One of the ways David Miscavige has put his own stamp on Scientology since he became its all-powerful leader after founder L. Ron Hubbard’s death in 1986 has been a shift towards the introductory end of the “Bridge to Total Freedom.”
Under Hubbard, Scientologists were encouraged to become auditors, and also to work their way up to the esoteric secrets of the upper auditing levels, the Operating Thetan or OT levels.
Scientologists today are still encouraged to go OT, but Miscavige has pounded them relentlessly with advertising fliers and mailers that they should all be putting themselves through three key beginner’s courses: Student Hat, the Purification Rundown, and the Survival Rundown, or SRD.
This is a little like a university encouraging its students to sign up for a kindergarten refresher course, but at college prices.
And it’s not only odd that so much emphasis is being put on these lower-level courses, but that so much is being promised about it. Scientologists are expected to gush unreservedly about how much the SRD has changed their lives.
The SRD itself is a brutal regime of mind-warping repetition. Also known by the name “objectives,” the SRD puts Scientologists through hundreds of hours of repetitive picking up of objects and following orders until the brain melts into compliance.
“I personally have felt crazy, insane, not sleeping, waking up in the middle of the night crying, waking up in the middle of the night enraged, slamming and punching my pillows. This is NOT normal behavior for me. I’ve been unable to focus or think at work for days in a row,” said one person to us about the experience of doing the SRD for 25 hours a week on top of their 40-hour regular job.
But that mindfuck is the point, we figure. As Leah Remini once pointed out, Scientology processes are really about producing people who can complete Scientology processes. There are no secrets of the universe being unlocked, or superhuman powers. Still, finishing such a grueling experience may produce a short-lived euphoria.
We thought about that when we saw a new success story posted by the London Scientology org, the same one that, perhaps unwisely, sent out emails with a success story written by Isabella Cruise. This time, they’ve also perhaps revealed a bit more than they might have wanted to. We’ll let you read the success story and then tell us what you think.
Wow! What a journey! Where to start?
This was the journey from nowhere to somewhere. To nobody to somebody and that somebody is myself! l discovered who I am, who I was and who I’m meant to be. This action was the best thing I have ever done in my life and probably my whole time track, because it brought me back to life, here and now, and I feel very alive indeed.
I was a fearful, insecure, immature flower that was usually squashed and stepped on, it had no desire to live, as it never ever reached its goals and was always stopped on the way and sent into a different direction. Now I am proud to be a rose with lots of colour and perfume definitely not being tread on anymore, no Sir!
My life could have been made into a movie, it might be someday, because it was tough, tragic and different, completely different to what a “normal” person’s life must look like. I wasn’t sure I would be alive by age 30 as most of the people I admired in the music industry hadn’t made it and I thought that was my destiny as the world is “too tough for people like me.”
I had so much false data and lived in shadows of depression, couldn’t eat very much as all I could put in my mouth had to be pure and alive and ended up not eating very much, feeling dizzy quite a lot, having daily panic attacks as I felt I couldn’t breathe. What handled my “not being able to breathe” was being an auditor, as I had to give the command so often that I started forgetting about my breathing haha.
To be an auditor was an amazing and fantastic achievement, I remember having a tantrum/panic attack while doing the model session and being literally forced to audit my twin and for the first few sessions I would be close to losing my balance as I had a severe case of vertigo and couldn’t keep my body still. But as time went by, being an auditor was like an anchor to life, an anchor to Earth and I find it is the one thing that gets me uptone and at cause very quickly. I recommend it for people who get too introverted thinking, like I used to be.
My reaction time or comm lag is quite minimal I think. I find myself wondering how is it possible to think several thoughts in less than a second! The first part of the SRD was like unpeeling a fat stinky onion, every layer that came off left me feeling a bit naked and a bit unsure of who I was, as personalities of other people and strange Disney characters would fall off everyday! What a strange person I must have been before. But then the next part of the SRD starting building up on ME, my real self, that I started to like and love and recognize as myself. Now I find that I love other people so much, I get emotional in a good way as my love for others makes them part of my universe and what happens to them seems to happen to me. Now I can help them too, and I want to help them!
My life used to be like a Mexican soap opera, I was quite a sensitive creature that would cry very easily, and the people who knew me before must have thought I was quite a fragile being, which wasn’t true, it’s just that I was walking around in a cloud of emotions that were very strong and like a hurricane were moving me around like mad. I finally feel that I am the hurricane and I move around like mad controlling MEST and people towards pro-survival and ethical actions and activities.
Life in Present Time is quite different to what it used to be, it’s very enjoyable and even just looking at walls or different objects in rooms amuse me. I do feel more efficient and get things done much quicker, sometimes I feel amazed at how powerful, big and strong I feel as a being. It seems as though my beingness keeps expanding and expanding.
Funnily enough, I used to live off admiration or attention of others towards me as an artist and now I don’t really have time for that as I enjoy so much more to be interested than interesting. I have so many goals to achieve now that I am really in a hurry, no time to waste, everything is possible and all is achievable. I feel like I’m part of a new species, a new kind of human being and wonder how life will be like as a superhero.
Also, now there is FUTURE, AND SO MUCH OF IT! I CAN HAVE A FUTURE AND IT IS GOING TO BE AMAZING.
I want to thank the VERY IMPORTANT PEOPLE that helped me get through.
A special thanks to Michele, Anna, Tommy and Demian that kept me going and got me through! A special thank you to Alison, Jenny, Randy and Gabriela who read all my rubbish and gave me the best SRD ever! I love you Guys!
And last but not least a huge embracing thank you to the people who actually made this happen: Richard, Marius, Skye, Cassandra, Monika, Yuliya, Gerry, Barry, Mavis and all the people that put me in session once, twice or more during this journey.
I also want to thank Ron with all my heart, as this is definitely the most important thing to do on the planet and the universe at this time!
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Nuptials gone Clear
Speaking of the London Org, we recognized quite a few faces at this May wedding in Scotland, which features the young hipsters of the Ideal Org and a lovely old estate. Ah, young love.
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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?
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THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] Scientology rock ‘n’ roller goes back to his days with L. Ron Hubbard at sea
[TWO years ago] Federal judge tells Scientology to cool its jets, says arbitration is ‘imminent’
[THREE years ago] How Google is getting gamed in the fight both for and against the Church of Scientology
[FOUR years ago] Project Normandy, 2015: Paulette Cooper has landed in Clearwater — Scientology’s ‘Mecca’
[FIVE years ago] Scientology’s secret plan to take over the world — here it is!
[SIX years ago] Blogging Scientology’s Bible: Vance, We’ve Reached the Finish Line!
[EIGHT years ago] Grant Cardone Takes to the Huffington Post to Head Off “Haters”
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Bernie Headley has not seen his daughter Stephanie in 5,491 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 1,620 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,124 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 1,644 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 664 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 555 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 3,862 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 1,730 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 2,504 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,278 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 2,624 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,190 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,109 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,277 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 2,858 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,119 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,158 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 1,870 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 1,396 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 5,485 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 2,625 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 2,945 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 7,801 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 2,920 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,275 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 5,578 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 1,684 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,086 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 1,958 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 1,541 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,036 days.
Mary Jane Sterne has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,290 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 13,399 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on June 28, 2019 at 07:00
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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.
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