Erhard Seminars Training

Erhard Seminars Training, (usually referred to as est, in lower-case letters) is the name of a hugely popular and sometimes controversial 2-weekend personal-growth workshop which was presented to the general public in the 1970's and 1980's and is also the original name of the organization which developed and produced the course. Erhard Seminars Training, Inc., 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 word 'est' is an acronym for 'erhard seminars training', and is also Latin for 'it is'.) 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 1970's.  The est Training was delivered, unchanged save for minor modifications to the program, for over 13 years, from late-1971 to late-1984.

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 about this powerful and life-changing 'experience-centered' workshop 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 it's place came a newly-developed course called 'The Forum', which was first held in January 1985. By this time, over 750,000 people around the world had done 'the Training', and many others had participated in any of the other public seminars and courses offered by est. The est Training presented several concepts to the American public, most notably the concept of transformation and taking responsibility for one's life.

'est, Inc.' evolved into 'est, an Educational Corporation', and eventually into 'Werner Erhard & Associates'. WE&A purchased the assets of est in 1981.

Zen
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 for" est. Bartley details Erhard's connections with Zen beginning with his extensive studies with Alan Watts in the mid 1960s. 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.

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 assests to Werner Erhard and Associates and est ceased operations

Staff, participants, and other individuals

 * Valerie Harper
 * Mike Oldfield
 * Yoko Ono
 * Diana Ross
 * John Denver
 * Roy Scheider
 * Harvey Korman
 * Cloris Leachman

Related organizations

 * The Hunger Project 1977 - Present

See also the list of associated organizations.

Biographies of Werner Erhard

 * 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

Other

 * 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

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)