How Scientology treats a member in real need strains the notion of the word ‘church’

Today we have the story of a Scientologist in a tough situation. We’ll call her Grace. She’s going through a divorce, she has untreated medical problems, and has come to Clearwater to turn things around for her. Instead they have kicked her out. She’s desperate and asking her friends in Scientology for help, but none is coming.

I need help and I need help in several different areas. I guess I should start at the beginning and let you know that I helped my husband build 2 dental practices. Then about 5 years into our marriage I became debilitatingly ill which lasted for 10 years. I still struggle but I’m much better than I was. My husband is asking for a divorce. He doesn’t want to pay me any kind of support. He already pays spousal support for one ex wife until she dies or he does. I need to find some way of supporting myself fully, immediately. I’m not good at math and I’m not good with money which has not been an issue till now because my husband was happy to be in full control of our finances. And it was fine with me because I thought he and I would remain married for the rest of or lives and he would continue to be in control of the money. Now I find myself in some dire financial distress. I am trying to help myself but I have many challenges. After 10 years of trying to handle my body with little improvement I finally decided to address the spiritual side of my issues. I redid a Purif, finished SRD, did a Progress Program to get me up to date on my Grades. My husband then gifted me his Flag money as part of a divorce settlement but I can’t get approved for Flag because of the physical challenges that remain. Upon arriving at Flag I found an FSM but there’s only so much he can do. I just want to be Clear, this is not an FSM cycle. I would have to find some other way of exchanging. I have Flag accommodations paid for and a food account that I can’t utilize because I don’t have ok to be on Base property because of my physical issues. My husband feels that his responsibility in this is over, he has done what he can and is no longer willing to help me. My physical challenges are low blood sugar episodes. When they happen during the night it wake me up. Holding a job will be difficult. For instance today I have only achieved 4 hours sleep so far. When these episodes happen during the day I panic and become confused. I also suffer from fatigue. It has dawned on me quite recently that I may be PTS. I have a plan to go in session for this but first I need to handle my financial PTPs. I also suspect that I have an Out Int situation, which I also plan to handle in session as soon as I can get my finances in a good and happy place. I am at the very bottom rung of the ladder. I am trying to climb back up but there are so many barriers and hurdles. Even though I helped my husband build his businesses there’s still a lot I don’t know about a lot of things. And that’s where I need help. I have an Ethics program from Flag and would need help in implementing it. I need to do Conditions by Dynamics and Exchange by Dynamics. Anyway, TIA for your consideration.

 
Grace’s husband is seeking a divorce and doesn’t want her to leave the marriage with any assets or income. In a normal divorce this dispute would end up in court. Not so in Scientology because it’s unethical to sue a fellow member. In order to stay in good graces with the church Grace has to agree to leave a marriage of 15 years with nothing except her husband’s money on account at the Flag Land Base in Clearwater, which he has agreed to give her.

But Flag the one place in Scientology she can’t be. Since the Lisa McPherson incident in 1995, the sick and elderly have been removed from Flag. After arriving there Grace was told that she’s not allowed on base because of her illness. Grace says she has low blood sugar. There are a number of possible medical causes for this but in Scientology there is one cause of most illnesses — being PTS.

Oddly, after 10 years of illness it has occurred to Grace that she may be PTS, or Potential Trouble Source. One former member tells us “It’s the first and only thing any Scientologist would think of.” The theory by L. Ron Hubbard is that illness is caused by being connected to a Suppressive Person. It’s possible that Flag kicked Grace off base for illness, but a former member suspects there may be more to this story. Grace could have admitted wanting to harm herself at some point, or there could be other factors that lead them to think she’s not mentally balanced and therefore a security risk.

The Flag ethics office wrote a program for her, and it includes Conditions by Dynamics and Exchange by Dynamics but she can’t do them at Flag. These two procedures are usually run together.

In Conditions by Dynamics a person and coach assign conditions to each of Hubbard’s eight dynamics of existence. It’s not auditing. The available conditions for each are Power, Power Change, Affluence, Normal Operation, Emergency, Danger, Non-Existence, Liability, Doubt, Enemy, Treason and Confusion. It starts by assigning a condition to each dynamic, which are self, family, group, mankind, the animal kingdom, the physical universe, spirit and infinity. Then the formula for handling the condition of each dynamic is run. For Confusion it’s just “find out where you are,” but other conditions are more involved.

Exchange by Dynamics is similar. On a large piece of paper the eight dynamics are listed down the left side, and also on the right. Lines are drawn as the connection between each dynamic and all the others are examined. The two procedures could each be done in a day and are not something that costs money. It’s just that nobody wants to help Grace. She’s PTS.

She could pay for a PTS handling at Flag, but she’s not welcome on base. She could pay for one at the nearby Tampa org, but her Flag money is no good there. Money in Scientology always moves up from the local orgs to the continental orgs and advanced orgs. It never moves down from Flag to Tampa. It’s called downtransfer and it’s almost never done.

Grace also thinks she may have an “Out Int” situation. In an Out Int the PC is either “stuck out” or “stuck in” his body and can’t move freely as a thetan. The theory is that this builds up charge. It’s a diagnosis frequently used as an excuse when auditing doesn’t seem to be working.

We asked former member Chris Shelton about Grace’s story. He tells us the situation is not unusual. “Scientology tells you that your problems are all your fault. They trust the church, then they get thrown under the bus and nobody cares. The assumption is that if she were ethical she’d have money and wouldn’t be in this situation.”

We wish Grace well and hope her health and financial situation improves.

— Rod Keller

 
——————–

Scientology’s celebrities, ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and more!

We’ve been building landing pages about David Miscavige’s favorite playthings, including celebrities and ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and we’re hoping you’ll join in and help us gather as much information as we can about them. Head on over and help us with links and photos and comments.

Scientology’s celebrities, from A to Z! Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!

Scientology’s ‘Ideal Orgs,’ from one end of the planet to the other! Help us build up pages about each these worldwide locations!

Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society!

Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in our weekly series. How many have you read?

 
——————–

THE WHOLE TRACK

[ONE year ago] Scientology’s messiah? ‘Hubbard believed he was as great as Jesus, Buddha, & Mohammed’
[TWO years ago] The Scientology lecture in which L. Ron Hubbard revealed the true name of our Earth society
[THREE years ago] The Church of Intimidation: Scientology stalks another ex-member on the taxpayer dime
[FOUR years ago] Monique Rathbun: Hey, Texas court, here’s something to chew on
[FIVE years ago] Scientology tries to psych out Florida — and Chill EB is back!
[SIX years ago] Alanna Masterson’s Dad Calls Connor Cruise “Worst Person in the World” for Her to Date
[SEVEN years ago] No Memorial Service for Scientology President’s Son? “So Despicable, It’s Almost Beyond Words”
[EIGHT years ago] ‘Inside Scientology’: Janet Reitman’s Book Tour Starts Off With a Scientologist Challenging Her

 
——————–

——————–

Posted by Tony Ortega on July 7, 2019 at 07:00

E-mail tips to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We also post updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.

Our new book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is now on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Our book about Paulette, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.

The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2018 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2018), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)

Other links: BLOGGING DIANETICS: Reading Scientology’s founding text cover to cover | UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists | GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice | SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts | Shelly Miscavige, ten years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ

Watch our short videos that explain Scientology’s controversies in three minutes or less…

Check your whale level at our dedicated page for status updates, or join us at the Underground Bunker’s Facebook discussion group for more frivolity.

Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news | Battling Babe-Hounds: Ross Jeffries v. R. Don Steele