Yesterday I had a family video conference in which my aunt told us about the new and exciting psychology classes she's taking: NLP Coaching (PNL in Spanish).
This is an aunt who once thought she was talking (and sending money) to Prince Harry on Instagram and married a guy who convinced her he was the reincarnation of Jesus (and took most of her savings). So naturally I was a little suspicious.
Turns out NLP is short for Neuro-Linguistic Programming, which is pretty much what you would expect from the name.
The particular variant she got into seems to be pretty much structured like an MLM/pyramid scheme but wrapped up in the language of self-help. My aunt is now working through "certifications" from some random guy in order to become a life coach and try to get other people to take the courses and buy the guy's materials. She's just got her foot in the door, only doing the first (free) course, but other courses range from hundreds to thousands of dollars (USD).This is a problem because my parents support her financially 100% and she takes care of my grandmother. Whatever money she wastes on this is going to be my folks', and they aren't really in a position to throw it away. And no, cutting her off financially is not an option my parents are willing to consider.
Have any of you had family members or friends get roped into this shit? How much of a money sink was it? Does it end after they get their "certifications" or are they expected to keep paying like in Scientology? Did you have any luck getting them to get out at any point?
I know she is very happy going through the program. She's exactly the audience for these types of schemes: no career, (perceived) lack of job opportunities, limited skills, limited education, and low self-worth.
We haven't confronted her about it. I would like to ideally present her with productive, healthy alternatives that aren't scams, but I know that a lot of the appeal of these types of things is the instant gratification offered. And this is obviously a pattern. She's incredibly susceptible to these types of things, and I just want to find a way to get her to a place where she doesn't feel like she needs to seek this type of stuff. More for my parents' peace of mind than anything else. She's in her fifties: trying to get her to be financially independent is probably impossible at this point. But maybe it's possible to keep her busy and fulfilled in a way that doesn't throw away money and line the pockets of some scam artist. Or maybe I'm overreacting.
I don't know what exactly I'm looking for in posting this thread. Maybe just venting because I'm emotionally tired. Maybe advice. Maybe just a space to hear others' stories.
This is an aunt who once thought she was talking (and sending money) to Prince Harry on Instagram and married a guy who convinced her he was the reincarnation of Jesus (and took most of her savings). So naturally I was a little suspicious.
Turns out NLP is short for Neuro-Linguistic Programming, which is pretty much what you would expect from the name.
The particular variant she got into seems to be pretty much structured like an MLM/pyramid scheme but wrapped up in the language of self-help. My aunt is now working through "certifications" from some random guy in order to become a life coach and try to get other people to take the courses and buy the guy's materials. She's just got her foot in the door, only doing the first (free) course, but other courses range from hundreds to thousands of dollars (USD).This is a problem because my parents support her financially 100% and she takes care of my grandmother. Whatever money she wastes on this is going to be my folks', and they aren't really in a position to throw it away. And no, cutting her off financially is not an option my parents are willing to consider.
Have any of you had family members or friends get roped into this shit? How much of a money sink was it? Does it end after they get their "certifications" or are they expected to keep paying like in Scientology? Did you have any luck getting them to get out at any point?
I know she is very happy going through the program. She's exactly the audience for these types of schemes: no career, (perceived) lack of job opportunities, limited skills, limited education, and low self-worth.
We haven't confronted her about it. I would like to ideally present her with productive, healthy alternatives that aren't scams, but I know that a lot of the appeal of these types of things is the instant gratification offered. And this is obviously a pattern. She's incredibly susceptible to these types of things, and I just want to find a way to get her to a place where she doesn't feel like she needs to seek this type of stuff. More for my parents' peace of mind than anything else. She's in her fifties: trying to get her to be financially independent is probably impossible at this point. But maybe it's possible to keep her busy and fulfilled in a way that doesn't throw away money and line the pockets of some scam artist. Or maybe I'm overreacting.
I don't know what exactly I'm looking for in posting this thread. Maybe just venting because I'm emotionally tired. Maybe advice. Maybe just a space to hear others' stories.
