Scientology is a cult of blackmail. It only thrives by maintaining strict control over all the contents of its followers' minds. They have various means of extracting information. Auditing sessions use coercion, a potent force in itself, but that's just a smokescreen. The truth is, Scientology has instigated a far more subtle technique to soften up the critical thinking faculties of it's adherents:
Rigorous vitamen, sauna, and exercise regiments. From the outside, it appears to be a healthy combination. The poor, deluded Scientology recruit believes him or herself to be training like an athlete. But the fact is, this masks a carefully managed system of shocks to the system designed to exhaust the trainee. Combine this with long hours of studying the mystically bent, convoluted ramblings of a puerile, 1950's science fiction writer, and the result is a totally compliant convert.
When I was fully engaged in my new religion I had little time for anything or anyone else. It all just seemed so "toxic." My new routine and the exhausting schedule of courses, auditing, saunas, and bicycling alien ted me from my peers right away. My old friends used drugs, watched television, and atejunk food. That made them "toxic" and I was very vocal about it.
They left me behind because they felt the disparity. I changed.
Which was a good thing, at least according to the Staff. At Scientology, I was complimented for my "achievements." They were always happy fill in the vacuum left whenever I lost a friend, or dropped some outside activity. My new friends, and I hate to say this, were boring. Scientologists, as a matter of practice, tend to look down on all the little things that make the world great. I guess it's hard to enjoy an ice cream cone when you're trying to "Clear the Planet."
I can't really pinpoint the exact moment when they started thinking I was a human doormat, but I know it was somewhere between the verbal abuse drills and the probing interrogations disguised as spiritual counseling. I'm probably not the first person to draw a comparison between the Catholic Confessional and Scientology Auditing.
Violence is always employed in the Scientology pecking order. One of the first exercises Scientology recruits are put through is drill involving intense verbal abuse. The techniques they use to teach us self-control is reminiscent of the obedience school you'd put your dog though. Many have likened the training to that of Basic Training.
First he told me that I wasn't supposed to be allowed in the Sauna because I was menstruating. I was way too shocked to respond and then he grinned at me and said he was kidding. He patted the bench next to him and I purposefully strode to the opposite side of the room. It was steamy enough that I couldn't see his reaction when I seated myself.
The niacin was starting to kick in and I was already feeling awkward about that comment. What was he implying? It reminded me of a scene from Silence of the Lambs in which the detective is sexually harassed by a caged psychotic serial killer. In retrospect, she was in a better position than I was. At least she wasn't caged with a psychopath....
Introduction: Awakening From The Nightmare
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Escape From Scientology
After being trapped in an abusive relationship with Scientology, I'm finally free. My escape was only made possible thanks to the hard work of the cyber-activism of Anonymous. I want to explain to the general public how an otherwise intelligent and well adjusted person can get caught up in Scientology's web of deceit. There truly is something evil in that the "Church" manipulates the basic psychology of its members/ victims in a way that is nearly impossible to escape until it's too late. It is also my opinion that they operate with the malign intent to not only drain their members emotionally, deprive them intellectually, but also to keep them oppressed financially. I am publishing an account of how Scientology robbed me of my life; of the jobs I lost, the friends who abandoned me, and worse, the time that I lost while indentured as an unwitting servant in this international criminal enterprise. It sounds almost unbelievable until you wake up to the reality of destructive cults in our midst. Think Jonestown, the Moonies, or the Raelians. These are all above ground cults which flourish in our mostly enlightened society. But they are only the tip of the iceberg. Not all cults need publicity to survive. Most thrive under the cover of darkness. It is my view that Scientology falls within the latter category; that the majority of their activities happen in the dark, paranoid, and secret world dreamed up by the charismatic confidence trickster, L. Ron Hubbard. I want to thank each and every Anonymous hero for your role in my awakening and to thank you for allowing me to present my story here. Sarah X |
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