OCMB: As a Narconon staff member, I was a Co$ recruiter
Catarina Pamnell
http://discus.xenu.net/discus/messages/10/1628.html?1003372503
Posted by Anonymous
Wednesday, October 17, 2001 - 10:22 pm
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 atleast 1 person from going to this facility were they previously
considering it.
roger gonnet
http://home.worldnet.fr/gonnet/narconon-perso.htm
I hope very much that this person shall have more contacts on this.
My advice:
Dear ex-narconon staff,
Your witnessing about Narconon Calif and others was extremely valuable.
Could I ask you to get in contact (privately) with me, or with some others
of the discrete best participants in news:alt.religion.scientology, like by
instance Andreas Heldal Lund (you have used his website to depose your
breathtaking witnessing), or like Catarina Pamnell just here?
Thanks a lot for what you've written.
roger gonnet
Catarina Pamnell <cata...@pamnell.com> a écrit dans le message :
3bce7732...@news1.tninet.se...
Ted Mayett
Pamnell) wrote:
>Found on the Operation Clambake message board:
>http://discus.xenu.net/discus/messages/10/1628.html?1003372503
>
>Posted by Anonymous
>Wednesday, October 17, 2001 - 10:22 pm
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I do not find this believable. There are just too many crimes listed.
And someone with enough skill to post anonymously does not have enough
skill to dial a telephone anonymously and report these things?
It just does not sound believable at all.
Tigger
(Ted Mayett) wrote:
>I do not find this believable. There are
> just too many crimes listed. And
> someone with enough skill to post
> anonymously does not have enough skill
> to dial a telephone anonymously and
> report these things? It just does not
> sound believable at all.
How do you know, Ted M., that this "anonomous" didn't "report these
things" and may have reported them using a real name?
Consider all the things this "anonymous" poster reported to numerous
authorities to no avail.
Transferred from Operation Clambake Forum: Talk to a Volunteer (Narconn
Northern CA)
Anonymous Friday, October 27, 2000 - 08:30 pm
My son has been in and out of Narconons over a 10 year period and still
can't control his drug addiction. Now I know why. He has never been
given any kind of adequate counseling and has been subjected to
e-meters, OTs, mind control, and total loss of self.
I'm writing because he was in a serious car accident with some others
from Narconon Northern CA where two were killed and his legs were
crushed. He barely survived. Now that he is able to put weight on his
legs and learn to walk again, he has decided to return to Narconon next
week. I am afraid for his life and am trying to convince him to come
home with me until he can walk or at least stay in a sober living home,
but he barely speaks to me. If there is anyone in the area of
Watsonville in Santa Cruz county, CA, please stop by Narconon any time
and ask as many questions as possible.
Ask about the accident involving the drunk staff member who crashed into
a CHP car leaving the passenger, who was a Narconon client,
hospitalized. Ask about the two client deaths where my son almost lost
his life as well and is lucky to be alive, though he can't walk. If you
see anything to complain about, call Ed Hocking, Investigator, Licensing
and Certification, Dept. of Alcohol and Drug Programs at (916) 445-1942
immediately.
Or you can call Narconon Northern CA at (800)556-8885 and ask for Andy
Moore, the director or Frank Montero, the intake counselor, who also
handles the money (he takes you in if the check clears), or Wil Starr,
the auditor (yes, Narconon uses e-meters just like any good Co$
organization would). I don't know who their new senior director of
administration is since the old one left for Newport.
Ask why they keep moving staff around. Ask about the massive turnover in
August (after the fatal accident) and why they send some to Newport
Beach. Ask where and why their security/ethics person was transferred.
Ask about Narconon Newport Beach (such nice real estate) where they only
take people who are looking for a beachfront residence, since anyone
with serious problems is too much for them. Ask why they closed down the
Los Angeles Narconon and moved to Newport Beach and what their massive
personnel turnover was all about. Ask if this is where wayward staff
members are sent when they screw (up) too much. You can reach them 24
hours a day at (800) US NO DRUG.
Ask about Narconon Chilocco, the official Narconon training center in
Oklahoma, where I know of more than one suicidal victim. Ask why the
Native Americans haven't been able to get them off their land and why
they won't send their people there even for free.
Ask any one of the Narconons why they claim that they save lives when
there are so many suicides, "accidents", and ruined lives from having
had too much contact with this organization. Ask about the parents and
family who finance their loved ones' "recoveries" with their life
savings, homes, and ruined lives.
Please ask them to explain to me why they are allowed to do so much harm
to so many people under the guise of "saving lives". I want to know why
they are allowed to continue to cause so much suffering to so many.
I am heartbroken and cannot understand how this kind of thing can happen
in a country that claims to stand for personal freedom and personal
choice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tigger Friday, October 27, 2000 - 10:03 pm
Anonymous:
I am so sorry for what has happened to your son. The anger you feel must
be enormous and it is justified. But staff at the Narconons are
scientologists and former drug addicts themselves who have exchanged
their addiction to drugs for an addiction to scientology. Certainly that
is no excuse for their behavior but it is probably the reason why
calling and asking them questions may not be the best way to get justice
for your son and all the victims of scientology/Narconon.
Narconon staff, like your son, have been conditioned to believe that
Narconon/scientology works and if there are any failures, it is the
fault of the person, not the fault of the program.
How long ago did this happen? You mentioned an investigator, so there is
still an on-going invetigation? Another anonymous poster with a relative
in Narconon mentioned recently that Narconon Northern Calif. was on its
way out. Could this accident, which involved a drunk staff member, have
contributed to its pending(?) closure?
The Five Indian tribes who own Chilocco are (after ten years) getting
Narconon off their property, but Narconon has bought an old resort lodge
owned by the Choctaw Indians (Lake Arrowhead Lodge) so Oklahoma is still
stuck with them.
Have you contacted your state Health Department, attorney general, state
representatives, Better Business Bureau, etc. about this accident and
given them any documentqtion or evidence of suicides, etc. that can be
connected with Narcnon anywhere?
Legitimate drug treatment facilities may be an ally in getting the
proper authorities to reconsider the licensing of Narconon facillities.
If they can't get a state license, they won't be allowed to operate.
Did the accident result in any negative media coverage? If not, why not?
Try to get some media interested in the story and ongoing abuses at
Narcoons and to question why the authorities are continuing to allow it
to
happen. There should be plenty of past negative stuff out there for the
media to
cover. http://www.newkirkherald.com (NSP files) covers a lot of the
history of Narconon and its abuses in other countries besides the
Narconon Story in Oklahoma.
Getting togeher with the other Anonymous and families of Narconon
victims or victims themselves and presenting your stories to the
authorities and the media
and getting the support of legetimate drug treatment programs and the
medical profession should get some results. I don't think calling the
Narconons will.
Educating the public, meda, local authorites and politicians about what
goes on at Narconon should (note I said should, there are no guarantees)
produce more favorable results than talking to the scientologists. The
scientologists will twist anything you say to anyone, so try to be as
rational and reasonable as possible. It's terribly hard not to rant and
rave when people won't listen, etc., but you must
not give in to those very human feelings.
Be sure to document everything that happens, especially any dealings
with scientologists.
May you have the good fortune to rescue your son and others from
scientology's unsafe. ineffective, abusive, bogus drug treatmetnt scam.
Good Luck
Tigger