My weird and scary encounter with Scientology

As we were driving down Franklin Ave. in Hollywood, I noticed a large and beautiful old building on one side of the road. It was covered up by trees and shrubs, and resembled a castle. At first I thought it might be an expensive hotel or condos, but my sister informed me that this was actually the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre International. She told me that a few years back she and her friends decided to take a tour. They were curious (much like myself) and wanted to learn what Scientology was all about. She told me that in the middle of the tour they decided to run for it, literally. I laughed and wondered what could make them run. Surely she was being dramatic.

Naturally I wanted to experience it myself. I was in a weird place at the time, going through a rough divorce, between jobs, and I heard that the Church of Scientology helped people out with their personal lives and careers, particularly if you were an actor or artist (I'm an Illustrator/Graphic Artist).

I talked her into going in with me, so we parked the car and started looking for the entrance. Soon enough we walked through the gate and into what was a neatly manicured garden. The place was right next to the street, but the large shrubs separated it so well that you didn't feel like you were in the middle of a city. It looked more like a relaxing, secluded park.

We followed the short stone path and came upon an open restaurant with a few people enjoying breakfast. Among those people was David Carradine (a few months before his death), dressed in white, all alone. We looked at each other and couldn't believe it. We're not the star-struck type and living in Southern California we get to see celebrities often, but we weren't expecting this. We stopped immediately and tried not to stare. He saw us approaching and gave us that look which says "Can't you see I'm eating my breakfast? Please don't come over here". We honored that look, turned around and tried to look for a different entrance. We walked around the building until we came to the other side of the restaurant. We walked up the marble (or stone) staircase in the front and entered the building through a small door on the side.

As soon as we opened this door we were greeted by two Scientology reps wearing dress pants and white shirts. They had big smiles painted across their faces. At first I thought; "hey, they seem really friendly!". Little did I know that later in the day I'd learn the -chilling- truth behind those smiles -insert scary sounds of doom- .

Apparently the Scientology center had actor auditions that day, and aspiring young actors came to their doors to try out. At first they thought we might be there for the auditions, but we told them we'd like a tour. They had us sit down in the nicely-furnished small office and fill out a short survey. The questions ranged from "What do you know about Scientology and what area in your life you seek improvement in" to how old you are and where you live. I can't remember it in detail, because this happened about a year ago.

We filled out the questionnaire and handed it in. They had us watch a short intro video while we waited for our tour guide. Based on our answers on the questionnaire, they handed us books from their book shelves which they believed would be very helpful to us. I leafed through them to pass the time.

A few minutes later we were introduced to the woman who was going to give us a tour around the building. As we walked through the hallway she stopped and pointed to the bust of L. Ron Hubbard. In short she told us all about his life accomplishments. I learned that this man wrote a LOT of books!!! Too many in fact, some of them were required reading, and all of them were for sale!

She asked us if we had ever heard of Scientology, but what she was really interested in were the nasty rumors that were circulating about Scientologists at that time. You had Tom Cruise "jumping the couch" a couple of months earlier, you had South Park mocking Scientology, and I just happened to watch a program on Scientology in which a girl claimed she ran away from one of their live-in youth schools. She ended up being ostracized by her family, because in Scientology you're supposed to avoid anyone who is branded a negative person by the church, including your own family members.

Her response to Tom Cruise was that he was a "unique" person who was a bit off the wall even before he joined their church, but when she heard the story about the girl you should have seen her face. She immediately became defensive. First she said she's never heard of that story. Then she continued to say that if the story was true, the girl was probably a heavy drug addict who lied about her experience in the church of Scientology. I just smiled, nodded and let it be.

We continued through the hall and wound up in the front lobby in front of some sort of contraption called an "E-meter". I heard of it before but never gave it a try. My sister passed on that opportunity. I tried to pass too, but the woman insisted. After two minutes of shaking my head in refusal, next thing I know she had me holding the metal stick connected to the E-meter, and we watched the needle on the meter fluctuate slightly. She told me that my thoughts (or feelings) influenced the needle movement. She started to ask me about my personal life, whether or not I was having problems or issues, etc. Anytime the needle made a move she pointed to it and said; "You see? You're thinking about it now, aren't you?"

Thinking of these issues was supposed to make the needle jump to the right to show my strong feelings on the subject or person involved. Generally I don't like sharing personal information, especially in situations when your weakness can be used to recruit you into cults, but since I was very sensitive at the time I let something slip. That pretty much opened the flood-gates to more questions which didn't come until later.

After the E-meter experience we were led through confusing labyrinth-like hallways, and everywhere we looked it was apparent that these people had money. Nothing looked cheap. We saw the gym along with other membership rooms and perks until finally we were shown into a small theater. The woman asked us to sit down, left the room and turned off the lights. This was gonna be good. I would finally see the infamous intro movie to Scientology!

The movie certainly delivered. It got better by the minute! If you haven't seen it you're missing out. It started off seemingly normal, but by the end I was speechless. Why? I could't believe that after watching that video anyone with half a brain actually considered joining this group! Here's a short clip just to give you a taste: www.youtube.com...

Once we were finished being completely creeped out by the video, the woman came back and turned on the lights. She told us that she was waiting for two of her co-representatives to come and speak to us. Soon enough a man and a woman showed up. The man took my sister to another room while the woman stayed behind with me.

Her fellow representative mentioned to her that I was having life troubles. She started to ask me personal questions. Somehow she coaxed it out of me and I told her nearly everything. A small voice inside my head told me it was a bad idea, yet fragile as I was, I let it out. She then told me that they have classes and books that would help me overcome all of my problems. I told her I wasn't interested since it would be a financial burden, but she wouldn't have it. She seemed like she was ready to do my budget and organize my schedule to make sure I'd be able to afford it. At first it felt like I was talking to a therapist, but then it started to feel like an interrogation. Following quotes are not exact, but close;

“It’s only -X- amount of dollars. You can’t afford that?”
“Not at the moment. Maybe later.”
“This will change your life and you need help. We can help you.”
“I understand and I’m considering it, but I need time to think about it.”
“Why wait? You’ll keep putting it off and putting it off, and you won’t move on with your life.”
“I just can’t do it right now. I live far away from here and I’m not sure I can do it.”
“We can find a center near you, or you can take a weekend class here.”
“Really, I’m just not interested. I can’t afford it.”
“Tell you what. If you sign up now, we’re giving new members a bonus consultation with a very famous career advisor. She’s given advise to –this and that movie star- Usually her consultations cost –insert-ridiculous-amount-of-money-here- but as a new member you will get to consult with her for free (or maybe she said ‘a much smaller fee’).”

This continued for 10-15 minutes. I was in there with her for a good 20 minutes before the door opened and another representative walked in. She informed us that my sister agreed to taking a class or two with me, that she too needed their help and that it would be in my and her best interest to take those classes together. I never thought my sister would crack. She was vehemently against it so I was very surprised to hear she agreed to do it. They were good!

The two representatives led me to the room where my sister was sitting. The older man sitting across from her looked kind and truly concerned. He tried relating to us and explained to us that in order to overcome our life’s problems we needed to sign up. Since I knew of my sister’s troubles I started believing that maybe taking a class wouldn’t be such a horrible idea, but we didn’t want to commit to it just yet. We wanted to think about it. We told them that we might be interested, but wanted to wait a couple of weeks before we scheduled a class. That’s when things got a little scary.

This guy was grilling us for another 20 minutes trying to convince us to sign up or at least buy a book or two. When that didn’t work (and, by the way, we told them several times it was time for us to leave), they called in other co-representatives to talk to us. My sister and I were looking at each other in disbelief. We tried not to laugh. Eventually one of their very TOP representatives showed up in this office and started talking to us. I’m telling you, we had some MAJOR sales resistance going on. We felt like we were being attacked, and we were! When the top representative’s sales pitch didn’t work on us he turned on us. He got nasty. He actually told us that he didn’t WANT us as members of their church! He said that if we were too stubborn to allow them to help us, they didn’t need people like us as part of their group. It looked like they were going to kick us out, but then he changed his mind and tried selling to us again.

It took us a total of about one hour and 40 minutes to get the hell out of there. When they finally let us leave we were having trouble finding our way out of that maze of hallways and doors. You couldn’t tell which way was in or out. We were disoriented. Luckily they were good enough to show us out when they saw us struggling.

When we were out of the building I asked my sister if she really wanted to take those classes. She told me that they told her, that I told them I needed their help. She said "yes" to them only because they made her believe that I was convinced they could help me out! She wanted to be supportive of me, so she agreed to whatever I agreed to do. Basically they lied to both of us and tried to separate us to achieve their goals. Unbelievable.

My conclusion? If these people represent Scientology, they make it seem more like a cult than a religion. Their selling tactics are extremely aggressive and they will seek out your weakness to drive the point home. Had I been more gullible, blind and fragile, they would have had a fresh source of income. I can see how certain celebrities end up as their victims/members. It’s possible that other members of Scientology are good people, but you won’t see me joining that cult anytime soon.

Run...these people will gladly take your money, and make you feel privileged in doing so.

Were they physically menacing you? In other words, did they do anything to make you think that you were in physical danger if you didn't go along, or was it all psychological?

This is what happens when you let yourselves be dominated in any way. The persons doing the dominating are no different than you are, they just have an agenda.

In my opinion, your first mistake was in letting them separate you from your sister.

Hopefully, anyone else in this position will learn from your experience.

Good post!

reply to post by psusa2


Thanks!

No, they didn't physically threaten us in any way. It mostly involved very aggressive sales tactics. I've been harassed by sales people before, but this was on a level I never experienced before. They were determined to recruit us. Fortunately their aggression actually made us want to run the other way.

Wow. lol

I mean to say..

WOW.

The video was hilarious, people actually buy this crap?

That's very scary.

But I wonder how many people they get with those tactics. I mean, they must learn by experience and instead of being nice and saying okay, here's our phone number give us a call when you are ready --- have they learned that kind of aggressive rendition works?

Maybe that had other people trapped in basement! Glad you got out!!

If they knew how to sell worth a damn that actually be fairly succesful and have other members than only the most timid.

I always found it shocking how little they know about selling considering their leader would ramble on forever about "Communication".

Originally posted by NOTurTypical
Wow. lol

I mean to say..

WOW.

The video was hilarious, people actually buy this crap?

People must buy it, otherwise they wouldn't have so much money and so many centers around the world. I think their money comes from book sales (you are required to buy their books and manuals if you join a class, or simply join their religion), guidance classes, and of course generous donations from it's wealthier members. I don't know any big actors personally, but I imagine that over the years of being in the public eye they sort of lose their mind/sanity. When they feel they're in trouble, these guys come running to the "rescue". I and many sane people see right through the video, but I guess those deeply troubled ignore the warning signs, hoping that this is their answer to everything.

P.S. If I remember correctly, I think they promise to help with your career. Since so many actors have become Scientologists, young actors may believe that joining them provides them with great opportunities to mingle with the big fish.

[edit on 10-11-2009 by 2manyquestions]

Originally posted by Granton
That's very scary.

But I wonder how many people they get with those tactics. I mean, they must learn by experience and instead of being nice and saying okay, here's our phone number give us a call when you are ready --- have they learned that kind of aggressive rendition works?

Maybe that had other people trapped in basement! Glad you got out!!

The feeling I got from them was desperation. It seemed to me like they really, really needed fresh blood. We told them we would come by another time, but they wouldn't have it. They expressed that if they did not sign us up that very day, we would never come back. They were right.

I think in the past they may not have had to work so hard to sell themselves. In recent years they have been outed in the media and everyone was curious what was really happening in there. That's what got me curious too. It's very possible that their membership is dwindling compared to earlier years, because people finally realize just how kooky Scientology really is.

I tried to click on the Youtube link OP. "THIS VIDEO HAS BEEN REMOVED DUE TO A COPYRIGHT CLAIM BY THE CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY."

These guys are fruitcakes.

reply to post by OldCorp


This thread was created two years ago, so I wouldn't be surprised about the video being removed. Here's the leaked orientation video:


You can follow the links to part 2 and 3 if you go to Youtube:
Part 2 Orientation video
Part 3 Orientation video
Part 4 Orientation video

reply to post by 2manyquestions


I just can't.
I don't even know how to explain.
I just can't do this anymore.
This is killing me.

Originally posted by AnimusInvictus
reply to post by 2manyquestions

 

I just can't.
I don't even know how to explain.
I just can't do this anymore.
This is killing me.

What's killing you?

Almost everything you have stated resonates with me, I too was harassed when entering into the Scientology building in NYC, W. 46th in NYC to be exact. This incident occurred around last summer around 6PM.

My first encounter with Scientology was always being solicited to take a "Personality Test" and watch the Dianetics video, one day on a date with my girlfriend I decided to try something new and take up the offer while walking by Times Square. We are greeted warmly by the receptionist where we inquire about the video and personality test. We are ushered down two sets of stairs that wind down down to a dark room that is playing the promotional video of Dianetics through a projector. The video was actually interesting and sparked curiosity of the teachings of Scientology, I will later find out that this video is a important tool to recruit individuals.
The Promotional Video is Listed Below


After the video we meet our tour guide and conversations begin. We IMMEDIATELY are asked to buy books by Mr. Hubbard himself, the only problem is they are EXPENSIVE and sealed in plastic so we can't even preview any of the material for ourselves, they are aggressive and even try to persuade my girlfriend by trying to be little me by not wanting to purchase this expensive book. After denying to buy books we are given donation sheets asking for financial information and the minimum donation is $50.00. Me and my girlfriend laughed and said what type of crap is that? You should be happy if we even give you one dollar for a donation. Two Red flags went off now we are both on our toes looking around and judging people a little more in depth.

In the process of judging our tour guide/recruiter we noticed she would constantly laugh at nothing and always smiling as if she was a robot or even worse, controlled. We commented on her vibe and even agreed it seemed as if she was a brain dead robot playing a script. This women had no SOUL at all, she was definitely brain washed.

At this point I am ready to leave these wackos but we still haven't done our personality test. We cut to the chase and ask can we take our personality test so we can go. The women laughs and we are lead to a table to finish our assessment. Now this is were it gets very weird, the separation begins, she begins to stress the importance of not talking to my girlfriend or even looking at her during the test, we both kinda assumed since it was a test it would seem appropriate but something wasn't right, she felt it and I felt it. Now the assessment is about 300-400 questions long with a IQ test, the duration it took to finish is about 2 hours long, we began to get bored and started to look around. She taps me and I can see in her eyes she is scared, she points to the classrooms and there is people being taught lessons and two individuals in a trance staring at each other, they were in this position for atleast 2 hours without a break. At this point I am so freaked out that I am curious to see what happens to us next.,

We finish our assessment and wait for our results, in the process of waiting I regret filling out the assessment because I gave them a glimpse of my thought process and my IQ level. Great tool for trying to enter the minds of your victims, which I voluntarily shared with random strangers of a cult organization! While waiting my tour guides asks if she can talk to my girlfriend privately! Now red flags completely go off, she is taken to a room and coached about her test, I no longer have contact with her for about a hour and also cell phone signal is low in the building.By the way this is Manhattan, why the hell is there no signals? Now I am worrying, sweating because my girlfriend isn't fully aware of how much of a predator this women is. I begin to get upset for allowing a complete stranger to separate us in this maze like building. The women returns without my girlfriend and the process starts for me. She shows me my personality test and we begin to conference in the office.

Here is a sample of how their personality test exactly looks!



The discussions begin with her focusing on all my negative aspects that need changing and how Scientology can help me. I am open to change and bettering my self in all aspects of life but the way this women tried to "attack" me was absurd. EVERY negative flaw, she repeated about 7 times to me, "SCIENTOLOGY CAN HELP YOU ". She asked me if my relationship was suffering, I replied, we are fine. Her response was well your GF is stating otherwise. You guys are fighting and Scientology can help you with this. She even went the lengths to try to con me into taking more sessions by stating my GF also is signing up for lessons, it would be great if you can support her. Total B.S. She begins to rant on how she is so happy with her life now and how it changed her for the better trying to influence me to change my mind.

At this point I am beginning to feel like a hostage, I can't see ground level anymore, I am unable to leave because I can't get in contact with my GF. After being in this building for 3 hours my temper flares and I give her a piece of my mind. I tell her how stupid she sounds and needs to wake the hell up, I ask for my girlfriend and she gives no real response as if she is withholding this information to control me. I start knocking on all doors saying her name interrupting sessions and I finally find her. She is in the office talking to a senior member of Scientology trying to convince her to come back for more sessions. The staff begins to feel the tension and loosen their grip, at this point I am ready to put my hands on these sickos. Don't no one tries to play psy-ops with my mind except for my GF! We leave the building and it felt as if we were finally let free as we walked to Broadway and enjoyed the night in TimeSquare. It is 9 PM, and they would of kept us longer if they could, probably their intentions was as long as they milk us for money.

We both compared our experience and found out they use the same tactics for both of us. We were able to quote word for word the same sentences they said in the conferences. What is even more startling is the assessment graph of our personality is false! They print out templates to make us believe that we have faults in our life that isn't true. True Trickery at its finest, It is actually clever if you ask me, the reverse psychology placebo effect. Great mind control tool!

After leaving it took me a while to adjust, the experience opened my mind to how people prey on weak minded individuals to control their minds. I can say I never was the same after that experience, I truly believe in brain washing and how it is possible to have people held against their will through mind control. Reading and hearing about it is one thing, you have to meet some of these individuals to see how real it is.

The encounter strengthen my awareness of psy-ops who operate under false guises throughout organizations. These operatives of Scientology learned their techniques from the Soviet Union and China. I have found and read this manual that gave me a glimpse of the techniques used to gain control of a population of people. Interesting read.
Here it is:
Hubbards Brain Washing Manual

reply to post by Enve718


Excellent. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Looks like we received very similar treatment from these people. The fact that they operate the same way in California and New York means they definitely follow a rigid strategy in recruiting people. I'll definitely check out that link you posted at the bottom.

I like that you described them as robots. That's exactly the feeling I got when I looked at these people. They were all smiles, happy,... like some cheesy 50's sit-com multiplied by 10. They behaved super-friendly until you refused to buy anything from them. They separated me from my sister the way they separated you from your girlfriend. They told both of us that the other person was interested in some classes, which (of course) was a blatant lie.

We never did take any personality tests. I don't remember if it was offered to us. They kept us there for hours, and the hallways were definitely confusing. Aside from people walking around the property, I didn't see any classes taking place. Scientology is a scary, scary cult. They are leaches. Not only do they prey on your mind, they prey on your wallet as well. I can't believe that they still get away with all that they do. I guess it's because the celebrities make it seem like it's just another religion, no big deal,.... totally normal. It's very far from normal.

I have NEVER had ANY religious group trying so hard to recruit me and sell to me the way these guys did. There were a couple of Christian girls (one in high school and the other in college) who tried to get me to join their church. The one in College especially was very persistent, but that was weak sauce compared to Scientology.

reply to post by 2manyquestions


Yup, there is a strict format they are taught to follow to recruit potential members. I believe they had to charge us money for administering the E-meter to us, I was hoping they would allow us to use it but couldn't. About the classroom teaching lessons, it was all fake and scripted to put up a perception that people are really enjoying the services. We noticed that they would constantly tell each other I love you and hug each other. Another thing was the constant unison clapping when someone would present in class. The building has multiple floors up and down, the main floor's purpose is to recruit new members, all the people I saw receiving services are all brain washed and told to act for hours on end to continue the perception to new individuals who enter the building. This is a similar tactic used in Pyramid Schemes, everyone is in on it except you, the deception is on you.
Personally, they should be indicted by the Federal government for all sorts of crimes they commit for monetary gains. Thanks for sharing your experience about this encounter, trust me! There is thousands of people being harassed the same way we were on a daily basis because of this. Scientology is a cult like mafia!!

reply to post by Enve718


Wow..... are you saying that they actually put on a little theatrical show for the new recruits? Having seen and heard what I have, I don't doubt what you say. I see them as being capable of many things. A couple of weeks ago I was watching a video in which a former Scientology higher-up admitted that the church actively tried to recruit new celebrities to increase their popularity. One also admitted that he had a large collection of very intimate and dark celebrity secrets on file. He was responsible for 'auditing' celebrities. Although the Church of Scientology claimed that they didn't keep these records, they actually have filing cabinets full of them.

Here's a fun video of a guy being harrassed on the street by three members of the church. They are very scary people when you're on their bad side.
Scientology Crazy Followers

Originally posted by 2manyquestions

Originally posted by AnimusInvictus
reply to post by 2manyquestions

 

I just can't.
I don't even know how to explain.
I just can't do this anymore.
This is killing me.

What's killing you?

That terrible, terrible video. The fact that these people actually exist. The fact that this line of wisdom is peddled any where by any one. This whole entire subject. My stomach is actually growling because it is so upset with all of the ignorance.
Ow T_T

P.S. Btw, I'm so sorry for your experience.

reply to post by AnimusInvictus


That's what I thought you meant, but I wasn't sure. Worse cults exist in the world, but this one certainly worked itself up into the mainstream. When you hear the stories from people who ran away from Scientology, you wonder how they continue to exist without any interference. They have a large arsenal of lawyers, probably enough blackmail on certain people, and who knows what else to keep them going. I'm glad I had the experience, because if I hadn't lived it for myself, I would not have believed it.