PSI Seminars
| Company type | Private company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Self-help |
| Founded | 1973 |
| Founder | Thomas Willhite, Jane Willhite |
| Headquarters | Lake County, California United States |
Key people | Jane Willhite, President and Chairman |
| Services | Personal development coursework |
| Subsidiaries | PSI World |
| Website | Company Web site |
PSI Seminars is a for-profit private company, that delivers self-improvement and personal development coursework.
History
PSI Seminars is the oldest personal growth seminar company in the United States[citation needed]. Founded in 1973 by Thomas Willhite and Jane Willhite, the company is presently based out of Clearlake Oaks, California[1][2]. Jane and Thomas Willhite also founded the non-profit PSI World[3][4]. Thomas Willhite had previously worked under Alexander Everett, as an instructor at Mind Dynamics[5].
Organization
Jane Willhite is the founder and CEO, of PSI Seminars. During PSI Seminars thirty-five year history PSI Seminars has had offices in many cities through out the world. These have included Phoenix, Denver, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Chicago, San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange County, Honolulu, and San Francisco. In Canada, PSI Seminars offices are located in Vancouver, and Alberta. PSI Seminars also had an office in Tokyo Japan. These cities are all responsible for presenting PSI Seminar's introductory course titled "The Basic."
Courses
There are five main courses that are offered to the public, the first being an introductory course titled The Basic. Other courses offered include the Life Success Course, Men's Leadership, and Women's Leadership Seminars[citation needed].
Outside Sources
Vahle's The Unity Movement cited PSI Seminars as one of nine growth organizations that grew out of Mind Dynamics[5]. Other groups also cited by Vahle, as having been influenced by Mind Dynamics, included Erhard Seminars Training, The Forum, and Lifespring[5].
Stich and Russell compared the organization to EST, writing that it was "an EST type self-awareness and motivational organization."[6]. PSI Seminars has also been cited by authors of books on self-improvement, including Extreme Success[7], and Jack Canfield's The Success Principles(TM)[8].
The coursework of PSI Seminars was also analyzed in a 1983 study in the academic journal, Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry[9]. The study examined the extent to which chronically ill members of the population in Hawaii sought out alternative methods of self care by utilizing nonprescribed treatment patterns[9]. Philips described PSI World as a self-help program, and characterized Thomas Wilhite as a "pop psychologist"[4]. His work, Living Synergistically, published by PSI World, was cited in Kraft's Ways of the Desert[10]. On federal court order, psychologist Margaret Singer attended seminars held by PSI World[11]. Singer characterized the organization as a form of Large Group Awareness Training[11][12]. In 1998, it was reported that Federal Bureau of Investigation background files on "PSI World Seminar's Graduate Volunteers" was obtained by the Clinton administration, along with many other individuals' information[13]. This was part of a scandal later termed "Filegate"[13].
In an episode of Larry King Live, guests Michael Beckwith, author Bob Proctor, and John DeMartini announced that they would be working together for two weeks at PSI Seminars.[14]. Proctor spoke favorably of PSI Seminars on the program, stating: "I don't own the company, but it is the best course I've ever seen."[14]
See also
References
- ^ Company Web site, "PSI's History.", retrieved 09-05-2007.
- ^ Carter-Scott, Cherie (2004). If Life Is a Game...These Are The Stories. Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 252. ISBN 0740746847.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ PSI World Through contributing to PSI Seminars., retrieved 09-05-2007.
- ^ a b Philips, Stacy D. (2005). Divorce: It's All about Control. ExecuProv Press. p. 332. ISBN 0964888297.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ a b c Vahle, Neal (2002). The Unity Movement: Its Evolution and Spiritual Teachings. Templeton Foundation Press. pp. 399, 403. ISBN 1890151963.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Stich, Rodney (March 20, 2006). Disavow: A CIA Saga of Betrayal. Silverpeak Enterprises, Inc. pp. 206, 243. ISBN 0932438172.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Fettke, Rich (2002). Extreme Success. Simon and Schuster. p. 7. ISBN 0743233867.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Canfield, Jack L. (2005). The Success Principles(TM). HarperCollins. p. 447. ISBN 0060594888.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Snyder, Patricia (March 1983). "The use of nonprescribed treatments by hemodialysis patients". Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry. 7 (1). Springer Netherlands: 57–76. doi:doi 10.1007/BF00249999. ISSN 0165-005X.
{{cite journal}}: Check|doi=value (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Kraft, William F. (2000). Ways of the Desert: Becoming Holy Through Difficult Times. Haworth Press. p. 158. ISBN 0789008599.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ a b Intruding into the Workplace, Dr. Margaret Singer, 1995.
- ^ Singer, Margaret (1995). Cults in our Midst (book). Jossey Bass. pp. pp. 42-43. ISBN 0-7879-0051-6.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Sammon, Bill (July 20, 1998). "Tripp among names on new `Filegate' FBI list". The Washington Times. pp. Page 1.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ a b Staff (November 2, 2006). "The Power of Positive Thoughts". Larry King Live. CNN.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help)There is three of us, Dr. Martini, Michael Beckwith and myself, are going to working together next week -- is it two weeks -- at PSI Seminars.