30/01/95

Dear OSA,

[criticism of the theory behind auditing snipped]

My personal view is that Scientology is complete bunkum and I dont care whether 
you label me PTS, SP or whatever.  These are just labels that you use, another 
example of the black and white mentality of Scientology.  If you can label a 
person SP then you dont have to think about how you treat them, and feel the 
human emotion of guilt, you just apply Hubbards Fair Game policy, obey orders 
without considering whether it is right or wrong.  The complex loaded language 
of  Scientology has been created to interfere with a persons normal ability to 
communicate and reason.  The meanings of the words are twisted, indeed the word 
reasonable in Scientology means unreasonable in English and visa versa.  Because 
our thoughts are constructed partly by interpretation of the language that we 
use, this is a powerful tool.  The poor victim of Scientology ends up unable to 
even think, without thinking in the Scientology mindset.  Dianetics is 
poppycock, and dangerous rubbish which is based on complete fantasy and is 
damaging my sisters mind.

After my Father died my Sister was vulnerable to you.  She was a desperate 
vulnerable person looking for all of the answers, the last thing she needed was 
to end up at a place like your East Grinstead Headquarters.  If Julia had gone 
to a psychotherapist (who have to be specially certified to perform hypnosis), 
and that psychotherapist had said your problems are enormous, you need my 
help, start with this course and lots of auditing.  That psychotherapist would 
be considered an abusive psychotherapist and would be struck off.  A 
psychologist will not make a big deal out of your problems, although he will 
realise that they are important to you, a Scientologist will, its actually what 
he/she is trained to do.  This is not conducive to nurturing a person in a 
positive way.  A Scientologist will try to exaggerate your problems in a 
negative way to make the poor victim spend more.

In auditing apparently you speak very rapidly and in quick succession, you get 
the needle floating and get the person to talk  Some people get a questionnaire 
the first time they do auditing, all about their family.  It is inevitable that 
anybody who is even from the most perfect family in the world, are going to be 
unhappy about something.  The person having auditing is going to be saying 
things, and if they are doing this repetitive questions very fast, this might be 
trance inducing.  If the auditee comes across an engram and says I am very upset 
because this happened to me, and the auditor says keep talking about the 
problem, until the needle floats and says thats it, great, or something like 
this, perhaps if your in a hypnotic trance it is like being told that you do not 
have to feel upset about that situation any more, cause on the one level you 
have got someone who is in a high position who is giving you permission to not 
keep guilt tripping yourself and feeling bad about the situation and also you 
have got the repetitive trance inducing situation and disorienting situation 
where you might be talking about things that are very emotional but you are not 
being given any time to evaluate or express.  This auditing cannot affect a 
person positively.

I understand from ex-Scientologists that I have spoken to that when you go and 
have auditing you feel really high because you have been induced into a state of 
trance and you feel very good.  However after a few days this feeling wears off. 
 You start to feel bad again so you have to go back and get some more.  
Scientology turns its victims into auditing junkies who will lose everything 
they have by spending it on auditing.  This cannot be good.  How can trancing a 
person out to solve their problems without understanding their motivation for 
having the problem be good for a person?  Freud used hypnosis for a while but 
gave it up because it didnt work.  It works on short term things like giving up 
smoking but not on long term problems.

Scientology suppresses the person via Dianetics.  The Scientologist is 
discouraged from thinking about his / her problems outside auditing.  Auditing 
suppressed your thoughts and puts them in the back of your mind so that youre 
no longer aware of them.  Surely the Scientologist should be encouraged to think 
of their problems outside auditing.

Whilst writing I have just thought of some more questions which I would like 
answered.  Why do Scientologists explain Scientology from an anti Science 
viewpoint?  If Scientologists are anti science why do they rave on about this 
scientific instrument, the e-meter?  Why is it called Scientology the Science of 
the mind?  Why can it not be discussed and its claims investigated by anyone who 
is not a Scientologist?  How are engrams transmitted  through the hands to the 
e-meter?  Lie detectors work through perspiration, when you perspire the lie 
detector detects the change in conductivity.  Is this what the e-meter does?  
Whats the difference?  Exactly how are engrams measured?  How are they 
transmitted through the hands?  Is it some sort of change that runs down your 
arms?  Why is it that my Sister cannot discuss Scientology?  Why is it that the 
moment I say something slightly critical of Hubbard or Scientology she has to 
get angry, shout, or run off?  Why is it that both my Brother and my Sister 
believe that there is a world conspiracy and when I attempt to tell them that 
Hubbard was divorced twice, that one of his sons committed suicide, that his 
other son has co - written a book exposing Scientology for what it is, and that 
Hubbard invented and re-wrote his life story, that they have to get angry with 
me and storm off saying, malicious lies.  How did Susan Meister die whilst on 
Hubbards cruise.  If she really did commit suicide as the Scientology story 
suggests (I dont believe this), then she cant have been very happy?  What is 
the suicide rate amongst Scientologists?

The whole experience of Scientology cannot have been entirely bad for my Sister. 
 She might have been shown some kindness by someone when she needed it.  She 
might have made some friends.  However I have to try to do something about my 
Sisters Scientology membership.  Her personality has changed.  She is completely 
unapproachable on the subject of Scientology.  She has threatened to disconnect 
from me if I circulate any information critical of Scientology.  She would not 
give the books back that I leant her, Captive Hearts, Captive Minds, and the 
Total Freedom Trap (which I didnt lend her but she took).  She phoned me up and 
said, We didnt like your books, and Ive thrown them away.  I was appalled by 
this and stated that I would never throw her books away.  I was lucky that Julia 
had given a very large and expensive book on Scientology, I refused to give this 
back until I got my book back.  I continually insisted that I be given my books 
back, or the price of the books.  Eventually Julia said, I am not going to 
Saint Hill this weekend, but I am thinking of going there next weekend and I 
will ask them if you can have them back.  Julia also said, I cant have you 
reading malicious lies.  I mentioned that the contents of the book were not 
contested in English court of law, and that the Scientology Organisation 
contests anything critical of it in a court of law if it stands even a slim 
chance of winning.  Julia then got extremely angry, I said, Please just ask for 
my books back.  Julia said, Ill see what I can do.  Are these not the words 
of someone who is being controlled.  Its a shame that you will not let Julia 
have freedom of information.  Since Julia and my Brothers attendance at 
Scientologys East Grinstead and the new place in Hove they have acted very 
strangely.  I have seen some quite bizarre behaviour.  In this instance when 
Julia gave me my books back she said, there is no basis for a relationship 
between us as long as you read this, and thrust my books at me.  I said, What 
do you mean, your my sister.  Scientology is a totally controlling 
organisation.  It does not encourage independence or individuality.  It removes 
the previously individual persons ability to think and speak for themselves, it 
encourages their dependence on the Scientology Organisation, and it makes them 
act like spoilt children who wont communicate.  Scientology is a totally 
controlling organisation.

The training routines that Julia is taught to use every day effectively shuts 
down her brain, I can see this happen whenever I try to discuss Scientology with 
her.  Scientologists are taught to use trances / chants to shut out evil 
thoughts; these are usually those critical of Scientology, or those brought 
about when someone is criticising Scientology.  Not only is the individuals 
internal information controlled also it seems that the individuals external 
information is controlled.  Indeed Scientologists are taught that any criticisms 
of Hubbard or Scientology are from conspirators.  They are taught that there is 
a conspiracy and that the only true source of information about the Scientology 
organisation, is the Scientology Organisation itself.  Scientific, I dont think 
so, the whole thing is insular and closed from discussion.

The 'Mind Control' that your organisation uses may be understood as a system of 
influences that disrupts an individual's identity (beliefs, behaviour, thinking, 
and emotions) and replaces it with a new identity. I am not very happy that you 
are subjecting my brother and sister to this.  A person under Mind Control 
cannot think critically with regard to the particular Destructive Cult that they 
belong to.  A component of 'Mind Control' is 'Information Control', this is 
practised to prevent the member of the Destructive Cult from learning anything 
about the cult which does not come from within the cults organisation.  
Destructive Cults practice 'Information Control' by telling its members that 
anything that they read that is critical of the cult is not to be believed 
because is part of a conspiracy.

This is a ridiculous situation that has arisen.  I can't speak to my sister or 
brother at all about the topic of Scientology and I find this incredible.  It is 
a difficult situation, I believe that Scientology is extremely damaging and very 
dangerous.  It's practices and techniques seem to be geared towards controlling 
people and encouraging them to spend lots of money and time on courses and 
auditing.  I have heard that auditing is a hypnotic mind control technique and I 
believe this to be true.  My expert opinions are based on reality yours is based 
on fantasy.  The Cult Awareness Network, American Family Federation, Cult 
Information Centre, Family Action Information And Rescue, and numerous other 
charitable groups state that Scientology is a Destructive mind control cult.  
The quality daily newspapers, ordinary daily papers, the Readers Digest, and 
numerous other publications have all been extremely critical of Scientology.  
Psychiatrists, and psychologists say that Scientology / Dianetics uses Mind 
Control, and that Scientology damages people psychologically.  I tend to believe 
these people rather then the Scientology Organisation.  "Why ?", I hear you ask. 
 "Psychiatrists and Psychologists are people who are jealous as there study of 
the mind is incorrect, Scientology is a 'Science of the Mind' and a 
technological breakthrough." I have tried to explain to you why I believe this 
to be untrue.

When I try to warn my sister about this evil organisation she walks away and 
cannot discuss it.  When I try to tell you that L. Ron Hubbard the founder of 
Scientology studied Occultism, was divorced two times, was a millionaire, etc. 
she tells me these are malicious lies.

The only source of truth my sister has is the evil organisation that everybody 
is warning her about.

It is for these reasons that I have to embark upon a crusade.  I am not a 
religious person, I am an atheist.  I am not trying to save my sisters soul.  
What I am trying to prevent is the mental damage that this organisation is going 
to do to her.  People who leave Scientology often require medical help because 
of the terrible damage that it does.  You are playing with my sisters mind.  The 
Government are currently investigating Stage Hypnosis because it is so damaging. 
 Scientology is much worse, it disguises itself as self development and therapy. 
 I would not want anyone but an experienced and certified psychologist to put me 
into a hypnotic trance and give me therapy.  In the wrong hands hypnosis is very 
dangerous and damaging and can be used to control and manipulate people.  You 
are wasting my sisters time and inducing her to spend huge amounts of money, 
life is too short for all this.

Your Scientology Organisation  has taught my sister to be childish.  She has 
threatened me with disconnection if I distribute any literature which is 
critical of critical of Scientology.  She arrived at my house looking very 
anxious, and said that she had a very important question to ask me.  She asked 
me if I had been distributing literature which is critical of Scientology.  I 
lied and said no because I did not want to be disconnected from.  At that time I 
had sent articles to every non - Scientologist family member.  Because I thought 
it was a good idea for them to know that Scientology / Dianetics is not what it 
seems.  I tried to discuss the subject with my sister that day, everything I 
said went in one ear and out the other because you have taught her to not to 
listen to criticism of Scientology.  Frankly her attempt at explaining the fair 
game policy, the kind of world which would be created if everyone was 'Clear' 
etc. frightened me.  She seemed very interested to know who I had contacted and 
what I had read.  She then took two books with her one called 'The Total Freedom 
Trap' (which she took without asking), and the other 'Captive Hearts Captive 
Minds'.  Captive Hearts, Captive Minds describes Destructive Cults and explains 
what they do to people.  It does not refer to Scientology although in chapter 19 
Hanna Whitfield explains what it was like to leave a Scientology.  She took the 
books to the Scientology Headquarters and had them confiscated from her.  She 
then telephoned Judy and said, "we didn't think much of Richard's books".  I 
have taken the trouble to read the Scientology books my sister leant me and I 
can see that only a person under Mind Control would believe they contain 
anything other then simplistic rubbish, pap, science fiction.  The least she 
could have done is read my books, that she was so keen to take.

I do not oppose my sister and brothers involvement in Scientology for any reason 
other then I know they are being damaged.  The organisation is taking my sisters 
time and money.  If she was a free individual who was not being subjected to 
controlling hypnotic and psychological techniques she would not choose to waste 
her life on Scientology.  As an organisation you are conning my sister out of 
her time and money and selling her the false hope of self development from a 
source which will do the exact opposite.  The following is a list of what the 
results of my sisters involvement in Scientology might be:


1. A history of subjection to totalitarian control over a prolonged period 
(months to years).  This includes concentration camp victims, hostages and 
survivors of religious cults.
 
2. Alterations in affect regulation, including:
 Persistent disphoria
 Chronic suicidal preoccupation
 Self-injury
 Explosive or extremely inhibited anger (may alternate)
 Compulsive or extremely inhibited sexuality (may alternate)
 
3. Alterations in consciousness, including:
 Amnesia or hypermnesia
 Transient dissociative episodes
 Depersonalisation / derealisation
 Reliving experiences, either in the form of intrusive post-traumatic stress 
disorder symptoms or in the form of ruminant preoccupation
4. Alterations in self - perception, including:
 Sense of helplessness or paralysis of initiative
 Shame, guilt and self-blame
 Sense of defilement or stigma
 Sense of complete difference from others (may include a sense of specialness, 
utter aloneness, belief that no other person can understand, or non-human 
identity)
 
5. Alterations in perception of perpetrator, including:
 Preoccupation with relationship with perpetrator, including:
 Unrealistic attribution of total power to perpetrator (caution: victims 
assessment of power realities may be more realistic than clinicians)
 Idealisation or paradoxical gratitude
 Sense of special or supernatural relationship
 Acceptance of belief system or rationalisations of perpetrator
 
6. Alterations in relations with others, including:
 Isolation and withdrawal
 Disruption in intimate relationships
 Repeated search for rescuer (may alternated with isolation and withdrawal)
 Persistent distrust
 Repeated failures of self-protection
 
7. Alterations in systems of meaning:
 Loss of sustaining faith
 Sense of hopelessness and dispair