[ot] Karlbook [coercion]: Opening Our Minds by Jon Atack

[Undescribed Horrific Abuse, One Victim & Survivor of Many]

> # 2

> ### the buy-in
>
>
> Any _resistance_ to the group is then tested, unless the group
> represents itself under a false name (the Moonies have dozens of front
> groups, and refrain from mentioning that they are a "religion" at
> first contact). Scientologists are taught to dismiss media reports by
> saying that the media is untrustworthy: "You can't believe anything
> you read in the papers". Not one person _ever_ disagreed with me when
> I used this line -- such is the level of public distrust of the media.
>
> _Once rapport has been established, the recruiter will seek out the
> most significant difficulty in the recruit's life._ In Scientology,
> this is called the "ruin": "What is ruining your life?" If the
> preceding steps have been followed closely, _most_ people will offer
> up even their most secret troubles. Unless they've been hurt before by
> exposing their secrets, most people welcome sympathy for their
> problems. It is surprising how willing people are to share their
> deepest longings with complete strangers, as if there is a need to
> confess; this confession deepens rapport.
>
> Scientology recruiters then push the target into _"fear of
> worsening"_. The recruit is exploited to feel discouraged about the
> "ruin". "I'm sure you've tried everything, but nothing has worked."
> __Confession_ of troubles usually shifts the recruiter into a position
> of superiority, of authority._ The recruit will be willing to follow
> directions from this point, almost like Pavlov's dogs, which salivated
> when a bell was rung, because they had learned to associate the sound
> with the offer of food.
>
> Next, the recruiter will use the information from this confession to
> demonstrate that the recruit desperately needs the group to achieve
> positive change; Scientology recruiters call this step _"bringing to
> understanding"_. Sales manuals suggest that a story be made up to show
> sympathy: "I know a guy who had exactly the same problem. He took a
> few of our courses and everything started to work out for him." The
> "understanding" is that the group can solve whatever problem is
> presented -- whether it is romantic, financial, work-related or
> spiritual -- anything and everything can be resolved by the offered
> course, counseling or study program, so the recruiter has no
> difficulty in inventing a supporting story: the ends justify the
> deceptive means.
>
> Various tricks can be used to convince a new recruit. Indeed, the
> process of recruitment can begin by creating a euphoric or peak
> experience. Simply focusing attention can bring about a euphoric or
> high state.
>
> This creates a state of awe, which is found in the love at first
> sight, or infatuation (also called limerence). Awe can bring about a
> belief in the authority of the person who introduces it.
>
> _There are five routes to awe: vastness, beauty, skill, celebrity, and
> inexplicable events._ The view from a mountain ridge or a vast night
> sky, the beauty of a painting or landscape, the skill of a craftsman,
> the allure of a film star, or an event that baffles us can all cause
> an elevated state, in which we find it more difficult to reason, so
> are more easily influenced.
>
> Tricksters often use inexplicable events to capture a recruit. The
> event is presented as a miracle or a transcendent state. The trickster
> then seems to have special knowledge and may be seen as an expert
> about everything.[8] They have achieved authority over the recruit
> which can extend to every aspect of their lives.
>
> The first course, seminar, or workshop will continue the love-bombing,
> while often using a hypnotic technique to bring about a peak
> experience. Given a long enough duration, any form of repetition,
> mimicry or fixation can lead to a euphoric altered state. Chanting,
> drumming, group singing, visual fixation -- as in meditation or
> mindfulness -- repetition of a word or phrase ("mantra meditation"),
> repeated movements, such as rocking or "davening", shaking, or walking
> meditations, all lead to an altered state. It is easy to mistake the
> feeling of euphoria for psychological or spiritual progress. But just
> because we feel high doesn't mean that we've actually achieved
> beneficial change -- as any cocaine addict can testify.
>
> Most people in western society are unfamiliar with the effects of
> eastern meditation, so they are delighted and surprised by the sense
> of wellbeing that floods them. Almost every former member of an
> authoritarian group that I've talked with had an initial peak
> experience and spent the remainder of their time in the group trying
> -- and failing -- to repeat it. It is likely that the peak experience
> is simply a release of dopamine or serotonin. These neurochemicals are
> the "reward" system of the brain, and are released during sex and by
> alcohol and drug use. In a group setting, surrounded by approving
> people, carefully designed techniques can lead to a powerful high in
> the new recruit. Yuval Laor has defined the fervent attachment brought
> about by manipulating awe.[9]
>
> Testimonials are demanded for _reinforcement_. In Scientology these
> are called "success stories"

Testimonials are demanded for _reinforcement_. In Scientology these
are called "success stories". This reinforces _consistency_: the more
publicly and loudly you commit to a technique or experience, the more
difficult it will be to repudiate it later. People trying to stop
smoking are advised to tell all of their friends that they have given
up, because, under the consistency principle, it will make it harder
to admit defeat and light another cigarette.

We all suffer from _confirmation_ or _myside bias_, where we justify
our actions and dismiss anything that disagrees with our beliefs.
There is a quality of inertia to all human activity; we keep going in
the direction we're travelling. Delivering a testimonial reinforces
the sense of belonging and further confirms our bias.

Often, members will be encouraged to confess their former sinful lives
in front of the group. By humbling themselves in this way, people give
ever more power to the group. Members come to believe that everything
good can be attributed to the group's practices, and everything bad is
their own fault.

This brings us to _groupthink_, a normal aspect of human psychology.
_Induction of guilt_ is a part of this, but the group will also induce
phobias and disgust towards out-groups and critics. _As Hitler said:
create an enemy to bind a group together._

Often, as we shall now see, we simply follow the herd because we want to belong.


## recommended material:

Steven Hassan, _Combating Cult Mind Control_

Yuval Laor, _Belief and Fervor_ on YouTube


> # references
>
>
> 4: The Hill and Knowlton agency and Jack Trout have been on the
> Scientology payroll.
>
> 5: Margaret Thaler Singer with Janja Lalich, _op._ _cit._ While "cult"
> groups in western society tend to consist of educated seekers, this is
> not true of popular movements, from football hooligans and gangs, to
> the grass roots support for Nazism. In the US, Identity Christians do
> not fit the profile of other more sophisticated groups, either. Groups
> such as the Watchtower Society -- or Jehovah's Witnesses -- restrict
> education for their members, and actively recruit from prison
> populations.
>
> 6: "the outstanding common characteristic of terrorists is their
> normality," Martha Crenshaw (1981 study of the Algerian FLN),
> "terrorists do not show any striking psychopathology," McCauley and
> Segal (1987) cited by Jerold M. Post, _Leaders and Their Followers in
> a Dangerous World_, New York, 2004, p.128; see also Marc Sageman,
> _Understanding Terror Networks_, Philadelphia, 2004; Anne Speckhard &
> Khapta Ahkmedova, _The Making of a Martyr: Chechen Suicide Terrorism_,
> Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Volume 29, Issue 5, pgs. 1-65.
> 2006: See also Ariel Merari, _Driven to Death_ (OUP, 2010), and
> https://rusi.org/sites/default/files/201602_clat_policy_paper_1_v2.pdf
> which estimates mental illness at 27% in the normal population and 35%
> in terrorists
>
> 7: _A Course in the art of Recruiting_, Abu Amru Al Qa'idy
>
> 8:  Yuval Laor, PhD thesis, _The Religious Ape_.
>
> 9: _ibid_. See also Yuval's work on our jon atack, family and friends
> YouTube channel
>