Read Let's Sell These People a Piece of Blue Sky: Hubbard, Dianetics and Scientology for Free Online

excessively,
the coach “flunks” him. It is presumed that something the coach said or did
provoked the reaction, so the drill is restarted, and the coach tries to repeat
the earlier stimulus exactly. This is done until there is no reaction from the
student.
    I was first “bullbaited” by a dour, middle-aged house
painter who had little time for a young hippy. In “bullbaiting,” the coach can
do anything save leave his chair; so he sat and insulted me, told obscene
jokes, and pulled faces until I stopped responding. The idea is to find
“buttons” which when pushed force an immediate reaction and, through drilling,
to overcome these reactions, allowing a more considered response to real-life
stimuli. His main approach was to insist that because I had long hair I must be
a homosexual. It took about two hours before I attained immobility in the face
of this onslaught. I felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment.
    The next Training Routine, TR-1, is supposed to teach the
student to speak audibly and coherently, and to teach him to ask written
questions in a natural way. In TR-1, the student reads lines at random from
Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland”; he “makes the line his own,” and then
repeats it to the coach. The coach must hear clearly what is said, and feel it
was intended that he hear it. A course room full of people declaiming “Off with
his head!” or “Contrariwise” is one of many surreal experiences Scientology provides.
    TR-2 deals with acknowledgments. In counseling it is
necessary to show you’ve heard, so you say “Good,” “Thank-you,” “Okay,” or
something similar. This ends what Hubbard calls a “cycle of communication,” and
prepares the way for a new “cycle.” The coach reads a line from “Alice in
Wonderland” and the student acknowledges it.
    By the time the student comes to TR-3, he has learned to
concentrate on the person in front of him and not be thrown by their reactions.
The student has also learned to make sure that he is clearly audible, and to
show he has heard what is said to him. The lessons of the earlier TRs must be
retained throughout the course. In TR-3, the student learns to repeat an
unanswered question without variation. TRs were designed for Scientology
counselors, and Hubbard’s counseling questions are exactly worded. To prevent
the drilling from turning into counseling, two non-sensitive questions are
used: either “Do birds fly?,” or “Do fish swim?” If the coach answers, the
student accepts the answer by acknowledging it. If the coach does anything
else, the student says, “I’ll repeat the question,” and does so.
    TR-4, the last Training Routine on the Comm Course, drills
the student to “handle originations” made by the coach, and to return his attention
to the original question. For example:
    Student: Do birds fly?
    Coach: It’s hot in here!
    Student: I’ll
open the window (opens window). Okay, I’ll repeat the question, do birds fly?
    Over the years I persuaded about 20 people to do the
Communication Course. I instructed some of them, or in Scientology terms “supervised”
as Hubbard’s course materials do all the talking, and the supervisor adds
nothing by way of explanation or comment. He meets the confused student’s
queries with, “What do your materials state?” This is supposed to ensure that
Hubbard’s materials are not altered by personal interpretations.
    The Comm Course helps people to hide, though not overcome,
their nervousness, and to look people “right in the eye.” It also inculcates
persistence with questions until they are answered. It can have a positive
effect, generating self-confidence. Of course, people on the receiving end
sometimes feel intimidated. Critics of Scientology usually mention the
“relentless stare” which for the great majority of Scientologists is habitual.
    After completing the Comm Course, I was allowed a few pounds
against the “Hubbard Qualified Scientologist