Hi SecretForNow. I’ve been meaning to come back to respond to your posts for several days, but I was sick and then trying to catch up with things. (I think one of your responses must have “crossed in the mail” with mine – both approved in the same batch.)

‘Wow, “milieu control.” – what a great term. I just looked it up, this is so helpful. I love finding out bits of things that describe what scn does in real world terms.’

Glad it was useful. I picked it up from one of the regulars (forget who exactly) at the Underground Bunker, who got it from Steven Hassan (Combatting Cult Mind Control), who got it from Robert Jay Lifton (Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism), if I recall correctly. I think having words and concepts is an essential part of being able to formulate thoughts freely. That’s why cult leaders like Hubbard invariably control the use of language. I find that part infuriating, especially a few concepts that I got elsewhere and now discover are essentially tainted by how Scientology uses them. (“Postulates” is the one I brought up at the Bunker once.)

“I DO worry that someone else could come along and deconstruct the scn playbook and come up with a NEW vicious cult that could lure folks in.”

I worry about that, too, even of myself. Not that I would ever deliberately start a cult, but I’m extremely good at imagining this sort of woo stuff and finding weird ways to reconcile paradoxes around it. Back in the day when I more believed such things, I spread those kind of beliefs around. And I sometimes will go off on little fantasy jaunts I consider jokes (as Hubbard seems to have done, except he DID deliberately start a cult with it). I have several times been tempted to write up a sample OT IX and X just to prove how easy it is to do. I haven’t, because I’m afraid that stuff like that might get used by someone else to hook people. I’m afraid that ideas I helped spread might have a longer life than my own. Consequently, I can be a bit of a nebbish about such ideas in person. I HAVE TO bring up the counter-example to offset people’s willingness to believe rubbish like Hubbard’s jokes (and mine). It’s a good thing I don’t want to start or be part of a cult, because I’m afraid I would be quite good at creating ideology for one. I even wonder, supposing there was an actual flesh-and-blood person on whom Jesus of the New Testament was based, whether he would be similarly horrified to see what has been espoused in his name (as I would be if my fantasies ended up being the foundation of a cult).

You watch, a century from now there will be true believers in the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Mark my words. Hehe.

Thank you so much. CA is not in driving distance…. for now. 🙂 Someday when I’m brave enough I may call you. I feel a kinship with every Ex and your stories touch me.

I’m at 4700 Crown Valley. Never secret. My phone is 213-880-3661 always open 🙂

”
We deserve all the nice things now”
We have honestly earned them :). Hugs and there will be plenty of children coming your way 🙂

BTW: where do you live? I drive.

I’m so sorry for your experiences. The loss of your son is beyond heartbreaking. I didn’t have enough children, I purposefully held off on more than I had because I “needed to go up the bridge”.

As I’ve come to my senses, this is what I condemn scn for in a great fashion. It convinced me that it was more important than the glorious experience of having more children. Fuck them and LRH.

I’m sorry, wish I could offer more than my deepest sorrow and sympathy for you. Best of luck to you as well. We deserve all the nice things now.

<3

HAHA no kidding!

SFN your story is familiar and runs parallel to mine except my mind got so f**ked up I actually plotted and carried out moving into my van and leaving town. By then I only had one child still living with me and a husband of 23 years still in the SO.
Dang the next 10 years were horrible with plenty near death experiences and of course loss of husband, children, job and friends.
But something I figured out finally was that the TRs is what trained my brain to not question. And person is expected to remain calm while bull-baited. While doing TRO I learned to not only not respond to emotion but to not have it! I think we all did.
That is stimulus response training and is destructive. I learned to bury emotions even when my oldest son killed himself.
Wonderful thing is with that I realized I could re-train my mind which opened up for me the way to get $ out of my system. Best of luck to you in your travels and its wonderful you’ve kept your loved ones even through all that 🙂

I just saw this answer – perhaps latent posting of it –

Thanks for all of this. Wow, “milieu control.” – what a great term. I just looked it up, this is so helpful. I love finding out bits of things that describe what scn does in real world terms. It’s like,….pulling the blankets off and exposing it, it brings it into the sunlight, deconstructs it. It’s SO helpful, makes it seem less mystical, magical and powerful.

🙂 yay.

I was a cult magnet in other ways too, but I don’t go into detail as I never know who is reading these blogs. I would so like to hear more of your story and the ways you were wooed by Sirens and Snakes.

…
I’m not too worried about scn luring in lots of young people as it did in the 60’s and 70’s. With the internet, Mike and Leah and all the heroes who speak out with faces shown and all of the books, – you’re right – these and also the mindset and difference in culture and awareness help protect young questioning people from Scn’s trap.

But also Miscav is doing a bang-up job too. I didn’t get in due to flashy buildings, people in uniforms and a room full of screens showing happy shiny people solving problems.

The words of a trusted friend got me in the door, I sat down in front of a skilled and charming man, older than me just enough to set me up to look up to him and listen, yet young enough to flatter me with his attention. He got me talking about my worries and fears, he gave me kudos and credit for being smart enough to seek answers and then provided hope. Hell, color TV was still pretty new…there wasn’t a whiff of internet.

I DO worry that someone else could come along and deconstruct the scn playbook and come up with a NEW vicious cult that could lure folks in.

I understand your fascination with Scn. As I pull back, as I shake the goo from my eyes and look about, I’m surprised and stunned at the mechanisms of the trap, how it got me in, how it kept me so VERY blind …I’m pretty much in a constant state of gobsmacked-ness 🙂 as I look at what I spent my life doing and believing.

Scn’s demise is happening as we sip our tea. We who were in had no clue, as of practically yesterday I believed all the hype of our greatness and power. Old scios are dying off and they didn’t make enough children to keep it going much longer.

Scn is a little piece of poop swirling in a toilet that’s already been flushed.

Watch it go!

LMAO! I’ve lived in 5 different countries. AND, grew up (and worked) surrounded by cattle ranches. I have moved and stacked more bales of hay & straw using just hay hooks than you have ever seen. So, much for your analytical abilities.