too.
“If the churches don’t recognize this increasing desire people have for a spiritual connection with their higher Source — instead of just religious rules and regulations — they may get left behind in the ‘marketplace’ of spirituality, which has grown up without a lot of direction from most organized religion.
“The corporation is going to have a profound impact on all of these institutions.’
“What about the impact of business on government?”
“Larry: ‘I think it will be just as far-reaching.”
According to the magazine, “The Science of Mind, a philosophy of successful living, teaches how you can use spiritual understanding to experience happiness, health, prosperity, peace of mind, and greater self-awareness.”
(3) The following items were taken directly from the tapes and booklet of Edge Learning Institute’s course “Increasing Human Effectiveness” taught by Bob Moawad.
(a) We need to get our lives in “alignment” with certain “immutable laws” … the “Laws of human effectiveness.”
(b) In the context of a humorous situation about making mistakes he interjects the statement that “God grades on a curve.”
(c) He says that our “Awareness” is the automatic product of our total heritage and entire life experience.”
(d) We must watch out for the wrong “mindset” and we must have “an open mind” and be willing to “accept change.”
(e) Defines “Luck” as “That which takes place when preparation meets opportunity.”
(f) He quotes the teachings of Buddha: “All that we are is the result of what we have thought; it is founded on our thoughts, and is made up of our thoughts.” Mr. Moawad states that “We are what our thoughts make us.”
(g) He states “You might be looking at your world a little different after this seminar.”
(h) Bob Moawad speaks of our brain in the computer terms “GI-GO”, “garbage in — garbage out.”
(j) He quotes Marilyn Ferguson from her book the “Brain Revolution” about the “unlimited”, “infinite” capacity of the human brain.
(k) He says he is not a fan of Freud or Pavlov or Skinner but that his views come from elsewhere.
(l) He describes his model of human personality in terms of “conscious”, “subconscious” and “creative subconscious.”
(m) Mr. Moawad says this is a “Responsibility Psychology Seminar.” We learn to “accept life the way it comes to us” and that we “can design our life so it comes to us they way we would like to get it.”
(n) He says “the choice is ours”, if we “want to take that power”, the “power of choice.”
(o) Mr. Moawad talks about the “sixth sense”: perception, and “close encounters with the sixth sense.”
(p) He again quotes Marilyn Ferguson as saying we may actually have 27 senses.
(q) He says that from our perceptions all data is run through our “subconscious data base.”
(r) Mistakes are one way to expand my awareness.
(s) He calls the subconscious a “robot.”
(t) He says, “truth” and “reality” depend on the person. “There are as many realities as there are people.”
(u) We are missing a lot of opportunities because of our conditioning. Because of our blind spots called “Scotomas” and “flat earth” ideas.
(v) He talks about the “power of the subconscious” and the need to reprogram it by getting new attitudes to the subconscious through words or “self talk”. He says “Words are neither true or false.”
(w) We need to create a new “Self Image.” He says that “What you see is what you get, ” literally.
(x) He talks about “constructive visualization.”
(y) This seminar, he says is based on “self image psychology” and this seminar is about “mental well being.”
(z) He says the “subconscious stores imagery as truth.”
(aa) He talks about the use of “positive opposites,” “Random self talk,” and “affirmations.”
(bb) Bob Moawad then speaks about the ability of the power of thought to control objects external to the mind. He refers to the book “The Psychic Side of Sports” by Mike Murphy of Esalen Institute, described on pages 87, 98, and 137-140 of Marilyn Ferguson’s book, THE AQUARIAN CONSPIRACY. An incident that is described by Bob Moawad from Murphy’s book is about John Brodie, a former football quarterback. He threw a pass intended for Gene Washington. The defender was Pat Fisher. Fisher said, “I had the ball intercepted but it jumped over my hands!” Game films confirmed that the ball did jump. Brodie said, “I think you can stretch out a thought; that ball was going to get there.” Bob Moawad said, “They should have given him 15 yards for witchcraft!” Then he said, “The power of the mind seems almost magical …“
(cc) Bob Moawad states that the imagination has the greatest impact in reprogramming the subconscious when the person is in a relaxed state and when “first person imagery is used.”
(dd) He takes the class through a guided imagery sequence.
(ee) He encourages “self love” and tries to justify it by using a Biblical quotation.
(ff) He describes how Morris Fishbein was asked “If you could be reincarnated as anyone you wanted, who would you like to be?”
(gg) In discussing “thought patterns of winners” and the use of “affirmations” to reprogram the subconscious he says that “Religious people call it prayer. We’re saying design, design thought patterns you dwell on.”
(hh) We must “Imprint a new reality,” “reprogram.” We can “Imprint our goals during deep relaxation techniques” because this “greatly enhances our receptiveness.”
(ii) Don’t try hard to change behavior, use Affirmative Reminders to “change the picture.”
(jj) Moawad says he is sometimes asked about his “Deep Relaxation” techniques, “Isn’t this like Transcendental Meditation, or T.M.? Isn’t this some cult trying to take over Christianity?” He replies that healthy skepticism is good, but “I don’t know if I’ve really discovered any documented evidence that T.M. is some Eastern Religion way of taking over Christianity. I know a lot of people that practice T.M. with regularity who are very espoused in their Judeo-Christian beliefs.
“But examine for yourself different meditative, relaxation, self hypnotic techniques. We hypnotize ourselves all the time. We go into an altered state of consciousness all the time. So why get all concerned? That’s one reason why I call it deep relaxation. Aren’t those nice non-threatening words? I’m not going to call it meditation. I’m not going to call it self hypnosis, after the seminar somebody that’s gone through the process with me: ‘Gee, Bob, that’s a lot like self hypnosis.’ Don’t tell anybody; they love ‘relaxation’, but their not gonna get into that hypnotic stuff. And I haven’t studied hypnosis. All I’ve done is just observe a variety of techniques and have you noticed the seminar, the seminar is eclectic, we’ve just tried to gather data, I’m not a psychiatrist, I’m not a psychologist, I have a Masters degree in education, I hope that my skill is in communicating some concepts, so you can understand them and apply them and accept them a little bit better than you did coming into the sessions.”
(kk) Bob says that this is a seminar where the word “educate” really goes back to the derivative, “educo”, “to pull from within”, not to transfer information, but “to pull from within.”
(ll) Bob Moawad then leads the class in meditation and guided visualization. He leads them into a “hall that leads nowhere.” He defines “mantra” as “a mental clearing device.”
(mm) He says that “each time you use this exercise you will go to an even deeper state of relaxation.”
(nn) During the guided visualization he states the affirmation on behalf of the students, “I am my own expert, I make me.” “It feels tremendous being accountable for my life.” “This opens up the channel between conscious suggestion and subconscious receptiveness.” “I will count from one to five … eyes open, I feel tremendous!”
(4) Edge Learning Institute teaches the same philosophy/theology as Pacific Institute of Seattle.
(a) Bob Moawad of E.L.I. used to be employed by Pacific Institute.
(b) In a letter dated 22 September 1982, from John H. Wold, Director of Human Resources of Drake Willock, Inc. to Jerry Crawford of United Telephone of the Northwest, the following statement is made: “You also asked that I make a comparison between Lou Tice’s ‘Achieving Your Potential’ training program and Bob Moawad’s ‘Human Effectiveness Training’. Let me compare them by saying that the content of both training programs is exactly the same.”
(c) Ron Medved of Pacific Institute is quoted on p. 349 of Marilyn Ferguson’s THE AQUARIAN CONSPIRACY.
(d) Steve Hiatt, who now owns a car dealership in Tacoma, was fired in 1984 from another company for refusing to participate in a Pacific Institute sales training program called “New Age Thinking.” The case is currently in litigation in Tacoma as a religious discrimination case.
(e) Mr. Hiatt says that the Pacific Institute “New Age Thinking” program uses all the same ideas as E.L.I. in promoting its human potential philosophy/theology: Scotomas, flat worlds, truth is a product of our conditioning, reprogramming the subconscious, affirmation, visualization, imprinting, create your own reality.
(f) Mr. Hiatt quotes P.I. as saying: Religion was the cause of all wars; the Jews are great warriors because they THINK they are God’s chosen people; The Affirmation and Visualization techniques are the same a that used by Hitler and Jim Jones but P.I. is using them for the right reasons; the real reason they were there at the seminar was to save the world. The instructor said he hated religion.
(g) Mr. Hiatt quotes “Pacific Northwest Magazine” as saying that 10% of Pacific Institute’s business is with the U.S. Government.
(h) Mr. Hiatt states that P.I.’s suggested reading list recommends books that promote pantheism, reject the deity of Jesus Christ, and explore supermind power, parapsychology and the metaphysical.
(j) Mr. Hiatt says “It should be noted that there are many other motivational companies presenting courses which include similar theology. One is Edge Learning Institute who claim their course material is identical to that of Pacific Institute’s.”
(5) Edge Learning Institute published a “Scripture Correlation” of their course material, compiled by Jerry Melchisedeck. It begins by saying that “We do not sell religion nor do we teach theology. We are a private educational consulting firm. Business leaders WHO ASK should be told that Edge concepts are correlated with scripture. We should always be ready to give the reason why the concepts we teach give hope to so many people.” But then it goes on to claim each of their concepts are supported by certain listed Bible verses.
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