Det tjatades mycket om att man måste vara i kontakt med ”kyrkan” hela tiden. Vara i kontakt med "källan" - "the sourse" - alltså källan till sanningen och räddningen dvs L. Ron Hubbard, det är han som är "källan som kunskapen kommit från". Så för att inte tappa kontakten med "källan" måste man kontinuerligt köpa böcker, gå kurser, köpa auditering och fortsätta uppför Bron - "The Bridge to total freedom" - och man måste värva medlemmar. ”Du har väl nån kompis du kan ta med dig? Nån svägerska? Dina systrar då? Dina barn? Dom måste du ju introducera! Det finns kurser för barn.” Tjat, tjat, tjat. Och har du inga pengar; ta lån, privata eller från banker, sälj ditt hus om du har något, sätt dina ägodelar i pant eller sälj dem. Dom säger det bokstavligen till dig. Titt som tätt försöker dom också rekrytera dig för att jobba där och dom gör det dels på ett smickrande sätt och dels på ett sätt som ska få dig att känna skuldkänslor om du inte är med och jobbar för "en värld utan krig, kriminalitet och galenskap". Sea Org medlemmarna, de som jobbar 24/7, är de mest hårdnackade. Dom skickas ofta ut till de olika kyrkorna i världen, dels för att "få ordning" på nån kyrka som inte jobbar tillräckligt, dels för att dra in mera pengar och bland annat för att värva flera Sea Org medlemmar från de mindre kyrkorna.

Det var svårt att stå emot tjat och intensiv övertalningsförmåga. Vad det gäller pengar så lyckades dom lura av oss rejält med kosing och det känns verkligen sorgligt eftersom jag idag ser att det var riktigt bortkastade pengar och jag ser förstås vad jag hade kunnat göra med dem i stället, eller borde ha gjort. Jag är verkligen ledsen för det men det hjälper inte att gå omkring och gräma sig och jag försöker göra det bästa jag kan av det jag har idag.

Jag vet att alla eller åtminstone en majoritet scientologer känner skuldkänslor, vare sig man är aktiv scientolog eller har hoppat av. "Hur kunde jag va så dum att jag lät mig övertalas och luras?" Å ena sidan ställer jag mig den frågan. Å andra sidan vet jag att jag blev manipulerad och hjärntvättad.

Chris Shelton, avhoppare sedan 2012, var scientolog i 27 år och 17 av dessa var han Sea Org medlem. Han är numera anti-sekt aktivist, författare, Youtuber, podcaster och konsult. En kort video som han lade upp förra året fick mina tårar att rinna för det var ord av bekräftelse. Att veta är en sak. Att få höra någon säga det betyder mycket. Jag lägger in länken till den videon här och därunder den engelska transkriberingen till videon. Vissa termer är scientologi-termer.

https://youtu.be/v2dC-SBaUa0?si=fOvHAF8Or2YyfVMn

“Hey there. If you're watching this, you might be thinking about leaving Scientology—or maybe you just have. Either way, you’re probably carrying a lot of questions, emotions, and maybe even fear. That’s normal. I know it can feel overwhelming. But I want to share five things that I think you really deserve to know—not as an attack, not as judgment, but as someone who’s been there… and who made it through. So let’s take it one step at a time.

1. You’ve Been Taught That You’re Always the Problem—But You’re Not. 

One of the most powerful ways Scientology keeps people stuck is by redefining the word responsibility. You’ve probably heard this a thousand times—“you pulled it in,” or “you’re at cause.” But in Scientology, responsibility doesn’t just mean owning your actions. It means you’re somehow to blame for everything—even things that happened to other people, or things far outside your control.

There’s a quote from Advanced Procedure and Axioms that says: RESPONSIBILITY IS THE ABILITY AND WILLINGNESS TO ASSUME THE STATUS OF FULL SOURCE AND CAUSE FOR ALL EFFORTS AND COUNTER-EFFORTS ON ALL DYNAMICS.

He then says: It means responsibility for all acts, all emotions on every dynamic and in every sphere as one's own… Whatever occurs to one, wherever on whatever track, is actually on his own responsibility. 

Sounds empowering, right? But here’s the trap: if you’re always the cause, then anything that goes wrong in your life must be your fault. You didn’t get a result in session? Your fault. You’re struggling emotionally? Your fault. The Church hurt you? You created that condition. It trains you to question yourself constantly—but never the organization.

Let me put it this way: if you went to McDonald’s and ordered a burger, and it came out raw, you’d take it back and ask for a new one, right? You wouldn’t go home thinking, “What overt did I commit that caused this hamburger to fail?” But in Scientology, that’s exactly how you’re taught to think—about everything. This isn’t spiritual growth. It’s psychological control. And you deserve better.

2. The E-Meter Doesn’t Do What You Were Told It Does 

Let’s talk about the E-meter. It’s one of the most iconic tools in Scientology. You’ve probably spent hundreds—maybe thousands—of hours holding those cans, hearing that things read or your needle was floating, and trusting what it meant. But here’s the truth: the E-meter doesn’t read your thoughts. It doesn’t detect truth or lies. What it actually measures is something called galvanic skin response—how easily a small electrical current passes across your skin.

That reading can be affected by a lot of things: Tiny amounts of sweat on your hands. Muscle tension—like clenching your jaw or shifting in your seat. Changes in blood flow or breathing. Even random emotional reactions, like stress or embarrassment.
The point is: the E-meter doesn’t know why something changed. It just shows that something changed. But in auditing, every twitch of the needle is treated like a window into your soul. That’s a lot of power to give a machine that’s really just reacting to your skin. It doesn’t mean you didn’t have realizations or personal insights. But the machine itself? It’s not magical. It’s not spiritual. It’s just a device—and it was used to create the illusion of certainty.

3. Scientology Doesn’t Deliver the Results It Promises—It Just Keeps Repackaging Them

Here’s something to think about: if Scientology worked the way it claims to, you wouldn’t need to keep doing it. You were promised Clear. You were promised OT. Total freedom. But even after decades on the Bridge and no matter how much case gain someone makes, most Scientologists are still dealing with everyday problems—depression, anxiety, family struggles, even spiritual confusion.

So what does the Church do? It re-sells the same path, over and over again—just with new packaging. In the 1980s, they launched big Dianetics campaigns. In the 1990s? Another round.
And now this year? (2025).  Miscavige is quietly preparing yet another Dianetics push as the solution to Scientology’s lack of expansion.
Same product. New label.

And let’s talk about the Bridge. In the '80s, they said it was fully on-Source.
In 1996, they introduced the Golden Age of Tech to “standardize” it.
In 2013, Golden Age of Tech Phase II—again claiming it was finally pure and correct.

So… which version worked? If it was on-Source before, why did it need fixing? And if it’s fixed now, why didn’t it work before? This constant rebranding isn’t growth. It’s a cover for failure.

4. The “Suppressive Person” Doctrine Is There to Keep You From Thinking for Yourself

You were told that anyone who criticizes Scientology is a Suppressive Person—someone deeply evil or antisocial. But here’s the truth: most SPs are just former members who started asking questions. People who noticed the contradictions. People who couldn’t ignore the abuse. People like you. The SP doctrine exists to isolate you—to make sure you don’t listen to anyone who might break the spell. And if you do? The punishment is disconnection—from your friends, your family, your kids. That’s not about ethics. That’s about control.

You may have been told that doubt is a sign of weakness or betrayal. But actually? Doubt is the beginning of truth. Doubt is how every real spiritual journey starts.

5. You’re Not Alone—And You’re Not Broken

Finally, I just want to say this: You are not alone. And you are not broken. Thousands of people have left Scientology and gone on to live happier, freer, more authentic lives. It takes time. It takes healing. But it’s possible. And you don’t have to throw everything away overnight. You can hold on to what helped you. You can take the parts that made you stronger—and let go of the parts that harmed you. You don’t owe anyone your loyalty. You don’t need permission to think for yourself. You’re allowed to question. You’re allowed to walk away. And you are allowed to be free.