Many of the people who run these kinds of therapeutic programs have written books that they developed their programs from. For a bit of an insider look at one of the most successful (as in made lots of $$), see Netflix's documentary Tony Robbins: I am Not Your Guru. I don't know that I agree with a belief that these programs somehow "prey" upon vulnerable people and just because people pay a lot of money for something doesn't mean they don't get something of value out of it. I think it's a lot harder for someone to convince a consumer to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for a 5 day seminar as opposed to $100 session or a fraction of that as a co-pay. I think therapy clients are more easily taken advantage of by regular therapists than these seminar types.

People choose what they spend their money on. If someone wants to take one of these seminars and no one forced them into it, who cares? Likewise, if someone goes to therapy and then complains they didn't get anything out of it, that seems to me like it's on them. Many people do dumb things with their money. I certainly have. But making a bad choice or a choice that is not right for you doesn't mean you were swindled.