The Kotzé Report

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SECTION III

CHAPTER 7
THE AUDITOR.

7.1.    The auditor is defined in the Scientology Abridged Dictionary as follows:

"A listener or one who listens carefully to what people have to say. An auditor is a person trained and qualified in applying Scientology processes to others for their betterment."[01]

The word is derived from the Latin word audio. The auditor is probably the most important person in the practice of Scientology. He is in command of the processing session during which the preclear is audited, given commands and asked questions. The preclear is entirely in his hands.

The auditor's function.

7.2.    The auditor's function is to apply the techniques of Dianetics and Scientology.

7.3.    There are two classes of auditors, viz. dianetic auditors and Scientology auditors. The aim of dianetic auditing (processing) is two-fold: (a) To erase the engrams from a preclear's mind in order to cure him of psycho-somatic illnesses and aberrations.[02] (b) To raise him on the Tone Scale.[03] The ultimate goal of dianetic therapy is the state of clear. Dianetically the optimum individual is called the clear … a clear, the goal of dianetic therapy …[04] In order to achieve this desirable state of clear, the preclear is taken through the various grades by the auditor, e.g. Communication Release, Problem Release, Relief Release, Freedom Release, Ability Release, Power and Power Plus Release. After that comes clear or Whole Track Release.[05] There is no clear indication which grades comprise dianetic processing and which grades comprise Scientology processing. Mr. Hubbard himself does not distinguish between them. He writes:

"Scientology is employed by an Auditor (one who listens and commands) as a set of drills (exercises, processes) upon the individual, and small or large groups. It is also employed as an educational (teaching) subject. It has been found that persons can be processed (drilled) in Scientology with Scientology exercises and can be made well of many, many illnesses and can become brighter, more alert and more competent. BUT if they are only processed they have a tendency to be overwhelmed or startled and although they may be brighter and more competent they are still held down by an ignorance of life. Therefore it is far better to teach AND process (audit, drill) a person than only to process him."[06]

7.4.    It will be noted that he mentions both being made well of illness, the province of Dianetics, and improvement in competence and intelligence, the field of Scientology with its slogan to make the able more able.

7.5.    According to evidence before the Commission[07] the auditor has no part in the advanced OT grades beyond clear. To attain these, candidates study the materials given them and audit themselves by means of the E-Meter as pointed out in paragraph 7.9 infra this presumably does not apply to the special case of exteriorization. This instrument is also used as an aid by the auditor.

Instructions to auditors.

7.6.    Two kinds of instructions are given to auditors viz. those contained in the Auditor's Code[08] and instructions for the use of the various techniques.

(a) Instructions contained in the Auditor's Code which Code is described as:

"A collection of rules (do's and don'ts) that an auditor follows while auditing someone, which ensures that the preclear will get the greatest possible gain out of the processing that he is having."[09]

7.7.    Save for one exception[10] these rules deal entirely with the attitude of the auditor to the treatment of the preclear. The Auditor's Code reads as follows:

"IN CELEBRATION OF THE 100 PER CENT GAINS ATTAINABLE BY STANDARD TECH I HEREBY PROMISE AS AN AUDITOR TO FOLLOW THE AUDITOR'S CODE

1. I promise not to evaluate for the preclear or tell him what he should think about his case in session.
2. I promise not to invalidate the preclear's case or gains in or out of session.
3. I promise to administer only Standard Tech to a preclear in the standard way.
4. I promise to keep all auditing appointments once made.
5. I promise not to process a preclear who has not had sufficient rest and who is physically tired.
6. I promise not to process a preclear who is improperly fed or hungry.
7. I promise not to permit a frequent change of auditors.
8. I promise not to sympathize with a preclear, but be effective.
9. I promise not to let the preclear end session on his own determinism, but to finish off those cycles I have begun.
10. I promise never to walk off from a preclear in session.
11. I promise never to get angry with a preclear in session.
12. I promise to run every major case action to a floating needle.
13. I promise never to run any one action beyond its floating needle.
14. I promise to grant beingness to the preclear in session.
15. I promise not to mix the processes of Scientology with other practices except when the preclear is physically ill and only medical means will serve.
16. I promise to maintain Communication with the preclear and not to cut his comm or permit him to overrun in session.
17. I promise not to enter comments, expressions or enturbulence into a session that distract a preclear from his case.
18. I promise to continue to give the preclear the process or auditing command when needed in the session.
19. I promise not to let a preclear run a wrongly understood command.
20. I promise not to explain, justify or make excuses in session for any auditor mistakes whether real or imagined.
21. I promise to estimate the current case state of a preclear only by Standard Case Supervision data and not to diverge because of some imagined difference in the case.
22. I promise never to use the secrets of a preclear divulged in session for punishment or personal gain.
23. I promise to see that any fee received for processing is refunded if the preclear is dissatisfied and demands it within three months after the processing, the only condition being that he may not again be processed or trained.
24. I promise not to advocate Scientology only to cure illness or only to treat the insane, knowing well it was intended for spiritual gain.
25. I promise to co-operate fully with the legal organizations of Dianetics and Scientology as developed by L. Ron Hubbard in safeguarding the ethical use and practice of the subject according to the basics of Standard Tech.
26. I promise to refuse to permit any being to be physically injured, violently damaged, operated on or killed in the name of 'mental treatment'.
27. I promise not to permit sexual liberties or violation of the mentally unsound.
28. I promise to refuse to admit to the ranks of practitioners any being who is insane.

             
..........................         ............................
AUDITOR                            DATE
        
..........................         ............................
WITNESS                            PLACE  L. RON HUBBARD FOUNDER"[11] 

7.8.    A general instruction provides:

"The auditor conducts himself in such a way as to maintain optimum affinity, communication and agreement with the preclear."[12]

(b) Instructions for the use of the various techniques.

7.9.    The various dianetic procedures are described in the chapter "Mechanism and Aspects of Therapy in Dianetics" of the book, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health and in the book Science of Survival (Book 2). Scientology processes used for the exteriorization aimed at the advanced OT grades are set forth in the book The Creation of Human Ability. The processes last-mentioned are applied by an auditor and are not self-applied with the aid of an E-Meter.

7.10.    In regard to the practices and procedures of auditors the Commission draws attention to the following:

1. Mr. Hubbard denies that hypnotism is used in the dianetic process of returning. This he describes as follows:

   "The patient sits in a comfortable chair, with arms, or lies on a couch in a quiet room where perceptic distractions are minimal. The auditor tells him to look at the ceiling. The auditor says: 'When I count from one to seven your eyes will close'. The auditor then counts from one to seven and keeps counting quietly and pleasantly until the patient closes his eyes. A tremble of the lashes will be noticed in optimum reverie.

   …

   The auditor makes very sure that the patient is not hypnotized by telling him, before he begins to count, 'You will know everything which goes on. You will be able to remember everything that happens. You can exercise your own control. If you do not like what is happening, you can instantly pull out of it. Now, one, two, three, four,' etc. To make doubly sure, for we want no hypnotism, even by accident, the auditor installs a canceller.

   …

   The canceller is vital. It prevents accidental positive suggestion. The patient may be suggestible or even in a permanent light hypnotic trance …"[13]

2. Some of the techniques contain a strong element of suggestion, e.g. the flash answer method.

   "When I snap my fingers you will answer yes or no to the following questions: 'Hospital?' (snap!), and the pre-clear answers yes or no. Such a series of questions and answers might run as follows: 'Accident?' 'Yes.' 'Hospital?' 'No.' 'Mother?' 'Yes.' And suddenly the pre-clear may remember the incident or get a visio of the scene and remember or get a sonic recall of what his mother said to him, which might be something like, 'You stay right here and hold on to it until I come back'."[14]

3. Resistance is broken down by means of repetition. A cardinal principle in therapy is that if you keep asking for it, you will eventually get the engram.[15] Another example which illustrates this reads as follows:

   "The auditor works on the principle that a datum desired from the pre-clear's memory today may not be forthcoming but if requested again in a day or two may be forthcoming, and if not then, may be available two or three days after that.

   …

   … the pre-clear's memory can be refereshed by this procedure, …"[16]

4. The instructions and techniques described in the handbooks do not reflect the entire role of the auditor. According to evidence presented to the Commission he was also required to apply the security checks, i.e. he was in a position to delve into the innermost recesses of the preclear's mind and to get information which might be of a nature compromising to the preclear. While auditing he had to make notes on the preclear's answers and reactions. These were then kept in the files of the organization. There was no evidence that such notes were used for purposes of blackmail. However, in the mind of the preclear who had imparted incriminating information, the fear being subjected to blackmail cannot be excluded as was testified to by Mr. E. van Niekerk.[17]

5. Mr. Hubbard stresses throughout that Scientology does not treat the sick and the insane — those suffering from psycho-somatic illnesses presumably not being included among the sick. His instructions are that such people should be attended to by a medical doctor. Nowhere, however, is it mentioned that a medical certificate is required before a preclear is accepted for auditing. In practice it apparently is the auditor who must decide whether the candidate is sick or not. One witness, a young auditor whose educational standard was Senior Certificate, one year of an uncompleted course at a technical college and Scientology training up to Grade V(a), in reply to the question: Have you a means of determining whether the person is physically ill, probably without his realising it?, replied: Sure, you can see basically, his condition of his body, if he's dreary, or his eyes are dull, or he complains about aches and pains we send him to a doctor.[18] Taking into consideration that this young man's Scientology training up to Grade V(a) consisted of some 25-30 sessions of auditing, as appeared from his evidence, that the Case Supervisor never sees the preclear, and that the examiner merely checks the preclear's E-Meter reading,[19a] one cannot consider the auditor's diagnosis of the physical state of a preclear as being of a professional quality. The unfortunate consequences which may ensue in cases where unqualified practitioners process patients suffering from disease are demonstrated by the case of the late Mr. Harry Snow[19b] who passed away during the application of a Scientology drill to him. The Commission does not regard this unfortunate event as being in any way due to culpable negligence on the part of those who applied the processes but rather as an illustration of the dangers inherent in applying training drills to persons who may be susceptible to coronary heart disease. In the case of Mr. Snow there is no evidence to suggest that his condition was known or mentioned to those applying the process. Whilst a medical practitioner would probably have diagnosed his susceptibility a Scientology auditor — untrained in medical science — is unlikely to make any such diagnosis and might in this type of case innocently induce a state of emotional upset which might serve as a precipitating factor in the causation of sudden death.

The auditor's qualifications.

7.11.    In view of the very important functions of the auditor and the position of authority he holds with regard to the preclear, one would expect a high standard of professional training as an auditor. This frequently does not exist. Auditor's courses are freely advertised, but since they require no previous general education level and take some hours or weeks or at most a few months to complete, the training they provide cannot be considered thorough. There was evidence that a scientologist may audit persons for the grade immediately below the one he has himself attained.[20] Mr. Hubbard on occasion even says that auditing can be done without any training at all:

"The technique of DIANETIC therapy is basically simple and can be understood and applied to each other by any two reasonably intelligent people after a brief study of this volume, which is the operating manual for therapy. … No previous background in psychoanalysis or psychology is necessary."[21]

"When … you have read the book and thoroughly examined the chart, you will at least have the rudiments you need to process people.

If you desire to process individuals on a limited basis, you may specialize in straight memory, lock reduction and lock scanning. This can be done to almost anyone you would ordinarily contact: without any harm and with a great deal of improvement in his general tone. … Should you desire to go the whole way and feel yourself competent, you can try running engrams … But just as you went to high school to learn algebra or physics, you should take a Foundation course in order to become a truly proficient auditor."[22]

The same applies for Scientology:

"Scientology, used by the trained and untrained person improves the health, intelligence, ability, behaviour, skill and appearance of people."[23]

The dangers of auditing by inadequately trained auditors.

7.12.    This aspect cannot be overemphasized. It is a case of a little knowledge being a dangerous thing. When dealing with the deepest recesses of the human mind and spirit or with the individual suffering from physical disease, the untrained auditor can unwittingly do great harm. Passages such as the following are significant:

"The auditor, by failing to reduce engrams or secondaries, can induce a momentary condition in his pre-clear of being out of present time. The pre-clear, after the session, if he is not in present time will look rather groggy, will not perceive very readily and will be, as a matter of fact, much more suggestible than when he is in present time."[24a]

"When the pre-clear does not return to present time and cannot be persuaded by any coaxing or cajoling to return to present time easily, the auditor has either tied up too many attention units in some past moment — a situation which will remedy itself in the course of a few hours, usually — or there is so much charge on the case, … that present time is unattainable."[24b]

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Report of the Commission of Enquiry into Scientology for 1972
Republic of South Africa