Gadfly and Veda, I concede that some "gains" are possible. But these gains are achievable through other resources at much lest cost, financially, emotionally and spiritually.
And no, I do not mean the indie path.
I don't have enough information to know if that is true, and it is NOT for a lack of trying to answer that (whether the same or similar gains of Scn are available in "other modalities").
For example, take the phenomena known as "line charging". There were
many times in session where I would answer a seemingly innocuous enough question, and BANG, it was like
the floor fell out from under me. I am not exaggerating at all. Charge (energy) was exiting out of me by the bundle, and I would BURST into uncontrollable fits of laughter. It was like experiencing intense JOY, but without ANY "reason".
It happened many times to/for me. That sure NEVER happened in my many years of meditations, visualization, study of other practices, etc.
So, I AM curious. In the name of honestly, has ANYONE reading this ever experienced a similar sort of thing in ANY "other practice" or religion? Heck, when I was doing OT II the line-charge went on for almost 10 minutes. It was truly mind-boggling, and it was "wonderful". I felt "cleaned out" on a mental level. I was, how should I say,
ecstatic (like in flights of "religious ecstasy").
This line-charging always was concurrent with or ended with some great "key-out"' "incredible happiness" or "exteriorization". I remember when it first happened in Life Repair, and I was amazed. It was intense and severe - in the best of possible ways. I had no idea that such a thing could, should or would happen. I was totally unprepared for such a dramatic "mental and physical phenomena". Especially at the very BEGINNING of my involvement with Scientology auditing. Of course, I wanted MORE of THAT.
I have heard people state that "all of the same gains you ever got in Scientology are available elsewhere". Okay. Just as far as this ONE THING known as "line-charging", where? Please fill me in, because after quite a bit of study, looking and examination, I have NEVER found ANY other "therapy" or "technique" designed to or able to bring about this (highly desirable) thing called "line-charging". :confused2:
Note: I am NOT familiar with every therapy or practice, and have NOT surveyed every person on Earth. So I AM "missing data".
Oh also, I wasn't the "only one". I knew friends who reported the same thing to me over the years, and I SAW people come out of session in similar states.
So, if the "tech" doesn't "work", then WHAT exactly brought about
that effect "consistently" in different people?
And, where are the "other practices" that provide the
same or similar "floor falling out from under me" phenomena? Over and over and over?
I am curious how many will explain this all away, excuse it as "something else", or ignore the question, and fail to provide any sort of honest and convincing answer. Please, point me to the people and practices that get a SIMILAR result. Note: I was NOT unconscious, out of it, hallucinating, dreaming or on any sort of "trance". I was THERE, in present time, in the moment, like NEVER before!
There is a thing I really HATED asbout Scientology. It was how any Scientology church member or staff member would explain away, excuse, justify or ignore the question, for example, with something about Paulette Cooper, and with anything that questioned or disputed the accepted Hubbard/Scientology party-line. They REFUSED to honestly look at ANYTHING that disrupted their fixed model of reality. It saddens me when I see it here also on ESMB.
Truth is all that matters (to me), and not whether the "facts" fit some person's preconceived notions or not. But it works both ways.
And maybe, there ARE some or many other techniques out there, readily available, and cheap, that can
blast me out of my head by answering a few questions and quickly push me into a state of peace, serenity, joy and "being there without effort".