| Auditing (scientology) |
Website Links For Auditing |
Information AboutAuditing (scientology) |
|
Auditing is a counseling procedure that was originated by author L. Ron Hubbard as the central practice of Dianetics and further refined by him as he developed Scientology . Usually a two-person activity, auditing involves a trained listener, called an "auditor," and a person who speaks, known as a "preclear." The auditor asks the preclear to respond to a list of questions or statements written by Hubbard, and based on the preclear's responses, the auditor attempts to direct the preclear to confront and resolve memories of past travails which are known as "engrams" . According to The Anderson Report , Scientology auditing is a form of hypnosis (see Scientology And Hypnosis ). In most cases, the auditor uses a battery powered meter called an E-meter , which indicate changes of the preclear's electrical resistance. This aids the auditor in identifying engrams. In some situations and with training, an individual reads the things the auditor would say, responds to them, notes the meter's reading, writes down what is happening, and thus an auditor need not be present in person. The memories and emotions discussed in auditing sessions are recorded in the form of handwritten notes in "preclear folders." According to the Church Of Scientology , these files are held with the same legal status as words spoken in the Catholic Confessional, that is, private and strictly confidential. This has been a topic of controversy, however, as some former scientologists have claimed that this private information was used by church managers to harass or intimidate apostate critics of the church, and at least one organizational directive has authorized the use of the data in preclear folders for internal security purposes. ENGRAMS A person who has confronted such moments in such a way so as to always be at cause to all memories is said to have reached the state of Clear . Until a person has become at cause over all such memories, the person is said to be a "preclear". The auditor conducts the session and helps the preclear by applying Dianetics and/or Scientology procedures. Auditing has been compared to the Roman Catholic Confessional because it involves an adherent and a trained listener, and because its purpose is to free an adherent of past travails. Engrams are memories of past events. Whenever they occurred, they are audited similarly. In such Scientology publications as '' Have You Lived Before This Life ,'' Hubbard wrote about Past Life Experiences dating back billions and even trillions of years. Scientology teaches that individuals are immortal souls or spirits (called '' Thetans '' by Scientology) and are not limited to a single lifetime. While Dianetics procedures were intended to audit travails of a preclear's present liftime, Scientology procedures were developed to audit any travail. THE E-METER See Also: E-meter Most auditing sessions employ a device called the Hubbard Electropsychometer or E-Meter. This device measures changes in the Electrical Resistance of the Preclear by passing approximately 0.5 Volt s through a pair of Tin -plated tubes much like empty soup cans, attached to the meter by wires and held by the preclear during auditing. These low- Potential changes in electrical resistance, are believed by Scientologists to be a reliable and a precise indication of changes of mental tension in the preclear. RESTRICTIONS ON AUDITING Before a person can receive auditing, a checklist exists which is gone over to make sure a person is qualified to receive auditing. Typically, this includes items such as: # A person cannot be suffering from a major untreated medical condition. # A person cannot be wanted by the police or authorities, or be liable for arrest for a crime committed in this lifetime. # A person must be there of his own volition, not under duress. # A person must honestly want to be audited, and is not acting according to some other agenda. # A person must not be constantly attacking Scientology. In such cases, the person would have to be treated for the medical condition, turn himself in to the police, or take whatever other steps necessary to address his issue. CONTROVERSY Preclear folders The Scientology/Dianetics auditing process has raised concerns from a number of quarters, as auditing sessions are permanently recorded in the form of handwritten notes in ''preclear folders''. Although they are represented to practitioners as being private, at least one organizational directive has authorized the use of these folders for internal security purposes. Some critics have noted that Scientology's collecting of intensely personal and private information through auditing leaves an adherent vulnerable to potential blackmail should they ever consider leaving the Church. Judge Paul Breckenridge, in ''Church of Scientology of California vs. Gerald Armstrong '', noted that Mary Sue Hubbard (plaintiff in that case) "authored the infamous order " GO 121669" which directed culling of supposedly confidential P.C. files/folders for the purposes of internal security ... for purposes of intimidation and/or harassment".[http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/legal/a1/breckenridge-decision.pdf Memorandum of Intended Decision in ''Church of Scientology of California vs. Gerald Armstrong'' (PDF format) Critics and former members assert that preclear folders have indeed been used for such intimidation and harassment. Medical claims Scientologists have claimed benefits from auditing including improved "by itself, does nothing," {Link without Title} and that it is used specifically for spiritual purposes. NOTES EXTERNAL LINKS Church sites Other sites |
|
|