86-526: The Rehabilitation Project Force , or RPF , is the Church of Scientology 's program for members of its Sea Organization who have allegedly violated expectations or policies. This may include members who are deemed to have hidden evil intentions towards Scientology, members who are unproductive in their work or who produce poor-quality work. The program includes manual labor tasks and the study of L. Ron Hubbard 's works. The rehabilitation program may take more than
172-640: A "freeloader's bill": retroactive billing for any auditing received or any Scientology training received while in the Sea Org, which can run into tens of thousands of dollars. While this "freeloader debt" is not legally binding, many former Scientologists have reported that they felt trapped by the "freeloader debt" policy. In his book The Complex: An Insider Exposes the Covert World of the Church of Scientology , ex-Scientologist John Duignan describes RPF members living in
258-522: A centralized bureaucracy and hierarchical structure. ... [Religious Technology Center] is the most powerful executive organization within the Scientology empire, and its current chairman, David Miscavige , is widely recognized as the effective head of the church. The main types of organizations within the Scientology network are: Church of Scientology organizations that are public-facing are called "service orgs". The two main types of services offered to
344-479: A corporate-style office set aside for Hubbard's reincarnation, with a plaque on the desk bearing his name, and a pad of paper with a pen for him to continue writing. All Scientology management organizations are controlled exclusively by members of the Sea Org —which is not a corporation—consisting of the "elite, innermost dedicated core of Scientologists" run as a paramilitary organization : David Miscavige
430-525: A dangerous cult . In some countries, it has attained legal recognition as a religion . The Church of Scientology International (CSI) is officially the "Mother Church", and is responsible for guiding the other Scientology centers. Its international headquarters are located at the Gold Base in Riverside County, California . The Church of Spiritual Technology (CST) is the organization that owns all
516-429: A day, and physical and sexual abuse of minors. Jenna Miscavige Hill , niece of David Miscavige and author of Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape , stated that as a child she often worked 14 hours a day and only got to see her parents once a week, if that. The highest authority in the Church of Scientology network is Religious Technology Center (RTC). The RTC claims to only be
602-487: A device called the Hubbard Electropsychometer or E-Meter. It consists of two tin cans connected to a galvanometer . It gives a crude measure of skin resistance. The E-Meter is not a custom electrodermal activity measurement device, instead it measures the resistance of the body (flesh, bones, liquids, etc.; skin resistance is only a small part of the total resistance being measured) from one hand through
688-506: A forced labour and re-education program against reputedly delinquent members of the Sea Org, which involves long days of hard labor, restricted food, and substandard living conditions. Ex-members have reported physical abuse and that members are prevented from leaving with threats and coercion. Teenagers as young as twelve years old have been assigned to the RPF, and there have been reports of children laboring for considerably longer than eight hours
774-514: A former RPF facility. It was located east of San Jacinto, California and southeast of Gold Base , near the reservation of the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians . This site was sold by the Church in 2002 to the Soboba Band, who turned it into a casino resort. Church of Scientology The Church of Scientology is a group of interconnected corporate entities and other organizations devoted to
860-558: A freeloader who is loafing on post and drifting with the wind." Hubbard later clarified that "(T)his group is the most downstat [unproductive] and one gets assigned to it by being a freeloader, invisible on post, loafing and really goofing up on one's job." In 1969, Hubbard replaced the Mud Box Brigade with the Rehabilitation Unit, again intended for those removed or disciplined "as ineffective or trouble." Following an evaluation,
946-473: A license, and in the 1950s, some auditors were arrested on the charge. The Church disputes that it is practicing medicine, and it has successfully established in United States courts of law that auditing addresses only spiritual relief. According to the Church, the psychotherapist treats mental health and the Church treats the spiritual being. Hubbard clarified the difference between the two: If we processed
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#17328525968411032-566: A license. Since 1971, Scientology now publishes disclaimers in its books and publications declaring that the E-Meter "by itself does nothing", and that it is used specifically for spiritual purposes, not for mental or physical health. L. Ron Hubbard assigned special meanings to many ordinary English words when he wrote about Scientology, and Scientologese has become a language in itself. These are some very basic meanings of words Scientology uses when describing this subject. Auditing in Scientology
1118-465: A list of possible difficulties and relevant phrases, called out by the auditor, helping to guide the auditor to the difficulty. Hubbard clarified how the E-Meter should be used in conjunction with auditing: One of the governing laws of auditing is that you don't run unreading items. It doesn't matter what you are auditing. You don't run unreading items. And you don't run unreading flows. You don't run an unreading anything. Ever. For any reason. Auditing
1204-442: A manipulative profit-making business . In 1979, several executives of the organization were convicted and imprisoned for multiple offenses by a U.S. Federal Court. The Church of Scientology itself was convicted of fraud by a French court in 2009, a decision upheld by the supreme Court of Cassation in 2013. The German government classifies Scientology as an unconstitutional sect . In France , it has been classified as
1290-609: A one job, one time, one place formula completing each job before moving into the next. Each individual thus earns the right to the remedial services he or she will receive." In January 1974, the Rehabilitation Unit was replaced with the Rehabilitation Project Force, or RPF. According to Hubbard, "the RPF has been created by the Commodore [Hubbard] so that redemption can occur. That is basically its only purpose." He identified four categories of people who were to be assigned to
1376-432: A person through the sequential steps to attain Scientology's concept of spiritual freedom. In Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health , Hubbard used the analogy of a bridge: "We are here at a bridge between one state of Man and a next. We are above the chasm which divides a lower from a higher plateau and this chasm marks an artificial evolutionary step in the progress of Man. [...] In this handbook we have
1462-494: A prior interview looking for "charged" subjects—"charge" being that which prevents the PC from thinking on a subject or getting rid of a subject or approaching a subject—on the E-meter, found by asking questions to the PC in regard to them and their fancied case. When the specific objective of any one "process" is achieved, the process is ended, and another can then be started. Through auditing,
1548-497: A rat-infested basement, engaging in degrading jobs for years at a stretch, while denied visits with their spouses or children. Douglas E. Cowan and David G. Bromley state that various scholars and observers have come to radically different conclusions about the RPF and whether it is "voluntary or coercive, therapeutic or punitive". One location, known as the Castile Canyon School or "Happy Valley", has been identified as
1634-403: A reliable and precise indication of changes in the "reactive mind" of the preclear. According to L. Ron Hubbard, the development of the E-Meter enabled auditing techniques and made it more precise. Later, the E-Meter was used to identify which processes should (and could) be run and equally crucially, to determine when to stop running a particular action. As a repair tool, the E-Meter reacts to
1720-503: A rundown as "a series of steps which are auditing actions and processes designed to handle a specific aspect of a case and which have a known end phenomena". Hubbard devised dozens of rundowns. The main rundowns are the levels of the Bridge to Total Freedom , which are the codified sequential steps to attain Scientology's concept of spiritual freedom. One of the earliest rundowns on the Bridge, which most Scientologists are expected to do,
1806-443: A single lifetime. Scientologists state that the E-Meter aids the auditor in locating subliminal memories (" engrams ", " incidents ", and " implants ") of past events in a thetan's current life and in previous ones. In such Scientology publications as Have You Lived Before This Life , Hubbard wrote about past life experiences dating back billions and even trillions of years. When various foundations of Dianetics were formed in
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#17328525968411892-441: A specific type of aberration, we of course would be in the field of mental healing, and so forth. But long ago we actually discovered that we must not process specific aberrations, which takes us out of the field of mental healing. It is quite fatal to do this because in the first place it's an evaluation for the case. In the second place, it's a negative type process; you're condemning the individual for hitting girls. Doesn't validate
1978-406: A staff of nineteen and urged others to join. On September 14, 1959, he wrote: "Here, on half a hundred acres of lovely grounds in a mansion where we have not yet found all the bedrooms, we are handling the problems of administration and service for the world of Scientology. We are not very many here and as the sun never sets on Scientology we are very busy thetans." The most important achievement of
2064-423: A way to participate in community outreach projects. Volunteer Ministers travel to the scenes of major disasters to provide assistance with relief efforts. According to critics, these relief efforts consist of passing out copies of a pamphlet authored by Hubbard entitled The Way to Happiness , and engaging in a method said to calm panicked or injured individuals known in Scientology as a " touch assist ". Accounts of
2150-455: A year to complete, and the Church has been accused of overworking and mistreating its participants. Critics have characterized the RPF as a forced labor and re-indoctrination program comparable to the Soviet gulag system. The Rehabilitation Project Force developed out of a predecessor group, the Mud Box Brigade, which was formed aboard L. Ron Hubbard 's private fleet in the late 1960s. The mud box
2236-506: Is a person with a job completely unrelated to the mission network. ) Golden Era Productions is a 500+ acre property in California also known as Gold Base , occupied by the Church of Scientology since 1979. It is where they make Scientology films, reproduce audio recordings of Hubbard's lectures, and assemble E-meters . In 2011, the Church of Scientology purchased KCET-TV's studio facilities . After five years of renovations and upgrades,
2322-507: Is a small perforated screening box fitted to the suction pipe in the bilge of a ship, and is designed to catch larger solid waste before it can choke the pipeline and potentially damage the pump. The Mud Box Brigade was assigned to clean out the mud box as well as fuel lines, water lines, bilges and other parts of the fleet's ships. Hubbard defined the role as being essentially a punishment duty for unsatisfactory workers: "More candidates will be appointed regularly and promptly every time I find
2408-608: Is aimed at reactivity. You run what reacts on the meter because it reacts and is therefore part of the reactive mind. A read means there is charge present and available to run. Running reading items, flows and questions is the only way to make a pc better. This is our purpose in auditing. Hubbard claimed that the device also has such sensitivity that it can measure whether or not fruits can experience pain, claiming in 1968 that tomatoes "scream when sliced". Scientology teaches that individuals are immortal souls or spirits (called thetans by Scientology) and are not limited to
2494-516: Is an anti-psychiatry lobby organization whose stated mission is to "eradicate abuses committed under the guise of mental health." It operates the Psychiatry: An Industry of Death exhibit which is open to the public in CCHR's building on Sunset Boulevard. It has been described by critics as a Scientology front group . The Church of Scientology began its " Volunteer Ministers " program as
2580-492: Is an activity where a trained Scientologist, known as an auditor, listens and asks the subject, who is referred to as a "preclear", or more often as a "PC", various questions. L. Ron Hubbard incorporated several hypnotic techniques into auditing practice. It is designed to induce a light hypnotic state and create dependency and obedience in the auditing subject. Auditing involves the use of "processes", which are sets of questions asked or directions given by an auditor. Based on
2666-436: Is closest to the nondirective therapy of Carl Rogers (1961), who stressed the importance of having the client find the client's own answers, while the counselor refrains from interpretation, but listens with empathic understanding. Auditing differs from Roger's approach by having the auditor direct the preclear's attention using auditing questions, and by breaking up the session into discrete cycles of action." Hubbard defines
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2752-483: Is described by the Scientology organization as the highest-ranking Sea Org officer, and is referred to by the organization as its captain. The Church of Scientology International (CSI) is officially the "Mother Church", and is responsible for guiding the other Scientology centers. The Church of Spiritual Technology (CST) is the organization that owns all the copyrights of the estate of L. Ron Hubbard . There are numerous other management organizations, including
2838-548: Is it medically or scientifically capable of improving any bodily function." As a result of this ruling, Scientology now publishes disclaimers in its books and publications declaring that the E-meter "by itself does nothing" and that it is used specifically for spiritual purposes. Dutch investigative reporter Rinke Verkerk reported that she was given an auditing session by an 11-year-old in the Netherlands. This has been criticized by clinical psychologists and child psychologists, on
2924-471: Is targeted at a specific area of potential difficulty a person might have. The working hypothesis is that if the subject matter is not "charged"; in other words, if it is not causing any difficulty, then it will not read on the E-meter, and therefore will not be run. John H. Wolfe differentiates auditing from interrogation, prayer, meditation, confession or hypnosis, instead likening it to nondirective therapy : "In its general philosophy and approach, auditing
3010-467: Is the Purification Rundown . The "purif" is a sauna-and-sweat detoxification program requiring a high intake of vitamins, allegedly designed to remove toxins from the body that would inhibit one's recall needed for future auditing. Some of the basic levels of the Bridge include rundowns said to alleviate issues with communication, problems, and upsets. The Clear Certainty Rundown is the step where
3096-466: Is the core practice of Scientology . Scientologists believe that the role of auditing is to improve a person's abilities and to reduce or eliminate their neuroses. The Scientologist is asked questions about past events while holding two metal cylinders attached to an electrical resistance meter ( galvanometer ) with a dial. The term "auditing" was coined by L. Ron Hubbard in his 1950 book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health , which describes
3182-478: Is the head of RTC; officially Chairman of the Board, or COB. RTC employs lawyers and has pursued individuals and groups who have legally attacked Scientology or who are deemed to be a legal threat to Scientology. This has included breakaway Scientologists who practice Scientology outside the central organization, and critics, as well as numerous government and media organizations. Scientology Missions International
3268-525: Is the management organization over the mission network. Missions are small Scientology organizations which recruit new people and deliver basic services and auditing . These were the feeder organizations which sent people into the main Scientology orgs. Previously called franchises and running semi-autonomously under the wing of the Guardian's Office , they were considered "Scientology's life blood" until David Miscavige and his International Finance Police gutted
3354-624: Is the publisher for Scientology books and magazines in the United States, and New Era Publications International, Aps is the publisher in Europe. Past publications organizations include Distribution Center Inc. (Maryland 1955), Publications Organization United States (California 1971), and Scientology Publications Limited (UK 1991). As of 2023, the Bridge Publications print and distribution center, located at 5600 E Olympic Blvd, Commerce, California, occupies 185,000 square feet and prints
3440-435: Is to remove "charged incidents" that have caused trauma, which are believed in Scientology to be stored in the " reactive mind ". These incidents must then be eliminated for proper functioning. In 1952, auditing techniques "began to focus on the goal of exteriorizing the thetan " with the goal of providing complete spiritual awareness. The "preclear" or "PC" is the person who is being audited—the client, formerly called
3526-475: The Anderson Report , an official inquiry conducted for the state of Victoria, Australia , found that auditing involved a form of "authoritative" or "command" hypnosis , in which the hypnotist assumes "positive authoritative control" over the subject. "It is the firm conclusion of this Board that most scientology and dianetic techniques are those of authoritative hypnosis and as such are dangerous. [...]
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3612-491: The Bridge to Total Freedom . The Scientologist believes that completing all the levels on the Bridge will return him to his native spiritual state, free of the encumbrances of the physical universe. The electrical device, termed an E-meter , is an integral part of auditing procedure, and Hubbard made numerous unsupported claims of health benefits. The Food and Drug Administration prosecuted Hubbard for practicing medicine without
3698-541: The Commodore's Messenger Organization , Watchdog Committee , Continental Liaison Offices, and the organizations that manage the dissemination and outreach activities . In the 1950s and 1960s, management was operated from the Hubbard Association of Scientologists International (HASI), and from 1966 until the 1980s it was the Church of Scientology of California (CSC). Critics of Scientology have spoken out against
3784-668: The OT Levels to higher states of awareness and ability. Ultimately, the Scientologist hopes to become, as the sociologist David G. Bromley puts it, "an immortal, godlike expression of the life force". Each Grade on the Bridge has a list of processes that auditors should run. Some auditing actions use commands, for example "Recall a time you knew you understood someone," and some auditing actions use questions such as, "What are you willing for me to talk to others about?" Below are sample commands from processes run in each Grade. Each Grade
3870-486: The "holder of Scientology and Dianetics trademarks", but is in fact the main Scientology executive organization. RTC chairman David Miscavige is widely seen as the effective head of Scientology. Religious Technology Center is the organization at the top of the Scientology hierarchy. RTC was established in 1982, and controls the Dianetics and Scientology trademarks. In 1987, David Miscavige took over control of RTC and
3956-399: The "patient". At most levels of auditing, there are two people present: the auditor is the one asking questions, and the preclear is the one answering them. In some of the upper levels, a person audits oneself, being both auditor and preclear at the same time. The term was created back when the ultimate goal of auditing was to create a person who had been cleared , ergo the person being audited
4042-457: The 1950s, auditing sessions were a hybrid of confession, counseling and psychotherapy. According to Passas and Castillo, the E-Meter was used to "disclose truth to the individual who is being processed and thus free him spiritually". The Bridge to Total Freedom (Bridge), also known as the Classification, Gradation and Awareness Chart (grade chart), is Scientology's primary road map to guide
4128-562: The 1950s. In 1959, he bought Saint Hill Manor , a Georgian manor house near the Sussex town of East Grinstead . During Hubbard's years at Saint Hill, he traveled extensively, providing lectures and training in Australia, South Africa in the United States, and developing materials that would eventually become Scientology's "core systematic theology and praxis". While in Saint Hill, Hubbard worked with
4214-565: The 4.5-acre property was reopened in 2016 as "Scientology Media Productions". The facilities included "three soundstages, postproduction tools, control rooms, music studios, mixing rooms, art departments, scene shops, radio booths, screening rooms, a magazine production space, a live-events hub" and 136,000 square feet of space. In 2018, they launched the Scientology Network . Bridge Publications, Inc. (incorporated 1981 in California)
4300-504: The Church of Scientology verifies that the preclear has correctly attained the State of Clear . There are specialty rundowns such as the three very high-priced "L's Rundowns" available only at Flag which are promoted as executive boosters and promise the ability to be stably exterior— outside of your body . The Super Power Rundown is intended to increase one's perceptions; Hubbard said we have 57 senses which he calls "perceptics". One of
4386-508: The Commodore's Messenger Organization full legal control over Scientology while at the same time insulating both Hubbard and the CMO from any legal liability for running the organizations of Scientology by lying about the level of control they really had." In 1986, after the death of L. Ron Hubbard, Pat and Annie Broeker presented documents from Hubbard showing they had been promoted to "Loyal Officers" and were named as Hubbard's successors in managing
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#17328525968414472-516: The RPF is a "program for Sea Org members who are troublesome or failures. They are segregated from the rest of the group, undergo security checks, and perform manual labor all day. They may not speak to others." The uniform of RPF members is a black boilersuit . RPF members work hard manual labor, which is called MEST work in Scientology parlance, often without the proper tools or safety equipment. They must run (not walk) everywhere they go, are restricted to base, have no liberties , eat leftovers from
4558-441: The RPF who do not want to be on the RPF are first assigned to the RPF's RPF until they choose to join the RPF. When an RPFer messes up, they are assigned to the RPF's RPF, formerly called the "Bilge Brigade", Such members are segregated from other RPFers, get a maximum of six hours sleep per day, receive no pay, no training, no auditing, and may only work on the dirtiest and most demeaning jobs until they make amends or decide to join
4644-563: The RPF. Usual tasks were cleaning sludge and oil from a ship's bilge, or cleaning out the grease traps under the galley . Critics of Scientology, including former Scientologists, have called the RPF an "unusually brutal prison" and an "Orwellian prison", and have compared it to the gulag system of the Soviet Union and the Chinese re-education camps . Leaving the Sea Org , even from the RPF, results in what Scientology calls "freeloader debt" or
4730-565: The RPF: "rockslammers" (people deemed to have hidden evil intentions, as detected by the E-meter ); people who were unproductive and scored poorly on the Oxford Capacity Analysis personality test; "repeated stat crashers", people who were held responsible for declines in Scientology organizations' productivity; and "overt product makers", people who produced poor-quality work. As before, the unit
4816-630: The Saint Hill period was Hubbard's execution of the Saint Hill Special Briefing Course (SHBC). It was delivered by Hubbard from March 1951 to December 1966 and, within the Church of Scientology, is considered the best training course for budding "auditors" in the organization. Scientology groups called "Saint Hill Organizations" located in Los Angeles, Clearwater (Florida), Copenhagen and Sydney still teach this course. Auditing (Scientology) Auditing , also known as processing ,
4902-554: The Sea Org. However, a year later David Miscavige had wrested power from the Broekers and became the leader of the Scientology organization. The Church of Scientology network operates as a multinational conglomerate of companies with personnel, executives , organizational charts , chains of command , policies and orders: Today, what we call "Scientology" is in reality a remarkably complex network of ostensibly independent but clearly interconnected corporate entities. ... with
4988-709: The US. Until the 1990s, few people opened new missions and the push was directed towards celebrities to open missions: Kirstie Alley opened a mission in Wichita, Kansas in 1995, Isaac Hayes and Lisa Marie Presley opened one in Memphis in 1997, and Jenna Elfman opened one in San Francisco in 2001. According to the Church of Scientology, by 2002 there were 197 missions in the US, and by 2008 there were internationally 3,200 missions across 129 countries. (Note: A Sea Org missionaire
5074-698: The Volunteer Ministers' effectiveness have been mixed, and touch assists are not supported by scientific evidence. Many other Scientologist-run businesses and organizations belong to the umbrella organization World Institute of Scientology Enterprises (WISE), which licenses the use of Hubbard's management doctrines, and circulates directories of WISE-affiliated businesses. WISE requires those who wish to become Hubbard management consults to complete training in Hubbard's administrative systems; this training can be undertaken at any Church of Scientology, or at one of
5160-426: The basic axioms and a therapy which works. For God's sake, get busy and build a better bridge!" The current Classification, Gradation and Awareness Chart is printed with red ink on white paper and hangs as a poster in every Scientology organization. A newcomer to Scientology starts the Bridge at the bottom of the chart and rises through the levels, perhaps reaching the level of Clear, then continuing upward through
5246-411: The breast to the other hand. It measures changes in the electrical resistance of the preclear by passing a small electric current (typically in the range from 50 µA to 120 µA) through the preclear's body by means of a pair of tin -plated tubes originally much like empty soup cans, attached to the meter by wires and held by the preclear during auditing. These changes in electrical resistance are allegedly
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#17328525968415332-637: The campuses of the Hubbard College of Administration , which offers an Associate of Applied Science Degree: The church owns a staggering array of properties, from a college on 55 acres in England to a luxury cruise ship. The church often buys historic buildings and refurbishes them in grand fashion. — St. Petersburg Times , 2009 Hubbard moved to England shortly after founding Scientology, where he oversaw its worldwide development from an office in London for most of
5418-521: The copyrights of the estate of L. Ron Hubbard . All Scientology management organizations are controlled exclusively by members of the Sea Org , which is a paramilitary organization for the "elite, innermost dedicated core of Scientologists". David Miscavige is described by the Scientology organization as the highest-ranking Sea Org officer, and is referred to by the organization as its captain. In 1950, L. Ron Hubbard established organizations to manage activities related to his invention of Dianetics ;
5504-559: The crew mess hall , do the dirtiest jobs, and receive only one quarter of regular pay. RPFers receive no training for the types of construction jobs they frequently do, and must learn on the job. The RPF was originally intended to last no more than a couple of months, where the assignee would learn Scientology auditing , if he or she was not already an auditor, by the "read it, drill it, do it" method. RPF members would then co-audit each other to better themselves and make each other more ethical and productive. Sea Org members newly assigned to
5590-477: The disciplinary procedures and policies of the Sea Org, which have been a source of controversy since its inception and variously described as abusive and illegal. Former Sea Org members have stated that punishments in the late 1960s and early 1970s included confinement in hazardous conditions such as the ship's chain locker. In 1974, Hubbard established the Rehabilitation Project Force (or RPF),
5676-465: The early 1980s to avoid further government scrutiny and to limit and compartmentalize liabilities. The Guardian's Office was replaced with the Office of Special Affairs; Religious Technology Center (RTC) was created, and numerous other corporations sprang up during this period, which acquired the name "corporate sort out" (CSO). The idea was to "create a legally defensible structure that would give Hubbard and
5762-475: The form of handwritten notes in preclear folders, which are supposed to be kept private. Judge Paul Breckenridge, in Church of Scientology of California v. Armstrong , noted that Mary Sue Hubbard (the plaintiff in that case) "authored the infamous order ' GO 121669', which directed culling of supposedly confidential P.C. files/folder for the purposes of internal security". This directive was later canceled because it
5848-488: The individual at all. Do you follow? And if carried on very long, does not result in the betterment of an individual. All we're interested in is the spiritual betterment of the individual[.] In 1971, a ruling of the United States District Court, District of Columbia (333 F. Supp. 357), specifically stated that the E-meter "has no proven usefulness in the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of any disease, nor
5934-499: The individual was to receive a set of "specific recommendations which if followed will rehabilitate the individual as a highly effective and worthwhile Sea Org member." Hubbard instructed that "(T)he unit is [to be] worked hard during the day on a rigorous schedule on jobs assigned by the Review Chief handling corrective areas and jobs needing remedy and repair. The Unit itself is thus made into an effective ship's review team. It works on
6020-577: The literary, theatrical and musical works of L. Ron Hubbard. It is wholly owned by Church of Spiritual Technology . Author Services runs the contests Writers of the Future and Illustrators of the Future . Galaxy Press is an imprint of Author Services, spun off from Bridge Publications in 2002. Author Services and Galaxy Press are located at 7051 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028 . There are many independently chartered organizations and groups which are staffed by Scientologists, and pay license fees for
6106-516: The most controversial rundowns is the Introspection Rundown , which is alleged to handle a psychotic episode or complete mental breakdown but was a key factor in the death of Lisa McPherson and has been widely written about. Numerous other rundowns are listed on the right margin of the Bridge to Total Freedom . The Scientology auditing process has raised concerns from a number of quarters, as auditing sessions are permanently recorded in
6192-505: The network in the early 1980s. Missions were operated by a mission holder who paid 10% license fees to the Church of Scientology but kept the bulk of their income to themselves. The new policy was that missions paid a higher percentage to the new Scientology Missions International (SMI), established 1981, and anyone who objected was declared suppressive and their bank accounts seized. Hundreds of mission holders lost or closed their missions and in 1983 there were just forty missions left in
6278-500: The organization's magazines and other Scientology materials. The center's press has the capacity to print 55,000 pages per hour. The warehousing and shipping department is fully automated, with the capability of handling half a million items per week. There are several imprints from across the entire Scientology network which are printed at the main print center, including Effective Education Publishing , Freedom Publishing, and Galaxy Press . Author Services Inc. (ASI) represents
6364-523: The organizations went bankrupt and Hubbard moved to Arizona where he started Scientology . In 1952, Hubbard established the Hubbard Association of Scientologists (HAS), a secular organization, and in 1953 the first Church of Scientology organization was incorporated in Camden, New Jersey . The HAS was dissolved and the Hubbard Association of Scientologists International (HASI), a religious fellowship,
6450-417: The practice, administration and dissemination of Scientology , which is variously defined as a cult , a business , or a new religious movement . The movement has been the subject of a number of controversies , and the Church of Scientology has been described by government inquiries, international parliamentary bodies, scholars, law lords , and numerous superior court judgements as both a dangerous cult and
6536-411: The process. Auditing uses techniques from hypnosis that are intended to create dependency and obedience in the auditing subject. The auditing process involves repeated questioning forming an extended series. It may take several questions to complete a 'process', several processes together are a 'rundown', several rundowns completed and the Scientologist is deemed to have advanced another level on
6622-451: The public are auditing and auditor training. Auditing is the 'counseling', and training teaches how to audit. The levels of auditing and training are charted and described on The Bridge to Total Freedom . All service organizations are separate corporate entities, are licensed as franchises, and pay a percentage of their gross revenues to International Management. Hubbard's image and writing are ubiquitous in service orgs, and each maintains
6708-601: The scientific evidence which the Board heard from several expert witnesses of the highest repute [...] which was virtually unchallenged—leads to the inescapable conclusion that it is only in name that there is any difference between authoritative hypnosis and most of the techniques of scientology." L. Ron Hubbard claimed benefits from auditing including improved IQ , improved ability to communicate, enhanced memory and alleviation of issues such as psychosis , dyslexia and attention deficit disorder . Some people have alleged that auditing amounts to medical treatment without
6794-415: The subjects are said to free themselves from barriers that inhibit their natural abilities. Charged areas can be viewed as areas of misinformation or lies. Once uncovered, they dissipate as their truth becomes apparent and the charge is eliminated once viewed for what it really is, an untruth. The code outlines a series of 29 promises, which include pledges such as: The main intention of an auditing session
6880-493: The top ranking staff, including Hubbard's wife, were indicted for infiltrating the US government in their actions of Operation Snow White , Hubbard went into deep hiding though continued to manage control over the organizations but this time through intermediaries—predominantly Pat Broeker and David Miscavige . After the convictions in United States v. Hubbard , there was a flurry of activity creating new corporations in
6966-473: The use of Scientology technology and trademarks under the control of Scientology management. In some cases, these organizations do not publicize their affiliation with Scientology and operate as front groups . Founded in 1989, the Association for Better Living and Education (ABLE) is an umbrella organization that administers six of Scientology's social programs: The Citizens Commission on Human Rights
7052-463: Was established to be the managing umbrella organization over all other organizations. In late 1954, Hubbard made the official announcement that Scientology was a religion. In 1954, the first Church of Scientology was incorporated in California, which in 1956 was renamed to the Church of Scientology of California. That organization was to become the 'mother church' over hundreds of smaller churches and missions of Scientology until 1981 when that status
7138-467: Was not part of Scientology as written by L. Ron Hubbard. Bruce Hines has noted in an interview with Hoda Kotb that Scientology's collecting of personal and private information through auditing can possibly leave an adherent vulnerable to potential "blackmail" should they ever consider disaffecting from the cult. A number of sources have claimed that information gleaned from preclear folders have indeed been used for intimidation and harassment. In 1965
7224-488: Was passed to the Church of Scientology International . Hubbard had official control of the organizations until 1966 when he publicly resigned, though he continued to give orders to executives, secretly running the organizations. Although Hubbard maintained no formal position within Scientology's management structure, he remained firmly in control of the organization and its affiliated organizations, often using code names and code words to obscure his involvement. When some of
7310-469: Was pre-Clear. However, even after Hubbard created the upper levels, the term preclear was still used even if the person had surpassed the state of Clear. The term has continued to represent the role in auditing rather than the level the person has attained. During an auditing session, the auditor writes down the questions and the preclear's answers, and the papers are stored in the client's PC folder (preclear folder). Most auditing sessions employ
7396-420: Was to work on "one job, one place, one time." A five-hour study period was to be implemented each day to improve the individuals' knowledge of Scientology. According to David G. Bromley and Douglas E. Cowan , the RPF involves a daily regimen of five hours of auditing or studying, eight hours of work, often physical labor, such as building renovation, and at least seven hours of sleep. Mike Rinder wrote that
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