Let's Sell These People a Piece of Blue Sky: Hubbard, Dianetics and Scientology by Jon Atack Read Free Book Online Page A

incredibly long hours (the
husband from eight in the morning to midnight Sunday to Friday, and Saturday
afternoons). They were American, although the 1968 use of the Aliens Act
prohibited non-UK residents from studying or working for Scientology in Great
Britain. They bought their clothes from rummage sales, as do most Sea Org
members in Britain. They always looked gray and exhausted. Somehow they managed
to support their baby, though seeing little of him. In spite of it all, they
were usually cheerful.
    The husband was supposedly a Clear, and had done three
levels beyond Clear. He often hinted at his psychic abilities, but
excused himself from any demonstration, in case it “overwhelmed” me. He claimed
to be able to back the right horse, which is how he spent his only free
morning. Nonetheless, he continued to live below the poverty line.
    I went to Saint Hill daily and applied myself to my studies.
Scientology courses are run in a similar way to correspondence courses. The
student is given a “checksheet,” which has the written materials, Hubbard
tapes, and practical work listed in strict sequence on it. The student signs
off each completed step. I sailed through the Basic Study Manual, and went onto
the Hubbard Standard Dianetics Course. 2
    On the Dianetics Course I learned how to use the “Hubbard
Electropsychometer,” or “E-meter,” which shows changes in a person’s electrical
resistance through movements of a needle on a dial. The person receiving
counseling holds two electrodes (in fact, empty soup cans) and the E-meter is
supposed to show changing states of mind, or the “movement of mental mass.” A
“fall” or “read” (rightward needle movement) shows that a topic is “charged.” A
“floating needle” is “a rhythmic sweep of the dial at a slow, even pace.” 3 This supposedly happens when there is no emotional “charge,” or after any
“charge” has been released. So areas of upset are found with the “fall” of the
needle, and their resolution is shown by a “floating needle.”
    The E-meter is used in most auditing. Lists of questions are
checked for responses. A “floating needle” is one of the indications that an auditing
“process” or procedure is complete.
    I had been given my “Original Assessment” 4 at
Birmingham. Dianetic auditing is supposed to dig out buried memories, so it
seemed reasonable that the first step should be an E-metered questionnaire
about my background. This included questions about my relationships with
everyone in my family; anyone I knew who was antagonistic to Scientology; my
education; and a complete alcohol and drug history (including all medicines),
listing every occasion of use. My Auditor asked for precise information about
emotional losses, accidents, illnesses, operations, my present physical
condition, whether I had any family history of insanity, any compulsions and
repressions I felt I was suffering from, whether I had a criminal record, and
if so the details, and my involvement with “former practices,” which in my case
included Zen meditation.
    This “original assessment” is the beginning of the “Preclear
folder,” which contains notes taken during auditing sessions. Auditors keep a
running record of the Preclear’s more significant comments during each session.
    At that time, Dianetic auditing first addressed the
psychological effect of drugs. This procedure was called the Dianetic Drug
Rundown, 5 and it followed a very exact pattern, which has changed
little to this day. The Auditor reads out the list of drugs given by the
Preclear, looking for the most marked E-meter reaction. He then asks for
attitudes associated with taking that drug. If an attitude given by the
Preclear “reads” on the E-meter, the Auditor sets about “running” Dianetics on
it.
    Having asked the Preclear to locate an incident of the given
attitude, the Auditor directs the Preclear to “move to the beginning of the incident,”
and then go