Due to a cease and desist letter sent from Bill Harris’s lawyer, I have edited this article on 12/22/2009 to be more clear regarding facts vs. opinions. Thanks for the feedback, Bill! (Although maybe next time a friendly email would be the best way to initially communicate your feedback.) UPDATE 12/28/2009: I actually haven’t received a cease and desist letter. I was confused and thought Harris’ email was a C&S letter, but then I heard from several people that such letters are delivered by certified mail or courier, and haven’t received anything in the mail or from a courier from Mr. Harris or his lawyer. UPDATE 12/29/2009: Harris has since emailed his C&D letter to me, which you can read here.
Bill Harris—star of popular New Age infomercial The Secret and former marketing partner of James Arthur Ray—is founder and CEO of the (in my opinion) manipulative marketing organization called Centerpointe Research Institute. His main product is the “Holosync” binaural beat meditation CDs, which I find very expensive compared to competitors products, and less effective as well.
While the name “Centerpointe Research Institute” makes it sound like this is a non-profit think tank, this organization is simply a for-profit business. Part of the “research” apparently includes that co-branding with killer gurus is good for business—at least until people die, at which point it’s most profitable to pretend like it never happened. Or at least that’s how it appears to me, given that Harris used to market products with James Arthur Ray, but since the “death lodge” incident of November 10th, 2009, Ray’s testimonial has disappeared from Holosync’s web page. But perhaps Bill Harris didn’t know Ray’s character, or perhaps no one could have predicted such an awful turn of events. But why not? Why did we all not see the signs?
Harris’ infamous tagline for Holosync is “meditate deeper than a Zen monk at the push of a button!” This is an exaggeration at best (in my opinion, based on using his product and in discussions with other Centerpointe customers), perhaps learned at the James Arthur Ray School of Hyperbole. Customer experiences (again—from me, friends, and other customers I’ve talked with) range from occasional deep meditation that fades as you adapt to the particular CD level, to subtle relaxation, to painful headaches and “overwhelm.” Ironically, Bill Harris—and his spiritual teacher Zen master Genpo Roshi—often complain about spiritual seekers who want quick results, avoiding responsibility for what he’s “attracted” through his avarice-focused marketing copy (again, this is what I’ve observed from reading Harris’ blog and email newsletter Mind Chatter, listening to talks of Harris and Roshi, etc. and from reading his marketing copy).
While typical meditation CDs cost about $15 and free binaural beat programs abound, Holosync can be yours all for the low, low price of $175 for the first CD and (if I remember correctly from when I was an Awakening Prologue customer) about $2,500+ for the 12 “advanced level” CDs—which are pushed on the unsuspecting customer with extremely manipulative (again, in my opinion and values) long-form sales letters sent to your home weekly. Since the effect of the CDs fades unless the “carrier frequency” is lowered, Harris hooks customers on getting an ever-stronger dose of his push-button Zen drug. (Harris has a different opinion of course, which is that each level pushes you to adapt to higher levels of chaos that are then integrated into higher orders of integrated complexity.)
Bill Harris’ long-form sales letter on his Centerpointe.com website is designed to give you your first hit for free, getting you into his sales cycle. The whole sales letter is geared to convince you to sign up for a “free” CD sample of his method. (UPDATE 12/29/2009: the other “call to action” on his sales page is to buy the 1st level of his program, Awakening Prologue, for $179.) But here’s the catch—as discussed in this excellent blog post from Mind Tweaks, Harris’ free sample uses the binaural beats to entrain your brain into a relaxed and suggestible state while he gives a sales pitch for his product! As the author at Mind Tweaks has written…
If the entrainment/suggestion combo doesn’t work, then no harm done, but the product itself is useless.
If the entrainment/hypnotic suggestion combo does work, then isn’t it unethical to use it in advertising the product?
The higher levels of Holosync include personalized affirmations recorded in your own voice, which Harris says are more effective using binaural beats because the binaurals make you more suggestible. Other proponents of brain entrainment technology also say that brain entrainment increases suggestibility.
“The Used Car Salesman of Spirituality”
Someone I know online called Harris “the used car salesman of spirituality,” and a former colleague of mine has taken a ride on what he said I think I recall him saying was Harris’ private jet—paid for by his push-button Zen customers. (UPDATE 12/29/2009: I’ve heard from another source that Harris does not in fact own a jet, but is a private pilot, so my first source was incorrect.) Others see Harris as a personal development leader and spiritual teacher who has an “ability to explain difficult subjects in a way that makes them easy to understand.” I find it easy to understand (in retrospect after becoming one of his customers myself) that Bill Harris greatly exaggerates what his product can do (at least in my personal experience and in the reports of others I have talked to and read online) in an effort to sell it at unreasonably high prices (compared to competitors products like BWGen—a free binaural beat software program—and NeuroProgrammer 2, $45 brain entrainment software with many programs included), but this doesn’t seem to be something Harris can explain away easily. Instead, Harris viciously attacks anyone who criticizes his aggressive marketing, claiming that ““Selling spirituality” is not a problem.” (Indeed, his sending me a cease and desist letter as his first communication with me about this article is also an example of his approach that I’ve observed with dealing with unwanted feedback.) Questioning his marketing practices means you have an “anti-marketplace shadow,” which seems to imply that if we did all enough therapy, the whole world would become free-market libertarians! At least we can both agree with this statement from Harris:
The whole New Age movement, though, has a shitload of shadows about morality, integrity, money, race, political correctness, and a lot of other topics. That’s why many New Age people are immoral, out-of-integrity, poor, racist, and arragant [sic].
…although I think Mr. Harris doesn’t realize that he is the New Age. The movie The Secret epitomizes the New Age, making Bill Harris a New Age Superstar. (I should add that I too am part of the New Age in many ways as well, having read many personal development books, engaged in meditation, etc., although I don’t think “shadows” are things we can get rid of as long there is any “light.”)
Harris’ New Age marketing partner James Ray (who is fond of using Quantum Physics metaphors for teaching Midwestern soccer moms the secret to making ungodly sums of money) required that his Spiritual Warrior participants purchase “Awakening Prologue,” the first level of Harris’ Holosync program, at a cost of $175 each (according to page 7 of the Spiritual Warrior Participant guide and also this reporting from Cassandra Yorgey). This required purchase was in addition to the $9,695 price for the deadly 5-day workshop—not including room, board, travel, and the $250 Peruvian ponchos they were coerced into purchasing for their 36 hour dry fast in the desert. 65 people x $175 each = $11,375 for Mr. Harris direct from James Arthur Ray’s affiliate sales (assuming no discount and that every participant purchased a copy). Has Mr. Harris refunded the dead and injured spiritual warriors? Considering he’s removed evidence of his association with Ray from his website and has made no public comment (that I’m aware of), I sincerely doubt it. (There is a chance that Harris didn’t even know about these sales of course, but that seems unlikely to me given the mutual testimonials and previous affiliate marketing from Ray.)
UPDATE 12/31/2009: Holosync was a required purchase because it was on the schedule 3x/day, at least according to these new publically released photos of the Day 3 schedule for James Ray’s Spiritual Warrior Event. I heard from one source recently that Harris recommends using Holosync for no more than 2x per day of 60 minutes, except at his own retreats. Did Harris approve of, disapprove of, or was he unaware of James Ray’s 3x/day protocol?
James Arthur Ray and Bill Harris, Two New Wage Gurus Supporting Each Other…Sorta
Before the James Ray Death Lodge, Bill Harris had a testimonial from James Arthur Ray on his sales page for Holosync, as you can see here in this cached version stored on the Internet Archive from August 4th, 2008 (scroll down about 1/3 and look on the right—the video in archive.org doesn’t work unfortunately). Here’s a quote from Ray’s testimonial:
“I can guarantee you whether you’re a beginner, or whether you’re advanced in that process or practice, [Centerpointe's] technology is absolutely phenomenal. I personally use it on a daily basis and it has helped me take my personal meditation practice to a whole new height.”
—James Ray
Star of the hit movie The Secret
World Famous Personal Growth Guru
With a guarantee like that from a suspected homicidal guru and master of hyperbole, it’s no wonder James Arthur Ray’s testimonial has mysteriously disappeared from the Centerpointe.com sales page.
Still on the web however is a video of Bill Harris giving a testimonial for Ray on James Ray’s YouTube channel. In this video, Harris calls James Arthur Ray “the genuine article” and a “master of many different disciplines,” and also emphasizes that Ray “knows how to make money”:
James Arthur Ray’s method of making money is to keep people in a large room for hours at a time with no breaks, using every tactic of coercive persuasion known to man to force people to buy his outrageously priced workshops. (To Harris’ credit, perhaps he didn’t know this when he partnered with Ray in selling Holosync…but then I wonder why Harris has been silent about this deadly event?) For $9,695, you could attend nearly 70 Holotropic Breathwork workshops (a powerful psychological technique Ray used without training or certification), and infinite sweat lodges—since Native Americans don’t charge for them. Now that’s what I call abundance!
The Training Liars Club: “Transforming Lies into Profit since 2001″
This video testimonial has the same background as the since-removed testimonial from Ray for Holosync. Both were likely filmed at a “Transformational Leadership Council” event, which should perhaps be renamed the “Training Liars Club,” given the misleading promises of its members and their marketing (again, in my opinion).
The TLC is an exclusive invite-only club for Selfish Help Gurus and New Wage Hustledorks who meet at exotic locations to stroke each others’ egos and scheme about co-marketing ideas (hat tip to Cosmic Connie for these great phrases—I highly recommend her blog Whirled Musings). The Secret was filmed at TLC event in Aspen, Colorado. This popular new age infomercial was carefully crafted to appear like a respectable documentary, and indeed fooled Oprah and many in the New Age marketing demographic. In The Secret James Ray claims the Universe works like Aladin’s Lamp. Ray has indeed mastered the “discipline” of oversimplifying life and conning people:
Like James Arthur Ray’s “the universe as genie,” Bill Harris advertises push-button enlightenment. Both appear to me to be magical wish-fulfillment promises, aimed at our childish desires to have it all.
Jack Canfield of Chicken Soup for the Soul fame started TLC in 2001. In addition to James Ray and Bill Harris, TLC members include superstar personal development blogger Steve Pavlina, New Thought minister Michael Beckwith (also in The Secret), Hale Dwoskin (creator of the much marketed Sedona Method), John Gray of Mars and Venus fame (also in The Secret), Paul Scheele of the pushy marketing self-help organization Learning Strategies Corporation, and many more.
Notably, I haven’t yet been able to find even one of the “leaders” in this group that have come out in support of Ray’s victims, or have even communicated public concern or confusion about the “death lodge.” I’m guessing this is because many of these self help “leaders” lead similar workshops to Ray’s Spiritual Warrior, with similar risks and long waivers with “death clauses” (although with probably less ruthlessness). Anti-cult forums like Rick Ross have hundreds of horror stories from such “Large Group Awareness Trainings,” showing consistent patterns of psychosis, suicide, divorce, bankruptcy, and other negative side-effects from such seminars. LGAT seminar leaders and staff often abandon or throw out participants that are experiencing psychosis from the overly intense exercises and seminar structure. While this doesn’t always happen, it does seem to be a pretty consistent pattern amongst at least some small percentage of LGAT seminar participants (from what I’ve observed personally and from reading on forums like Rick Ross). While I wouldn’t want to eliminate the self-help seminar industry, I do think this is a major safety concern for participants that is rarely addressed in a responsible manner (with a few notable exceptions).
I personally have seen people go through acute psychosis and mania and make really dumb major life changes after such weekend events—which are often encouraged by seminar leaders. In fact, Steve Pavlina says that his own recent “Conscious Growth Workshop” precipitated his separation from his wife Erin. Conscious growth in general often breaks up perfectly fine (and not so fine) committed relationships, something family therapists know but few seminar leaders seem to value or guard against. For instance, it is very common for seminar participants to hook up in hotel rooms during the workshop, having been blown wide open from the hundreds of hugs and sharing of intimate wounds with strangers (some meditation centers have rules against male-female interaction precisely because of this). (Again, this comes from my personal observations of attending workshops and speaking with those who have attended workshops.) These seminar teachers (that I’ve observed) almost never do followups, and when participants complain of negative side-effects they are usually scolded for “not taking 100% responsibility” (LGAT companies themselves almost never take responsibility). Further attempts at justice are met with high-powered legal teams, and settlements generally occur outside of court with gag orders to prevent bad PR. (I should mention that I don’t know anything specifically about Bill Harris’ seminars, and haven’t met anyone who’s attended.)
Bob Proctor, one of Ray’s mentors, is the only guru that has come out with any statement on the death lodge that I’m aware of, towing Ray’s PR line by saying “a lot of people are commenting about him [Ray] that don’t know him and weren’t there.” Nevermind the fact that many insiders who were there have made statements to the press about Ray’s apparently destructive and controlling sociopathic behavior that resulted in the deaths of 3 and injury of 18, and there at least three law suits pending in addition to the homicide investigation. Are these the kinds of “leaders” we want to be following? If some members of the TLC strongly disagree with James Ray’s behavior, they aren’t talking about it yet.
Does Holosync Even Work?
Holosync uses a simple protocol of brain entrainment using what are called binaural beats. There has been much discussion on brain entrainment forums as to whether Holosync’s protocol of decreasing frequency over time in low delta ranges actually works for it’s stated goals. Some have mentioned mild to extreme negative effects from listening to Holosync over time, a phenomenon Centerpointe refers to as “overwhelm,” and claimed to be a normal part of the process.
Michael Hutchison, author of Megabrain—a classic book on brain entrainment, biofeedback, and other mind hacking technologies—has been quoted as saying that the “overwhelm” that comes from listening to Holosync for the recommended 30-60 minutes a day is due to brain malfunction due to the ultra-low frequencies used (see this link). (UPDATE 12/30/2009: I found this link where someone has posted Bill Harris’ response to Hutchison’s claims about Holosync.) I am not a brain expert and can neither confirm nor deny this, but I do find it interesting. I know of at least one friend who uses Holosync who has said that the deeper levels are “really painful,” but he still continues to use it anyway. A competitor claims that the key to healing with sound is not low frequencies but high frequencies, and that in our modern world we are surrounded with rumbling low sounds that have damaged our hearing.
Some swear by Holosync of course, and perhaps they do experience meditation “deeper than a zen monk at the push of a button”—although no one I’ve personally talked to has claimed results in quite that language. Those whom I have talked with have usually expressed that aren’t quite sure if it works or not, but at least it gets them to meditate and relax more often. I think that’s a useful thing, but not worth multiple thousands of dollars in my opinion.
The more important question to me is why we tend to fall for short-cuts to enlightenment and success. Perhaps by exposing such gurus we can begin to see more clearly that success and the spiritual path really are hard work, take time, and don’t have any “secret” shortcuts.
Update 12/22/2009: I was just alerted to a Ning group that discusses Holosync. For more perspectives on this topic, you can go here.
Update: 12/30/2009: I found lots of other reviews and feedback on Holosync, both positive and negative. You can decide for yourself:
- Feedback on Holosync from the Integral Multiplex
- Holy Shit! I-I Endorses Holosync! from the Integral Multiplex
- Centerpointe Holosync – The Real Cost? from the StevePavlina.com forums
- Holosync Dangerous?? from the StevePavlina.com forums
- Centerpointe Research Institute listed on Quackwatch’s Questionable Organizations list
- Amazon.com reviews of Bill Harris’ book on Holosync, Thresholds of the Mind (7 of 21 mention something about the book, Bill Harris, or Centerpointe being heavy on the sales)
Also, check out this newly released image of the schedule for James Arthur Ray’s day 3 of the Spiritual Warrior Event. There are three 65 minute periods for Holosync meditation. What was James Ray’s relationship with Bill Harris and Centerpointe? Why won’t he talk about it like Stanislov Grof has talked about James Ray not being certified in Holotropic Breathwork?
Update 1/3/2009: Required listening! Interview with James “Death” Ray and Bill “Push-Button Enlightenment” Harris, still on the JamesRay.com servers. Quote:
“I’ve known James Ray for a while now, and he is a really, really remarkable person.” ~Bill Harris
Again, I must ask, why hasn’t Bill Harris said anything publicly about James Arthur Ray, post-death-lodge?
If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe for free to get more snarky wisdom at the upper right of the screen. Also, please share this article with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. if moved to do so.
Thanks, Duff, for calling out the “the used car salesmen of spirituality.” Have you seen the latest marketing letter from Ken Wilber? http://bit.ly/3xRQfN Direct from the Bill Harris school of selling spirituality.
"I want to tell you about what I believe is the most significant way to enhance your personal development in all of your lines of intelligence, including spiritual, sexual, physical, emotional and interpersonal: become a member of the integral deep lifestyle movement that is sweeping the globe!" Ken Wilber
Integral deep lifestyle movement sweeping the globe???
I absolutely love the five amazing books that Wilber has written (that's what you get when you edit out his endlessly repeated bits). And he may have good intentions ("As Robb mentioned, we do this out of love), but his attempts to create community are mostly pathetic and splashed with hubris. Early on I had hope that Integral would be a vibrant gathering of smart, aware, relationally competent folks, but alas, I can only shake my head sadly as Ken and Andy loudly ring the bell for the Great Integral Cognitive Line Awakening.
Comment by annika — November 13, 2009 @ 3:06 pm
Duff,
I know that everything we need to know has been said for thousands of years. Believing in this kind of monkey business is like setting a road block to your own awakening. The only biggest discovery that happened in the last 20-30 years is the fact that for the first time we can tell truth from falsehood only if we are an integrous individual. It's called kinesiology and it really works.
wish you all the best
Comment by Florin — November 13, 2009 @ 6:43 pm
Very good piece, Duff. People have been telling me I needed to write about the Holosync scam, but, being intrinsically lazy, I just did a drive-by snark on one of the updates to my long post on James Ray’s Sweatgate. But you really did your homework, and I applaud you. I also love your take on the TLC (“Training Liars Club”) network of self-important New-Wage windbags. (But is Steve Pavlina actually a member? He wasn’t listed as one the last time I checked the web site, at least not on the “Members In Good Standing” page http://www.transformationalleadershipcouncil.com/mr.html)
And I really appreciate your mention of my blog. In all fairness, though, I must tell you that my partner Ron Kaye is the one who came up with the word, “hustledork.” http://revronsrants.blogspot.com/
Comment by Cosmic Connie — November 13, 2009 @ 12:16 pm
Thanks for the link Annika. I know all too well the marketing of Mr. Wilber, having worked for Integral Institute.
This letter is less full of BS than most, but yes, I'm not so sure about this "integral deep lifestyle movement" idea. It seems that what is really sweeping the globe is Wilber's promotional emails.
Comment by Duff McDuffee — November 13, 2009 @ 7:51 pm
Hi Duff, I'm new here… got the recommendation from UrbanMonk, and glad I did. You bring up a lot of excellent points about the Law of Attraction sales culture, this "personal growth" area has become so gimmicky and commercial. Personally, I can't stand The Secret.
I like what you expose here. I think people are getting tired of others trying to sell them fast solutions (push-button enlightenment). I feel bad that there are still so many people willing to pay so much for a promised "solution" to a better life.
I also feel that the attraction-based mindset is becomes psychologically dangerous. It leaves out vital keys that lead to wholeness and emotional integration. I recently wrote a post on accepting suffering that got quite a response from people… they seemed to be tired of the same things I was as far as all this "positive thinking" goes. Here's the post if you'd like to check it out http://bit.ly/3rzdug
Anyway, thank you for calling attention to so many important things here and intelligently opening people's eyes and minds. I've just subscribed, and look forward to checking out your archives and seeing what's to come.
Comment by Miche-SerenityHacker — November 13, 2009 @ 8:16 pm
Duff,
This post definitely meanders a bit, so I expect the comments section is going to get bit crazy talking about many different things, but I really liked the soul of the piece. You captured my feelings on this whole thing pretty well. The only thing I'm worried about by rejecting all of this business is throwing the baby out with the bath water, but I'm already having trouble finding the baby. Any insights?
Comment by Tyler Prete — November 13, 2009 @ 8:23 pm
Thanks for the comment and the link. I think acceptance of suffering is a vital key to any mature personal development or spirituality.
Comment by Duff McDuffee — November 13, 2009 @ 9:06 pm
Yea, it does meander, which tends to be my style. Eric recommended breaking it into 3 posts, which probably would have been smart. Glad you liked the soul of it though.
Great question re: baby and bathwater. I'm wrestling with that one myself, hence my writing. As far as binaural beats and brain entrainment themselves go, I recommend checking out Transparent Corporation and their NeuroProgrammer 2 product, as well as their great forums, and/or BWGen (a free binaural beat program for PC):
http://www.transparentcorp.com/products/np/
http://www.bwgen.com
I've also been enjoying Jack Kornfield's After the Ecstasy, the Laundry for a balanced view of the spiritual path, although I don't necessarily agree with every element of it. I'm also a fan of some obscure NLP authors (which I work for), and will probably write some more about self-inquiry with NLP tools in the future. Meanwhile, if you have any "baby" resources you want to share with us, please do!
Comment by Duff McDuffee — November 13, 2009 @ 9:11 pm
Aloha Duff!
I feel this all very deeply as I have been around these marketers for many years. When I get that *funny* feeling in my gut I know something is off and I need to back away and regroup.
Over time I have learned to simply stay away from the likes of these men and their marketing machines. What once looked like a group of like mined individuals has over and over turned out to be a big ego leading desperate seekers to the poor house (financially and spiritually). Believe me I know!
Your post has me taking a good hard look at my own business marketing and professional relationships.
Always inspiring to visit your blog Duff, Mahalo!
Comment by Gina — November 13, 2009 @ 10:09 pm
Hey Duff,
Back in about 2002, I was sent a Holosync free sample CD. The promotional blah blah blah had Harris's face on it, which I saw BEFORE I listened. I couldn't get over the fact he looks like a stereotypical used car salesman. I listened to the CD and thought : meh! So glad I did.
Every time I see this guy, I can't help thinking: how are people so sucked in?
At any rate, great post. Would you be interested in exploring and critiquing the murky world of neo-Advaita, perchance? That's a swirling morass of dystopic egos and charlatans if ever there was one.
Comment by Amanda — November 13, 2009 @ 10:42 pm
Over time I have learned to simply stay away from the likes of these men and their marketing machines.
That's a wise choice! Investigating this stuff is also part of my own thinking about business marketing–how can we market our healing services and products ethically and responsibly, while still serving our customers? That's the question.
Comment by Duff McDuffee — November 13, 2009 @ 10:56 pm
Thanks, Amanda. I think most people get sucked in the way I did—they think "this guy can't be for real, but maybe there's something to what he's saying," which there usually is, just at 5-10x more expensive than sane alternatives.
I don't have much experience in the world of neo-Advaita personally. The guys over at OpenEnlightenment.org recently took on some of the claims of neo-Advaitists though, and Guruphiliac has taken on a huge number of Indian and Western guru-types:
http://openenlightenment.org
http://guruphiliac.blogspot.com
Comment by Duff McDuffee — November 13, 2009 @ 10:58 pm
Thanks for commenting, Florin.
I'm still a skeptic of kinesiology, but it does seem to be part of a larger hypnotic phenomenon called ideodynamic response. There's probably something to it, but I haven't tried it and thought about it much at this time.
Comment by Duff McDuffee — November 13, 2009 @ 11:00 pm
Thanks, Duff. I've seen Guruphiliac … but I haven't openenlightenment.org so I will enjoy checking it out.
Cheers, and keep posting. I've really enjoyed reading your posts (only discovered you about a month ago & you're on my RSS feed now).
Comment by Amanda — November 14, 2009 @ 1:51 am
Thanks Amanda. I think we got more attention lately after the James Ray death lodge. I've been enjoying writing, so I'm glad there's some people who are enjoying reading.
Comment by Duff McDuffee — November 14, 2009 @ 2:25 am
[...] the original here: The Hollow Sink of Push-Button Enlightenment | Beyond Growth Share and [...]
Pingback by The Hollow Sink of Push-Button Enlightenment | Beyond Growth | Esoteric | Spiritual | New Age — November 13, 2009 @ 7:50 pm
Great stuff. I have to admit that Ray is an extremely motivating figure. There is no doubt that a lot of what he says is true. The problem is, that he didn't allow his participants to follow their own inner guidance to get the heck out of that lodge! I am sure that this wasn't the first time he has done this either. I think the biggest thing that anyone who aspires to "coach" others needs to remember that they are not all-knowing. It is important for any person on a spiritual quest to remember to listen to that small, still voice from within. If it doesn't resonate from within, then get the heck outa Dodge.
I found out about your blog through Urban Monk – bookmarked!
Comment by Dave Hatton — November 14, 2009 @ 6:11 am
There's a difference between brainwave entrainment and working directly on the organs of the ear, like Tomatis based approaches do. These are two completely different methods, with completely different goals, and to use the high frequencies of one method as an argument against the low carrier frequencies of the other makes you look like someone who is ready to use any argument that comes handy against an opponent, even if it's clearly bogus.
Comment by Ullrich — November 14, 2009 @ 6:31 am
There is also too much guilty by association arguments for my taste in this article. It's irrelevant how many people died in the workshops of James Ray when it comes to the efficacy of Holosync.
I would like to see more examples how the future of self development looks like, instead of criticisms of your competition in the field and the constant whining how unethically they operate. Either your own methods work in that jungle, or not. You're like a safari guide who claims to offer the better tours, but first the lions have to become vegetarians before you can prove it.
Comment by Ullrich — November 14, 2009 @ 6:32 am
I heard of hollow sink shortly after "The Secret" first game out…I ordered the introductory video thingy…it was all a sales pitch of course for the frauduct (as my dear friend at SaltyDroid.info would call it.)
I later learned that a friend had purchased the entire collection…and he gave me the set of C.D.'s to listen to… (hows that for the Law of Attraction?!!!)
I couldn't get through 5 min. of it without feeling dizzy and nauseous. All I could hear was this weird screeching annoying sound… that was unbearable…my friend on the other hand heard beautiful chime sounds etc. I heard them, but they were the "background" sounds in my case…
I did write Bill Harris an email questioning why I heard these sounds etc. NO REPLY-funny thing was I had signed up as an affiliate back then to sell this along with a few other affiliate thingy's…(tryin to make a buck online back then with secret stuff…
Never did I ever hear back from Billy boy…sure didn't care about his affiliates OR clients…all I wanted to know was why I heard high pitched screeching…It wasn't faulty C.D.'s either because my friend heard beautiful chiming sounds and he was able to "meditate" I couldn't wait to medicate with an anti-nauseant and prayed it would kick in like REAL fast!
Comment by karinhiebert — November 14, 2009 @ 2:11 pm
Interesting rant, but you advertise your blog as "critical discourse" and this is more a knee-jerk screed against the entire New Age movement. I absolutely agree that Ray and Harris are hucksters taking advantage of people, but please keep your aim trained on them, it is sloppy logic to start spraying condescension on the entire New Age movement.
Bill Harris is NOT the New Age any more than Pat Robertson is Christianity or Sarah Palin is the Republican Party. Every philosophy produces both great minds that truly help people and small time crooks who attempt to bilk people. James Arthur Ray and his Secret cohorts do not teach/sell genuine New Age philosophy, which grows from Buddhism and other Eastern philosophies. The Law of Attraction is from the school of New Thought, and true, it has aggressively gone after the New Age market. But real New Age philosophy warns against their brand of spiritual materialism, and it is so sad to me that "critics" like you carelessly lump the garbage together with what is genuinely helpful to personal growth. You are helping the New Thought hucksters get away with the identity theft of the New Age.
Comment by teenabooth — November 14, 2009 @ 3:26 pm
As I said, New Age and New Thought are not the same thing. I consider myself both an advocate and critic of the New Age, and to all those who enjoy the popular sport of bashing the New Age movement, I respectfully ask that you become a little more familiar with what it is you are bashing. I think you'll find that what you are doing is the equivalent to beating up the victim of identity theft.
http://www.newagepride.org
Comment by teenabooth — November 14, 2009 @ 3:31 pm
I've come to the conclusion that the New Age movement is actually responsible for the garbage. Teachers are reluctant to criticize other movements because they risk turning off present or future customers who may have been influenced by them. Sure, there may be some philosophical differences, but those are downplayed because they all share the same base of consumers.
Comment by @mrteacup — November 14, 2009 @ 6:50 pm
I've heard Tomatis based sound therapy practitioners argue directly that low-delta brainwave entrainment with low tones is dangerous to the ear, even at soft volumes. Now I'm not sure if either perspective is true or false, just thought I'd put it out there.
Comment by Duff McDuffee — November 14, 2009 @ 6:54 pm
I think Harris' close association with James Ray and his lack of public commentary speaks volumes about his integrity.
Comment by Duff McDuffee — November 14, 2009 @ 6:55 pm
I'm not necessarily against the New Age movement in general, just the New Wage movement–the movement of certain individuals towards a tidy profit for themselves through spiritual materialism.
If anything, I'm a member of the New Age!
Comment by Duff McDuffee — November 14, 2009 @ 6:58 pm
I would also add that James Ray and Bill Harris are absolutely members of our movement as well. I don't see them as outsiders, but as two pop spiritual teachers in the personal development/New Age/self-help movement.
Comment by Duff McDuffee — November 14, 2009 @ 7:02 pm
Very happy to meet another New Ager! And however much I'd like to disown all the so called "teachers" that target the New Age consumer, I agree that Ray and Harris are not outside of the New Age movement. I look at them like they are the looney cousins of the New Age, part of the family, yes, but only a small part of a very big family. And because they're rich and flamboyant they get a lot of attention, but we should not assume they speak for the entire family. Nor should the rest of the family be sent to jail because of their crimes. Thanks for making the distinction between New Wage and New Age, much appreciated.
Comment by teenabooth — November 14, 2009 @ 7:12 pm
it doesn't matter what "Age" New Age-Old Age -New school-old school-
bottom line…it is about customer service.
someone isnt happy, refund money, someone dies on your property, watch, or event- take some responsibility! AND if someone sends you an email asking a question as to why they hear screeching high pitched sounds then at least answer the damn email!
bottom line again…???
it is about people and COMMUNICATION….
called "service"
Comment by karinhiebert — November 14, 2009 @ 7:19 pm
Yea, I agree that the crazy flamboyant cousins don't represent the whole family, but sometimes I get overly cynical and treat them like they do. Thanks for reminder to not over-generalize!
Comment by Duff McDuffee — November 14, 2009 @ 8:26 pm
Totally. It's about ethics, service, communication, and honesty.
Comment by Duff McDuffee — November 14, 2009 @ 8:27 pm
I agree that the term "New Age" is mostly used disparagingly. The odd thing is that it's often used by New Age philosophers and teachers to attack other New Age philosophers and teachers. I think I fell a bit into that in this article, and appreciate the link.
Comment by Duff McDuffee — November 14, 2009 @ 8:29 pm
I feel as if this then just reduces spirituality to another part of the marketing mix then. Perhaps it is just the wording for me.
Comment by EricSchiller — November 14, 2009 @ 8:47 pm
I feel as if this then just reduces spirituality to another part of the marketing mix then. Perhaps it is just the wording for me.
Comment by EricSchiller — November 14, 2009 @ 8:47 pm
Servicing others is about spirituality. No?
If not then it might be worthy of a look…?
just sayin'
: )
Comment by karinhiebert — November 14, 2009 @ 8:50 pm
The lack of integrity of both Bill Harris and James Ray is so obvious, it's out of question. It seems though you thrive on criticizing them, as if you were in a co-dependent relationship with them. So I wonder if you can set an example of that integrity you would like to see in the self help field in a positive way.
Comment by Ullrich — November 14, 2009 @ 10:30 pm
The annoying marketing of Bill Harris put aside, Holosync seems to work for some people, and for other is doesn't. The same is true for the sound therapy based on Tomatis' theories.
For none of them is much more than anecdotal evidence available. So I don't see how that statement of the danger of lower frequencies has any more credibility than claims about the efficacy of lowering carrier frequencies for brainwave entrainment.
Besides, according to Tomatis, the low rumbling frequencies are seen as problematic for the fetus, not to the ear of adults. And seen from the original protocols of Tomatis, those people behind that institute you mentioned are scammers as well, because Tomatis was always working based on individual sonograms and not exposing everyone to the same frequencies, as they do.
Comment by Ullrich — November 14, 2009 @ 11:10 pm
The annoying marketing of Bill Harris put aside, Holosync seems to work for some people, and for other is doesn't. The same is true for the sound therapy based on Tomatis' theories.
For none of them is much more than anecdotal evidence available. So I don't see how that statement of the danger of lower frequencies has any more credibility than claims about the efficacy of lowering carrier frequencies for brainwave entrainment.
Besides, according to Tomatis, the low rumbling frequencies are seen as problematic for the fetus, not to the ear of adults. And seen from the original protocols of Tomatis, those people behind that institute you mentioned are scammers as well, because Tomatis was always working based on individual sonograms and not exposing everyone to the same frequencies, as they do.
Comment by Ullrich — November 14, 2009 @ 11:10 pm
The integrity that I'm referring to here is the willingness to speak publicly about the dangers and corruption of various seminars and gurus, which I am displaying.
There are of course infinite subtleties to integrity, and I don't profess any sort of perfection.
Comment by Duff McDuffee — November 15, 2009 @ 12:03 am
Thanks for the additional information about Tomatis. I am no expert on sound healing/therapy. I just found that controversy interesting.
Comment by Duff McDuffee — November 15, 2009 @ 12:04 am
I agree, New Age writers often show a disdain for their own audience that does neither themselves nor their audience any good. They are cutting away at the foundation on which they stand. In my opinion, instead of being irritated and trying to outrun a label that follows one around anyway, why not turn around and embrace it and better define it? Thank you for being an excellent blog host and making your guests feel like they are a respected part of an important conversation. A rare thing in the blog world.
Comment by teenabooth — November 15, 2009 @ 2:41 pm
And thank you for coming by! I enjoy the dialogue.
Comment by Duff McDuffee — November 15, 2009 @ 8:03 pm
Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who don't see this so clearly. Certainly Duff could forget about them, but here he's trying to reach out to everyone, not just those who already agree with him.
Comment by Tyler Prete — November 16, 2009 @ 5:47 am
Thanks for the comment, Dave. Clearly Ray was on a massive power/ego trip, or at least that's what it looks like from the evidence of insider reports from the sweat lodge. I think often those on such a trip have a lot of wisdom or at least wise-like sayings mixed in with the corruption and abuse. Sometimes humiliating events are what can give us the opportunity to develop humility…but that's up to each person to find for themselves.
Comment by Duff McDuffee — November 16, 2009 @ 7:30 am
Yea, James Ray and Bill Harris aren't so obvious in their lack of integrity that everyone sees it, or else they wouldn't be filthy rich fairly well-known spiritual teachers. The point of exposing them is to make it more obvious.
Comment by Duff McDuffee — November 16, 2009 @ 7:32 am
how can we market our healing services and products ethically and responsibly, while still serving our customers? That's the question.
Yes that is the question….I have been soooo turned off by the marketing help out there I have started to flounder…eeek! There must be something in between.
Comment by Gina — November 18, 2009 @ 10:08 pm
I have been reading your posts for sometime here. I agree with the baby and the bathwater problem here–though I do not have a solution. Even though, I agree with what you say on this blog mostly, whenever I read the posts, it turns me away from new age internet gurus ever more slightly. On the other hand, I have benefited from a lot of practical advice given by these internet gurus at different stages of my life.
So, I am wondering that if a reader who reads your blog posts and decides to turn away completely from anything a guru might offer — are we doing him/her a disservice because he/she might have gained something from these gurus too. Is there a way to reconcile being a critic, with encouraging some of the more practical/useful ideas promoted by these gurus. I understand that criticism must be reasonably harsh–otherwise it will serve no purpose…and to temper the criticism with some "balancing" praise will dilute the objective. This is an interesting rhetorical problem, maybe Eric might have an answer
Comment by Koushik — November 18, 2009 @ 9:39 pm
First, I would say that it's our own responsibility to find out what we are getting into. One of the problems for new spiritual seekers is that there is only some or no guidance available and like myself, you have to go through a lot of BS and it seems that there is no escape from it because each of us is unique and what works for one may not work for others.
I had used this product for almost four years and I used it exactly as they say. Not only that it did not work, but it had also brought alot of negativity into my life. Personally, I will highly discourage anyone using this product. I also took the Bill haris LIPP courses and found them useless.
For people who are new in spiritual search, I would say that you should avoid these two people and their products. I am saying this from my own personal experience because I have spent alot of time, money and energy on these two.
1) Bill Haris 2) Siva baba(http://www.sivababa.org)
Comment by Bobby — November 20, 2009 @ 8:03 pm
Siva baba is another conman in my opinion and talks all rubbish. There are many other teachers that are also pseudo, but these two are for sure. I would suggest to a new spiritual seeker that they should be very very careful about what they are getting into. Especially, you should avoid going to fire rituals as it can actually make you sick.
In my spiritual quest, I have found one teacher that is very honest and his teachings are helping me out. and he is Nisargadatta Maharaj. Thanks for the article and Blessings to all!!
Comment by Bobby — November 20, 2009 @ 8:04 pm
Thanks for the support, Toby my man!
While Harris' legal threat was not exactly how I like to receive feedback, I did think that this blog post was not as strong as some of my others, so I took his feedback as a sign that I could clean it up a bit–which I did.
I hope that the new way can emerge even more smoothly in the future, 'cause I think we can do better than to threaten each other.
Comment by Duff McDuffee — December 23, 2009 @ 1:46 am
Congrats on the C&D!
Comment by egilman — December 23, 2009 @ 2:34 am
LOL, thanks!
Comment by Duff McDuffee — December 23, 2009 @ 2:49 am
Yo Bill, I'm real happy for your success at hollow sink and stuff, and Imma let you finish, but PT Barnum was the greatest huckster of all time!
Comment by Ceaser Desist — December 23, 2009 @ 3:46 am
Congrats on the cease and desist letter from Bill Harris! It's a good sign.
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."
– Mahatma Gandhi
You're on step 3.
I know you don't see this as a competition and that you wish the brother no ill will. But at the same time, it really is a battle of ideas — Bill Harris' old, hierarchical, no-money-no-honey way vs. your open source, democratic, dialogical vision of how people can find balance and health. Evidence suggests that Bill Harris' way is dying and that your (Duff's) ecological approach is more in tune with what the world needs right now.
Comment by Toby — December 23, 2009 @ 12:10 am
[...] claiming that he had been served with a cease and desist letter regarding the post titled “The Hollow Sink of Push-Button Enlightenment.” Harris claims that he intends to file suit against Duff for “defamation” in [...]
Pingback by The Secret Fails Harris, Threatens to Sue McDuffee | Beyond Growth — December 28, 2009 @ 9:39 pm
[...] Harris threatens legal action against blogger. After posting a scathing critique of Bill Harris and his “Holo-sync” program, the Beyond Growth blogger McDuffee received [...]
Pingback by Bill Harris threatens legal action against blogger. « shaman sun — December 29, 2009 @ 4:51 pm
[...] of the blog Duff McDuffee wrote a post about Bill Harris and Holosync this past November. It’s a great post :: and I recommended you read it. Bill [...]
Pingback by » Silencing of the Lambs — December 30, 2009 @ 6:21 am
maybe Bill didnt reply to you because he knew you hadn't bought but instead borrowed
the Cds so therefore access to him was for paying customers. Just an assumption.I can careless.
Comment by warren — December 30, 2009 @ 10:50 pm
OK I get it. I agree, it is such a money thing dere. XD Have to live with that. I have almost completely neglected technological uses of entrainment, though, even though I am quite fond of BWgen, SWgen and that other thing, and a third one that I can't remember.
THANK YOU for posting this.
Comment by Otto Jakobson — December 30, 2009 @ 10:56 pm
Nope, I'm in his customer database.
Comment by Duff McDuffee — December 30, 2009 @ 11:01 pm
You're welcome! It's a *corruption* thing, not just a money thing.
Comment by Duff McDuffee — December 30, 2009 @ 11:02 pm
Duff McDufee:
Hi Michal. I used Holosync, it didn’t give me meditation “deeper than a Zen monk at the push of a button.” Why would I spend $2500 more for a product that didn’t work for me?
I’ve also done Voice Dialogue (which I found useful), Big Mind with both Genpo Roshi and Diane Hamilton (which I found mildly useful, but not up to Bill Harris’ and Wilber’s hype), have read Spiral Dynamics as well as about 75% of Wilber’s works, have personally interviewed Don Beck, etc. etc.
3-2-1 is a lame process Wilber made up one day in the loft based on reading about Gestalt I’m guessing, because he himself admits that he hasn’t done much psychological shadow work (he admits this in writing in Grace and Grit). Wilber’s still a genius, of course.
But more importantly than any of this, Bill Harris may have personally profited from the deaths of 3 an injury of 18. Harris promoted the work of James Arthur Ray, and now appears to be trying to cover up that fact rather than taking responsibility. Perhaps he should read something about Gestalt himself, which emphasizes taking responsibility for your actions rather than bullying and blaming others.
Michal Zoczek:
Hi Duff
It would, but you decided otherwise. “Integral” means “construct-aware”, which is another name for “beginner’ s mind”. It also means that whatever/whoever you are before this level, you are an interpretative process. Until you are firmly established at the Integral levels of development, you interpret yourself/others/world through your introjections, which include : language, ego, body, dreams, shadow, your ability to focus, strategies and defence mechanisms that you use, your worldview etc. I see that you are good at 3rd person cognitive understanding of integral theory, but you lack real experience of this stage in 1st person perspective . That affects your 2nd person relations and leads to creation of “beyond growth net”. When I said that Eric’s cognitive apparatus is not sophisticated I meant exactly that, so his interpretative processes, which include language, ego, body, dreams, shadow, his ability to focus, strategies and defence mechanisms, his worldview etc. Before one reaches integral levels of development everything is a witch hunt.
Length of time used to invent anything is not an indicator of its effectiveness. This argument is false. Your interpretative process won’t allow “3-2-1 process” to work. One reason Wilber might not need much therapy is that at integral levels you have 10 times more skills to deal with shadows, you really see them. Just as you see your hands now.
If I like my shop assistant and I introduce him to my friends and family and then he kills 10 people I am responsible?? Then I no longer think that’s an appropriate companion for me, cause he proofed otherwise. So you take devilish James Arthur Ray and combine this person with Bill Harris’ image and have a nice story. What happened at Sedona is James Arthur Ray’s responsibility. You don’t need to call him names, condemn him or instigate your own private investigation – your society has right structures to deal with this.
Comment by Michal Zoczek — December 30, 2009 @ 4:34 pm
Americans have come to believe that there should be no physical or emotional discomfort in life. If we get the right prescription we will no longer be "sad" or our legs won't jump at night or we will enjoy our family again. They are offered two false choices to for attaining that sense of well-being: pharmaceutical drugs and bogus self-help quick fix enlightenment programs. Actually life is messy, problems are part of living and growth is working through our issues and emotions.
Comment by goingthereagain — December 31, 2009 @ 3:15 pm
Well put.
Comment by Duff McDuffee — December 31, 2009 @ 10:29 pm
[...] Duff writes a post specifically poking at Bill, filled with lots of criticisms and some pretty harsh words. (The post just happens to quote me, [...]
Pingback by How To Trash Your PR At The Touch Of A Button: Of Holosync, Bill Harris, and Silencing Critics — MindTWEAKS — December 31, 2009 @ 3:57 pm
[...] it into the multibillion dollar industry it has become. The only thing to do at this point is to single out the Snake-Oil-Salesmen of enlightenment one-by-one, until they have been shown to the world for what they are. Right now, [...]
Pingback by The Secret of The Secret™ « Home Brew Dharma — December 31, 2009 @ 4:25 pm
I'm not surprised Harris sent you a C&D. Friendly communication is not possible with you because you've already decided he's a villain. I read the article before and it was clearly slanderous.
Even after editing, it is still worded intentionally to be negative as possible about Harris. It is clearly an attack, with no attempt made to truthful at all. It is all spin, hyperbole and slander. You use ad hominen attacks and "straw man" throughout. These are not the actions of a person seeking "free dialogue." They are the actions of a person with a self righteous agenda.
Just because you say you're being "objective" or "simply sharing a dissenting opinion" does not mean you actually are. Your actions CLEARLY demonstrate the opposite.
You are a snake in the grass, but fortunately not a very well disguised one. Or maybe my "passive-aggressive self righteous bitching whilst PRETENDING (lying) to be objective" detector is particularly sharp today.
It is my perception that the people who support you do so because they are haters. They get off on hate, and seeing people they are jealous of and resent being attacked. They want to believe you because it makes them feel better about themselves.
p.s. I read your little exchange with Bill Harris on his blog, and in no way was that a vicious attack on you. Quite the opposite.
Comment by Fraser — January 10, 2010 @ 1:26 am
Hi Fraser,
You are certainly entitled to your opinion. What specifically do you see as "spin, hyperbole and slander?"
Curiously yours,
~Duff
Comment by Duff McDuffee — January 10, 2010 @ 5:52 am
Would it be fair to say you started with the premise "Bill Harris is a manipulative con artist" and did your best to present the case for that?
Specifically "s,h & s"? The whole article. But a few examples:
"Holosync can be yours all for the low, low price of $175"
In the context of the article, this sarcastic put-down is meant to imply Harris is trying to screw the customer by over-charging. However, that makes no sense at all, does it? If the product is too expensive then nobody has to purchase it. And I expect there's a money back guarantee? So, what's the problem?
Incidentally, I own the Neuro-Programmer 2 because it's so much better value for money than Holosync. That's my decision as a consumer. However, finding the Neuro-Programmer happened largely by good fortune! They do not market their products the way Holosync does which means few people hear about them. Holosync DO market their products which means LOTS of people get the benefit of the value they offer, should they choose to buy.
It's not for us to decide whether things are priced fairly or not. The market does that. It's an elegant system. Or perhaps your real problem is with capitalism?
You also claim that the Holosync marketing is "pushy"? That's simply not true. It takes 10 seconds to unsubscribe from their email list and visiting their website is your choice.
Also, you say their marketing is manipulative. I have no idea what you mean by this. If you mean they OFFER THINGS PEOPLE WANT then that's not my definition of manipulative. And like I said above, if you find out that those promises are not delivered you ask for your money back.
You actually imply throughout your article that you know better than other people who might consider buying Holosync. If people want to buy it, let them. And again, if they don't like it they can have their money back.
So, now we have removed all the credibility of your assumed objective arguments we can see that your article is nothing more than an attempt to damage Bill Harris' business, that is not based on fact. That is slander.
Comment by Fraser — January 10, 2010 @ 8:19 am
You seem to be throwing around a lot of baseless opinions around for someone claiming to be objective. Hypocrisy much?
Comment by EricSchiller — January 10, 2010 @ 9:41 am
Haha, I just realised *I* started with the premise that you and Duff are fucking idiots so I truly am a hypocrite for saying Duff started with the premise that Harris is a douche.
I still think it's true though. Is it not? Is the piece not intentionally written to discredit Harris? To make him look bad?
Ah, who cares anyway.
Comment by Fraser — January 10, 2010 @ 1:04 pm
So you are a troll, but a 'right' troll? How does that make any sense? It might be worthwhile for you to brush up on what "slander" means. It specifically refers to oral utterances, not the written word.
We don't do very much public speaking here at Beyond Growth.
Comment by EricSchiller — January 10, 2010 @ 9:32 pm
Fraser,
My article is an opinion piece, and my opinion is that Holosync is an overhyped, overpriced product sold with manipulative marketing that may or may not do what it claims for all customers. My article supports this opinion. I've also provided other references (especially at the bottom of the article, and a few links throughout) to other opinions. My intent was not to provide objective news, but my opinion (which may or may not be shared by a specific reader), so it should not be read as one would read an article in the New York Times.
"is meant to imply Harris is trying to screw the customer by over-charging"
Meant by whom? What I meant is to mock Harris' hyped-up sales style like "meditate deeper than a Zen monk…literally at the push of a button!" and "you've just found the most power personal development technology on Earth!" by coping the used-car salesman style. I think I did a good job.
But of course, this is my opinion, and clearly not everyone will agree when one shares their opinion on styles of marketing. I will say that a large number of people agree–just read the reviews for Harris' one and only book on Amazon.com (Thresholds of the Mind): http://bit.ly/91bBAl
"So, what's the problem?"
I have stated the problems clearly–the product is overhyped and overpriced.
I also made several other points in this article–that Harris co-branded with James Ray and has avoided responsibly dealing with this fact in a public way. As someone who has positioned himself as a teacher of personal growth and enlightenment, I find this lack of public comment reprehensible. This is my opinion, and it's legal to express such an opinion. Bill Harris' threat of a BS defamation lawsuit is a common tactic by such "leaders" to repress opinions they don't particularly like.
"It's not for us to decide whether things are priced fairly or not. The market does that. It's an elegant system. Or perhaps your real problem is with capitalism?"
Capitalism is certainly not a perfect system, and there is enormous room for variation within Capitalist economies. The market includes conversations about products and services–you and I are the market for brainwave entrainment products. Markets consist of people; people talk about things. Or as the Cluetrain Manifesto put it, "markets are conversations." Or else why would Harris' be so concerned about my little article as to threaten to sue me? If markets don't include conversations, then my article doesn't matter, and he can safely ignore it.
"Also, you say their marketing is manipulative. I have no idea what you mean by this."
I have given many examples and could give many more. If you don't believe there are *any* criteria for a marketing or sales pitch to be manipulative however, I cannot convince you, as "manipulation" is subjective.
"You actually imply throughout your article that you know better than other people who might consider buying Holosync. If people want to buy it, let them."
There is absolutely nothing I can do to prevent someone from buying Holosync or anything else! I am simply expressing my opinion, which is one among many on the internet (clearly, as illustrated by your comments).
"your article is nothing more than an attempt to damage Bill Harris' business, that is not based on fact. That is slander. "
Slander is verbal communication, and my article is type displayed on screens.
Sharing opinions on consumer products is fully protected free speech, although clearly one man's opinion will contrast with another's. My intent is not to damage anyone's reputation–quite the opposite. My intent is to encourage personal development leaders to take leadership when involved in public acts that cause harm to customers. My intent is also to promote customer protection and critical thinking. Doing so improves capitalist economies as it provides the necessary information for consumers to make informed, rational choices. Sharing opinions and engaging in public discourse is also a necessary and important aspect of democracy, which is why we have free speech rights in the first place, and why I will continue to defend YOUR right to express your opinion–even if I don't agree with it.
Comment by Duff McDuffee — January 10, 2010 @ 9:48 pm
Indeed–claiming my article is "slander" is factually incorrect, and therefore could be classified as defamation!
But seriously, we are advocates for free speech and don't have any high-powered lawyers, so your opinions are safe here, Fraser.
Comment by Duff McDuffee — January 10, 2010 @ 10:27 pm
OK, you win.
I don't want to get another "-2"
You'll probably try to make me sit in the naughty corner next.
Comment by Fraser — January 11, 2010 @ 3:27 am
LOL
Comment by Duff McDuffee — January 11, 2010 @ 4:55 am
Hi,
Just jumping in kind of randomly here.
Firstly: Holosync. I’ve used some of the early ones… still use them from time to time. Nothing else on God’s earth gets me to sit still for an hour! Nothing! So for me I find them helpful. Have also used Sonic Access and found these to be helpful in pursuing creative and other interests. People have noticed the change in me over the years and this I believe is a combination of “intent”, spiritual help (Universe/God/your choice) and useful tools i.e. relaxation cds.
Secondly: If we are sucked in by any product advertising then this can only be useful in helping us to fine tune our intuition. I am a great believer in trusting your ‘gut’ when it comes to the choices we make. Eventually through trial and tribulation we will learn we are our own best judge when it comes to everything. (Ask youself does something feel good or does it feel bad?)
It is sad that you have to be rich in order to benefit from some new-age spirituality. How cruel is that to the majority. However, I believe we are coming into an age when integrity will rule, secret thoughts and intentions will be revealed and systems will change for the better.
Above all, whatever you do, do it with love. If you are directing thoughts, direct them with love no matter how unjust it all seems. Adding hatred to something that is already loathsome is not helping.
Comment by Lane — January 11, 2010 @ 5:27 am
The Salty Droid? Sounds mildly homoerotic. I'm in.
Comment by Fraser — January 11, 2010 @ 6:04 pm
You don't even know…
Comment by EricSchiller — January 11, 2010 @ 11:29 pm
[...] Harris’s Hollow Sink [...]
Pingback by “Balance is Bogus”: The Way of Ray « Spirituality is No Excuse — January 19, 2010 @ 10:47 am
http://www.stevepavlina.com/about-steve-pavlina.h...
"Steve is an active member of the Transformational Leadership Council, a group of some of the world's most influential leaders who pool their knowledge and resources to help create a more conscious, connected, and empowered world."
And rule #1 of the TLC is don't talk about death lodges.
Comment by Duff McDuffee — January 21, 2010 @ 1:34 am
I've found EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) to be very useful in this respect and it balances compassion for oneself and one's "negative emotions" with the desire for positive improvement.
Truly a gem in the Self Help field that has helped me and many thousands all at no cost with relatively inexpensive dvds and training materials.
The core of the EFT setup phrase at the core of the method is simply worded "Even though I…..(feel this feeling/have this problem etc.)..I love and accept myself deeply and completely.
..And although it has its fair share of exponents who are seen by some to be exploiting it for unscrupulous financial gain, EFT lends itself to be used by the individual freely and creatively in a highly personalized manner without impinging one's free thinking faculty or to requiring to compromise one's integrity.
Comment by Khurram — January 22, 2010 @ 10:46 pm
Lots of folks swear by EFT. I've only found it mildly useful, and prefer the techniques of NLP personally. NLP is a *very* shady field though, unfortunately.
Comment by Duff McDuffee — January 22, 2010 @ 10:51 pm
Beautiful blogpost btw Miche…I 've found EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) to be very useful in this respect and it balances compassion for oneself and one's "negative emotions" with the desire for positive improvement.
Truly a gem in the Self Help field that has helped me and many thousands all at no cost with relatively inexpensive dvds and training materials.
The core of the EFT setup phrase at the core of the method is simply worded "Even though I…..(feel this feeling/have this problem etc.)..I love and accept myself deeply and completely.
..And although it has its fair share of exponents who are seen by some to be exploiting it for unscrupulous financial gain, EFT lends itself to be used by the individual freely and creatively in a highly personalized manner without impinging one's free thinking faculty or to requiring to compromise one's integrity.
Comment by Khurram — January 22, 2010 @ 10:50 pm
I Havw been ripped off by Bill Harris for 500$
Comment by Brian — February 17, 2010 @ 10:32 pm
For now, we rely on Jarak and hope Savous and Hyle get back in time. Hed tried to get his men to turn back, then, when they wouldnt, to fight. She turned down the wide corridor that stretched past the arched entrance to the gardens. She swallowed her protest. Frustration and anger buzzed, blurring her vision. Our work is done here. You need someone as test subjects, and it might as well be us. Her sound roused the couple lying before her. Even after all shed done to push them away, they were still there for her. The entire time youve lived among us, Ive been jealous of you. Yes, Brevin agreed, thumbing aside a tear that slid down her cheek. At the end of her rope, Eyrhaen rushed for the door. Its not the same without you. He was on his elbow now, his lips a breath away from hers. It sparked the flame, and she dropped to scream into the mattress. She took long, glorious moments to simply enjoy the tingles that spread throughout her limbs. She could have enslaved the raedjour. He adopted a teacher tone to replace the pained one. And Im hardly one to object, given that Im truemated to another. I havent the time nor the inclination to come up with a spell just now.
Comment by SillWinatatar — February 28, 2010 @ 10:39 am