Werner Erhard was born in 1931 in Burgau, Germany. He completed his doctorate in psychology at the University of Vienna and then began a postdoctoral internship at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1960, he founded his own organization, est, based on a method of instruction called "erhapsor" which combined the principles of Gestalt therapy with a new approach to group dynamics. By 1964, est had a worldwide membership of more than a thousand people
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In 1970, est ceased to operate as an organization and Werner Erhard established a nonprofit educational organization, The Werner Erhard Seminars Training (TWES). Since 1971, TWES has conducted one-day intensive workshops worldwide for people interested in self-discovery and personal transformation. TWES is owned by the Erhard Center Foundation.