The Complex Legacy of the Human Potential Movement
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Chapter 1: A Cautionary Tale
The narrative of personal growth often walks a fine line, and this account serves as a warning for both trainers and participants in such programs. It also chronicles the journey of a solitary physicist who discovered a newfound appreciation for interpersonal connections and psychology.
Our son, Daniel, proposed that we delve into the six-part podcast series titled "The Good Cult" (2022), where River Donaghey recounts the story of Lifespring Inc., a company dedicated to personal development. Daniel was aware that several family members had undergone Lifespring training.
Donaghey's upbringing was heavily influenced by personal development seminars, with his very existence linked to his parents’ involvement in Lifespring's offshoot. We remarked to Daniel that the same could be said for us; without Lifespring, he might not have come into the world.
Lifespring emerged from the Human Potential Movement, which took shape in the 1940s, thanks to Abraham Maslow's departure from a focus on human flaws. Instead, he turned his attention to what enables individuals to flourish. Maslow articulated:
"A musician must create music, an artist must paint, and a poet must write to find true peace within themselves. What one can become, they must strive to be. This need is what we can call self-actualization... It is the desire to become all that one is capable of becoming."
The 1970s witnessed the rise of the Human Potential Movement, influenced by Maslow's work and others. John Hanley established Lifespring in 1974, which operated until the mid-1990s. Many participants regarded their experiences as uplifting and transformative, but there were also serious allegations of harm. In 1987, Marc Fisher published a critical exposé on Lifespring in the Washington Post, noting:
"The company’s early expansion came to an abrupt halt in the early ’80s due to a wave of negative press surrounding psychotic incidents and even fatalities connected to Lifespring trainings."
In "The Good Cult," Donaghey posits that Lifespring was perceived as a cult because of its insistence on participants recruiting others.
Did Lifespring genuinely aid individuals? What went awry? How could a single organization provide significant benefits to some while causing harm to others? This article aims to explore these queries through my personal lens.
Section 1.1: The Burden of Responsibility
Lifespring encouraged participants to take charge of their lives. To facilitate this, Hanley, the CEO, believed that individuals needed to undergo a profound transformation that would push them beyond their comfort zones to achieve their maximum potential.
Before founding Lifespring, Hanley had attended a Mind Dynamics workshop where he endured a 12-hour confinement in a coffin, meant to shatter his resistance—a method that can seem torturous.
Lifespring's approach to confronting fears appeared less severe. One method involved challenging participants to face their most significant fears. I remember grappling with extreme shyness toward women during my advanced training. As part of an exercise, I was tasked with composing a poem and reciting it to an unfamiliar woman in a bar, a moment that was both terrifying and liberating.
People have varied fears. According to Donaghey, Lifespring encouraged a participant who was afraid of swimming to confront this fear directly. Tragically, he attempted to swim in the Columbia River and drowned. The implication seemed to be that overcoming fear was simply a mental challenge, yet there was little guidance on how to do so safely.
Lifespring's trainings were hands-on. In one activity, participants recounted experiences in which they felt victimized, later retelling those stories as if they bore some responsibility. However, what of those who had endured severe traumas, like rape? Lifespring failed to differentiate between varying victim experiences, causing some to relive traumatic memories without appropriate support, leaving others feeling unjustly blamed. Fisher noted in 1987:
"Until a few years ago, Hanley preached that everyone is completely accountable for their life; there is no such thing as a victim... Now, Hanley claims, 'I have evolved in my perspective.' Rather than insisting that students are responsible for everything, Lifespring encourages them to 'take a stand' for responsibility, a nuanced step away from the previous doctrine."
What did Hanley mean by “taking a stand?” In his 2012 book, "Are You Getting It?", he articulated that while any form of assault is terrible, the true tragedy lies in an individual concluding that they are somehow flawed because of it.
Choosing responsibility can sometimes mean simply acknowledging the event while retaining one's self-worth and belief in the importance of engagement with the world.
This approach illustrates a fundamental method for instigating change in people's lives: placing them in situations where they can reassess their experiences from different perspectives.
Section 1.2: The Upside of Lifespring
I participated in three Lifespring trainings between March and July of 1980. The decade that spanned the 1970s was tumultuous for me; I transitioned from serving as an army medic in a combat zone to working as a physicist in a NASA mission control setting. Just prior to my training, I found myself tackling a satellite issue that risked becoming space debris.
By February 1980, after resolving the satellite crisis, I was ready for a transformative experience. A friend introduced me to Lifespring, and the training had a significant impact on my life. I discovered a newfound affinity for people, connected with my emotional self, and felt empowered.
After the training, I mustered the courage to approach a wonderful woman who would later become my wife.
The Lifespring experience rekindled my childhood fascination with psychology. I became curious about the mechanisms behind Lifespring's exercises that could bring about such change. Without that training, I wouldn't be penning this article, nor would I have become a Neuro-Semantics trainer or life coach, as Neuro-Semantics is rooted in Neuro-Linguistic Programming.
During my first training, I assisted a woman who fainted, and we later formed a friendship. She introduced me to her husband, who practiced karate; I joined his dojo in 1980, and now I teach karate and self-defense at the same dojo. We both earned our black belts during the same examination in 1999.
I gained so much from Lifespring that I eagerly encouraged my family and friends to participate. My parents, aunts, two siblings, and a childhood friend, Jerry, all took the training. Recently, I asked my sister for her thoughts, and she only shared positive reflections.
Jerry, who traveled from Boston to Washington, DC, to rescue me from the Lifespring "cult," completed his first training. When I spoke to him last week, he expressed that Lifespring had helped him break free from his shell, allowing him to be more forthright and direct in his professional life.
Chapter 2: The Underbelly of Lifespring
In "The Good Cult," Donaghey repeatedly referred to John Hanley as:
"... a convicted felon and con artist [who] reinvented himself as a prosperous new age guru."
Prior to founding Lifespring, Hanley had been involved in dubious schemes with his father-in-law. Was Lifespring merely another of Hanley’s scams? I believe that is not the case. As a life coach, I remain hopeful about human transformation. The methods that Hanley developed genuinely assisted numerous individuals in their journeys.
What ultimately went wrong with Lifespring? Two primary issues stand out. The first, highlighted in "The Good Cult," revolves around misguided policies.
In 1979, a woman tragically passed away following an asthma attack during a Lifespring session. The company enforced a rule that prohibited medications at the door, including her inhaler. Lifespring regarded medications as crutches. During a particular emotional exercise, she struggled to breathe. When a trainer noticed her predicament, he prompted her to reflect on the cause of her attack before leaving her side.
Upon returning later, he found her still in distress. As per her sister's account, he removed her from the training and insisted she didn't need her medication, despite her requests. Her symptoms worsened, and he ultimately pushed her out without her inhaler. She collapsed outside the venue and died shortly thereafter.
It seems the trainer operated under the misguided belief that physical symptoms were mere excuses to avoid breakthroughs, failing to grasp that her condition could be life-threatening.
The second issue relates to trainer management. In his 2012 book, Hanley admitted:
"I must acknowledge that some trainers occasionally exceeded acceptable boundaries when they believed the ends justified the means... Perhaps I should have maintained a zero-tolerance policy for 'renegade' trainers."
He addressed concerns regarding some trainers not meeting his standards, hinting at a possible inflated sense of self-importance among them. However, there is little mention of how he trained these trainers. Was there a structured training organization within Lifespring?
In Conclusion
"The Good Cult" did an admirable job of uncovering Lifespring's shortcomings. Unfortunately, these failings had dire consequences, leading to loss of life.
Yet the podcast seemed to overlook the positive impact Lifespring had on many individuals, including myself, who experienced genuine transformations through its trainings.
Recently, I witnessed Michael Hall, the founder of Neuro-Semantics, coaching a business executive. Trainers, coaches, and business professionals attended. The client exhibited resistance to coaching, prompting Michael to explain why the session could not proceed. He later followed up via email, outlining what he might alter in future sessions. This exemplifies responsible coaching practices, acknowledging when coaching may not be beneficial for a client.
Such adaptability is characteristic of a learning organization, a quality I’m uncertain Lifespring possessed.
Resources and Notes
Michael Hall, a co-founder of Neuro-Semantics, authored "Self-Actualization Psychology: The Psychology of the Bright Side of Human Nature" (2008).
In December 2022, I published an article detailing the space incident that led me to Lifespring:
"Solving the Mystery of a Satellite with an Attitude Problem"
An inside look at a space drama from three perspectives.
I also wrote about the significance of stepping outside one's comfort zone:
"Embracing Opportunities Where Magic Can Happen"
Have you ever recognized an opportunity and regretted not seizing it?
Links to my Medium articles covering psychology, health, and martial arts can be found in this mind map.
The second video provides insights on the Human Potential Movement and the Esalen Institute, further enriching our understanding of this transformative yet complex movement.