I knew a guy who had changed significantly after a weekend retreat with some cultish experience (Landmark Forum, I am, or something like that). 48 hours of inte

I knew a guy who had changed significantly after a weekend retreat with some cultish experience (Landmark Forum, I am, or something like that). 48 hours of intensive experience though no pharmaceutical. He was on every kind of excellence list at uni, on 3 different merit scholarships (which all unfortunately went directly to the uni, not personally to him). That weekend was in the middle of the semester; he basically quit that week, but still came in to campus to complete his TA duties which are hard to drop mid semester; then went on an around-the-world trip for a year. I met him once randomly on the street afterwards, and he said he was happier than ever before, with no intention of going back to his studies or any other aspect of his former life. I had told this around the time he came back from his trip to two of my friends, neither of whom knew that guy. One’s response was “wow, that weekend saved him from decades of misery”. The other’s response was “wow, that weekend had ruined him forever”. 20 years later, I still don’t have a firm opinion myself.