The prior history of "Landmark Forum" is that it did "derive" from $cn.
It's rather convoluted, but Werner Erhart took the $cn Communication Course tech level stuff and created the movement known as "Est."
Werner was actually a powerhouse, upstat "Div 6" entry level public dissemination-type person in the San Fransisco area. Typical with the "church," is shat upon its best producers . . . and getting pissed, Werner took off to do "his own thing."
He set up "Est" . . . . there is a lot of conjecture of the whys and whats of what happened next.
Est flourished, it became quite a colossal enterprise, and all it was pitching was basically the "HAS Course level stuff of TRs 0-9"
The bad news is that some practitioners of Est, running their own franchises and versions of "Est" perverted the basic materials to be applied in an abusive manner such that the doctrine was introduced that "anyone had to be able to experience anything" in order to be "free." and so, women on course had to be willing to be grouped or otherwise humiliated by idiot males in order to get "case gain." Etc., etc.
It became a classic example of aberrated human conduct run amok due to being given license.
Such was the eventual outcry (and law suits) against his stupid shit, Est reformed, renamed and rebranded itself . . . it is now known as "Landmark Forum."
I have attended some of their events to see WTF.
In essence, my observation is that it is the same old, same old of folks wanting to tell you what to believe and what is true for you . . . and they are into making money.
Landmark Forum is a money making, career making enterprise for the individuals involved, just like the Dale Carnegie enterprise nowadays . . . these cats have some info they believe is valuable . . . but, Landmark Forum, stemming from the heritage of the operation, they tend to be applying a lot of the pressure selling tech of $cn to get their "stats."
And while they do use all the tricks of "creating in you the need to buy their stuff" . . . . they do not imprison you as the Cof$ does . . . though they will access, trigger and/or otherwise "masterfully" mess with your own feelings of need, ruin and considerations of needing the information they create in you the need to have to have
Realize Landmark Forum is the outcome of a long history of use of "mind manipulation skills" a la Cof$.
R