Tennant Report on Narconon
®, 1974:
Misleading Claims
This is an old report, but I think the data it contains can still
shed a lot of light on how Narconon works. A brief explanation of
the report's provenance is in order.
Back in 1974, Narconon New Life of Los Angeles was receiving
California state funds through what was known as the Short Doyle
act, which allocated money to alternative drug treatment programs
-- recovery houses, therapeutic communities, and the like. This
evaluation was conducted at the request of the California State
Department of Health by a team composed of Forest S. Tennant, Jr.,
M.D., Dr.P.H., Jane Thomas, R.N., Mike Reilly, and Joseph Shannon,
M.D., M.P.H. It was submitted to Don Z. Miller, Deputy Director,
Health Treatment System, State Department of Health, Sacramento,
CA, on 31 Oct 1974.
OUTLINE FOR RECOVERY HOUSE
(213) 487-0986
Ben Gibson - Director,
1. HISTORY OF PROGRAM
a. Length of Existence:
Narconon New Life began in June, 1972 as an office that dealt
with out-patients. There was no official funding at that time. It
received its first [Senate Bill] 714 funding in November, 1973.
b. Pattern of Evolution:
Narconon is derived etymologically from Greek and essentially
means "not stuporous." As used by the organization
Narconon, it signifies an aversion or antagonism towards the use
of drugs that depress the central nervous system.
The organization "Narconon" was founded in 1966 by William
Benitez, an inmate in Arizona State Prison who had read and subsequently
ascribed to the writings and doctrines of L. Ron Hubbard. In
1972, out of an apparent need to place released prisoners, a
halfway house was organized. With the work of residents and a
pooling of funds the recovery house, now called Narconon New
Life, soon became formally established and functioning.
The Director of Narconon New Life halfway house is a Mr. Ben Gibson.
Mr. Gibson's actual experiential involvement in the "drug
culture" is minimal. By his own testimony he had tried "pot"
approximately five times and LSD once. He apparently was familiar
with the effects of opiate addiction in New York but his stated
real motivating experience for devoting his energies to
"treatment" and prevention of drug abuse was his
witnessing of a dramatic suicide attempt. His vocational
background was principally in the fringe arts (handicrafts).
Although he did not obtain an undergraduate degree he is
obviously an articulate, disciplined, and ambitious man. He
states that he received an honorary L.L.D. from the California
College of Law. Hence the title "Dr." Gibson.
An apparently important figure in the development of Narconon in
California is a Mr. Greg Zerovnik. Mr. Zerovnik is presently National
Director of Narconon-United States and is based in Los Angeles. His
academic background includes a B.A. in Fine Arts. His experiential
relationship to the "drug scene" includes, by his own
testimony, a two and one-half to three year history of
"dealing drugs" in the Bay area. Whether or not he was
ever a "user" is ambiguous. In any case he is also
articulate, disciplined and ambitious. He, as well as Mr. Gibson,
are "ministers" in the Church of Scientology.
®
2. CONTRACT DATA
a. Number: This information was not available to us.
b. Date: The first SB 714 contract was awarded November 7, 1973.
The current SB 714 contract was awarded July 1, 1974.
c. Number of Beds (Contract and Non-Contract): There were eight
beds available for a duration of treatment of 120 days.
d. Amount of Money: The amount of money received was $44,000 plus
$1320 in patient fees. The money is paid at the rate of $15.00 per
patient per day.
e. Non-Contract Money -- Sources and Amount: Narconon has a
California Youth Authority contract for $300 per month per
patient. There is no limit on the number of subjects that can be
taken. Most additional monies appear to be raised by the selling
of educational courses to residents and clients attending on an
outpatient basis.
3. FUNDING PROPOSAL FOR SHORT-DOYLE
The first proposal that was submitted for 714 funding was to L.A. County
through the Echo Parks - Sierra Lake Coalition (now Central Drug
Coalition) for slightly over $330,000. There was not a copy of this
proposal on the premises and we were told that all the copies were
submitted to the County and therefore they had not copies.
A second proposal was
submitted in 1974 for approximately $497,000. This proposal is
attached. Almost the entire proposal is dedicated to testimonies
and statements of the effectiveness of Narconon. There is no
mention in the proposal about Scientology. There is no mention
about the population to be served, the objectives, staff pattern,
community coordination, evaluation, and very little about the
treatment process. There is a statement in the proposal about
non-medical detoxification which states that Narconon's
detoxification procedure enables the addict to get off heroin
without using any substitute drug or suffering heavy withdrawal
pains. In the budget there are slots for six detoxification
specialists. These specialists are non-medical and trained within
Narconon itself.
4. BOARD OF DIRECTORS
a. Profit or Non-Profit
Corporation: Narconon has been a non-profit corporation under the
state of California since May 1, 1970.
b. Members: There are three
members of the Board of Directors: 1) William C. Benitez, 2)
Henning Heldt; 3) Arthur J. Maren. All three members are
Scientologists and Heldt and Maren are employed full time in the
Church of Scientology. This documentation of board members of
Narconon lends direct support to the supposition that Narconon is
closely aligned with the Church of Scientology.
c. How Often Do They Meet:
The Articles of Incorporation state the Board will meet once per
year although they may have special meetings.
d. Financial and Other
Reports for Board: According to the Narconon staff reports are
sent monthly to Director of Narconon U.S. (Zerovnik) who, in
turn, keeps the Board informed.
5. FACILITY
a. License for Facility: The
facility does not have a board and care license. During the past
month they were visited by representatives of L.A. County
concerning this license. However, there is apparently no active
movement underway to acquire the board and care license.
b. Square Footage Per
Patient: This is difficult to determine since we were not able to
ascertain exactly the number of patients that reside in the
facility.
c. General Appearance;
Hygiene; and Safety: The recovery house was clean and had fire
extinguishers. There appeared to be ample space in rooms for
patients. There were ten client beds although some patients
apparently live in another facility on Westmoreland Avenue.
d. Kitchen Facilities and
Nutrition: These appeared to be in good clean condition. The
garbage collection was adequate and appeared sanitary.
6. STAFFING
a. Number: Currently, the
Recovery House has twenty-nine full time staff members ranging in
age from eighteen to thirty.
b. Full-Time; Part Time;
Sex; Ethnic Breakdown: The staff is about 60% male and 40%
female. The ethnic breakdown for staff, according to the
director, is 80% Caucasian, 10% Chicano, and 10% Black.
c. Educational Background:
The Director told the evaluation team that in actual practice,
seven senior staff members make decisions and, in effect, run the
program. All staff members are graduates of the Narconon training
course and all senior staff members are concurrently members of
the Church of Scientology.
d. Criteria for Hiring: The
criteria for the hiring of the staff includes completion of the
Narconon Training Course (three weeks minimum) and high
motivation.
e. Training: There is a
seven week provisional period for staff after course completion
during which they work and receive additional training before
they begin getting paid. According to the director of Narconon
New Life and director of Narconon U.S. an additional requirement
for Narconon staff members responsible for using an E-meter to
audit student progress, is that they be a recognized minister in
the Church of Scientology.
f. Staff Coverage: There are
obviously more than enough staff to provide adequate house
coverage. Nine of the senior staff reside in the upstairs portion
of the administrative house next door to the Recovery House
residence. Since the residential client population averages 20 to
25, it would seem as though staff outnumbers clients. However,
many of the staff are assigned to do introductory courses,
community relations, solicitation of new members and clients, and
various other program functions. Additionally, day and evening
classes are offered on an outpatient basis not only for drug
dependent individuals, but for probation officers, teachers and
members of the general public as well.
g. Turnover: When asked
about staff turnover, the Director estimated that the program
loses one staff member approximately every six months. If this
figure is accurate, that would represent a very low turnover rate
in comparison to most other drug treatment programs. The team had
no way to corroborate this statement.
h. Organizational Structure:
The organizational structure of the program, including program
rules and procedures, criteria and training for staff, work
assignments, educational course content, staff structure,
organizational structure, and program philosophy are derived
directly from a seven volume series entitled "The
Organization Executive Course" by L. Ron Hubbard and
published by the Church of Scientology. Since this material was
not originally intended for use by a drug abuse treatment program
some additional procedures and directives have been developed by
Narconon U.S. specifically focused on dealing with a drug abusing
population. The Director of Narconon U.S. assured the evaluation
team that policies developed within Narconon in no way
contradicted the basic principles set forth by Hubbard in his
seven volume series, but instead, were intended to augment them.
The program organizational
structure alone, taken directly from Hubbard's works, is a highly
complex and rigidly structured system that provides for exact
assignment of work roles, precise supervisory monitoring of
quality and amount of work completed, defined training
requirements for each work assignment within the organization,
and processes for discipline of staff who have violated the rules
or policies of the program.
The various offenses that
staff may be disciplined for are characterized as high crimes,
felonies, misdemeanors or errors. One section of the
"Organization Executive Course" specifies that staff
"convicted" of "high crimes" in addition to
having all training certificates revoked and being banned from
the organization, will further be labeled as "fair
game." A later directive from Hubbard instructs that the
term "fair game" not be used any longer as it is
potentially harmful for public relations.
The evaluation team was
unable to ascertain to what extent these staff disciplinary
practices are actually utilized within the program. One staff
member interviewed indicated that one of his responsibilities was
staff auditor, which within the organization means that he would
administer E-meter or "truth detector" tests to other
staff members. The circumstances under which these tests would
take place was not explained.
i. Lines of Communication:
Narconon U.S. manages all the Narconon offices by "remote
management." This means that they keep track of all data
including admissions, discharges, income, expenses, etc. The
organizational structures and lines of communication appear to be
more rigid than what one might expect to find in a military
organization.
The lines of communication
between the staff are again specified and consist apparently of
regular weekly meetings at various levels of the program
organizational structure. A network of reports are prepared on a
regular basis within the organization. It would be fair to say
that virtually all of the staff have a remarkably similar
understanding of the program and its purposes, and in that sense,
internal communication is quite good.
In summary, it is important
to qualify the foregoing explanation of staffing and
organizational structure as a mere surface description of the tip
of the iceberg. In order to really understand the machinations of
this program, one would probably need to read the thousands of
pages of Hubbard's writings and even then, have to be personally
involved in the organization for a number of years. The brief
time the evaluation team had to spend on these issues served to
raise a good many more questions than they answered.
7. PATIENT DATA
a. Demographic
Characteristics: The printed information made available to us and
the various interviews indicated that the Narconon Halfway House
would accept any individual from anywhere who was assessed by the
Narconon organization as being eligible for their
"treatment" procedure. The two clients interviewed were
from Los Angeles and Cleveland, respectively. There was no
evidence in the Narconon literature or in the interviews with the
Narconon staff that Narconon was attempting to or interested in
providing services to any particular area or locale within Los
Angeles County.
b. Drug Problem: Narconon
literature clearly emphasizes its interest in the prevention and
treatment of drug abuse and drug related problems. The interviews
with staff, however, quite clearly established that drug use was
largely incidental to their program and that their real efforts
are directed at instilling in the "students" a mastery
system in which personal and environmental problems are
eradicated by the exercise of a programmed or conditioned
willpower.
8. PATIENT RECORDS
We were initially told that
we would have access to patient records. However, when we came to
that part of our review which required a sampling of patient
records, access was insistently denied on the basis of
"students" (patients) privileged information.
"Students'" records are kept under lock and key at
Central Files (C.F.) to which only the director
"Doctor" Gibson and his wife Cora allegedly have
access. Mr. Gibson's assistant, Sandy, did show me three
documents demonstrating a "student's" substantial
improvement in personality adjustment and I.Q. The former (a
personality profile) is termed American Personality Analysis (see
attached) and copyrighted by Julia Lewis Salmen. I was told that
exclusive rights were held by either L. Ron Hubbard or the Church
of Scientology, or both. The second two documents were before and
after I.Q. measurements on the same "student" and
demonstrated a 36 point improvement on the second measurement.
The I.Q. test forms are a standardized California test
(California Capacity Questionnaire) and are available for general
public use. No other patient or "student" record
material was made available but conversations indicated that
patient records were of a confessional type which could be
embarrasing or perhaps incriminating if known to anyone other
than specified Narconon "officers."
Standardized forms that go
into the making of a "student's" personal file were
given to us (see attached forms termed A, A1, A2, A3, A4 Codes).
The preceding letter-numbered coded forms tabulate general
"student" information such as age, sex, etc., as well
as documenting a variety of Narconon courses completed.
Additionally the forms emphasize I.Q. testing, drug use data,
fiscal information and correctional institution history. Again it
was implied that some sort of progree notes were included but
confidentiality precluded inspection even with the names or other
identifying information blocked out.
9. FISCAL RECORDS
a. Working Budget: Narconon
did not have a program budget nor did they have a copy of the
line item budget submitted to the county for the Short Doyle
Contract. The staff reported that the county had lost the
original budget and that Narconon had sent the county its last
copy to replace it.
The fiscal records kept by
the program seem detailed and complete. Income, expenditures and
assets are accounted for on a monthly basis. As of June 27, 1974,
Narconon had a balance of $13,039.33 in its reserve account.
b. Program Expenses: Monthly
program expenses are allocated according to a percentage formula
derived from "The Organization Executive Course" by L.
Ron Hubbard. Under this rather complex system, in any given month
31% of total income is allocated to salaries; 5% to training; 54%
to operational expenses; and 10% to general reserves. The
allocation to operational expenses includes 10% of total income
which is paid monthly to Narconon U.S. from all Narconon field
programs. This payment is for research, and for the development
of training and student course materials.
If the percentage amount of
income is greater than actual expenses for a given month, the
average will go into a reserve account for that particular
category. If the percentage amount of income is less than actual
expenses for a given month, then it is up to the program to
either cut expenses or generate more client revenue.
This method of allocating
income provides particular incentives for program staff to
solicit new clients because, as total income increases, there is
a proportionate increase in individual staff salaries.
The amount paid each staff
member in a given month is calculated from yet another Hubbard
formula. Each position is assigned a given number of units, based
on level of responsibility within the organization. (i.e.,
Executive Director position is assigned 200 units monthly.)
Additionally, there are opportunities listed for earning bonus
units. Some bonus units are allowed for time in service.
Production bonus units are allocated for prison work and
recruitment of new members. At the end of each month, units are
computed for each staff member. The total units earned by staff
are divided into the total salary allocation for that month in
order to compute the worth of a single work unit. Each staff
member then is paid the total of a single work unit multiplied by
the total number of units he has earned during the month. In this
manner, staff salaries vary from month to month and depend solely
on the amount of client revenue that can be generated for the
program.
C. Billings: Under the Short
Doyle contract, Narconon has been reimbursed at a provisional
billing rate of fifteen dollars a day per Short-Doyle client from
March 1974. From November 1973 through February 1974, the program
was reimbursed for actual cost of operating expenses. The
reimbursement for actual cost in the period from November 1973 to
February 1974 resulted in payments of $1918 more than the program
would have gotten had they billed at the $15 per diem rate for
the same time period. Given the process the program uses to
calculate salaries, it is difficult to understand how they could
define the actual cost of program operation for billing purposes.
If the actual program cost depends on how much income you
receive, how can you bill for reimbursement based on a program
cost that can't be calculated until after the reimbursement
billing is received? If these kinds of questions seem somewhat
confusing to the reader, they have created similar problems for
the evaluation team.
At any rate, the billings
seemed detailed and corresponded with recorded client days in
treatment. The program staff seems to understand the process they
use and the county seems satisfied to pay. The evaluation team
did not ask to see source documents supporting bookkeeping
entries, preferring rather to retreat to firmer ground.
e. Yearly Audit Done: Under
the County Short Doyle contract from November 1973 through June
1974, Narconon was required to have an independent audit
conducted for the county within 90 days. They failed to do so and
were advised by the evaluation team that this needed to be done.
10. TREATMENT PROCESS
Introductory Note: Aside
from the initial detoxification, "bullbaiting," and the
later "auditing" process described below, and orthodox
definition of the word treatment is not applicable to Narconon as
we saw it and as it was described to us. The traditional labels
of "patient" or "client" are, by Narconon,
identified as "students" or occasionally
"PC's" (presumably meaning Pre-Clears in the
scientological lexicon). In reference to the latter, we must
point out that any connection between Narconon and Scientology
other than coincidental was usually vehemently denied. The
interview data and our observations support a rehabilitation
conception perhaps best termed a "corrective educational
experience." Occuring in a stepwise fashion from rigidly
simple rote exercises through the more complex
"auditing" process and (for those who can afford it) a
multiplicity of "clear" and "Post-Clear"
states promising total personal and environmental control.
Theoretically it is a patchwork of Freudian, Gestalt, Pavlovian,
science fiction and Eastern (reincarnation) ideas unequivocably
sutured together with L. Ron Hubbard's terminology. Indeed, the
initial exercises require in addition to a standard English
dictionary, a special Narconon dictionary enabling the
"student" to understand the Narconon/Scientology
terminology.
a. Criteria for Admission:
From our review of Narconon publications and from our interview
data gathered from staff and students we must assume that there
are no established drug use criteria for residents at the
Narconon New Life Halfway House. The verbal statements of having
used marijuana or some other illicit drug *may* be a drug abuse
requirement for admission but it was not so stated. The one
requirement specified verbally was that a potential student must
pass the motivation assessment interview conducted in a room
termed Department 6 and thereafter be given the final acceptance
notice by "Doctor" Gibson's wife Cora at Division 1.
Thus it seems that the single admission criteria is Narconon's
assessment of motivation.
b. Patient Evaluation:
Narconon "student" evaluation is done by a staff
officer's subjective evaluation of student motivation subsequent
to which a routine routing format follows. The latter includes a
coded data collection system geared to tracking the individual
within the Narconon network of programs. There is a section on
Form A2 entitled "drug history" that records and codes
drugs used. The latter is a recording of the student's verbal
statements concerning drug use, past and present, and is not
verified by objective physical or laboratory data. The Narconon
written documents and interview data indicated that medical
examinations were not a routine procedure and we were unable to
determine as to whether or not any medical information per se (a
previous medical history and physical examination) were part of
the student's confidential file. As noted previously a
"personality analysis" and a before and after I.Q.
recording are standard Narconon procedures.
c. Psychotherapy: Although
the term "psychotherapy" is antithetical to Narconon
officialdom the "bullbaiting" and the subsequent
"auditing" procedures are adaptations from
"encounter" therapy and Freudian psychoanalytic
treatment models. Noting Narconon's aversion to traditional
psychology's terminology the description of the Narconon
rehabilitation process hereafter will be termed "instruction
exercises" or "training routines" in an attempt to
minimize confusion.
Upon acceptance into the
Narconon New Life Halfway House the student either promptly
begins the basic Narconon Communication Course or if drug
dependent promptly taken to the detoxification room for drug
withdrawal. The latter is describe elsewhere. Subsequent to
processing through Department 6, a final acceptance by the
Director's wife, Cora Gibson, at Division 1 and receiving the
course instruction materials (including standard English and
Narconon dictionaries), and "Coach" assignment at
Division 2, a student begins the two or four week basic Narconon
Communication Course. The Communication Course involves a rigid
series of training routines termed TR's subnumbered 0-9. Each TR
is an individually prescribed entity which must be mastered
before proceeding on an upward "gradient" to the next
TR. TR0 involves three exercises specified as "eyes
closed," "eyes opened," and
"bullbaiting." The premise seems to involve the
exercise of trust in "eyes closed," the exercise of
direct eye contact tolerance (staring into the coach's eyes) in
"eyes open," and the seeking of an emotional weak spot
or "button" and a corresponding emotional response to
it in the bullbaiting routine. The bullbaiting exercise seems to
involve principally physical characteristics that may be used to
embarrass or humiliate an individual and condition him to accept
and control is responses to these verbal threats to his body
image. For example, one might poke fun at a poor complexion, a
crooked nose, and etc. Bullbaiting appears to be a crude
forerunner of the more polished auditing procedure and is
accomplished without the use of the so-called E-meter.
Additionally it appears to be the primary part of TR0 or the
initial exercise routine.
TR1 through 9 involves
mastering written course materials obviously adapted from L. Ron
Hubbard's works and incorporated into the Narconon Communication
Course. They primarily involve the "proper"
understanding of key words and phrases that must be looked up in
the Narconon dictionary and then demonstrated in each exercise
routine. TR1 teaches students to "clearly communicate";
TR2 -- how to "acknowledge" properly; TR3 -- how to get
an answer to a question without "variation"' and TR4 --
how to handle "origenation" -- to accept a pain or
discomfort and find out where it originated.
The first five TR's (0-4)
must be mastered in their entirety three times before proceeding
to TR6. (We were informed that no TR5 existed.) TR6 involves
"good and effective control over an individual or
group"' TR7 -- the same as TR6 but on a higher
"gradient" which presumably means physical control over
a threatening or disturbed individual. TR8 involves
"intention without reservation" -- to totally clarify
ones intentions (which may be nonverbal). TR9 is a culmination of
previous TR's and stresses particularly the thorough mastery of
four conceptions, i.e. "exact intention," "exact
strength needed," "exact force necessary," and
"exact intention without reservation or limit." The
student now goes backwards through this routine and if successful
is given a certificate of completion for the basic Narconon
Communication Course. Upon completion of the basic Communication
Course the student is apparently free to choose any number of
more "advanced" course study programs, most of which
appear to be stepping stones towards the attainment of HQS
(Hubbard Qualified Scientologist) status. We were told that
approximately 90 percent of the students go on into the various
courses available. A Mr. John Powers, who stated he is the new
staff auditor for Narconon New Life, states that he hoped all
graduates of the basic Narconon Communications Course would take
courses leading to HQS.
It was very ambiguous to us,
due to conflicting statements, exactly how the E-meter auditing
and the Post-Basic Narconon courses related. It seemed clear
enough, however, that the E-meter was routinely used in many if
not all of the courses and it was implied that this device was
used at least occasionally in the Basic Narconon Communication
Course.
d. Techniques:
1) I.Q. Raising - It was
implied and in material from a case file "demonstrated"
that the Narconon Communication Course promised a substantial
elevation of the student's I.Q.
2) E-Meter -- The E-meter is
a fairly crude lie detector-like device that allegedly indicates
areas of mental conflict, fixations, conscious and unconscious
lying, and various other psychic phenomenon based on Hubbard's
"engram" theory. The latter is roughly equivalent to
popularized Freudian conceptions of mental fixations or Jungian
psychic "complexes" but dramatized by an electronic
galvonometric device and its association with the scientological
"technology."
e. Discipline: Our
interviewed data indicated that the Narconon disciplinary
approach was based on the "Student's Guide to Ethical
Behavior." We were not able to get a copy of the latter
document. We were told that infractions were "routed"
to the "Ethics Officer" who taught the infractors where
they went wrong. We were unable to obtain any precise information
as to what infractions were other than the drinking of alcohol 24
hours prior to a course. All medication use or abuse is
considered deviant or aberrant behavior but the rules or
regulations determining policy actions were simply unstated. One
of the "supervisors" interviewed stated that a student
using Dilantin, phenobarbital, and Tedral was expelled from
Narconon New Life Halfway House. Presumably the latter individual
was epileptic and asthmatic and his medication use precluded
participation in the Narconon rehabilitation program.
f. Phases of Treatment:
There are apparently no stated phases of treatment but rather a
continual upward flow of course completions leading to the
attainment, if successful, of control over oneself and one's
environment. This flow is termed a "gradient" by the
Narconon staff. The terminology is strikingly similar and
presumably parallels, if not merging, the Scientology hierarchy.
The latter presumption was underscored by a lengthy conversation
with "members" - "employees" at the
Scientology/ Westwood office where it was stated that Narconon
was simply the application of Scientology "technology"
to the problem of drug addiction. Additionally two patients
interviewed on a local methadone program reported that their
unsuccessful treatment for heroin use at Narconon was by the
application of Scientology techniques and was essentially
directed at eventually attaining a "clear" state.
Again, any connection with Scientology other than coincidental
was vigorously denied by Dr. Gibson and his principal assistants.
Re-entry in to Narconon
Rehabilitation Process is encouraged for drop-outs and apparently
implies faster progression through the course materials and has a
lower financial burden for the individual during his second
matriculation.
g. Urine Testing: No urine
testing is done by Narconon New Life Halfway House. However,
students on parole may get urine testing at their parole
officers. It was not stated whether or not records were kept of
urinalysis results but it appeared clear that communication
between Narconon and the parole officials was maintained.
h. Vocational/Educational:
Narconon is a continually expanding self-contained or closed
ended organization. Students must pay either in money or in work
for the Narconon courses and are encouraged to proceed through
the course work system to a promotion to staff status where they
can share in monies derived from various sources for their
Narconon work and additionally pay for ones own
"auditing." (This system is analogous to a
Psychoanalytic Institute where analysts in training treat clinic
patients for a moderate fee to help pay for their own continuing
analysis by Training Analysts and as well support the costs of
maintaining the institute.) "Moonlighting" is
encouraged if it doesn't interfere with course work as it provide
additional monies for a faster personal "auditing"
process. An interviewed supervisor stated that it will take him
approximately five years to attain the "clear" state
whereas if he had sufficient funds of his own he could reach this
much coveted status within one year. In short, Narconon appeared
to be an inwardly oriented organization where vocational
interests are subordinated to promoting an individual's
progression through the Narconon/Scientology hierarchy.
i. Recreation: Narconon has
no formalized recreational activities. We were assured, however,
that touch football and various other recreational activities
occurred on a fairly regular basis.
j. Drop Development Placement: See "h." above.
k. Detoxification: Narconon
New Life Halfway House has one room specified as the
detoxification room. The detoxification procedure is monitored 24
hours daily by a Narconon trained detoxification specialist. The
procedure consists of "touching,"
"extroverting" the subject's attention from his body,
and approximately a half handful of enteric coated vitamins every
six hours. The detoxification procedure usually does not exceed
72 hours and is described as comfortable. The subject is said to
sleep well. A single page communique from Mark Jones (former
Executive Director-Narconon U.S.) explicitly states that only
heroin addicts should be detoxified by the Narconon process. This
information is either unknown or unheeded by the staff members
interviewed at Narconon New Life Halfway House. Mr. John Powers
states that he had seen a "convulsion" stopped
immediately by the Narconon procedure but was unable to describe
in even layman's terms what this convulsive episode consisted of.
What he did describe was similar to a hysterical outburst which
could quite easily be relieved by a calm, soothing and attentive
companion.
l. Informed Consent:
Narconon uses several consent or agreement forms with various
titles. The most interesting form is entitled "Legal
Contract for Narconon Rehabilitation Program." (See
attachment.) Among other things this document specifies that the
Narconon service "is spiritual guidance not intended to
diagnose or treat human ailments of body or mind by other than
spiritual means." It additionally specifies that the
"service which is subject to this agreement is open to
anyone who: a. does not have a purely medical illness which would
be curable within the skills of a physical practitioner; b. does
not have a history or record of institutionalization in an insane
asylum or similar place; c. is not connected with any person or
group of known antagonism towards Narconon; d. enrolls on his own
determinism and not on orders of any other group or person; e.
will use the knowledge gained to help others in the understanding
that one has to help others to help himself; f. is willing to
abide by the rules governing the program as such may be made
known to him in HCO (HCO presumably means Hubbard Communication
Office) Policy letters and other authorized publications; g. is
not using this service to try to cure an illness."
Item 7 and 9 of the
preceding agreement essentially relieves Narconon of any actual
or potential legal claim of any sort under any circumstances and
in perpetuity. Item 11 "expressly waives the prohibitions of
Section 1542 of the Civil Code of California," i.e., certain
claims not affected by general release.
There is a specific
detoxification agreement (see attachment) that simply provides a
signed agreement that the detoxification subject will remain in
the detoxification unit 72 hours or until complete detoxification
and is willing to accept a no refund provision.
We were not provided with
and must presume that there is *no* informed consent document
specifying the *risks* involved in withdrawal from
hypnotics/tranquilizer medications such as convulsive episodes
during barbiturate withdrawal. There are two inherently logical
conclusions for omitting this type of informed consent document:
1. the legal contract described above apparently relieves
Narconon of any legal responsibilities for any such risk; 2. Mark
Jones's memorandum excluding detoxification from any drug
excepting heroin in which serious withdrawal complications are
minimal. Nevertheless, our information indicates that the letter
directive is either unknown or unusued at Narconon New Life
Halfway House.
11. INTERVIEW OF PATIENTS
a. General Appearance: The
residents appeared to be well dressed and well nourished.
b. Attitude: The patients
had a positive attitude. Most of them wanted to become qualified
scientologists.
c. Interviews with Patients:
We were allowed to interview two "students" selected
personally by Mr. Ben Gibson.
The first interviewee was X,
who has resided at the Narconon New Life Halfway House for
approximately three months. She was "referred" by her
brother, the director Mr. Ben Gibson. She stated that she had
never really been into drugs but had used "pot" and
feels that she would have become "strung out" on heroin
had she not come to Los Angeles from Cleveland and participated
"pot" and feels that she would have become "strung
out" on heroin had she not come to Los Angeles from
Cleveland and participated in the Narconon rehabilitation
program. She was uncertain as to whether or not she would pursue
the more advanced Narconon courses and become a Scientologist.
The second interviewee, W,
is presently a "supervisor" and is a former
"student" of Narconon's rehabilitation program. W is a
20-year-old male who describes himself as having been a bastard
(illegitimate). His drug problem consisted to using methadrine
intravenously three to four times and some use of Seconal but
"never addicted or really into them." His stated main
concern was that of "pot," not particularly because of
the health implications but because it was against the law. His
first association with Narconon was in 1973 and lasted two to
three months. He left to get married and returned approximately
five months ago and has remained with Narconon since as has his
wife who is also employed by Narconon. His present function is
that of a "supervisor" for the initial introductory
exercise or what is termed the Narconon Communication Course. He
obtains a subsistence remuneration for his work and is definitely
goal oriented in terms of reaching a "clear" state
through the "auditing" process over a period of
approximately five years. If he could afford the fees he feels he
could obtain this much coveted state within one year. Since he
hasn't the funds he'll "moonlight" to pay for the
"auditing" process during the coming years. W initially
stated he was a Scientologist then retracted and stated he was a
dues paying member of the Church of Scientology. W again
retracted his dues paying status and stated that he donated money
to the Church of Scientology and was uncertain as to whether or
not he could be rightfully termed a member of the Church. W. was
an enthusiastic young man who whateger his affiliation with
Scientology was certainly a "true believer."
A third student interviewed
at Narconon claims that she arrived "strung out" from
heroin, methadone and 45 reds a day. She said she was not taken
to detoxification but stayed up for 2-3 days with someone before
being assigned to classes. Her claim was that she was
"shaky," couldn't sleep and felt sick. There was no
physician to see her at this time. This patient was referred to
Narconon by her husband and a priest at CRC.
12. OUTCOME OF TREATMENT
There was no hard data
available. The claims of 86% recovery is misleading as explained
below.
13. ADVERTISEMENTS AND CLAIMS
a. Public Descriptions by
Pamphlets, Notices, etc.: The 86% "cure rate" is
totally unfounded. Narconon publishes a voluminous amount of
paper for the purpose of public relations. The main Narconon
rehabilitation program bulletin states that a high percentage of
clients, approximately 75%, are rehabilitated within 3 months.
The pamphlet further states that one supervisor can supervise 42
people a day in three 3-hour periods. Furthermore, one supervisor
can train 14 new supervisors in three months.
b. Misleading Claims:
Narconon claims to have an 86% cure rate for narcotics addicts
which is simply not true. Mr. Greg Zerovnik, National Director -
Narconon U.S., explained that the 86% figure came from a study of
parolees from the Arizona State Prison who may or may not have
been narcotics addicts. This sort of claim is, of course,
misleading to both the prospective client and to public officials
who are sincerely attempting to find ways to cope with the
problem of drug abuse.
Narconon also advertises
detoxification with mega-vitamins and other non-medical
procedures that may be hazardous and in some cases lethal.
Attachment 19 is a Narconon letter to the East Valley Free Clinic
advertising an extraordinarily expensive detoxification
procedure. It furthermore claims a 68% two year "success
rate" for drug abstinence and for arrests "for anything
related to drugs." It implies that these success ratios are
applicable to heroin addicts and alcoholics. This claim is either
misleading or miraculous. Without supporting data the evaluation
team cannot but presume this document, however enticing, is a
misleading claim.
Narconon implies that it can
raise I.Q.'s and generally increase communication skills for
their clients. There is no scientific evidence that these alleged
changes cause a cure in approximately 50% of cases seen as stated
by Mark Jones in a Los Angeles Times article.
One gathers, after visiting
their facility and reading the rehabilitation program pamphlet,
that there is as much effort being directed towards obtaining new
supervisors and training other supervisors for the purpose of
selling education courses as is being directed toward the
treatment/rehabilitation of drug abusers.
14. COMPLIANCE WITH N.I.D.A. STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES FOR RECOVERY HOUSES
In assessing the existing
program operation to compare current program practices with the
Federal Funding Criteria for Treatment Services, there arose a
serious question as to whether Narconon was in compliance with
even its existing county Short-Doyle contract requirements.
The County defines a
recovery house as "a place where persons seeking to recover
from *narcotic addiction* reside and endeavor to aid one another
and receive aid from others in recovering from such addiction. .
. ."
While the County contract
specifies narcotic addiction as a requirement for treatment in
recovery houses, the evaluation team found no evidence to
indicate that this was a requirement for acceptance within the
Narconon program. On the contrary, in interviewing three
residents, one had apparently used heroin, methadone and reds,
another claimed to have used intravenous methadrine several times
but had not used heroin. The third had used "pot"
several times and have never used "harder" drugs. By
any stretching of definitions it would be difficult to classfy
two of the three clients interviewed as "narcotic
addicts." Since these funds were appropriated for the
treatment of a specified client population, it would seem that
using them for the treatment of a different client population
constitutes a violation of contract terms and a misuse of
treatment monies.
Narconon is not currently
operating in a manner that would comply with many NIDA
guidelines, but program staff expressed a willingness to make
necessary program changes if money was made available and if they
were required to do so as a condition of funding.
15. UTILIZATION OF STATE MONEY
a. Does Recovery House Use
State Money To Entice Patient To Pay Money For Other Purposes?
Is is the opinion of the
evaluating team that some Narconon clients are initially funded
under 714 only to be sold basic communication courses that may or
may not be directly related to Scientology.
b. Does Recovery House Use
State Money For Purposes Other Than Drug Treatment?
In the opinion of the
evaluation team there was little evidence that a significant
number of the clients treated at Narconon were drug dependent
individuals. Additionally there is little doubt that the religion
of Scientology is advocated, openly discussed, and encouraged
within Narconon. Since the Church of Scientology is a religion it
appears that State money is being directly used to support a
church. There appears to be little difference between Narconon
and the Church of Scientology. For example, there was one book
entitled "The Problem of Work" by L. Ron Hubbard and on
the inside cover of the book was a statement "For religious
use only." The evaluation team was also given a
demonstration of the use of the E-meter.
All of the literature and
books are directly derived from Scientology and most staff are
already or are becoming Scientologists. It would appear that
Narconon is receiving state funds for treating
"addicts" and is using primarily methods or
"technology" of the Church of Scientology.
16. RECOMMENDATIONS AND/OR CONDITIONS FOR CONTINUED STATE FUNDING
a. Detoxification procedures
should be stopped on the premises since their procedures are
without proper medical supervision and may be dangerous.
b. Three evaluation team
members recommend cessations of State funding.
c. One evaluation team
member recommends continued funding if the following conditions
are met:
1) Program must operate a
facility that specifically and exclusively deals with the
rehabilitation of *narcotic addicted* persons as required by
their contract. Such condition should be documented in each
client to the satisfaction of county authorities.
2) Program must cease all
practices that have been found to be specifically practices of
the Church of Scientology and which may only be practiced by a
recognized minister of the Church of Scientology. (example - use
of E-meter in student auditing, use of training materials
copyrighted by the Church of Scientology).
3) Program must eliminate
all restrictive admission policies listed in the legal contract
for Narconon Rehabilitation Program that are not in accordance
with standard admission policies for Short-Doyle clients
receiving mental health services.
The name "Narconon"® is trademarked to the Scientology
organization through one of their many front groups. The name
"Scientology"® is also trademarked to the "Church"
of Scientology. Neither this web page, nor this web site, nor any of the
individuals mentioned herein assisting to educate the public about the
dangers of the Narconon scam are members of or representitives of the
Scientology organization.
If you or a loved one needs help -- real help -- there are
a number of rehabilitation programs you can contact. The real
Narcotics Anonymous organization
can get you in touch with real people who can help you.
Click [HERE] to visit Narcotics
Anonymous's web site. Narcotics Anonymous's telephone number is
1 (818) 773-9999.
Return to The NarCONon exposure's main Index page.
Forward: For a systematic, detailed, professional exposure of
Scientology's "Narconon" front group, visit the
Narconon Exposed web site.
Diane Richardson
Sat, 05 Aug 1995 13:08:58 GMT
EVALUATION
NARCONON NEW LIFE
827 Beacon Avenue
Los Angeles,
California 90017
Narconon New Life; Greg Zerovnik - National Director, Narconon U.S.
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