Attention Beverly Rice: Narconon recruiting in Toronto in the early 1980s
Christopher Wood - xenu.ca
groups are supposed to recruit for Scientology.)
[Oh, and note how I forgot to include the headline in the huge digest.
Damn brain thetans.]
Toronto Star, Saturday, June 14, 1986, P. A1
Scientology 'purification' rite used by anti-addiction centres
by Lindsay Scotton
A controversial "purification" regime used by the Church of
Scientology to advance members' spiritual enlightenment is also being
used by Narconon, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre, and is
being offered at a Toronto health clinic.
The "Purification Rundown" used by Narconon and the Lafayette Health
Centre uses large vitamin dosages, exercise and long hours in the
sauna to "cleanse" the body of accumulated impurities, according to
Narconon officials and the health centre's director.
Costs of the treatment offered at Narconon can range up $6,000, and
the way in which is is used has come under the scrutiny of the Ontario
College of Physicians and Surgeons.
A leading Toronto nutritionist told The Star there is "no evidence in
scientific literature" that the program can actually rid tissues of
residual chemicals or toxins.
Developed by Lafayette Ron Hubbard, founder of the Church of
Scientology, the Purification Rundown is also offered at church
headquarters on Yonge St. There, is it applied in a spiritual context
to improve church members' ability to become "clear" - to reach their
highest level of understanding and function according to church
teachings.
The Purification Rundown has been offered to Metro doctors as a way of
getting patients off drugs and alcohol.
In April, 1984, Ian Haworth of the Toronto-base Council on Mind Abuse
(COMA), wrote to the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons to
complain about a mass-mailing letter sent to the province's doctors
from Narconon.
"Dear Physician," the letter read in part, "Do you have patients who
have failed to handle a drug addiction problem? As chairman of the
board of directors of Narconon, Toronto, and as a general practitioner
in Toronto, I would like to recommend the Narconon program . . .
"In addition, Narconon provides services which help addicted persons
handle the personal reasons which caused them to become involved with
drugs in the first place."
The letter is signed by Dr Kathleen Kerr, who practises at the
Lafayette Health Centre.
A letter sent to Haworth from the college indicates "the Narconon
situation has been one that has been of concern to the college for
sometime now . . . An individual person, who was placed in this stream
by his physician, has approached the college and supplied information
respecting the manning in which" he was apparently encouraged to join
Scientology.
The letter is signed by John R. Carlisle, associate registrar in the
college's professional assessment department.
Officials at the college refused to confirm or deny any investigation
of Narconon, the Lafayette Health Centre, or any physicians involved
with offering the Purification Rundown. Information about such
investigations is not made public until and unless disciplinary action
is taken.
"We are concerned about the risks that cults pose in modern society,"
said Haworth, "and it is of particular concern that professional
people . . . should not be allowed to use their positions of authority
to recruit new members."
The Church of Scientology, founded in 1954 by L. Ron Hubbard and his
wife Mary Sue Hubbard, claims more than 6 million followers all over
the world. The "bible" of the movement is Hubbard's best-selling book
Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.
According to Hubbar, man's progress is blocked by negative thoughts
left over from traumatic experiences suffered by our remote ancestors
many millions of years ago.
Recruiting denied
Through "auditing," Scientologists retrace their previous lives,
bringing negative thoughts and feelings about past transgressions into
the open, where they can be confronted. This is done by using an
"E-Meter" - a device made of tin cans, wire and a needle and graph
system similar to a lie detector.
According to Scientologists, the E-Meter, when grasped by the client,
shows levels of pain and distress. Fees are charged for the auditing
process: according to former members, $1,500 for 25 hours of
counselling is about average.
In the mid-1970s, the Purification Rundown became standard procedure
for church members wishing to advance the pace of the auditing.
Officials at Narconon and at the Lafayette health Centre deny
recruiting or indoctrinating people into Scientology.
"Well, there is a connection, there's a strong connection, and the
conection is L. Ron Hubbard," said Bill Perry, executive director of
Narconon. "We definitely use the methods developed by L. Ron Hubbard
here. But we're not here to indoctrinate people into the church. We're
here to get people off drugs."
A large photograph of Hubbard is displayed on Perry's office wall,
along with a poster asking: "It costs a fortune to be strung out . . .
What's it worth to kick (an addiction) and be really free again?"
According to Perry, programs offered at Narconon can cost $6,000 or
more. "Costs vary from person to person, depending on the case. Some
cases are very resistant." He added that Narconon's counselling
services sometimes cost nothing.
"Some kids, when you tell them the long-range effects (of drug abuse),
they make a Hubbard pro-survival decision," and decide to kick drugs
independently, said Perry, who credits the Hubbard technique with
helping him defeat a heroin addiction.
The average course of treatment lasts about 21 days, he explained, but
"more and more" people going through the program are not, in fact,
addicted to drugs or alcohol.
Instead, he said, many Narconon clients suffer from chemical residues
picked up from exposure to pesticides and other toxic substances in
the environment.
Narconon Inc. is registered with the federal government as a
charitable institution, which allows it to issue receipts for
tax-deductible donations. Its Toronto offices opened in 1972 and,
according to Perry, at first offered mainly group counselling and
group support based on the principles of Scientology.
At one time, the group's telephone number was listed inside the front
cover of the Metro Toronto phone directory as the number to call for
drug crisis emergency assistance.
Old sunburns
Bell Canada discontinued the listing in 1980, after questions were
asked in the Ontario Legislature about possible links between Narconon
and the Church of Scientology.
Julian Hay, a Narconon staff member who lectures about drug abuse in
local schools, described the Purification Rundown as a way to
"mobilize and get rid of chemicals stored in fatty tissues."
Niacin (nicotinic acid) is taken in doses starting at 50 to 100
milligrams a day at the start of the program and is gradually
increased to about 5,000 mg daily. It is combined with Vitamins A, D,
C, E and B complex, mineral supplements and a calcium-magnesium
preparation called Cal-Mag.
Clients also spend four to five hours a day in a dry sauna to "run
out" drug residues and toxins and take doses of polyunsaturated oil to
"exchange the dirty fat for clean fat," according to Hay.
He said that clients undergoing the purification regime "turn on" drug
residues left in their systems, then "run through" the drug until it
is flushed out. This he claimed, explains any tiredness, nausea or
discomfort that a client undergoing the process might feel.
"I've seen people turn on old sunburns, radiation and a woman who had
an operation when she was 6 years old actually turned on ether," he
said. A booklet describing the Purification Rundown, sold for $15 at
Narconon's offices, warns that large doses of niacin can produce hot
flushes, itchy skin, hives and aching bones.
"Whatever the effect, it is the niacin handling a existing niacin
deficiency in the cells," says the booklet.
'Makes no warrantees'
In a "Notice to Reader" in the front of the booklet, L. Ron Hubbard
tells reader that "no broad medical acceptance has been sought by the
author. This book represents a record of researches and results noted
by the author. It cannot be construed as a recommendation of medical
treatment or medication . . . The author makes no warranties or
representations as to the effectiveness of the Purification Program."
According to Dr. Harding le Riche, an expert in epidemiology and
biostatistics at the University of Toronto and author of The Complete
Family Guide To Nutrition And Meal Planning, claims that the
Purification Rundown can cleanse the body of drugs and chemicals "have
no basis in scientific literature."
"There is no experimental evidence to show that what they claim is
actually possible," said le Riche, who has studied and written
extensively about the properties of niacin and other vitamins.
"It's trendy, all this interest in mega-vitamin doses - people love
this sort of thing," he added. "They are trading on the public's new
interest in nutrition. Ron Hubbard was not a doctor and he was not a
scientist."
Le Riche warned that high doses of niacin may cause liver damage. He
called the claim that the Purification Rundown may help get rid of
radiation "absolute and complete nonsense."
Narconon staff members pay the Church of Scientology for training in
how to deliver the Purification Rundown - called "Purif" by those in
the know - and Narconon receives a commission from the church if its
clients go on to buy courses, training or seminars from the church
after their treatments.
Complete checkup
Narconon staffers are required to sign a contract stating they "have
never sued Narconon or the Church of Scientology or made complaint to
any government authority with respect to any part or principal of
either."
Other clauses in the contract include: "I am not related to or
connected to intelligence agencies either by past history or immediate
familial connections; I am not here to obtain news stories or data for
any other organization."
Both Perry and Hay said they are Scientologists and acknowledged that
anyone who is an "antagonist" of the church would have a hard time
working for Narconon.
Dr. Paul Jaconello, medical director of the Lafayette Health Centre,
said the Purification Rundown offered at his clinic costs $250,000 for
"as long as it takes to work."
Clients who decide to enter any Purif program must first have a
complete medical checkup, usually done at the health centre. While
fees for the Purif itself are not covered by the Ontario Health
Insurance Plan, the cost of the mandatory physical examination is
covered.
Jaconello said he also receives a commission from the Church of
Scientology if his patients buy Scientology materials.
"But it would be a conflict of interest for me to retain that," he
added, "so I redonate it to the Church of Scientology or to Narconon."
The doctor said he recommends the program to patients who have
allergies or who seem to be suffering from "a buildup to toxic
residues" in their systems.
Hair analysis, along with blood and urine tests, is used at the centre
to determine if a patient has such residues or is deficient in
vitamins and minerals.
Jaconello said he would not recommend the Purif program to anyone who
had heart disease or a history of kidney problems.
"We don't have a connection to Scientology," he stressed. "We're
Scientologist doctors practicing nutritional medicine. The object ts
not to get people into Scientology. It's great if they do, but it's
not important."
Jaconello, himself a member of the church, said he feels he has a
right to refer people to Scientology for spiritual guidance, in the
same way that a Catholic physician might refer a patient to his parish
priest for help.
A brief biography of Jaconello, published in the July, 1979, issue of
Source, a Scientology magazine, says: " . . . He is also opening a new
medical clinic with two other Scientology doctors. He plans to get
Dianetics (a procedure developed by L. Ron Hubbard that forms the
basis of Scientology) applied by doctors in the medical field in
Canada, and do a LOT of FSMing to get more people into Scientology."
FSM stands for Field Staff Member in the acronym-laden private
vocabulary of Scientology.
"A lot of our patients come here by word of mouth, and they know we
are Scientologists, and it doesn't seem to put them off," said
Jaconello.
Sam Foster, who underwent a course of treatment at Narconon two years
ago, certainly was put off. He told The Star his story on the
understanding that his real name not be used.
Sam first went to Narconon in the fall of 1984. A long drug binge had
cost him his job, his self-respect and his health. he had stoppe
dtaking drugs about five months before his first Narconon treatments,
but said he was still deeply depressed by the "mess" he had made of
his life.
'Lot of pain'
During his first interview at Narconon, Sam was questioned while using
the E-Meter. "They said the needle was registering a lot of pain and
that they needed $2000 up front to start the treatments," he recalled.
He promised to make the payment and also agreed to sign documents
saying "I would not hold Narconon responsible for any ill effects or
for any statements I made to the press. I had to sign a paper that
said I wasn't an informer."
Sam said he was not given copies of the documents he signed. He added
he was encouraged to buy books about Scientology and to enrol in
Scientology study courses.
One day, he related, he overheard two staff members discussing how
much a new client was worth to the organization. "I felt really bad
when I heard that and realized I just had to get out."
Manic depressive
Four days after he left Narconon, Sam checked into a psychiatric
hospital, where he was diagnosed as a manic depressive. On medication
now, he said he is able to cope with his life again.
"I think the main thing that members of the public should remember,"
stressed Ian Haworth of COMA, "is that they have the right to a second
opinion if their doctor recommends a regime like the Purification
Rundown."
"To say that Narconon and Scientology are not connected is absurd -
ex-members describe Narconon as part of the empire, and the directors
and medical advisers are Scientologists. People should be aware that
that's what they're dealing with."
-------------------------------------------
-- Scientology's gate is down. --
Canadian Scientology information is now at:
http://xenu.ca/
-------------------------------------------