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I was one of the kids that they attempted to recruit.
Around 1987 or so me (around 19 yrs old) and two female co-worker friends took a trip into downtown Boston.
While walking Newbury Street on a gorgeous spring afternoon a pretty young lady approached me to ask some questions for a survey.
after a few answers i replied something apparently profound and she grabbed my arm and whisked me away from my friends to a close by building up a couple of flights of steps to a dingy room.
There were about 4 or 5 guys, they wanted to hook me to the machine, i was like i’m outta here then they blocked the door and wouldn’t let me out.
Eventually, after agreeing to buy the book for 5 bucks and give my address they let me go.
I was like WTF just happened..
I had read a few Hubbard books like Battlefield Earth but Dianetics was just crazy..only read a few chapters.
For something like 20 i was constantly getting mail from them at my moms house.

I was young, if those tools tried to block the door now there would have been a serious brawl on their hands.

...she grabbed my arm and whisked me away from my friends to a close by building up a couple of flights of steps to a dingy room. There were about 4 or 5 guys, they wanted to hook me to the machine, i was like i’m outta here then they blocked the door and wouldn’t let me out.

Since breaking with the church I've read stories like yours before. They always amaze me because I never saw anything like that being done to anyone fresh off the street in all my years there.

Those kinds of physically coercive tactics were common in the Sea Org, but only amongst Sea Org members. Never with non-staff public or (heaven forbid!) brand new people.

But, 'the fish rots from the head, down'. David Miscavige's violent tactics eventually permeated all throughout the organization, so I don't doubt your story one iota.

I will say, though, such incidents like you experienced are rare. Even now.

By the way, picking up the cans and having the intro session wouldn’t have hurt you. There’s no hypnosis, and you’re in full control of yourself the whole time.

The e-meter is a simple galvanic skin response device. It merely registers the tiny electric charge in your skin, which can fluctuate in harmony with a person’s thoughts and emotions. It helps the auditor help you to locate buried emotional ‘charge’ in your memory. It actually does work when used properly.

Had they just handled your objections standardly, you might have even enjoyed the experience. It honestly blows my mind that they did what they did. That was entirely outside of standard church protocols.