Narconon IS Scientology. We didn't know THAT when we were referred via the internet and phone to a rehab center in Southern California that was supposed to be the CA equivilent of St. Jude's Hospital in Kansas. It was rude awakening to find myself learning nothing about drug addiction and more than I wanted to know about scientology in the 4 days. I attended two of their facilities, one in Newport Beach and the other called Narconon Joshua Hills in Desert Hot Springs.
I had had a problem with meth that almost cost me my family. I started using it 2 1/2 years ago because I was so overwhelmed. I had met the women I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. We decided we wanted it all. She became pregnant, we moved to a new town, bought a house and were engaged to be married. My dreams had come true right down to having a son born with my blue eyes, but I felt overwhelmed and turn to meth to accomplish more, something I had committed never to do.
Using drugs was something I adamantly did not want to do, drugs devastated my own childhood. Before my son was even born, I vowed that he would not have to go through what I did. Over time I tapered down my drug use.
Still two years later I was about to loose everything. Until I had completely stopped for good, my drug use would forever come between me, my fiancee and our son.
My fiancee and I were expecting, this time a little girl, everything we both wanted. There was still one problem destroying everything. This time I realized I was going to loose everything if I did not stop. I was ready to kick my habit completely and was willing and wanting to get good help that would support me in my efforts.
It was so important to me and my fiancee that we put every last dime we had into what we were told would be the right rehab for us. We were misrepresented.
This is what I experienced while attending what was supposed to be a drug rehab program at Narconon Southern California in Newport Beach and Narconon Joshua Hills in Palm Desert, CA.
We thought Narconon was a credible rehabilitation facility. My fiancee paid $20,000 for what turned out to be a place to brainwash people into thinking they should be in the Church of Scientology. My fiancee and I were told a bunch of lies in order to get us into the program.instead of a quality rehab center with quality care and a good solid drub rehab program this is what I got. I left the program because the program was not like what we were told it would be and because I was sick with bronchitis and given no medical attention.
My time at Narconon was one cult brainwashing session after another. First off I did my "detox" in Newport Beach. I was there two days from February 17 to February 19. This place was a zoo. It was so overcrowded that staff were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Even the clients didn't know what they were supposed to be doing. There was no medical doctor on site nor was there 24 hour access to a medical doctor as promised. I saw a young guy sick coming off of heroin ask to see a doctor and staff told him he would have to wait until the next day.
Staff started me in on their Scientology Training Routines asking me to name something in the room I could have. I named something and the staff member asked me to name something else, and something else. Finally when I had named everything in the room, I told her that was all, I had named everything in the room. The staff member said, " I will repeat the command again, name something in the room you can have."
I told her to command this and I asked for a taxi to get me out of that place. I was not being aloud to speak to my fiancee. These were Scientology practices "training routines" and not the drug rehabilitation we paid for.instead of getting me a taxi. Staff called David Heroin, the Senior director of Joshua Hills to come get me right away. When my fiancee called the head guy at Narconon Newport Beach to see how I was doing in detox, Scott Edwards lied to her, told her I had done great and that I had quickly excelled out of detox to residency at Joshua Hills.
That afternoon, February 19, David Herion got us "lost" going from Newport Beach to where he lives at the Joshua Hills Narconon Residency in Palm Desert. After driving for what was supposed to be a 2 hour drive and arriving 6 1/2 hours later, I was exhausted and instructed to sign their no refund policy admission agreement before I was to get some rest. Just more manipulative Scientology practices.
Again the facility at Joshua Hills was overcrowded. That next day was my only full day of doing the Narconon program at Joshua Hills. Narconon's program is not a drug rehabilitation program in the traditional sense or in any sense. The Narconon program consisted of taking vitamins, reading LRon Hubbard books and doing Scientology Training Routines. I found none of it to be useful or helpful or even relevant to drug/alcohol addiction recovery.
I was at Narconon a total of 4 days and never heard the word rehabilitation, drugs, addiction or recovery. The only time I talked to anyone about drug addiction was when I talked to the other clients. The councilors never talked to me about drugs, rehabilitation, recovery, why I did drugs, my life or my family situation. My fiancee and I were told I would have individual therapy. The only time I ever had one on one time was when I signed admission papers. There were no individual therapy sessions.
Those admission papers that I signed said I would be getting individual case management, alcohol and drug education and group sessions.
That day at Joshua Hills, February 20, I read 5 hours of Study Routines and did the Training Routines also known as TR's instructed in 'Book 1.' The only group sessions they do at Narconon is people sitting in a room, reading L Ron Hubbard books together. Again this is not a group session in the tradition sense and we were lied to about the program.
After having read 250 pages in Book 1, I found none of it to be useful. None of it was relevant to drug rehabilitation. I flipped ahead and found that nothing in the 800 page book had anything to do with drug rehabilitation or drug recovery. I asked other clients who were farther along in the program if they thought the readings were helpful and they told me they still were not applicable to drug rehab and no they were not helpful. Those clients told me they just do the book work so that they can be done and go into the sauna.
These other clients were all in their early twenties. I am 32 years old. My fiancee and I were told by our recruiter that the other people in the program at Joshua Hills were of all ages. This turned out not to be true at all. I was the oldest person there. All the other students were significantly younger than me. They were immature juvenile types, throwing papers, acting up, not serious about seeking true recovery like I was. I faced loosing my family, everything I had built. I was counting on our money going to a real recovery program that I could benefit from.
Book 1 directed the Training Routines of Bull-baiting. As you may have already heard аbout: I was to sit in a chair while other residents were told to call me names and make fun of me while I sat there and did nothing, which I did. The other residents told me I was "wearing thrift store clothes." And that the only reason I was there was because I was "gay and wanted to hang out in the sauna with a bunch of naked dicks." They called me names like, "cock-sucker." Is this what Narconon considers group sessions? Again not what we paid for.
Book 1 also directed the next TR. I was asked, "Do birds fly?" I would respond, "yes." And they would repeat the question over and over continuously, "Do birds fly? Do birds fly?" Do birds fly?"
Bull baiting: Being insulted and humiliated verbally while trying to maintain composure is part of the Scientology Training Routine drills written by founder L Ron Hubbard. My fiancee and I did not know and were never informed that Narconon is a program that uses unconventional and controversial specific Scientology practices unrelated to traditional drug rehabilitation methods.
I was at Narconon 4 days and never heard the word rehabilitation, drugs, addiction, or recovery. The only time I talked to anyone about drug addiction was when I talked to the other clients. The councilors never talked to me about drugs, rehabilitation, or my recovery.
When I arrived to Narconon I was on prescribed antibiotics for severe bronchitis. On my third day at Narconon, Wednesday February 19th, I asked to see a doctor because I had run out of antibiotics, I felt like I was getting worse and feared I might be getting pneumonia as my doctor at home had predicted. Before going to Narconon, my fiancee and I were told there would be 24 hour access to a medical doctor there. The staff at Joshua Hills told me I would see a doctor the next day. The next day, my last day at Narconon, I was driven two hours to see a doctor. When we got there I had no means to pay the doctor. I was not given any medical attention for my illness and I was taken back to Joshua Hills.
When we arrived back I was told to redo all of the reading and TR's I had done the day before. Not because I had done them wrong, but for repetition. Feeling sick and needing medical attention, I asked for my belongings, signed out and began walking. Someone from Narconon picked me up and took me to the airport.
Dave Herion told me we would get a refund because my stay with Narconon was brief, just 2 days in Newport Beach and 2 days in Palm Desert.
We have been denied a refund by June Rosenberry, Narconon's Refund Coordinator, or as I like to call her their No Refund Coordinator.
Just to show what they did I have scanned in the incompleted Admission Agreement contracts, which my fiancee (as financially responsible party and credit card holder) was never aware of until I was already back home after leaving the program. She has never signed these contracts their no refund policy, nor the credit card receipt.
Also for your review is June Rosenberry's refund rejection letter. I have also scanned in the copy of their Consumer Service Policy June sent with rejection letter, which was never given to me or my fiancee until after we asked for a refund.
Note in June's letter she tells my financee, Sarah, "Just as a drowning man fights the person who is trying to rescue him, so often does a person on drugs fight his would-be rescuer." She states that I said that I dont need a drug rehab, can't do bookwork, and showed no willingness to do program. Well, I went to Narconon looking for help on my own free will and if I had found the program, the workbook and the counselors helpful I would have continued the program.
Well this "drowning man, " (me) came home and directly signed up with a proper local rehabilitaion center. There I received the kind of support I needed; individual therapy, relevent reading material, relevent workbooks and group discussion about drug addition and recovery. I have a perfect attendance record to my current program. I was clean 3 weeks before going to Narconon. Narconon was overcrowded, was nothing like we were promised, and worse; Narconon turned out to be a front trying to pull people and funding into The Church of Scientology. Every bit of material we were made to read was written by Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard. I came to find out that the materials and practices for the Narconon program are the same or similar to those which Scientologists study or practice for "religious" purposes as members of that "church". Most of the graduates become scientologists or staff at Narconon helping promote this scientology program.
I left there for several reasons mainly because my fiancee and I had been manipulated and deceived and because Narconon was not what we were promised. I did not leave to use drugs and I was not on drugs for 3 weeks prior to arriving at Narconon. I have random drug tests dating back to when I left Narconon. I am clean of drugs NO THANKS TO NARCONON, L RON HUBBaRD or SCIENTOLOGY.
A full refund from Narconon Southern California of Long Beach and Narconon Joshua Hills is in order. I got the help that I needed elsewhere and I am grateful for standard rehabilitation care programs like the one I am now in. Everyday I am thankful for my family. Sarah and I just had a baby girl recently. Our son Dante is a wonderful, smart, loving, delightful little boy. I can not bare looking into my sons eyes thinking the Church of Scientology has what could be my son Dante's College Education funds. Narconon has not refunded us our $20,000 despite being promised. Others paid more money for the program and some have been refunded but they are holding out on us and others for no valid reason. All I can tell you readers is to beware of Narconon's deceptive trade practices and, if you've been ripped off by Narconon, post your story, too.
Daniel
Grass Valley, California
U.S.A.
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