Jon Atack: Scientology's 'training routines' and their relationship to meditation - 2015-01-10

Jon Atack is the author of A Piece of Blue Sky, one of the very best books on L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology. He has a new edition of the book for sale, and for more than a year on Saturdays he helped us sift through the legends, myths, and contested facts about Scientology that tend to get hashed and rehashed in books, articles, and especially on the Internet. He was kind enough to send us a new post.
We're encouraged, Jon, that you've been receiving messages about your pieces here in the Bunker. And this week, you wanted to respond to one question in particular, about meditation and Scientology's odd 'training routines.' We're curious about this too. Take it away, Jon.
JON: I received this enquiry, just before Xmas, and think it is relevant to any former member who is wondering about the relationship between meditation and TRs. I have meditated for forty years, and regard it as a very helpful practice, though, many methods called "meditation" are simply forms of self-hypnosis and may have negative effects (for which, see below).
- 1980
- 2015
- A Piece of Blue Sky
- Aaron Beck
- Aleister Crowley
- Alex Gibney
- Austin
- Buddhism
- Buddhist
- China
- Dianetics
- Elizabeth Loftus
- Ethics
- Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief
- Jon Atack
- L. Ron Hubbard
- News article
- OT
- Park City
- Potential Trouble Source
- Quicky
- Richard Ofshe
- Ron DeWolf
- Sundance Film Festival
- Tony Ortega
- TR-0
- Transcendental Meditation
- Underground Bunker
- Utah
- YouTube