NOTE: This came in anonymously. It was badly formatted so it has been
broken up in to something that's easier to read. Other than being
reformatted, none of the text which was provided anonymously has
been altered in any other way.
An additional disclaimer seems to be warranted: The opinions stated
within the text that follows are those of the anonymous individual
or individuals who wrote them and, while most of the information that's
provided is collaborated with the extant court record and other public
domain records, neither the Skeptic Tank nor any of its officers can
vouch for the accuracy or completeness of the information below.
The document is provided as consumer advocacy though readers should
conduct a more detailed examination in to Scientology's history to
decide for themselves whether the information provided below is factual
or not.
Normally the Skeptic Tank doesn't publish the information which comes
in to their offices when it's provided anonymously however there's
apparently first-hand information being provided here which warrants
an exception.
UPDATE: I've learned that the anonymous individual which wrote the
following has apparently contacted the authorities in Southern
California and has provided written descriptions of what he or she
observed while with Scientology's NarCONon. Additionally I've learned
that a number of human rights activists have provided copies of this
anonymous text to the proper authorities in Southern California.
Posted by Anonymous
------
I post this anonymously because of actual threats I have received
from former bosses and die-hard Scientologists at the Narconon
facility I used to work at.
Narconon is a scam run by the Co$ to raise money and manipulate and
take advantage of desperate, easily-victimized drug addicts by
subjecting them to basic Scientology teachings and getting them to
join the Co$.
Narconon claims to have a 80% success rate. In the 7 months I was
involved with one of 2 Narconon facilities in California, over 80
people attended and graduated from the program. I personally know
that 71 of them relapsed. Many who relapse return to Narconon, where
they are put on a degrading and punishing "ethics cycle"
where they are forced to perform manual labor in order to "make
up damage" to the Narconon facility and rejoin the group.
Relapsed addicts who return are not only put to work, but subject
to even more intense efforts to get them to join the Co$ and be
brainwashed by the Narconon "counselors". The facility,
only licensed for a little over 32 patients by the State of
California, had almost 50 because of all the relapsed graduates who
returned.
The facility was overcrowded and in violation of fire and health
codes. Pressed for time, the kitchen staff would defrost meat
in the bathtubs while the bathroom was still in use by students.
Whole rooms had nothing in them but beds from wall to wall, cramming
students in. There was minimal staff supervision because staff members
were totally outnumbered.
On-site drug use was rampant and students were constantly getting high
in the facility or in the surrounding neighborhood after escaping
unnoticed. The safety and well being of students was endangered when
non-commercially licensed and uninsured staff members would drive
students around in uninsured facility automobiles for program-sponsored
events.
To deal with the lack of space at the actual facility, students were
placed in temporarily rented apartments that were far from staff
supervision (2 of these apartments being several miles away from the
actual facility). State authorities were unaware of these ad-hoc
facilities and no license had been granted for them.
Many Narconon graduates at facilities world-wide go on to work at the
facility. This is often because the upper-level Scientologist
counselors who run the facilities convince them they can't afford to
go out in to the world or they will inevitably return to drug use.
Their only chance at sobriety is to work 6 days a week, 12 hours a
day with minimal contact with family, vacation time, free time or
personal time at Narconon. Narconon, the "couselors" say,
saved their life, so the patient must "repay their debt" by
working for Narconon.
They are paid $50 a week to start, and raises come only after they
pass through various courses given at the local Co$ organization.
"Counselors" have no formal training when it comes to first
aid, drug abuse treatment, medicine, counseling. The only so-called
formal training they have comes from the Co$ and the fact that all
employees at the Narconon facility were themselves recent graduates.
Addicts and their families pay over $22,000 to go to Narconon after
being convinced through deception and lies that the program will save
their life or that of their addicted love one. A significant portion
of this $22,000 goes to the Co$ as payment for classes staff members
are required to take. Furthermore, thousands of dollars out of that
$22,000 goes to purchasing books from the Association for Better
Living and Education (ABLE), itself an arm of Scientology and the
"publisher and copyright owner" of the books Narconon uses
(books that are all LRH's teachings).
Narconon "students" (the name used to refer to patients)
are subject to an unproven, quack medical practice of the
purification-rundown, where they sit in a sweltering sauna for hours
on end, taking harmful doses of vitamins, minerals and niacin (a
very harmful substance in the amount Narconon makes its
"students" consume).
Never in my time at this Narconon facility was there every a
licensed medical professional on staff, apart from a registered
nurse who had gone through the program herself after becoming
addicted to prescription medications she stole from work before
coming to Narconon. This nurse, the facility's only licensed
medical professional, relapsed 3 times during the course of my
employment at the facility.
She was far from the only staff member to relapse. Both students
and staff members were constantly getting kicked out or fired
because of drug use, inappropriate sexual conduct between staff
members and students, or being deemed "suppressive" by
hardcore Co$ staff members after, say, a staff member missing a day
of work, showing up late, or refusing to embrace forced Co$ teachings.
While at Narconon my job involved public relations for the facility
and recruitment of new "students". I was told by my bosses
to lie to any and all people who called the facility seeking help for
themselves or loved ones.
We would lie about insurance coverage (We would tell people we knew
for a fact that their insurance carrier would cover our program when
in fact, such carrier had never, EVER agreed to cover the Narconon
program because that health insurance company had doctors smart enough
to recognize Narconon as the scam it is). So, innocent people would
pay tens of thousands of dollars, sure that their insurance providor
would reimburse them at a later date.
That reimbursement would never come but by then Narconon and Co$
already had their money. We would lie about our success rate, basing
the statistics of a 70%-80% success rate on decades old studies done
by obscure European research firms.
In actuality, there was no record of the firms conducting such
studies of ever having existed. But, go to the website of any
Narconon facility worldwide and they will taut this 70%-80% success
rate. I would extoll our success rate to callers while at the same
time knowing that well over 90% of students I had seen graduate
from the program had relapsed.
We would constantly hear of graduates relapsing when their families
would call mere days after the students graduation, devastated that
they had already returned to drug use. I personally can recall the
names of 6 students who graduated and became staff members... lasting
less than a week as staff before relapsing. Almost all students who
attempted to return home after graduation relapsed as well.
These unfortunate people are not statistics to me. I can recite the
names of each and every one of these Narconon victims who I saw come
in to the program desperate for help, only to be taken advantage of,
abused, and manipulated.
Narconon tauts this high success rate but the staff knows it is not
true. In typical C0$ fashion, however, they deny the facts and make
themselves believe in the lies that best serve their agenda...
recruitment and fundraising for the Co$ by taking advantage of drug
addicts and their families.
Even the Narconon facilities are constantly sending
students-turned-staff back and forth to one another for because of
relapses. Narconon Southern California had to send their "Ethics
Director" to the Northern Califoria facility after he relapsed.
Narconon Chillocco's Senior Case Supervisor (the upper-level
Scientologist who determines what Scientology courses individual
students will take, in what order, and how) relapsed and came to the
So. Calif. facility to redo her program. Narconon Nor. Calif's Intake
Director (the lead person responsible for bringing in new
"students" relapsed and apparently had a sexual relationship
with a juvenile "student" (Narconon Nor. Calif. is the only
Narconon facility licensed to treat juveniles as well as adults), and
was sent to Narconon So. Calif. to redo his program.
These staff members, supposedly among the most advanced, most
accomplished, most experienced, most highly trained graduates and
staff members of Narconon still could not stay sober! And because
of their staunch dedication to the Co$, they were sent to another
facility after their relapse (where they would avoid embarrassment
and so that the students at the facility they used to work for would
be unaware of what had occurred) where they would quickly go through
their re-attempt at the program and get hired at a different Narconon
facility.
Narconon is truly a criminal enterprise. It sickens me to know that I
was responsible for bringing in decent people who sought out my
guidance for help at the most desperate times of their lives to an
evil organization like Narconon - an organization who's sole purpose
was to defraud, manipulate, then brainwash these drug addicts and
their families to the extent that the addict would get suckered in to
accepting the Co$ and LRH's insane teachings. Lives and families are
torn apart at Narconon.
When I left Narconon in an argument with my bosses because of my
gradually becoming more and more aware of what a criminal conspiracy
Narconon was and is, I was threatened by these Scientologist bosses of
mine. For weeks after I left they tracked me down and left threatening
messages on my answering machine. Despite such threats and the evil we
all know Scientology can inflict upon those who it deems its enemies
(especially people like myself who were on the inside of their tactics
and teachings), I had to post this message here and share my
experiences at and knowledge of Narconon in the hopes that it will
keep at least 1 person from going to this facility were they previously
considering it.
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.
Wednesday, October 17, 2001 - 10:22 pm
The views and opinions stated within this web page are those of the author
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