By Anna Schecter
Rock Center
Famous Scientologists like Tom Cruise and John Travolta have touted the value of Narconon, a drug rehabilitation program based on the teachings of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.
"We are the authorities on getting people off drugs," Cruise said in a video about Scientology released online.
John Travolta hosted a fundraiser for Narconon's Hawaii location in 2007.
But the parents of one young person who died while in treatment by Narconon’s flagship facility have called Narconon “inhumane,” and others whose children died on the premises of Narconon caution anyone from sending their children there.
Narconon's method of rehabilitation is unorthodox. Patients are called "students" and they study a series of eight books based on the writings of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.
The books resemble grade school workbooks and the students practice exercises that Narconon says helps them lead drug-free lives. The program costs $30,000 per patient and the treatment usually takes three to six months to complete.
Narconon's unconventional methods include spending up to five hours a day in a sauna for 30 straight days and taking up to 5,000 milligrams of the vitamin Niacin daily. It is similar to Scientology's regimen called a "purification run-down," designed to free the body of toxins in order to achieve spiritual gains.
Narconon is a "non-medical treatment facility,” meaning it does not administer pharmaceutical drugs to aid in the withdrawal process or the healing of addiction. Hubbard shunned the pharmaceutical, psychiatric and psychotherapy industries. He believed any drug is essentially a poison and even medicines create a barrier to spiritual well-being.
The detox is part of a larger system of life skills training that many Narconon graduates say has helped them lead drug-free lives.
In a letter to NBC News, former Narconon student and later employee, Amber Wold, said, “What I like about the Narconon program for myself (sic) was that although it was really hard, it helped me take responsibility for my life and myself."
Narconon says it runs 62 treatment centers around the world, including 19 in the United States, and says it has helped thousands of people get off and stay off of drugs.
But Narconon facilities have been running into trouble. Four "students" at Narconon Arrowhead in Oklahoma have died in three-and-a-half years.
Statement from Narconon Arrowhead to Rock Center
Statement from Narconon International to Rock Center
Statement from the Church of Scientology to Rock Center
Kaysie Werninck, 27, left her Florida home to check into Narconon Arrowhead in 2009.
Mother calls Scientology-linked Narconon 'inhumane'
Her mother, Connie Werninck, said she had initially been drawn by the 75 percent success rate advertised online. She said she also liked the idea of Narconon's unconventional approach.
Courtesy of Werninck Family
Kaysie Werninck
"I’m a health conscious person myself. The sauna program was attractive to me," Connie Werninck said.
But just a few weeks after her 28th birthday, Kaysie succumbed to a respiratory infection in a Tulsa hospital. Werninck said Narconon staff did not give Kaysie the right medication.
"She kept getting worse over the course of one week," she said.
Werninck said she arranged for a helicopter to take Kaysie to a Tulsa hospital 100 miles away. She said Kaysie's infection had taken over her body and she died within an hour of arriving at the hospital.
"It is inhumane that a person that sick, you're paying them thousands of dollars, and they let her die,” she said.
Werninck said she is telling her story now so that no one has to go through what she did.
"I want to get the word out so no one sends their child there," she said.
Werninck and her husband, Keith, sued Narconon. The organization settled for an undisclosed amount without admitting wrongdoing.
"I didn’t want their money, I wanted my girl back," Werninck said.
Narconon Arrowhead CEO Gary Smith said he is frustrated that he cannot comment on this case because Kaysie's family would not provide a release from HIPAA, the medical privacy law, which restricts Narconon from discussing her case.
In October 2011, the first of three deaths within a nine-month period occurred at Narconon Arrowhead.
Gabriel Graves, a 32-year-old father of two young girls, was found dead in his bed at Narconon Arrowhead.
His mother, Shirley Anne Gilliam, said she felt misled by Narconon.
"I felt like they were leading me to believe he overdosed and I was devastated," she said.
Her son's autopsy report shows only trace amounts of morphine in his system and the cause of death remains a mystery.
Gilliam said her son told her Narconon Arrowhead was anything but drug free-- a place where drugs were used by some to barter for sex.
"He said that it was one of the easiest places he's ever been to get drugs if you want them. He said there were drugs offered for exchange of physical favors," she said.
A former client and a former employee told similar stories. Narconon Arrowhead has strongly denied the allegations.
Gilliam also said her son told her that he felt Narconon was trying to convert him to Scientology.
"He said that's their whole thing, trying to get us to be Scientologists. That's what they do," Gilliam said.
Gary Smith said the Church of Scientology has supported Narconon since its inception 40 years ago, but insists Narconon is a non-religious program that does not recruit for the church.
“All of teachings have been secularized,” Smith said.
In April, the regional government in Quebec, Canada shut down Narconon’s largest facility in North America, Narconon Trois Rivieres, because it failed to meet new health and safety laws.
Narconon and the Church of Scientology say they disagreed with the Quebec decision to allow only the medical model of detoxification and notes that Narconon facilities continue to operate elsewhere in Canada.
Marc Lacour, director of the regional health agency, said there was no medical supervision at the facility, and as such it “posed a risk” to patients.
Also in April, 21-year-old Hillary Holten died in her room at Narconon Arrowhead. Her family has retained Tulsa lawyer, Mike Atkinson, to investigate the facts surrounding Hillary's unexplained death.
Colin Henderson, a former student at Narconon Arrowhead, organized a protest near the facility after Hillary's death.
He said he left after two weeks because he was denied his blood pressure medication. He also said he felt the Narconon program was too restrictive.
"I came to Narconon to get off drugs, not to have Narconon attempt to rewire my brain in order to reform to their way of thought. I will never allow anyone to attempt to control my mind. I think for myself,” he said.
A lawyer for the Church of Scientology says Henderson is unreliable and prejudiced against Scientology.
As Henderson was starting to plan a second protest, another young woman died inside Narconon Arrowhead in July.
Stacy Murphy was 20 years old.
"We were so close. She was so full of life, so outgoing. She made people feel good about themselves," said her mother, Tonya White.
White said she had heard about two deaths and even asked about them when she took a tour of the facility with her daughter.
"They explained there were extenuating circumstances. I was so encouraged that they could help my daughter," White said.
Stacy’s father, Robert Murphy, said Stacy complained that there was no drug counseling and that the exercises she was encouraged to practice were strange.
“She says, ‘They got us doing this weirdest stuff, Daddy…we have to sit in front of another student and look to them and yell at them and curse at them and say awful things about them and they're not allowed to react in any aspect whatsoever,’” Murphy said.
Seven weeks into her stay, Stacy went home for a one day visit. Upon her return, Stacy used drugs she had smuggled back into the facility, according to Narconon clients interviewed by the local sheriff's department.
According to the sheriff's report, she was put in a withdrawal unit where she was left unsupervised for several hours and by the time a staff member looked in on her, she was dead.
"This shouldn’t have happened. They should have kept a closer eye on her. They should have called me the night before when they found out she had used drugs," said White.
“Sometimes I still can't believe it. I wake up and she's the first think of. I can't believe she’s gone," she said.
Narconon Arrowhead CEO Smith said he cannot comment on any of the recent deaths due to federal privacy laws. He said his staff was devastated by the loss of young lives and he said "our prayers are with the families" of the deceased.
Oklahoma law enforcement and health department authorities have launched investigations into the facility.
Smith said his organization is cooperating fully with all law enforcement, licensing and administrative authorities.
A Church of Scientology spokesperson said, "Narconon has an exceptional record of helping tens of thousands of individuals to lead drug and alcohol free lives. The Church of Scientology is committed to helping people free themselves from the ravages of drugs."
Narconon International president Clark Carr released a statement saying, "Narconon has served tens of thousands of people" and that "three out of four graduates are able to live stable drug-free lives." Carr also cited physicians and PhD's who support the Narconon method.
"Based on the fundamental well known principles of equilibrium chemistry...such therapy is a very reasonable approach to detoxification," said Dr. Vin LoPresti, a biologist who supports Narconon's methods.
LoPresti said the use of sauna therapy is "gentler" and has "fewer side-effects" than drug-based detoxification.
LoPresti said he has not been to any Narconon facilities and is not aware of the circumstances of the deaths at Narconon Arrowhead. He said he can only speak to the efficacy of Hubbard's methods.
Dr. David Root, a specialist in workplace medicine, has been working with Narconon for two decades.
"It is the best program out there and it works," he said. Root said he has not spent extensive time working in any Narconon facility but has visited Narconon several times.
"These people know what they are doing and are doing great work," he said.
Other experts disagree.
Susan Foster, director of policy research at the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, says she has not seen any science that supports a "sweat it out" approach.
She is not a medical doctor, but says extensive research shows a combination of pharmaceutical drugs and behavioral therapy is the safest and most effective way to get people off of drugs.
Foster says the number of deaths at the Narconon Arrowhead facility is alarming.
"You're supposed to go there to recover, not to die," she said.
Statement from Narconon Arrowhead to Rock Center
Statement from Narconon International to Rock Center
Statement from the Church of Scientology to Rock Center
Katie Boyle, Sabrina Esposito, Elizabeth Brooks and Ed Demaria contributed to this report.
Editor's Note: Harry Smith's full report on Narconon aired Thursday, August 16 on NBC's Rock Center with Brian Williams.
More from Rock Center:
Breaking Away: What is Scientology?
Breaking Away: What happens when a Scientologist leaves?
Tom Cruise's former Scientology auditor speaks about Cruise/Kidman Divorce
Leave a Comment:
If any of you reading this article, quetion the validity of the content, its true. I was there and attest to all the crap, they do to you,in Narconon's establishment. I never saw any proof of Ten,s of Thousands is saved and healed drug addicts. Bull to there statement We are under whats called the FEDERAL PRIVACY LAWS that forbid us to divulge information on a particular patient. Belonging to this (cult) for 4 years, was a horror i lived through, (my own fault, for joining,
curiosty it was on my part) and left at the speed of lightning when i went on one of there Cruise, and was approched by a staff memeber to have sex.
The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health wants to hear from victims of Narconon Arrowhead.
choocho25
I wish I did make it up..It was a living hell watching my child destroy her life..
What am I missing about this story? This young women was a drug addict, she went on leave for a day from Narconon, she took drugs (how she got them with family around is incomprehensible to me) and OD'd. How is an institution responsible for her own actions? I went through this program and am now off drugs. I'm grateful for what I learned. Each person needs something different, it's not for everyone I'm sure. I never felt that I was being brainwashed or recruited - this conversation is insane! Everyone should just go find what's best for themselves (religion included) and get on with your lives. Stop being such zealots.
Agree! It helped my son
The issue, assuming she was let out on leave and came back high, was the staff did nothing about it except leave her alone in a detox center. There was no one watching her, or medical staff, to monitor her. I have seen reports where the staff said she was "flying high" so it's not like they can claim ignorance. I mean that is clear since they put her into detox. Why was she left alone so long? Why were those WHO ARE PAID TO CARE FOR HER not aware there was an issue? I have been through rehab myself, and let me tell you even in the "crappiest" places I have been there was supervision for 24 hours a day. In fact we had someone go out on leave, and come back high. What happened? He was evaluated, and monitored for the next 24 hours for any signs of danger.
Why didn't narconon do this? Why is this the third person to die, with in a year? There is nothing wrong with that in your eyes? Why are you so willing to shove the responsibilities of the DRUG REHAB FACILITY onto the victim?
More Scientology shills, assigned to "handle" the scandal. Some are a bit more creative than others...
What am I missing about this story? This young women was a drug addict, she went on leave for a day from Narconon, she took drugs (how she got them with family around is incomprehensible to me) and OD'd. How is an institution responsible for her own actions? I went through this program and am now off drugs. I'm grateful for what I learned. Each person needs something different, it's not for everyone I'm sure. I never felt that I was being brainwashed or recruited - this conversation is insane! Everyone should just go find what's best for themselves (religion included) and get on with your lives. Stop being such zealots.
MARK- Can't you say anything else on this topic...Your repetition reminds me of the TR's (talking to ash trays and the wall) we had to do over and over and over...........
I could write a book on the subject, but I'm way to frustrated right now, just hearing the word "NARCONON". If ANYONE out there is in need of help, PLEASE DO NOT BELIEVE a word you hear from a Narconon site. (over 200 of them under different domain names) hmmmm.....
They deny that they are linked to Scientology, have FAKE testimonies, and are out and out CON artists!
Feel free to contact me if you want more info and details on this horrendous group of Scientologists. What has just been shown on Rock Center is a MERE fraction of the HORROR stories that have occurred at many of the Narconon Centers across the world.
Please stay away from them!!!!
My name is Amber Wold and i am David Edgar Love's daughter. I went through the Narconon Program at the facility in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec and was very successful. The Narconon Program saved my life.
I do not have a lot of memories growing up with my father. As my parents divorced when I was 3 years old. My mother re-married her current ex-husband, who she who she has been with for almost 30 years. Essentially, because of the lifestyle, my father continued to live with street drugs and crimes he committed to feed his drug habit, my mother wanted to keep me away from that life style. My mother was very open and honest with me with regards to her life with my father and all the drug use and crimes that he committed. She was able to get clean and get clean and get a children back so she was not anxious to let me contact my father.
However, the more she didnt want me to have anything to do with David, the more i wanted to know who my father was. So when i was 11years old my mother let my plder sister and i go visit him for the summer. When we returned, my sister at the age of 14 decided she did not want to have anything to do with our father as she thouhgt he was manipulative and controlling. She broke all ties with him from that point on and has had no contact or relationship with hm since. Me on the other hand, i went away with wanting to to get to know him better so the following summer when i was 12 i went to spend the summer with him. After 6 months i returned to live with me mom and her husband but i kept in contact with my father through the letters that i would send and receive at a friends house.
My communication with my father has always been sporadic over the years mostly because of his lifestyle. My father would call me usually when he needed help with something. Like the time when i was 17 and just going to college, he called saying his second wife had had enough of him and he needed me to take him to this clinic in Toronto to help him with his heroin addiction. David told me he was working as a realtor on Vancouver Island at the time and he had told his co-worker he had Hepatitis C, so they held a fundraiser for him to raise funds for his treatment. When they found out it was actually to go to a clinic to be treated for a heroin addiction he was fired. I flew him out to the clinic in Toronto and we used the money they had raised for the airfare, hotel and treatment.
When my father contacted me in 2008 saying he needed my help as he was living on the streets and had no where to turn. David was in trouble with the law and had been arrested in November 2008 for possession of stolen property in excess of $5000 as well as possession of stolen property under $5000 and break and entry. He was hooked on heroin as well as other drugs ans said he had been in the hospital because he had overdosed. He was on a waiting list for a treatment program in BC but really needed my help. I told him everything about Narconon and how they had help me and i said i would talk with the management and see what i could do for him.
After talk with management of the facility they agreed to help my father David by giving him a 50% discount off their regular rate. In order to help pay David's treatment fees i took out a loan which i am currently still paying back. As well Narconon allowed David to use his (unemployment) Cheque he received every two weeks toward the balance owing. He was staying at a shelter and many of the nightly residents would exchange various different drugs with one another. Also my father was on unemployment and every two weeks when he received his cheque he would spend it all on drugs.
The sooner i could get him out of that environment the better he would be, so i worked with a social worker in Vancouver to arrange to fly my father to Montreal. I then had someone pick him up and bring him to my home. My father went through the withdrawl stage of the program and once complete he went through the othe 8 stages successfully.
What i like about the about the Narconon program for myself was that although it was reeally hard it helped me take responsibility for my life and myself. I had been to another treatment program on Bowen Island, BC where they used the 12-step program and i found that that program sis not help me. Narconon's program is personalized, each person completes each stage at his or her own pace, and no one rushes you though. You do not move to the next step until you are ready. I believed in the program so much so that i stayed on sfterwards and became a Narconon staff member. When my father needed help he turned to me and i turned to Narconon for thier help to assist me in getting my father clean from drugs.
Whe my father graduated from the Narconon program in April 2009 he gave an amazing peech singing praise of Narconon and how the program helped him. My father David believed in the program so much so that he became a staff member at the Narconon facility in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec.
When i heard about Narconon Trois-Rivieres, Quebec being shut down in April 2012 that was a turning point for me. It was then that i knoe i could no longer stand by idly as David attacks the very people who helped both of us, not to mention thousands of others.
What my father is famous for doing is taking a grain of sand of the truth and exaggerating it to suit his needs. He has been doing this all his life and after having an addiction to street drugs for as long as David has had it make one delusional and paranoid. There are lots of studies that support this. He may believe he is fighting this cause for the greater of mankind but in reality it is for what David Love can get out of it financially.
My father changed his name from David Edgar Forslund to David Edgar Love in 1995 or 1996. He said it was becuase both of this parents had past away and he wanted to take on the birth fathers name. I think it was more to do with his past and wanting to escape all that went with it. My father has tried to lead a normal life, working various jobs, buying homes but unfortunately the drugs always won out. Now he has cleaned up to the best of my knowledge and is no longer on street drugs but one has to wonder with his blogs about suffering from post traumatic stress what prescription drugs he may be using. I want to believe he is clean in everyway and more that anything for him to stop this addiction with Narconon and scientology, However, i know he will not until he gets what he wants from it, which is money.
I know this will bring on a lot of anger from my father and he will say i was coerced to do it. However, i want you to know i write this of my own free will because i could not in good conscience stand by and watch my father destroy so many people's lives without at least standing up and saying something.
Amber Wold
How sad that the cult drove her to do this. It looks like a last ditch effort by the cult to attack you Dave. They always turn up the heat and never play all the cards at once. Notice that it was in the 11th hour? Why now? It smells of manipulated timing and has nothing to do with the victims of Narconon. It has nothing to do with the factual findings of the Canadian Government. They just goaded her it to making personal attacks that tried to paint David as a poor soul tortured by his past. Anyone that knows David knows it is not true and knows the issue is not his past but Narconon's. Checkmate Scientology.
very sad but deprogramming is not possible online
David Love is brave, and doing a great thing. I applaud him.
This was not written by David Love's daugther. It was written by OSA (office of special affairs), the intelligence/dirty tricks branch of scientology.
looks like amber will be caught in her lies as a relapsed narconon student. then on staff and blew back to bc and opened a daycare center called country care early learning centre. wonder if health agency did background check on her and if she's running a scientology based daycare. osa is creepy
dave's daughter was on the e-meter at narconon being audited by phil the head course supervisor a scientologist. what does osa have on this young lady. still searching.
Amber, you're full of crap. Cut it out. David Love is doing a great service to people who need help. YOU ARE NOT. Thanks for your compassion for the dead young lady and her family... can you not see what this cult has dome to your humanity? It's not too late, get out of there before they completely destroy you, permanently. Please
amber middleton goes to narconon for alcohol and major cocaine addiction.after grad moves in with james noble crack head and amber relapses back into cocaine and alcohol as a narconon staff member. at one big narconon staff cocaine and booze party amber knew there were guns there but didnt report to police of execs at narconon. a young ex nn grad who had a baby with a staff member shot himself dead. after amber blew from living with ethics officer crack head, with a guy from bc, amber still used coke and and a booze hound. amber was an ethics officer at narconon. amber is a fraud and will have to live with herself for the rest of her life. you dont buy happiness with lots of money amber. you should be ashamed of yourself you liar.
It is very sad to see "serious" journalism do a documentary with total oblivion of the truth.
Yes it is very unfortunate what has happened to thses three people. But what about the truth of other rehabs where methadone is used and other psychiatric drugs are used and people suicide in alarming numbers? Yes 40,000 people suicide each year with psychiatrics drugs and it is hush hush in the media. Of course, have you seen the amount of ads pharmaceutical companies pay the media? Everytime that you see smear campaings against Scientology is that we have won a battle in some area. This year the biggest law suit against a pharmaceutical was won by thousand of unfortunate families who lost a family member due to psychotropic drugs. Glaxo Kline and Merck had to pay 3 billion to those families. Why Rock Center doesn't do a documentary about those thousands of families who lost a loved one?
Of course not, money!!!!! advertising!!!!!!!
Always shoot the messenger tactic. Did you learn that from Hell Ron Hubbard?
My heart goes out to those parents that have lost their children. I too have lost a child to an overdose. But, I was not about to lose another child. I sent him to Vista, CA and I thank them for saving his life. They never tried to convert hime to scientology. My son was supervised durning detox and Vista kept in contact with me everyday all day long on the progress of my son. He finished the program and he is back in school and doing well thanks to Vista. Please Brian report on the other programs that use drugs to get off of drugs. We did that too for both of my sons and that only made them addicted to those drugs. Thank you Narconon for saving my sons life! Again my thoughts and prayers to the families who lost their loved ones. I too am a grieving parent.
Fake!
after awhile it becomes easier and easier to spot the Scientology shills! Their fake stories just don't quite ring true, when you logically analyze them.
The Inspector General’s Office of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health wants to hear from victims of Narconon Arrowhead.
They want firsthand accounts, in fact they need them. They will investigate any concerns you have and want to talk to you ASAP!
Local (405) 522-4058. Toll Free Number (877) 426-4058
This needs to be spread as widely as possible.
Funny how many Scientology resources are being thrown at defending a rehab that supposedly has nothing to do with Scientology, eh?..
At this point, you might ask "well, what *is* Scientology"? Scientology starts with the book Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard. In it, you learn that all your problems are caused by "engrams", and that only Sientology has the cure. A long time and a small fortune later, you realize that you just imaginated those engrams really good -- right about the time your read that you have them -- and then you are declared to be "Clear". This is a big deal in Scientology
Then, it's a mad dash to the "upper" or "OT" levels. You learn of past lives, the "space opera" and your psychic alien parasite infestation. Then one fine day, much like that "clear cognition", you realize thgat you imaginated it all in a really super special way. Now, you are OT8.
Then, you keep getting busted back down to OT7 so you can keep shelling out more money.
I worked for a man who put two of his kids through narCONon in the early nineties. They both came out damaged goods -- explosively violent to boot -- and were by no means off of drugs. Not even close.
But they thought themselves to be essentially demigods "at cause" over matter, space and time, to include any chemical they happend to ingest. On top of that, Scientology had an unrelenting hand in his pocket from that point forward. The phone calls and demands for money never stopped.
Their dad, Mike, regretted ever handing over a single dollar.
For the Scientologists "handling" this forum:
YOUR DOUBT MAY BE VALID
Doubt is the beginning of wisdom.
Certainly true about doubting the claims of Scientology.
When do the OTs show up and shatter suppression? I'd pay good money to see that show go down.
This tragedy and the families involved are clearly being expoited for profit by Big Pharma and their propaganda machinery including NBC.
When is "Rock Center" or the Oklahoma Dept of "Mental health" going to do a special expose on the REAL criminal racket?
http://www.fbi.gov/oklahomacity/press-releases/2012/oklahoma-city-psychiatrist-charged-with-illegal-distribution-of-controlled-prescription-drugs-resulting-in-the-death-of-five-individuals
Don't hold your breath - NBC gets billions in ad money from Big Pharma
And 300 Americans die from side effects of Big Pharma's killer drugs - every day of the year!
The drugs racket works like this and has been operational for many decades:
The Bankster cult's intel agencies CIA, MI6, Mossad etc. control the international drug traffic.
http://www.infowars.com/cia-manages-drug-trade-mexican-official-says/
The Intel agencies use the proceeds from the illegal drug trade to finance their covert ops and also to feed the now addicted victims to the Psycho/Pharm cartel's medical model for "treatment" with "legal" drugs - much of this financed by you the taxpayer .
Apart from the many American deaths caused by Big Pharma's drugs per day, and the evidence that all the mass school shootings are directly attributable to Psycho Pharma's mind altering drugs, what other results has this unholy alliance produced where drug cases are harvested for Big Pharma's profit?
The now deceased Oklahoma Psychiatrist Louis "Jolly" West pioneered MK Ultra for the CIA. Among his accomplishments? Programming assassins and killing an elephant with LSD.
http://www.reddirtreport.com/Story.aspx/19176
"The man leading the experiment in the effect of lysergic acid diethylamide, known as both LSD-25 or LSD or simply, in street parlance“acid,” on Tusko, a 7,000-pound bull elephant, was the infamous psychiatrist and CIA collaborator Dr. Louis Jolyon “Jolly” West. West was then a professor and head of the Department of Psychiatry, Neurology and Biobehavioral Sciences at the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine. He was at OU between 1955 and 1969."
http://www.freedommag.org/english/LA/issue02/page12.htm
"In a document released under the Freedom of Information Act, for example, it
was revealed that more than four decades ago, the CIA sought to set West up in a
clandestine laboratory to perform “mind-control” experiments with hypnosis and
LSD. A portion of the experiments with LSD and other drugs in which West was
enmeshed at the CIA’s behest were exposed in the mid-1970s by the U.S. Senate
Select Committee on Intelligence, chaired by Senator Frank Church.
West contributed to the early work which resulted in, among other
things, the death of tennis pro Harold Blauer in an experiment with a mescaline
derivative in New York City in 1953. The Senate Select Committee’s investigation
revealed drugging of unsuspecting targets, electric shocking to obliterate
memory and “programming” individuals to kill — acting under psychiatric control.
West’s career highlights included injecting a 7,000-pound bull elephant,
Tusko, with an overwhelming dose of LSD — roughly 1,435 times the quantity, in
West’s own words, one would have given to a human “to produce for several hours
a marked mental disturbance.” Not surprisingly, the elephant collapsed in agony
minutes later and died."
Larry; you insist on continuously shooting the messenger.
In this case, it's not working. It's a BIG FAIL, just like your creepy cult is a BIG FAIL.
It must be painful for you, watching your cash cow die this horrible death. I guess you'll just have to find another racket with $3000.00 kickbacks.
Narconon is now doomed, along with the creepy, vile, evil cult that spawned it.
I hear that TARGET is looking for greeters and I think that you'd look fine in a Target Greeter Suit, but keep the moonbat suit for Halloween.
Why does the FDA or similar not just shut down Narconon ?
It has to be because they don't use medications there therefore they are not regulated by the FDA. On top of that it's a volunteer program. But at least the words out now, how deadly this place can be.
That's part of what Oklahoma's trying to do, at least here. The problem with any Scientology-related front group is that they break up their assets into lots of little corporations and sub-corporations, all of which have byzantine and bizarre licensing agreements and pay schedules. As such, the corporations that hold all the money received from Narconon, such as ABLE and the Religious Technology Center, don't practice medicine, and are somewhat isolated from any attempts to shut them down. If you look on the various narconon shill sites, you'll see that almost all of them are owned by different corporations, even if the great corpus of their money is going up the ladder.
CANDLEFOREX- exactly!!! How in the world can the staff (who are nothing more than former addicts who graduated the program) dispense medications and not know what the hell they are giving you!!! I was given a "cold pack" when I got sick that had 26 pills in it that I had to take all at once. The ONLY licensed person there (the nurse) didn't even know what any of the 26 were...SCARY
Radio-paul(dot)com on the 20th for more coverage of this topic.
www.radio-paul.com
WOW... heated discussion about drugs. Let me break it down. Drug pushers and drug companies make money from hooking people on drugs. The ones for actual illnesses that can be seen from x-rays and other medical tests are an option for those who want it.
The 'head meds'? The street drugs? Alcohol in excess? Different story. These are the 'mind control' drugs that once hooked on, you either die or just can't come off of. So when you have a program like Narconon and a success rate of 75% - (yes, a family member went there in the early 90s and is still alive, well and flourishing as a Baptist... her religious belief when she entered the program and her religious belief when she completed it. ) So why the 'press' and the twisted story? M - O - N - E - Y.... hey!!! And a pharmaceutical industry that is the BIGGEST PIMP we've ever seen.
What killed Whitney Houston? Drugs. Xanax and possibly (at the time of death) street drugs. What killed Elvis? Drugs given to him by his 'doctor'. Michael Jackson? Drugs. Given to him by his 'doctor'. Marilyn Monroe? Drugs. Given to her by her psychiatrist. Ernest Hemingway? Shock Treatment -- administered by a psychiatrist. Kurt Cobain? Given Ritalin as a child - put into a psychiatric drug recovery center -- 36 hrs after admission he bolted from the program and put a shotgun to his head -- suicide -- drugs found in his system? Heroin and Valium. My older sister? Heroin then attempts to get clean by doing a Methadone program... where is she now? 6 feet under. Nuff said...
75% success rate?!?! Who in the hell are you trying to fool!?! There isn't a damn program in the country that even comes close to that. People, I wouldn't believe any program that says they have anything higher than a 25% to 30% success rate. And even those numbers I think are too high. If we are talking about opiate addicts, the average success rate will be between 1 and 2 percent. That's right 1 and 2%. That's it. 98 to 99 percent of the opiate users will go back to using at some point in their lifes. So if there is any rehab center claiming a 75% success rate I would be extremely suspicious. Something does not make sense there. Why lie about your success rate? Do they really think that that helps people by them not telling the truth? I don't know, be suspicious is all I can say...
Fake post!
This is the same crap that scientology spews at what it calls "inside psychiatry an industry of death" Go learn about how the psychs created terrorism, and destroyed the indians, and caused 9/11.
www dot catsandbeer dot com/science/fun-at-the-church-of-scientologys-psychiatry-an-industry-of-death-museum
We're talking about Narconon 'rehab' centres run by former addicts, with no medical supervision, not dead celebrities.
My oldest brother had attended numerous drug rehab programs
during the late 1970's, but each time that he came out of the treatment center,
he would be using again within days after completing the program. My
brother had burnt every single bridge in the family, and even my mom finally
asked him to leave their home, as she could not take any more of the chaos that
so often accompanies addiction. It was at this point that he came to live with my husband and I. We got tired of sleeping with one eye open, so I began to seek help for his addiction. Because my brother had already been in every local program that was available, I got on my knees and asked God to guide me in finding effective treatment so that he couldfinally be free from addiction once and for all; it was at this point that God led me to this life saving drug free program.
From the moment I spoke to Jeannie, the director of Narconon
at the time, I knew that this treatment center was different. She spent more
time with me than all of the other programs combined, prior to me making a
decision to send him to Narconon. When I told her that I did not have enough to
pay for the entire program, she extended a partial scholarship to him so that
he could still attend.
The rest is history, as they say; within weeks of starting
the program, I spoke on the phone to him. It was at this point after years
of pure hell, I was finally speaking to my "real" brother, the person
that God intended him to be before he started using drugs. My mom was
reluctant, but once she spoke to him, she knew that she had finally gotten her
son back. This was over thirty years ago and tears of joy are streaming down my face
as I write about what this program has done to save my brother's lives therby healing us as a family.
Many years later my younger brother, who was in his early
thirties, had to have an extensive amount of oral surgery done. Several months
after the surgeries, he got hooked on prescription pain medication, such as Vicodin, Oxycontin, and methadone;during this time, he moved back in with my parents. My
mother answered the phone one day and it was the DEA, warning that they were
going to prosecute my brother on charges of doctor shopping. My mother flew my
brother out to Narconon immediately, and he too, thank God, has never looked
back!!
Both of my brothers have not only been sober for many years;
they are amazing brothers, friends, sons, employees and citizens. I often tell
people that I would literally go through all of these things over again to have the brothers that I have today, because of the life skills that they acquired while going through the Narconon program.
My mother says it best; she says that my brothers used to be
the problem, but now, they are the ones that we turn to for solutions in our
family!! For so many years, people felt sorry for our family as they saw my
brother going in and out of one drug rehab program and then another, only to
return to using drugs, once again. Now, people in our community have looked to
our family as an example of how to overcome addiction, and many of these
individuals have sent their loved ones to Narconon, amd these individuals have also thrived and remained free from addiction as of this date.
Is this an ad? Which Narconon employee wrote this? Nice try...
Oooh, the Scientology / Narcanon shills are getting better! Just a little more practice, and it just might start fooling people.
Hi saved my brother's life, what Narconon website did you copypaste that "success story" from?
When is everyone going to get educated about the religion/cult of Scientology? L. Ron Hubbard started out as a science fiction screen writer for Hollywood ~ spent many years exploring his own psyche and trying to achieve perfect health, and even gave seminars to heads of governments in the 40s and 50s. By the mid 60s, his sons had decided to make a "religion" from his personal writings ~ L. Ron Hubbard refused, and his sons and first wife overthrew his company votes and took over all his material and created/named this religion Scientology. L. Ron Hubbard created Dianetics ~ not Scientology ~ which is a metaphysical approach to health and happiness. L. Ron Hubbard was banished to his ranch by 1970 where he lived alone and in obscurity ~ he had nothing to do with the religion, nor did he have anything to do with anything that does on today. Not promoting Scientology or even Dianetics in any way ~ but get your facts straight. Quit blaming the wrong people for how Scientology performs today ~ blame his sons.
Really???? Maybe you had better get YOUR facts straight. If L. Ron Hubbard is not a part of Scientology then can you tell me why there is a bust of his face in every Scientology Center? Why is his name used in and on everything they have and sell in those centers? Get Real.
L. Ron created Dianetics before he created Scientology - he turned Dianetics into the Scientology religion when he realized he could get it tax exempt that way. Much more profitable.
Decades after the death of L Ron Hubbard - under suspicious circumstances - Scientology continues it's search for the ultimate profit.
@ ReikiGirl-3661276 - Facts straight? Nothing but pure lies in your post. Hubbard was a drug-addicted paedophile. Died with toxic amounts of Vistaril in his body. Look it up.
The cult like aspect of this story is disturbing and I hope this exposure protects clients. I also wish Harry would look into the private treatment industry in general. There are similar things happening in the name of profit, with little or no accountability.
If you need help for you or someone in your family, watch out for these lines 'we have a 90% sucess rate... or our way is the only way" (12 step, non 12 step, moral teachings etc...), and if you find out that your family member is being shamed in any way -- get them the hell out of there -- adicts don't need more shame! Also if they are preaching a healthy lifestyle but are feeding your family member junk food and enticing them with sugar treats in their for profit store (can you say sugar dealer), then run...it is all about money. Oh and finally, if they tell the family, if you don't pay for the extended treatment your family member will die, you are being emotionally blackmailed. There are many other long term options including oxford houses, cheaper and sometimes free supportive living homes, or theraputic communities. Or for most people, who probably don't need residential, there are lots of free groups (12 step, smart recovery, women/men for recovery, LifeRing etc....). What ever you do -- do your research and remember that more money does not mean better treatment -- in fact it may well be a red flag!
Holy sh!t!! 4 people in 3 and 1/2 years died and they call themselves successful? I'd hate to see what that place would look like if it were unsuccessful. I cannot believe that they would have a detox program that refuses the use of medications in the withdrawl stages. That, in my opinion, is criminal. There is just going to be more and more deaths if they refuse to give patients medication that essentially would save their life. I just can not see how they can justify that type of treatment, especially because it can be so deadly. If a real and true alcoholic went into that program there would be a very real chance that that person could have a seizure and die. Those people NEED medication, not a damn sauna. What ARE THEY thinking??? And what about the extreme opiate users? They too would need some type of medication as well or they too run the risk of dying from complications and side effects associated with the withdrawl aspect of their heavy use. I think the ONLY people that should ever attempt something like this, a detox like this that is, are people who will experience little to no withdrawl side effects. Like your typical weekend warrior or someone that only uses their drug of choice recreationally, NOT your daily, heavy users.
It just blows my mind that anyone would think that that kind of detox would be safe!! There is absolutely NOTHING safe about IT!!! Mark my word, there will be MANY more deaths if these people continue to shun modern medications that, in some cases, are a must with people going through the worst stages of their withdrawl.
PARENTS, if your child is a daily to heavy user of alcohol, opiates (ie. heroin, oxycontin, METHADONE and morphine's like oxy and hydro,ect.) or benzo's (ie. valium, xanax, ativan and klonopin, ect.) then they SHOULD NOT consider this place or this method as a possible answer to their getting clean. The withdrawls from those types of drugs can be DEADLY, and the patients going through the withdrawl from those types of drugs NEED to be monitered by a professional that can provide medication if necessary. Anyone that tells you differently IS lying to you. Those are the drugs that can kill you if you are not properly monitered in a place that can, if need be, provide medication. As long as this place keeps on taking patients that are addicted to those above kinds of drugs the deaths will NEVER stop.
The only type of users that I would feel comfortable sending there would be cocain and crack users, amphetamine and methamphetamine addicts, marijuana users, ectasy, huffers, ketamine addicts and again the weekend users of alcohol and opiates, not the daily users of those last two. Besides the alcohol and opiates the other drugs withdrawls are not life threatening unlike alcohol, benzo's and the opiates.
So remember parents, if your child is a daily, heavy user of alcohol, benzodiazepines or the stronger opiates, do NOT consider sending them to this place or any place like it. It could turn out to be one of the worst mistakes of your life.
And as for the founders and the people in charge of running a place like this, shame on you. Just who do you think you are? Does it bother you at all that people are dying at your facilities? How, if you are in your right mind, can you justify taking patients that could potentially die from withdrawl into your "treatment" center knowing full well that you do not carry the medication that could possibly save a person who's going through major withdrawl's life? That to me is criminal.
If I hear of one more person dying at your place I am going to make it my personal mission in life to shut you down. I don't care what L. Ron says, that is NOT the way to help people get over their addictions. You had better change your stance on not using medications for people going through withdrawl otherwise your death rate is going to sky rocket. I consider it pretty lucky that you've only had 4 people die in the last 3 years considering you don't have doctors monitering patients who may need some type of medication to save their life. You'd better change your policy on letting people die there otherwise you could be looking at a lawsuit that may just bring down the whole "church"...
Here's why it's a cult.
Ask any member of "Scientology" what is the origin of the word "alien" ? There is an answer and it's not someone from a foreign place. If they can not in detail answer this question it's a cult.
Ever looked up any paranormal study groups ? Some of them recruit science fiction writers to exploit people for a buck to the detriment of real people with real psychic abilities and encounters. That's a fact.
Can you say Borg recruitment ?
Narconon is part of a cult that has a history of falsifying bomb threats, and lying notoriously. Look up operation Snow White. Look up operation Freak Out. Look up the anonsparrow court transcripts. Look up on youtube about Tommy Davis lying about Xenu.
If this drug rehab is supported by a cult that lies like this, why would anyone listen to anything a member of the rehab says and take their words at face value? HISTORY PROVES SCIENTOLOGY AND NARCONON IS NOTHING BUT A SCAM, AND LIES.
And the irony in that would be the real Snow White wouldn't have anything to do with them at least if you knew what they were talking about in the first place. Most don't.