Here’s an interesting article from Narconon, pushing the virtues of interventions.
This is how they describe what an intervention is:
Family intervention is a common approach used because it provides the right nudge toward treatment. Family interventions work, but it is difficult to predict how the intervention could unfold. Certified family intervention specialists have the training to prepare a family for what to expect.
Most family interventions use pressure to encourage an addict to admit to their problem and seek treatment. A group of close friends and family come together, and the gathering is usually a surprise to the addict. Typically, each member of the group outlines the ways in which they have been harmed by the addict’s addiction. During this process, they then request the addict get treatment or list the consequences for getting help. Interventions are emotionally charged, which is why some families feel the process would not work. There is a common misconception that it becomes a screaming match, and the addict would walk away. However, a professional family interventionist acts as the third-party mitigator keeping the intervention on track.
Generally, most interventions are successful, but this depends on the interventionist and the family or friends involved in the intervention. A family may feel it is successful when they agree to go to treatment. Still, success is a result of the family setting healthy boundaries and holding the addict accountable, while also following the guidance of the interventionist.
Family intervention is also effective at any time, and it should not be considered the last step to take.
Whether it is early intervention with a conversation involving family or friends or a staged intervention, the process does work.
They call those who specialize in these activities, intervention specialists.
When it comes to scientology, there is a whole different take.
Scientology calls intervention specialists who try to help people escape from cults “deprogrammers” and they reserve some of their most hateful propaganda for them. Deprogrammers are psychiatry’s guerilla warfare specialists, seeking out families to bilk them out of their hard earned cash in order to employ their criminal tactics. It’s all a matter of perspective. Intervention specialists are a conduit for new paying customers for Narconon. Thus, they are good. Deprogrammers take people away from scientology, thus they are bad.
STAND League reserves a special place for those they denominate deprogrammers: Ted Patrick, Rick Ross, Steve Hassan and Hana Eltringham. They focus on Ted Patrick in particular as he was arrested (like Wick Allcock) and then throw everyone else who has engaged in any form of “intervention” with a scientologist as also being a “violent criminal.” I have not personally met Rick Ross, though I have seen interviews with him and he is no proponent of violence. I have met Steve Hassan and Hana Whitfield. They are two of the kindest and gentlest people one could ever hope to meet.
Here is one piece of indignant propaganda from the scientology.org website:
Over the years, the Church of Scientology has exposed numerous instances of brainwashing or mind-control practices, such as those involved in so-called “deprogramming.” Such practices are diametrically opposed to Scientology, which is intended to free Man and restore his ability to control his own life.
The terms intervention specialist and deprogrammer are interchangeable. The methods are identical. Yet, in the world of scientology propaganda, one is saving lives, the other destroying them. One is bringing in money, the other taking it.
Is that a bit like families who are victims of the mind-fuck perpetrated by the criminal organisation known as the “church” of $cientology sending their unruly kids off to dry out if they (the families) are shocked, SHOCKED, to find their kids drinking?
It might be..
“Have You Told All?: Inside My Time with Narconon and Scientology” by Lucas A. Catton
Like everything in Scientology it’s backwards world!
So interesting. My first thought – I bet narconon certifies their own interventionists. So a big happy family.
My second thought – I wish there was an interventionist that would help my sisters leave Scientology…
Signs of gambling addiction include needing to spend increasing amounts of money to get the same emotional high; dysfunction in daily life due to lack of money for normal expenses (I would include strategic outlays like health care, education and retirement saving); lying to family members or others to hide extent and costs; Jeopardizing or losing important relationships, jobs, or school or work opportunities; getting into excessive debt, and asking others for financial bailouts and loans; resorting to theft or fraud. *
Involvement in a high control group or cult like Scientology can have many of the same signs and characteristics as gambling and other types of addictions, so talking about similar interventions and approaches is indeed fitting.
It may be true that long ago some of the early cult deprogrammers were more aggressive and forceful than would be considered appropriate nowadays; though it’s also somewhat understandable in the context of the time, when families were gravely concerned about young people who sometimes had literally vanished off the street without a trace, seeming to have been virtually kidnapped. But that’s irrelevant to discussions of what’s done in the way of exit counseling and interventions nowadays
* adapted from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/compulsive-gambling/symptoms-causes/syc-20355178 and https://www.algamus.org/blog/8-signs-your-loved-one-has-a-gambling-problem
O/T. Scientology conflates gender identity (nonbinary) with sexual orientation (gay); again says “sexual orientation is not a criteria for membership in the church.”
https://twitter.com/Scientology/status/1527111906913406976
https://twitter.com/AevisXandar/status/1527376369818415105
https://twitter.com/Scientology/status/1527396801845661697
https://twitter.com/AevisXandar/status/1527403677165682689
https://twitter.com/Scientology/status/1527455243629277184
Scientology: [Tweets promo for The Way to Happiness.]
Xander Aevis: “This book SAVED me. Thank you Ron and everyone who made my journey worth living!”
Scientology: “So happy to hear it, Xandar, thank you for sharing!”
Xander Aevis: “Any links or resources for a nonbinary person like me taking the next steps in xer #Scientology journey?”
Scientology: “Hello, Zandar, sexual orientation is not a criteria for membership in the church. You can call or visit a local Church via
FIND YOUR NEAREST SCIENTOLOGY ORGANIZATION”
Memorialized with screenshots on ESMBR and Instagram at:
https://exscn2.net/threads/scientology-conflates-gender-identity-nonbinary-with-sexual-orientation-gay-again-says-sexual-orientation-is-not-a-criteria-for-membership.5082/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd6NR5ZJtJ1/
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It seems that the rallying cry of scientology is “It’s good for me but not for Thee!” of something like that. As long as it helps scientology it is good but when it doesn’t then it is bad.
The way of the cult.
But that is just my thoughts.
Well, there is a difference between intervention and deprogramming in that intervention involves sitting the person down and trying to steer them away from a harmful path whereas deprogramming usually involves kidnapping, sleep deprivation, sometimes withholding of food and usually pressure for the individual to renounce whatever beliefs and actions are harmful. I’m all for getting people out of Scientology but not by using Ted Patrick methods.
“deprogramming usually involves kidnapping, sleep deprivation, sometimes withholding of food and usually pressure for the individual to renounce whatever beliefs and actions are harmful.”
Doesn’t that sound a bit like, what is it, RPF, or what ever? It does to me.
Right and I believe that is the issue in today’s blog. Those Ted Patrick methods I referred to are being used in Scientology.
What?!!
Scientology and its leader do ANYTHING BUT “free Man and restore his ability to control his own life.” JUST THE OPPOSITE. Scientology and its leader david miscavige are all about controlling peoples lives and taking away peoples abilities to think for themselves and speak their own truth.
If anybody wants proof that there is a Hell just join the Sea Org.
The fact that it’s been allowed to exist for tens of years has destroyed my faith in justice.
I remember hearing Jon Atack discussing some of the interventions (if that’s the right word for what he was doing) he was involved with many years ago, in quite general terms as all these years later he still respected the privacy of those involved, and the lengths Scientology went to to harass both the families involved and him and others who worked with the families, to attempt to stop them from continuing and having any effect on the person. The fact that it was told with Jon’s wonderful matter of fact Englishness made it somehow all the more devastating. He didn’t say much, but that made it all the more evident what a difficult event it was to go through and he was obviously only on the periphery compared to the family. I’d always enjoyed his writings, videos and general thoughts, but my respect for him grew immensely after hearing about that.
On a trip to Flag I met a big beefy dude. Being the workaholic I was, I asked what he did for a living. He flew all over the country and collected people using drugs in behalf of the family and brought the drug user to Narconon.
He got good pay for using his muscular bulk to manhandle ‘druggies’ as he called them.
His fee was in addition to money families paid for treatment. He was on expensive services at Flag. He described himself as like a bail bondsman, but his targets were easy to find.
He got his calls from various Narconons. Very cozy arrangement. Kidnapping for hire.
I couldn’t help remembering him as I read about Scientology and what they disapprove of.
Around 1971 I decided to hitchhike to California because I wanted to learn how to surf and got as far as Salt Lake City where I lived for three or four years and eventually got into scn. Being an outsider and with my Eastern accent somehow a rumor got started that I was a narc. Fortunately the rumor didn’t go far and I was able to continue my hippy lifestyle for about two years without major disruption until I got into scn.
In the early 1970’s SLC was probably a lot like Haight Ashbury was in the 1960’s before the hard drugs and criminal element moved in. People would sit on their front porch smoking weed without any particular paranoia while people back East were still quite paranoid about getting busted. Maybe the Mormons thought we were just smoking cigarettes.
Quite sadly there is now an epidemic of hard drug use causing death and destruction with little government help and people desperate to try any means to save loved ones from addiction.
I wish the pot-smoking on the front porch time continued without the incursion of heavy drugs and criminal follow-on.
I used to think that the government was meant to clean up our mistakes like mom and dad. I thought for a while that Scientology would help me out of messes too. I actually learned how to not create messes in Scientology because the Ethics and amends were worse than the consequences of said messes.
I have since realized that with drug use and homelessness, the government seems lost at sea about what to do. And a lot of other issues as well. A strong family is still the best bulwark against disaster. That’s why Disconnection is such a hideous ill that Scientology commits against society.
I remember reading a story where a teenage prince admires a handsome duelist for his skill and macho winningness and how their kingdom needs more men like him. An older man at the table points out that a good swordsman in the military kills the enemy, but a duelist kills the taxpayer. The future heir to the throne changed the subject, giving none of his future subjects confidence in his upcoming reign. Scientology is like the swaggering duelist, cutting down productive citizens while crowing about how cool their religion is.
A is non-A to some people.
A=A=A=A…………..