Research or Guesswork

A Deep Dive Behind the Scenes as one of Scientology’s Guinea Pigs

One of the widely held beliefs drilled into the heads of true believers in Scientology is that every word out of L. Ron Hubbard’s mouth is the truth. They believe that he put meticulous research into each and every one of his processes and that any slight deviation from what he stated would lead you down a horrific path.

Having been on the receiving end of some of his “research” I can verifiy that it was neither scientific or meticulous. . 

Strange Auditing

I was on the receiving end of some very odd spiritual counseling (called auditing in Scientology). Hubbard’s wife asked me to participate in it. After a week, I went to her and begged to be taken off the project. Whatever Hubbard thought he was trying to accomplish with that never made it past the drawing board. I, unfortunately was part of that drawing board.

The Sweat Program 

In the late 1970s, Hubbard became convinced that LSD was the cause of everything that had gone wrong in Scientology and decided he would be the one to get rid of this problem. By then, he had convinced himself that he knew as much about Science as he claimed to. He preached that LSD was stored in the fat and you never got rid of it. 

So, he created a way to get rid of the LSD. Starting in February 1978, the Sweat Program began. He created a drug bomb of incredibly high doses if vitamins and niacin to be taken at prescribed intervals and then made the person wear a rubberized suit and run an hour in the heat of the day.

The program changed by the month. By the time I was put on it in July of 1979, it had gone through several iterations, each one adjusting the doses of vitamins, etc. note: I have never done LSD, by then, it had become mandatory for all Scientologists to do the Sweat Program.

What Research?

Let me point out, I paid $1,500 for the privilege of being a lab rat. I was interviewed by the Medical Liaison Officer, a young man who had no medical training, that was just title he had, to ensure I was healthy enough to start. No doctor pre approval, no real questions asked. I was financially healthy enough to start, that’s what mattered..

By then, the diet for the program consisted of a minimum of a teaspoon of salt a day, fruit, heavy juices (juiced fruit), 2 oz of protein powder a day. We also had to drink oil to replace the “bad fat” we sweat out.

This is the list of vitamins in the drug bomb taken from the letter I wrote my mom. 1000 mg niacin, 2000 mg vitamin C, 500 mg carbonate, 25 mg B6, 200 mg B complex and 100 mg pantothentic acid) 3 times a day, drink “Cal Mag” (a really nasty tasting mixture of 1 T Calcium Gluconate, 1/2 t Magnesium Carbonate 1 T vinegar dissolved in 4 oz boiling water then add 4 oz cold water) twice a day.

None of this was based on research or fact, Hubbard just observed people as they had problems and adjusted the program accordingly. The program never was medically safe or scientific.

How The Sweat Program Ended

For me, it ended inauspiciously when I discovered that I was pregnant. I discovered this when I miscarried 10 minutes before the end of an hour run late in August. That was the last time I had to do that.

Soon after that, there were major adjustments made in the vitamin regimen, the diet restriction was no longer in place and Hubbard “discovered” that you could sit in the sauna for 5 hours and get the same effect as running. There is supposed to be a doctor checkup before the person is allowed to start, as well. Unfortunately, Scientologists are still subjected to this very unhealthy and totally unscientific program as part of their “spiritual advancement.” It is even used in their drug rehab centers. 

The concept of research in Scientology could probably be debunked if a person took the time to review any number of processes that Hubbard released over the years. He was such a prolific author, it would take someone with extreme patience to do so. It is not worth my time to waste that kind of energy on his incomprehensible jargon.