answer:I have an older female relative who was very into this for a while. I was too young to really remember, but this relative took my mom to a retreat and mom said it was very reminiscent of an Amway sales pitch or a fundamentalist tent revival. The relative moved on from est, got into Eckankar, then Scientology. She managed to alienate everyone in her life with her fanaticism. Finally, she found Wellspring and became tolerable/tolerant again. Based on that, I would have to say that est was a gateway cult for people desperate for somebody to help control their lives. I do not think, as a whole, it has stood the test of time.