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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auditing (Scientology) | 5/5 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auditing_(Scientology) | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T09:17:10.624540+00:00 | kb-cron |
=== Claimed benefits === L. Ron Hubbard claimed benefits from auditing including improved IQ, improved ability to communicate, enhanced memory and alleviation of issues such as psychosis, dyslexia and attention deficit disorder. Some people have alleged that auditing amounts to medical treatment without a license, and in the 1950s, some auditors were arrested on the charge. The Church of Scientology disputes that it is practicing medicine, and it has successfully established in United States courts of law that auditing addresses only spiritual relief. According to the Church, the psychotherapist treats mental health and the Church treats the spiritual being. Hubbard clarified the difference between the two:
If we processed a specific type of aberration, we of course would be in the field of mental healing, and so forth. But long ago we actually discovered that we must not process specific aberrations, which takes us out of the field of mental healing. It is quite fatal to do this because in the first place it's an evaluation for the case. In the second place, it's a negative type process; you're condemning the individual for hitting girls. Doesn't validate the individual at all. Do you follow? And if carried on very long, does not result in the betterment of an individual. All we're interested in is the spiritual betterment of the individual[.] In 1971, a ruling of the United States District Court, District of Columbia (333 F. Supp. 357), specifically stated that the E-meter "has no proven usefulness in the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of any disease, nor is it medically or scientifically capable of improving any bodily function." As a result of this ruling, Scientology now publishes disclaimers in its books and publications declaring that the E-meter "by itself does nothing" and that it is used specifically for spiritual purposes.
=== Misuse of confidential information === Auditing sessions are permanently recorded in the form of handwritten notes stored in folders called preclear folders, which are supposed to be kept private and confidential. Judge Paul Breckenridge, in Church of Scientology of California v. Armstrong, noted that Mary Sue Hubbard (the plaintiff in that case) "authored the infamous order 'GO 121669', which directed culling of supposedly confidential P.C. files/folder for the purposes of internal security". This directive was later canceled because it was not part of Scientology as written by L. Ron Hubbard. Bruce Hines has noted in an interview with Hoda Kotb that Scientology's collecting of personal and private information through auditing can possibly leave an adherent vulnerable to potential "blackmail" should they ever consider disaffecting from the cult. A number of sources have claimed that information gleaned from preclear folders have indeed been used for intimidation and harassment.
=== Hypnosis ===
Auditing has been described by some scholars and government inquiries as involving hypnotic elements. Hassan and Scheflin (2024) states that Hubbard incorporated hypnotic techniques into auditing practice and that these techniques can induce a light hypnotic state and create dependency and obedience in the subject. In 1965 the Anderson Report, an official inquiry conducted for the state of Victoria, Australia, found that auditing involved a form of "authoritative" or "command" hypnosis, in which the hypnotist assumes "positive authoritative control" over the subject. The report stated: "It is the firm conclusion of this Board that most scientology and dianetic techniques are those of authoritative hypnosis and as such are dangerous [...] it is only in name that there is any difference between authoritative hypnosis and most of the techniques of scientology."
=== Child labor === Dutch investigative reporter Rinke Verkerk reported that she was given an auditing session by an 11-year-old in the Netherlands. This has been criticized by clinical psychologists and child psychologists, on the grounds that secondary trauma can affect children more strongly than adults. The fact that the child was working full days for a whole weekend was also considered to be problematic.
== Cost == The prices to undertake a full course of auditing with the Church of Scientology are not often advertised publicly. As of 2011 it can easily cost $400,000 to do the entirety of Scientology's "Bridge to Total Freedom" (equivalent to $572,000 in 2025). In a 1964 letter, Hubbard stated that a 25-hour block of auditing should cost the equivalent of "three months' pay for the average middle class working individual." In 2007, the fee for a 12 and a half hour block of auditing at the Tampa Org was $4000 (equivalent to $6,210 in 2025). The Church of Scientology is often criticized for the prices it charges for auditing, and examinations of the orgranization have indicated that profit is their primary purpose. Hubbard stated that charging for auditing was necessary because the practice required an exchange, and should the auditor not receive something for their services it could harm both parties.
== See also == Scientology security checks
== Notes ==
== References ==
== External links == Secrets of Scientology: The E-Meter