Blog: Simi Valley - 2012-07-29
Back in the day (New York City in 1978), Scientology was fun. The org sold "How To Choose Your People" and "Miracles for Breakfast" by Ruth Minshull in the bookstore alongside the LRH books. There was no RTC. As students, we wrote weekly "Reports to Ron" and the S.O. 1 line was in place: we could always write to Ron. As a public, I felt that I was undertaking some wonderful adventure. I looked forward to coming to the org for study and for just hanging out.
Fast forward to 2011: the adventure had long since died. In its place were a whole string of arbitraries, nagging questions about apparent wrongnesses with no answers in sight, endless "events" and cutthroat regging. For years I had known that something was terribly wrong but it was only on New Year's Day 2012 that I finally saw the light, thanks to Debbie Cook's email.In my years with the C of S, I did a short stint in the S.O. until I was thrown out, did some training and got up to Solo NOTs on the auditing side of the bridge. In the past dozen or so years I experienced many health issues which I attribute to Reverse Scientology, courtesy of the Flag Service Org; however, recently I was lucky enough to treat with an alternative health care practitioner who helped me restore my health.There have been many fine writeups on this blog and elsewhere from other former C of S members detailing the abuses and off policy actions – Luis Garcia's comes to mind as a great one – so I am not going to attempt to reinvent that wheel; I will just enumerate a few lowlights of my S.O. career and my experience as a Flag Solo NOTs public.In my mercifully short S.O. career (1988-1989):I was human trafficked to another country (and got out of there after four months by hatching an escape plan);
I had become engaged to a S.O. member who was posted at the Int Base, and when Church management got wind of that, they immediately intervened and the engagement was broken off. This was typical 3rd Party – I was told negative things about my fiancé and he was told negative things about me.