How Scientology Justifies Locking People Up In Isolation
Warrior
Subject: How Scientology Justifies Locking People Up In Isolation
Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
Date: 1997/08/18
L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology, is well-known for his
complete disregard for the rights of individuals who, in his words,
"are not surviving". His so-called "tone scale" which he touted as
a way to guage the emotional state of individuals, places anyone
below 2.0 (antagonism) in a "lower band". Here are excerpts from
his 1951 book, _Science of Survival_, part one, page 157, second
paragraph, which clearly illustrate his views regarding "low-toned"
individuals:
"The reasonable man quite ordinarily overlooks the fact that
people from 2.0 [antagonism] down have no traffic with reason
and cannot be reasoned with as one would reason with a 3.0
[conservatism]. There are only two answers for the handling of
people from 2.0 down on the tone scale, neither one of which has
anything to do with reasoning with them or listening to their
justification of their acts. The first is to raise them on the tone
scale by un-enturbulating some of their theta by any one of the three
valid processes. The other is to dispose of them quietly and without
sorrow."
According to Hubbard, individuals in the lower "tone levels"
are not succeeding in life, since they are connected to, or have
in the past been connected to evil, "suppressive persons" or "SPs"
which causes the person to assume the "suppressive" characteristics
of their oppressor. Hubbard states that such persons cannot be trusted
since they are not sane.
In _Science of Survival_, part one, page 131, first and second
paragraphs, Hubbard wrote:
"The only answers would seem to be the permanent quarantine
of such ['1.1, or covertly hostile, low-toned'] persons from
society to avoid the contagion of their insanities and the general
turbulence which they bring into any order, thus forcing it lower
on the scale, or processing such person until they have attained
a level on the tone scale which gives them value.
In any event, any person from 2.0 down on the tone scale should
not have, in any thinking society, any civil rights of any kind,
because by abusing those rights he brings into being arduous and
strenuous laws which are oppressive to those who need no such
restraints."
A "1.1 person" is said by Hubbard (and Scientologists, therefore,
since they adhere to Hubbard's philosophy) to be "in covert hostility"
emotionally. One "training aid" used by the cult, called the "Tone
Scale Illustrated", depicts a person at the "Tone Level" of 1.1 by
aa drawing of a man smiling, while holding a knife behind his back.
Hubbard wrote that a person becomes an "SP" by being suppressed by
another person until he takes on the "valence" (characteristics)
of his "suppressor". He states that "SPs" are the cause of all
illnesses, and he states that people "making mistakes is evidence
that there is a suppressive in the vicinity". The name Hubbard gave
for a person who is at adverse effect of a real *or imagined*
suppressive person is "PTS", which stands for "Potential Trouble Source".
In a bulletin dated 24 November 1965, Hubbard wrote about
"Suppressive Persons" and the three types of "Potential Trouble
Sources" (persons who are sources of trouble due to their
connection to 'Suppressive Persons'). In the cult of Scientology,
a "Type 3 PTS" includes persons who have become psychotic. Hubbard
wrote: "Type Three [PTS] is beyond the facilities of [Scientology]
orgs not equipped with hospitals as these are entirely psychotic."
I find this statement regarding "orgs not equipped with hospitals"
to be idiotic, since I have been in numerous Scientology organizations,
including three of the six or seven "advanced orgs", and NONE of them
has a hospital on the premises. Knowing Hubbard's extreme dislike
for "medicos" and "psychs", it is highly unlikely that there will
ever be a Scientology org equipped with a hospital.
Interestingly, Hubbard wrote that Scientology orgs are NOT in the
business of healing the insane. In fact, persons with known "psych"
histories are not even eligible for Scientology's "services". Hubbard
wrote that Scientology offered its help to "help make the able more
able", saying that Scientology OWED its help to no one.
With regard to the treatment by Scientology toward "Type Three
PTS" (insane) persons, Hubbard said: "The Type Three PTS is mostly in
institutions or would be." He recommends that in the treatment of
psychotics, "one must disconnect the person from the environment"
and further states that "The task with a Type Three is NOT treatment
as such. It is to provide a relatively safe environment and quiet
and rest and no treatment of a mental nature at all." In fact Hubbard
even went so far as to state that placing the crazy person in a room,
with nothing but an object, such as a *rock*, would cause an insane
person to "rise in tone"! This is Hubbard's "scientific method". What
else does the one-time science fiction writer have to offer? Read on.
Hubbard also states that in the handling of psychotics, "Medical
care of a very unbrutal nature is necessary as intravenous feeding
and soporifics (sleeping and quieting drugs) may be necessary, such
persons are sometimes also physically ill from an illness with a
known medical cure."
Perhaps for reasons intended to explain or justify failures of
his "technology" [sic] for treating psychotics, Hubbard stated:
"But there will always be some failures as the insane sometimes
withdraw into rigid unawareness as a final defense, sometimes CAN'T
BE KEPT ALIVE [emphasis mine] and sometimes are too hectic and
distraught to ever become quiet...".
My guess is that Hubbard foresaw failures in handling psychotics
with his methods. Unlikely however, is the possibility that he ever
considered people would DIE while undergoing "treatment" with
Scientology's methods, especially by certain procedures contained
in his Introspection Rundown. Sadly, Lisa McPherson is one such
person who died as a result of negligence from her Scientologist
"friends". She had been held in isolation at Scientology's facility
in Clearwater, Florida for seventeen days, during which time her body
weight dropped an estimated 47 pounds, going from about 155 pounds down
to 108 pounds!
Hubbard mused: "Classification [of psychotic individuals] is
interesting but non-productive since they are all PTS, all will
Roller Coaster [get better, then worse, then better, then worse]
and none can be trained or processed with any idea of lasting
result no matter the temporary miracle."
Hubbard wrote in an article entitled "Psychotics", which was
published in Volume 13, Number 2 of "Certainty Magazine - An
Official Periodical of Scientology" published in February 1966:
"The true psychotic is one who causes hysteria, apathy, mis-
conceptions and the reactions of stress in others.That is the
identity of the being that is the source of psychosis."
"The actual psychotic is covertly or overtly destructive of
anything the rest of us consider good or decent or worthwhile."
"The true psychotic worships destruction and abhors reasonable,
decent or helpful actions."
"The statistics of psychosis are not going to lessen in the
society until this type of personality is completely isolated
and understood."
These sections of Hubbard's "technology" are part of the basis
for Scientology's justification for their "treatment" of individuals
by ISOLATING the person from the rest of society.
In this same article "Psychotics", Hubbard wrote:
"We do not consider psychosis a field of practice in Scientology
and Scientology was not researched or designed as a cure for psychosis
or 'substitute for psychiatry'. But in the course of research, I have
discovered these things and found them to be workable."
I have known of three Scientologists who went "Type Three PTS"
and were isolated. All were subjected to procedures contained in
the following referenced HCOB, or "Hubbard Communications Office
Bulletin".
In HCO Bulletin of 23 January 1974RA "The Technical Breakthrough
of 1973! The Introspection Rundown", Hubbard wrote regarding psychotic
breaks:
"I have made a technical breakthrough which possibly ranks with the
major discoveries of the Twentieth Century. It is certainly the greatest
advancement of 1973 and is now being released after final wrap-up of
research. It is called the Introspection Rundown."
[...]
"The breakthrough was made on a person who, after a series of wrong
indications, went into a full-blown psychotic break - violence, destruction
and all.
[...]
"Steps of the RD [Rundown] (Steps 0 and 00 are for a person in a
psychotic break, not a normal person.) Put this checklist on inside
front cover of folder as a pgm.
"0. On a person in a psychotic break isolate the person wholly
with all attendants *completely* muzzled (no speech). _______
"00. Give Vitamins (B Complex, including niacinamide) and
minerals (calcium and magnesium) to build the person up. _______"
Additionally, Hubbard wrote in another "technical bulletin" -
HCOB 20 February 1974 "Introspection Rundown Additional Actions":
"ISOLATION
"In a person in a psychotic break, it is necessary to isolate them
for them to destimulate and to protect them and others from possible
damage. While in isolation the person receives the Introspection
Rundown..."
The Scientology employee in charge of supervising a person suffering
from a psychotic break is called a "Case Supervisor". According to the
same HCO Bulletin of 20 February 1974, the "C/S Action - Cleared
Cannibal Step" is given by Hubbard as:
"The C/S's action is a direct comm[unication] line to the person by
notes. The person is provided with paper and pen to reply. The C/S
must determine the person's responsibility level. Example: 'Dear Joe.
What can you guarantee me if you are let out of isolation?' If the
person's reply shows continued irresponsibility toward other dynamics
or fixation on one dynamic to the exclusion of others damaged the C/S
must inform the person of his continued isolation and why. Example:
'Dear Joe. I'm sorry but no go on coming out of isolation yet. Your
actions threatened the survival of hundreds of people indirectly and
6 families directly by burning down their houses. You are unaware of
the effects this could have had and still only concerned about your
own welfare. You must hate the human race quite a bit."
Scientology's recommended treatment of psychotics, according to
Hubbard's "technical" bulletin of 24 November 1965 entitled "Level
IV Search and Discovery", consists of:
"The modern mental hospital with its brutality and suppressive
treatments is not the way to give a psychotic quiet and rest. Before
anything effective can be done in this field a proper institution
would have to be provided, offering only rest, quiet and medical
assistance for intravenous feedings and sleeping draughts where
necessary but not as 'treatment' and where NO treatment is attempted
until the person looks recovered and only then a Search and Discovery
[Hubbard method] as above under Type Two [PTS]."
Somehow I doubt Lisa McPherson would have been subjected to
"brutality and suppressive treatments" had she received treatment
for her psychotic break ANYWHERE BUT at Scientology's facility in
Clearwater. And to think that Scientology refers to this facility,
the Flag Service Org, as "The Mecca of Standard Tech" ...
Warrior - Sunshine disinfects
http://warrior.xenu.ca