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Erhard Seminars Training

Erhard Seminars Training, an organization founded by Werner H. Erhard, offered to the general public (as well as other entities) an intense and rigorous 2-weekend (60-hours) course known officially as 'The est Standard Training'. The purpose of 'the Training' was to allow participants to achieve a sense of personal transformation and enhanced power in their lives, concepts that resonated with many during the socially turbulent and war-weary 1970s. The est Training was delivered, mostly unchanged save for minor modifications to the program, for over 13 years, from late 1971 to late 1984.

The est Standard Training

The first est Training took place at the Jack Tar Hotel in San Francisco, California in October 1971. From this first course, as word of mouth began to circulate, more and more people wanted to sign up, and est began to grow rapidly. Within a year, trainings were being held in New York City, and other major cities in the US followed soon after. By 1979 est had expanded to Great Britain, Europe, and other parts of the world. The popularity of est peaked in 1981, as enrollment for the various courses began to shrink. The last est Training was held in December 1984 in San Francisco, CA., and the program was officially retired. In its place came a newly-developed course called 'The Forum', which was first held in January 1985. The est Training presented several concepts to the American public, most notably the concept of transformation and taking responsibility for one's life. The actual teaching is called "the technology of transformation", and stresses the value of integrity. The Herald Sun, March1, 2008 | http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23298425-664,00.html
'est, Inc.' evolved into 'est, an Educational Corporation', and eventually into 'Werner Erhard & Associates'. WE&A purchased the assets of est in 1981.

Early Influences

In William Bartley's biography, Werner Erhard: The Transformation of a Man, the Founding of est (1978), Erhard describes his explorations of Zen Buddhism. Bartley quotes Erhard as acknowledging Zen as the essential contribution that "created the space est."
Bartley, William Warren, Werner Erhard: the Transformation of a Man: the Founding of est. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc. 1978. ISBN 0-517-53502-5, p. 121, 146-7.

Bartley details Erhard's connections with Zen beginning with his extensive studies with Alan Watts in the mid 1960s.
Bartley, William Warren, Werner Erhard: the transformation of a man: the founding of est. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc. 1978. ISBN 0-517-53502-5, p. 118

Bartley quotes Erhard as acknowledging:

Of all the disciplines that I studied, practiced, learned, Zen was the essential one. It was not so much an influence on me, rather it created space. It allowed those things that were there to be there. It gave some form to my experience. And it built up in me the critical mass from which was kindled the experience that produced est.

Bartley, William Warren, Werner Erhard: the transformation of a man: the founding of est. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc. 1978. ISBN 0-517-53502-5, p. 121

Timeline

1971 - Erhard Seminars Training Inc, first est Training held in San Francisco, California

1973 - The Foundation for the Realization of Man - incorporated as a non-profit foundation in California (subsequently the name of the foundation was changed to the est Foundation in 1976, and in 1981 to the Werner Erhard Foundation)

1975 - est, an educational corporation.

1981 - Sold assets to Werner Erhard and Associates and est ceased operations Werner Erhard

Notable Staff, participants, and other individuals

Valerie Harper

Mike Oldfield
"1978 saw a dramatic change in Mikes public persona. He surprised the music press by changing his image and starting to talk with the media. The change was due to Mike's participation in the radical and controversial "Exegesis" or EST programme. As a result of the EST, Mike organised his first tour in 1979, together with an entourage of almost 100! In spite of all the concerts selling out, the tour ended with heavy debt." -- http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/hub/A616835 -- Retrieved 2007-02-19

Related organizations

The Hunger Project 1977 - Present

Landmark Education

See also the list of associated organizations.

Books

William Warren Bartley (1978). Werner Erhard The Transformation of a Man: The Founding of est. New York, New York, USA: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc. ISBN 0-517-53502-5

Adelaide Bry est (Erhard Seminars Training): 60 Hours That Transform Your Life. Harpercollins, 1976

Sheridan Fenwick Getting it: the psychology of est. Penguin, 1977. ISBN 0-14-004467-1

Carl Frederick est: Playing the Game the New Way. Delacorte, 1974.

Robert Hargrave est: Making Life Work. Delacorte, 1976.

Ray E Hosford, C Scott Moss, Helene Cavior and Burton Kerish "Research on Erhard Seminar Training in a Correctional Institution"

Rhinehart, Luke, The Book of Est

Samways, Louise Dangerous Persuaders: An expose of gurus, personal development courses and cults, and how they operate, Penguin, 1994

Articles in periodicals

Mark Brewerk. "We're Gonna Tear You Down and Put You Back Together", Psychology Today, August 1975

L. L. Glass, M. A. Kirsch and F. N. Parris. "Psychiatric disturbances associated with Erhard Seminars Training", American Journal of Psychiatry. 1977; 134(3): 245-7.

Peter Marin. "The New Narcissism", Harper's, October 1975, 251:45-56.

Perry Pascarella. "Create Breakthroughs in Performance by Changing the Conversation,” by Perry Pascarella. Industry Week, Vol. 233, No. 6 (June 15), 1987.

Eliezer Sobel. “This Is It: est, Twenty Years Later” (QUEST Magazine, Summer 1998)

References

External links

An account of the life, influences and controversies surrounding Erhard

Erhard Seminars Training, at the Open Directory Project

est and Werner Erhard, The Skeptic's Dictionary

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