Scientology / Dianetics: Besides the sales pitch, what are the actual daily tools, techniques and practices?
452603
Their techniques are called "technology" (or "tech" for short).\n\nThe main technique is a process called auditing.  You are hooked up to a machine called an E-Meter, which is akin to a primitive lie detector.  Then you are questioned about past traumatic experiences until your auditor is satisfied that you aren't harboring any engrams on whatever topic your auditor chose to explore.  (Engrams are sortof like karma - nasty ooky things that stick to your insides.)  You get to pay for this privilidge, and it generally takes several thousands - if not tens or even hundreds of thousands - of dollars to actually complete the process and completely rid yourself of all engrams.\n\nOther techniques seem to be run-of-the mill meditation and self-hypnosis.  The kind of stuff you can read about in just about any New Age Self-Help book.\n\nThere's a reason you aren't told what it is:  They want to make sure you're good and committed to spending all that money on auditing before you find out its a lie detector test.  If it were a sales-pitch, it would be called bait-and-switch.  Like claiming to sell you a genuine one-of-a-kind 8-track, only to find out later that they're a dime a dozen and a little out of date.
7365
Scientologists are either the believers, or those old hands who realize it's a scam and they are in it to fleece the newcomers. The believers are not insane in the sense that they are "crazy", "psychotic" or whatever. They are desperate for answers to questions that have begged for answers for millenia. Most of these questions boil down to, "Why does life hurt sometimes?" or "Why am I here?". They see a few nuggets of common sense in Scientology, and being desperate for answers, they get conned into accepting the whole load of faulty thinking that comprised L. Ron's philosophy on life. Then they get conned into the space-aliens-as-gods thing or whatever weird nonsense Scientology says to its members. So, yes- I think lots of them are kinda brainwashed, and for the vast majority of Scientologists it's not insanity that gets them to embrace the e-meter.
245258
I would say one of there greatest benefits is that they highly promote the betterment of yourself.  Betterment through learning and knowledge.  I like that part.  Now why Hubbard decided that we are under the rule of Xenu from the planet Teegeeack dumbfounds me.  A huge drawback is that L Ron is exceedingly conceited and his teachings seem to promote that.  In his book Dianetics, early on he states "If you have trouble reading this book, don't be afraid to consult a dictionary and re-read the passage"  \n\nGood riddance L Ron and Good riddance Isaac Hayes!
264403
Scientology was carefully designed to use many previously documented brainwashing techniques.  Passage through the ranks of this cult is achieved through a long-term series of escalating brainwashing sessions.  According to an interview with a Scientology defector Jesse Prince, Tom Cruise became psychotic during a secret Scientology initiation in which he was told that rather than being one person, one is composed of thousands of aliens from all over the universe fighting for control of your body. After completing this initiation, known as OT III, Tom appeared sickly with black circles under his eyes and pasty skin. He said he wanted to be away from Scientology for good. He just wanted to go back to Hollywood and his home and be left alone by Scientology. This would not happen; David Miscavige ordered Cruise could not be let go. Scientology worked on Cruise day and night until he finally returned to Scientology.
549576
One time on a camping trip, a witch and I created a psychic link which allowed us to keep tabs on each other without needing those family band radios.\n\nPersonally, I do spiritual healing with singing bowls. I play the bowl in someone's hand, and feel the vibrations as they extend through the person, and can tell them where the vibrations are and what they're doing.\n\nI used to work with a Reiki master who could tell people many details about their lives while we were doing our energy work. Very specific things\n\nOne time on a camping trip, we felt a spirit near the bon-fire. We had a ring of 40 tiki-torches around the bonfire. It was a still and windless night, but all the tiki flames near the spirit bent in. One of the people in the circle had a fancy camera. After the campout she went to get the film developed, and all the photos from before the visitor turned out, but after that all the film was blank. She took the camera in to be repaired. The repairman asked if she'd been in a nuclear power plant. All the innards were fried from electromagnetism\n\nMy grandmother died while my niece was in utero. After my niece was born, she would look up at areas where no one was standing, and laugh and giggle. We all knew that she was looking at gramma, so we never showed her any pictures. Finally, at about a year old, she could speak, and my sister showed her the family photo album. My niece picked out her photo and said, "That's Old Gramma."\n\nMost of the people I associate with these days are spiritual mediums/fortune tellers
339646
Scientology is an applied religious philosophy. When I say "applied" I mean you actually use it in your life to change or improve existing conditions. This is different from a religious practice. All religions if you learn about them have a basic philosphy, but they also have certain dogma, rituals and observances, and a certain faith or belief is required. There is nothing wrong with this, but Scientology is not that kind of religion. It does not intrude on anyones faiths or beliefs particularly in the area of God , the Supreme Being, or the Infinite. This area is left totally up to the indivdual, which is why you can be a practicing Jew or an Atheist,for example, and still use and apply the priniciples of Scientology in your life. It does not conflict. If anything it will enhance your understanding of your chosen religious practice, if you have one.\nAnd it is only true for you according to your own observation and experience with it. So there is no "belief" required.\n\nThe most basic principle of Scientology is that YOU are your own immortal soul, that this is not a "thing" you HAVE, like a Mind or Body, or house, car, computer...but what YOU actually ARE.\nThe whole purpose of Scientology is to increase an individual's knowledge, understanding and awareness of himself. And thereby his native abilities .\nWhen you do this the sphere and zone of his positive influence increases and moves outward into his life, his family ,his friends, his groups and mankind which he is part of.\n\nHow this result is achieved is the "technology" of Scientology, which was developed by L.Ron Hubbard after his extensive research and the discoveries he made, about the human spirit.There are exact gradient steps or levels worked out, so that anyone can follow this route to spiritual freedom. In Scientology we call this the "Bridge" .\nThe concept is to safely cross from existing states of awareness to  higher states.\n\nHe published a book in 1951 to communicate the basic principles he discovered called: " Scientology The Fundementals of Thought"\n\nRecommend reading this book , it is simply written and most libraries will have a copy.\n\nHope this answer  communicates. Let me know.
927080
Actually, you'd be surprised at how accurate that South Park episode was.  Whenever they had "THIS IS WHAT SCIENTOLOGISTS ACTUALLY BELIEVE" on the screen, they were NOT kidding.  Yes, the bit about aliens is true.  And yes, it's true, L. Ron Hubbard, the science fiction writer, created a "religion".  Here, I'll explain what it's all about.\n\nIt is a CULT. Despite what a few fanatical members may say, it IS a cult. The church harasses & bullies anyone who they deem an "enemy" (basically anyone who has anything negative to say about the "church"). They will RUIN YOUR LIFE if you speak out against them long enough.\n\nThe founder is L. Ron Hubbard, the science FICTION writer who once told a friend that the best way to make lots of money is to start your own religion. Though being a very outspoken critic of psychiatric drugs, it was discovered upon Hubbards death that the anti-anxiety drug hydroxyzine (Vistaril) was present in his body, which several of his assistants would later attest was only one of many psychiatric & pain medications Hubbard ingested over the years. (visit this link to read about the uses of hydoxyzine: http://www.drugs.com/mtm/v/vistaril.html )\n\nScientologists believe the evil alien ruler Xenu killed a lot of aliens (Thetans) from around the universe by bringing them to earth & blowing them up inside volcanoes. They believe the souls of these aliens (these souls are "Body Thetans") have attached themselves to us & cause many of our mental & physical ills. Members who know about Xenu will attempt to deny it or pretend like it doesn’t matter.  They are required to sign a contract binding them to silence on the matter.  Lower level members don’t know about Xenu & accordingly deny everything because they honestly don’t know.\n\nTo rid ourselves of "Body Thetans" & also “engrams” (past negative experiences stored in our unconscious mind) so that we can become “clear”, we have to go through "auditing" with a member of the “church” who uses an "e-meter" to measure our “reactive mind”...... & we have to pay lots & lots of money for “auditing” (purchased in 12.5-hour blocks, costing anywhere from $750 for introductory sessions to between $8,000 & $9,000 for advanced sessions) & to take courses on Scientology to advance to higher “levels” in the “church”. The “church” has also taken a very hostile stance towards psychiatry & psychiatric drugs irrespective of the fact that some people require medication to remain adequately functional in everyday life. They deny the reality of chemical imbalance & profound mental disturbance & accordingly do NOTHING to effectively stabilize the dangerously unstable. The “church” has been known to withhold prescription pharmaceuticals from member (with deadly results).\n\nScientology is undeniably a cult. For more information on what a cult is & what their damaging effects are, please visit the link provided at the bottom of the sources. Just know that Scientology DOES qualify by meeting these 5 criteria:\n\n(1) It uses psychological coercion to recruit, indoctrinate & retain its members. (2) It forms an elitist totalitarian society. (3) Its founder leader is self-appointed, dogmatic, messianic, not accountable & has charisma. (4) It believes 'the end justifies the means' in order to solicit funds & recruit people. (5) Its wealth does not benefit its members or society.
785915
Tom Cruise is a member of the cult of Scientology.  That's why he's so harsh about psychiatric medication.  The cult thinks that those drugs are bad.\n\nThe “church” has taken a very hostile stance towards psychiatry and psychiatric drugs irrespective of the fact that some people require medication to remain adequately functional in everyday life.  They deny the reality of chemical imbalance and profound mental disturbance and accordingly do NOTHING to effectively stabilize the dangerously unstable. The “church” has been known to withhold prescription pharmaceuticals from member (with deadly results).\n\nL. Ron Hubbard advocated taking lots of vitamins, sitting in saunas for hours, and immersing oneself totally in Scientology in order to overcome mental and physical ills.  To rid ourself of “engrams” (past negative experiences stored in our unconscious mind which may cause us mental and physical problems), we have to go through "auditing" with a member of the “church” who uses an "e-meter" to measure our “reactive mind”...... and we have to pay lots and lots and lots of money for “auditing” (purchased in 12.5-hour blocks, costing anywhere from $750 for introductory sessions to between $8,000 and $9,000 for advanced sessions).
597838
Following is a simple description of what Scientology is:\n\nScientology is an applied religious philosophy. When I say "applied" I mean you actually use it in your life to change or improve existing conditions. This is different from a religious practice. All religions if you learn about them have a basic philosphy, but they also have certain dogma, rituals and observances, and a certain faith or belief is required. There is nothing wrong with this, but Scientology is not that kind of religion. It does not intrude on anyones faiths of beliefs particularly in the area of God , the Supreme Being, or the Infinite. This area is left totally up to the indivdual, which is why you can be a practicing Jew or Atheist,for example and still use and apply the priniciples of Scientology in your life. It does not conflict. If anything it will enhance your understanding of your chosen religious practice.\nAnd it is only true for you according to your own observation and experience with it.\nIt is a non denominational religion . The dictionary definition that applies:\nReligion: The spiritual or emotional attitude of one who recognises the existence of superhuman power or powers.\n\nThe most basic principle of Scientology is that YOU are your own immortal soul, that this is not a "thing" you HAVE but what YOU actually are.\nThe whole purpose of Scientology is to increase an individual's understanding and awareness of himself. And thereby his native abilities .\nWhen you do this the sphere and zone of his positive influence increases and moves outward into his life, his family ,his friends, his groups and mankind which he is part of.\n\nHow this result is achieved is the "technology" of Scientology, which was developed by L.Ron Hubbard after his extensive research and the discoveries he made, about the human spirit.\nHe completed his research before his death in 1986 and left all of his results and copyrights\nto the Church of Scientology along with most of his considerable estate., when he died.\n\nHe published a book in 1951 to communicate the basic principles he discovered called: " Scientology The Fundementals of Thought"\n\n There are currently over 8 million Scientologists  in more that 150 countries world wide.This includes various celebrities not just Hollywood ones. \nHollywood media for some reason seems to be making a big deal out of it at the moment. But then they create celebrities just so they can knock them down. If they can't find a reason to do so, they invent one.\nBashing a celebritie's religious choice seems to be in vogue at the moment. I'm sure they'll move on to something else soon.\nMost of these celebs have been Scientologists for many years. It never \nhad any media attention until now. That's the media for you.\nHowever we are a new religion, only 55 years old . This is the normal course for any new concept or idea, if you look through history.\nScientology is no exception. We don't take it personally.\n\nThe true story of Scientology as a religion goes like this:\n1. A philosopher developes a philosophy about life and death.\n2. People find it interesting.\n3. People find it works.\n4. People pass it along to others.\n5. It grows.\nI guess this includes celebrities. Why not?
922304
It is a CULT. Despite what a few fanatical members may say, it IS a cult. The "church" harasses & bullies anyone who they deem an "enemy" (basically anyone who has anything negative to say about the "church"). They will RUIN YOUR LIFE if you speak out against them long enough.\n\nThe founder is L. Ron Hubbard, the science FICTION writer who once told a friend that the best way to make lots of money is to start your own religion. Though being a very outspoken critic of psychiatric drugs, it was discovered upon Hubbards death that the anti-anxiety drug hydroxyzine (Vistaril) was present in his body, which several of his assistants would later attest was only one of many psychiatric & pain medications Hubbard ingested over the years. (visit this link to read about the uses of hydoxyzine: http://www.drugs.com/mtm/v/vistaril.html )\n\nScientologists believe the evil alien ruler Xenu killed a lot of aliens (Thetans) from around the universe by bringing them to earth & blowing them up inside volcanoes. They believe the souls of these aliens (these souls are "Body Thetans") have attached themselves to us & cause many of our mental & physical ills. Members who know about Xenu will attempt to deny it or pretend like it doesn’t matter.  They are required to sign a contract binding them to silence on the matter.  Lower level members don’t know about Xenu & accordingly deny everything because they honestly don’t know.\n\nTo rid ourselves of "Body Thetans" & also “engrams” (past negative experiences stored in our unconscious mind) so that we can become “clear”, we have to go through "auditing" with a member of the “church” who uses an "e-meter" to measure our “reactive mind”...... & we have to pay lots & lots of money for “auditing” (purchased in 12.5-hour blocks, costing anywhere from $750 for introductory sessions to between $8,000 & $9,000 for advanced sessions) & to take courses on Scientology to advance to higher “levels” in the “church”. The “church” has also taken a very hostile stance towards psychiatry & psychiatric drugs irrespective of the fact that some people require medication to remain adequately functional in everyday life. They deny the reality of chemical imbalance & profound mental disturbance & accordingly do NOTHING to effectively stabilize the dangerously unstable. The “church” has been known to withhold prescription pharmaceuticals from member (with deadly results).\n\nScientology is undeniably a cult. For more information on what a cult is & what their damaging effects are, please visit the link provided at the bottom of the sources. Just know that Scientology DOES qualify by meeting these 5 criteria:\n\n(1) It uses psychological coercion to recruit, indoctrinate & retain its members. (2) It forms an elitist totalitarian society. (3) Its founder leader is self-appointed, dogmatic, messianic, not accountable & has charisma. (4) It believes 'the end justifies the means' in order to solicit funds & recruit people. (5) Its wealth does not benefit its members or society.
1041841
I believe that we go through 3 major processes.\n\nDiscovery - Investigating, questioning, exploring new ideas.\nKnowledge - Come to an understanding of these ideas.\n\nI think a lot of people stop here but the last step is the most important.\n\nWisdom - Applying the knowledge in daily life.\n\nIt sounds like you need to apply and practice your beliefs in your daily life.  \n\nLove God, Love others, Love yourself
623890
For Question 1 , see\nhttp://www.spiritualschool.org/articles_everyday.htm\nhttp://www.wwzc.org/dharmaTalks/Freedom_And_Tyranny_Zen_Dogen_Zazen.htm\nhttp://www.quantonics.com/James_SPoP_Chapter_VI.html\nhttp://steinerbooks.org/research/archive/cosmic_and_human_metamorphoses/cosmic_and_human_metamorphoses_2.htm\nhttp://w3w3.blogs.com/w3w3com/business_madness/index.html\nhttp://www.swami-krishnananda.org/vision/vision_1.html\nFor Question 2 , do your best to have a continuous high self-esteem ; though it's not easy as it seems to be. The best ingredients are smiling and 'diving' into students' activities in order to forget about personal problems.
176578
Scientology's doctrines were established by Hubbard over a period of about 34 years, beginning in 1952 and continuing until his death in January 1986. Most of the basic principles of the church were set out during the 1950s and 1960s. Scientology followed on the heels of Dianetics, an earlier system of self-improvement techniques laid out by Hubbard in his 1950 book, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. By the mid-1950s, Hubbard had relegated Dianetics to a sub-study of Scientology. A chief difference between Dianetics and Scientology is that Dianetics focuses on rehabilitating an individual's mind, giving him/her full conscious recall of his experiences while Scientology is more concerned with rehabilitating the human spirit. [1] Scientology also covers topics such as ethics and morality (The Way to Happiness), drug and chemical residues as they relate to spiritual wellbeing (the Purification Rundown), communication, marriage, raising children, dealing with work-related problems, educational matters (study technology), and the very nature of life (The Dynamics).\n\nScientology practices are structured in a series of levels, because Hubbard believed that rehabilitation takes place on a step by step basis. For example, the bad effects of drugs should be addressed before other issues can be addressed. The steps lead to the more advanced strata of Scientology's more esoteric knowledge. This is described as a passage along "the Bridge to Total Freedom", or simply "the Bridge," where each step of the Bridge promises a little more personal freedom in the area specified by the Bridge's definition.\n\nSome central beliefs of Scientology:\n\nA person is an immortal spiritual being (termed a thetan) who possesses a mind and a body. \nThe thetan has lived through many past lives and will continue to live beyond the death of the body. \nA person is basically good, but becomes "aberrated" by moments of pain and unconsciousness in his life. \nWhat is true for you is what you have observed yourself. No beliefs should be forced as "true" on anyone. Thus, the tenets of Scientology are expected to be tested and seen to either be true, or not, by Scientology practitioners. \nScientology offers an exact methodology to help a person achieve awareness of his or her spiritual existence and better effectiveness in the physical world. Exact methods of spiritual counseling are taught and practiced which are designed to enable this change. According to the church, the ultimate goal is to get the soul (thetan) back to its native state of total freedom, thus gaining control over matter, energy, space, time, thoughts, form, and life. This freed state is called Operating Thetan, or OT for short.\n\nThe central practice of Scientology is "auditing" (from the Latin audire,"to listen"), which is one-on-one communication with a trained Scientology counselor or "auditor". The auditor follows an exact procedure toward rehabilitating the human spirit. Most auditing uses an E-meter, a device that measures galvanic skin response.\n\nThe auditing process is intended to help the practitioner (referred to as a preclear or PC) to unburden himself of specific traumatic incidents, prior ethical transgressions and bad decisions, which are said to collectively restrict the preclear from achieving his goals and lead to the development of a "reactive mind". The auditor asks the preclear to respond to a list of questions which are designed for specific purposes and given to the preclear in a strictly regulated way. Auditing requires that the preclear be a willing and interested participant who understands the questions, and the process goes more smoothly when he or she understands what is going on. Per Church policy, auditors are trained not to "evaluate for" their preclears; i.e., they are forbidden from suggesting, interpreting, degrading or invalidating the p
1140737
The newsgroup: Alt.Religion.Scientology\n\nhttp://www.beliefnet.com/boards/discussion_list.asp?boardID=19945\n\nhttp://www.clambake.org\n\nhttp://www.lisamcpherson.org
767364
Exactly.  It is a CULT. Despite what a few fanatical members may say, it IS a cult. The church harasses & bullies anyone who they deem an "enemy" (basically anyone who has anything negative to say about the "church"). They will RUIN YOUR LIFE if you speak out against them long enough.\n\nThe founder is L. Ron Hubbard, the science FICTION writer who once told a friend that the best way to make lots of money is to start your own religion. Though being a very outspoken critic of psychiatric drugs, it was discovered upon Hubbards death that the anti-anxiety drug hydroxyzine (Vistaril) was present in his body, which several of his assistants would later attest was only one of many psychiatric & pain medications Hubbard ingested over the years.\n\nScientologists believe the evil alien ruler Xenu killed a lot of aliens (Thetans) from around the universe by bringing them to earth & blowing them up inside volcanoes. They believe the souls of these aliens (these souls are "Body Thetans") have attached themselves to us & cause many of our mental & physical ills. Even members of the Church of Scientology who know of Xenu will publicly deny the existence of Xenu & Body Thetans, or attempt to minimize their importance. Scientology has many graduated levels through which one can progress. Many who remain at lower levels in the church are unaware of much of the these doctrines, which mostly begin at Operating Thetan level three, or "OT III". Because the information imparted to members is to be kept secret from others who have not attained that level, the member must publicly deny its existence when asked. OT III recipients must sign a waiver promising never to reveal its secrets before they are given the manila envelope containing the Xenu knowledge.\n\nTo rid ourselves of "Body Thetans" & also “engrams” (past negative experiences stored in our unconscious mind) so that we can become “clear”, we have to go through "auditing" with a member of the “church” who uses an "e-meter" to measure our “reactive mind”...... & we have to pay lots & lots of money for “auditing” (purchased in 12.5-hour blocks, costing anywhere from $750 for introductory sessions to between $8,000 & $9,000 for advanced sessions) & to take courses on Scientology to advance to higher “levels” in the “church”. The “church” has also taken a very hostile stance towards psychiatry & psychiatric drugs irrespective of the fact that some people require medication to remain adequately functional in everyday life. They deny the reality of chemical imbalance & profound mental disturbance & accordingly do NOTHING to effectively stabilize the dangerously unstable. The “church” has been known to withhold prescription pharmaceuticals from member (with deadly results).\n\nScientology is undeniably a cult. For more information on what a cult is & what their damaging effects are, please visit the link provided at the bottom of the sources. Just know that Scientology DOES qualify by meeting these 5 criteria:\n\n(1) It uses psychological coercion to recruit, indoctrinate & retain its members. (2) It forms an elitist totalitarian society. (3) Its founder leader is self-appointed, dogmatic, messianic, not accountable & has charisma. (4) It believes 'the end justifies the means' in order to solicit funds & recruit people. (5) Its wealth does not benefit its members or society.
597773
Yes, you are hallucinating and confused. How long have you had this problem?\nWhere are you getting your information from? I'm guessing the media\nand various bogus websites. Is this your usual method of discovery?\n\nI have no desire to convert you to anything, but I will give you some facts about Scientology:\n\nScientology is an applied religious philosophy. When I say "applied" I mean you actually use it in your life to change or improve existing conditions. This is different from a religious practice. All religions if you learn about them have a basic philosphy, but they also have certain dogma, rituals and observances, and a certain faith or belief is required. There is nothing wrong with this, but Scientology is not that kind of religion. It does not intrude on anyones faiths of beliefs particularly in the area of God , the Supreme Being, or the Infinite. This area is left totally up to the indivdual, which is why you can be a practicing Jew or Atheist,for example and still use and apply the priniciples of Scientology in your life. It does not conflict. If anything it will enhance your understanding of your chosen religious practice.\nAnd it is only true for you according to your own observation and experience with it.\nIt is a non denominational religion . The dictionary definition that applies:\nReligion: The spiritual or emotional attitude of one who recognises the existence of superhuman power or powers.\n\nThe most basic principle of Scientology is that YOU are your own immortal soul, that this is not a "thing" you HAVE but what YOU actually are.\nThe whole purpose of Scientology is to increase an individual's understanding and awareness of himself. And thereby his native abilities .\nWhen you do this the sphere and zone of his positive influence increases and moves outward into his life, his family ,his friends, his groups and mankind which he is part of.\n\nHow this result is achieved is the "technology" of Scientology, which was developed by L.Ron Hubbard after his extensive research and the discoveries he made, about the human spirit.\nHe completed his research before his death in 1986 and left all of his results and copyrights\nto the Church of Scientology along with most of his considerable estate., when he died.\n\nHe published a book in 1951 to communicate the basic principles he discovered called: " Scientology The Fundementals of Thought"\nThere are currently over 8 million Scientologists in more that 150 countries world wide. However we are a new religion, only 55 years old. \nThe true story of Scientology as a religion goes like this:\n1. A philosopher developes a philosophy about life and death.\n2. People find it interesting.\n3. People find it works.\n4. People pass it along to others.\n5. It grows.\n\nHope you are a bit less confused. Let me know. \nAs to the hallucinations, I'm not sure if I can help you with that.\n\n(Oh,  and yes I am a Scientologist !)
279713
Scientology is most certainly practiced by millions of everyday people.It was started by L ron Hubbard and has chapters all over.It is also most certainly a cult,although members will argue that point.Scientologists do not believe in conventional medicine.Not even asprin.What if you are a diabetic,and need insulin?A friend of mine(ex friend)has become a minister in the church of scientology,here in Boston.She devotes most of her time and money to it.