From International Viewpoints (IVy) Issue 13 - August 1993 See Home Page at http://www.ivymag.org A View from the Bridge (1) By Eric Townsend, England Chapter Two What Really Happens in Auditing Most people who have had contact with Scientology will have had some experience of Auditing. There may be some readers however who have not been audited or have only a sketchy idea of what it is. For this reason, I will start with a brief summary of what auditing is and does. Auditing is a method of enabling people to become more in control of their lives, by examining the things they think and do that hold them back. It normally consists of two people sitting in a private room apparently talking. One person is the Auditor who runs the Auditing Session and the other is the beneficiary who will gain insights into why their life is as it is and what they can do to improve it. In Scientology the second person is called a Preclear, usually shortened to PC. In the very early days of Dianetics, Hubbard referred to this person as a Patient. This term had been dropped however by the time Science of Survival was published in 1951. The term Preclear is self-explanatory once one knows the meaning of the term Clear. Several chapters of this book are concerned however with presenting the data needed to get a good understanding in physical terms of what is meant by the state of Clear. For the moment I would ask the reader to be patient and accept that the term Preclear means someone who has not yet become Clear. What happens in the auditing room has been likened by some to counselling. The first response to that comparison is to say that counselling is about advising people what they should do. The defenders of counselling say that only bad counsellors do that and that the only advice some one will take is what they work out for themselves. Today auditing is more often compared to so-called 'Non-directive Counselling' The term 'auditing' comes from the French/Latin words for 'to listen' and auditors spend a lot of time learning how to listen. Despite the name, Auditing is much more than unguided listening. It is extremely directive in the sense that the Preclear is guided gently but firmly towards the areas to look at. When one understands what is really happening in auditing one also understands that it is not really possible to relate it to anything else. It seems to be unique Auditing is communication between thetans Auditing operates on the spiritual level. One thetan is communicating with another. The one who is the Preclear is being guided and assisted by the Auditor to sort out ideas, decisions and considerations that he, the Preclear, has picked up and which influence his current ability to run his life as he wishes, as a thetan in the MEST universe. This communication is going on at a theta level, in the theta universe. This communication must follow the rules of theta communication, which are based on the ARCU triangle. These rules are somewhat different from normal human communication, although at its best human communication can rise to a level where it does follow the same rules. In auditing however, the door is opened to a very intense and powerful level of communication. It is vital that the rules of theta communication are known and followed. ARCU breaks must be avoided and if they do occur they must be spotted quickly and eliminated. So what is the difference between the way you communicate to a thetan and ordinary human communication? The most notable differences are that a thetan or spirit does not object to a question being repeated over and over again, provided it is as a new cycle of action. Thetans are by nature very persistent and patient. They stay interested in a question until it is answered or resolved. Thetans do not like uncompleted cycles of action because they hold some or all of their attention until it is complete. This applies equally to uncompleted communication cycles. The biggest contrast between the spiritual and human style of communication however relates to the phenomenon known in Scientology as 'Q & A'. This means changing the question because of a non-answer to the original question or expanding the answer given by follow up questions. It is only a variety of uncompleted communication cycle but it is peculiarly common in human conversation. The basic requirements for auditing to take place An auditor in training spends a lot of time acquiring the skills of theta communication. This includes careful study of the communication cycle, the auditing communiction cycle and doing the auditor Training Routines, known as TRs. In addition he studies and learns the Auditor's Code because it embodies a lot of the rules of theta communication as they relate to auditing. The E-Meter No mention has been made so far of the E-Meter. This device is the thing that many people find most mysterious about auditing. Once again there may be readers who are not familiar with what it is, so it is desirable to give a brief description. The Electrometer is a battery operated device which passes a tiny electric current through the body of the Preclear. This is done by the PC holding two electrodes, which look like small diameter tin cans, one in each hand. By observing disturbances to the current passing through the body, the auditor is able to measure mental state and change of state, as an aid to faster and more precise auditing. So why is a MEST object like a meter necessary if the communication is at a theta level, in other words in the theta universe? There are probably two main reasons. Firstly most of us here in bodies have forgotten how to operate as thetans and thus communicate on the theta level. We are so stuck in bodies, which are part of the MEST universe, that we consider only MEST communication is valid. So we need the meter to validate or prove at the MEST level our theta perceptions. This applies to both PCs and auditors. Secondly a lot of our difficulties are with things with which we got tangled up in the MEST universe and it probably seems appropriate to us in our present state that we should disentangle ourselves at the MEST level. This may be a mistaken viewpoint but it is no good telling a preclear that. One of the most basic rules of theta communication is that you must not tell another thetan what to think! So we have to start where we find ourselves. The meter is an aid to the auditor to know what is going on in and around the mind of the PC. Hubbard did all his early auditing before a suitable meter was evolved and that included taking people to the state of Clear. The most that he could advise others to do was to look and be aware of the many physical, mental and spiritual signs that are there and which can guide you. He predicted in 1950 however, in Dianetics The Modern Science of Mental Health, that some electronic aid would be needed for auditing to become a widely available facility. Once E-meters became available in the mid-fifties, auditing technology developed very fast and auditor training became much more streamlined. Today it is impossible to envisage auditing taking place without a meter. Even so, some auditors have the presence and awareness to be able to audit some processes without a meter when necessary. Occasionally auditors find themselves in a situation where they have to do some Assist Auditing with no meter and they can do it without mishap. We should never put the priorities of auditing the wrong way round. The meter is an invaluable auditing aid but the presence of a thetan willing and able to audit is much more important. Desire for change The second most important requirement is to have someone there willing to be audited. Actually this is an over-simplification. The need is for a being who wants to bring about a change in their condition and is willing to put in the necessary effort to do so. This distinction is needed to avoid drifting into the 'Doctor and Patient' situation. In this the patient gives the doctor his symptoms and then sits back and waits for the doctor to pass a judgement and provide a 'cure' of some sort. This passive patient role is very different from the role of a PC. Auditing is very hard work but it is harder work for the PC than the auditor. The PC is the one who has to confront and consider things which he has been avoiding for a long time. This is actually physically strenuous and requires courage and determination from the thetan and his body to be in good physical shape. The auditor has the role of administering the auditing process until it achieves the intended and predictable result. He has to watch for certain other phenomena and handle them as necessary. He then continues with the auditing process which he has already started. The auditor also performs another vital function. This is the one of supporting the PC in confronting his reactive mind. This is a theta role since the Auditor as a thetan is supporting the PC as a thetan, by providing him with a safe space in which to confront the terrors of his reactive mind. The sad truth is that we have got to a state where as Preclears we cannot confront or handle some of the contents of our own minds. Since the PC participated in the creation of this mind in the first place, this outcome would be funny if it were not so tragic. The presence of the auditor willing to audit is what combines with the presence of the PC being willing to be auditied for an auditing session to actually take place. The need for an auditor and the basic actions required of him are summed up simply and concisely in just a few HCOBs and Policy Letters listed at the end of this chapter. One fundamental principle is that 'The auditor plus PC is greater than the PC's Bank'. There are two corollaries that follow from this 'Auditor plus bank is greater than the PC' and PC minus Auditor is less than the Bank' (HCOB 30.4.69 Auditor Trust). One further corollary can be worked out from this basic proposition which shows why the PC must understand and be committed to the function of auditing. Can you work it out? Application of all of this produces the basic requirement that must exist before any auditing can be done. This is for the PC to be 'In Session'. This means having got the PC to a point where he is 'interested in own case and willing to talk to the auditor'. Typical session So let us put together what we have covered so far to see what happens in a typical auditing session. The auditor first checks the physical condition of the PC to confirm that his body is up to cooperating in an auditing session. This includes questioning about food, sleep, alcohol, medicines, and being comfortable in the auditing environment. The auditor then does a metabolism test to check that the body is reacting on the meter. Only if all these aspects are alright will the auditor start the auditing session. The next step is to check the PC's spirtual condition. Since this isn't a physical condition like the body, this may be better restated as locating the PC's attention, as a thetan. The prime indicator of this is to be found from the meter. If the meter is not registering the phenomena that the auditor expects, he goes through various steps to rectify the situation. The most familiar of these are known as Rudiments, which means things that are done to set-up the PC for running an auditing session. When this has been done, the auditor knows he has the PC's attention as a thetan, in other words he is 'in session' and the true business of the auditing session can start. What the auditor then does is locate a charged area of the PC's case, that is in the PC's bank, which will read on the meter. He then runs an auditing process, usually a series of repetitive questions. This may make the PC feel uncomfortable but eventually there will be a discharge of the electrical charge relating to that item and the PC will brighten up, have a realisation and feel much better. This also is visible to the auditor on the meter. The auditor does not usually tell the PC what is happening on the meter because it can result in the PC becoming 'meter-dependent'. He does however tell the PC from time to time that his 'needle is floating', which is the prime indication of the PC being In Session. So the auditor needs to have his PC with a floating needle before he starts the action of addressing the PC's case. The needle must float again at the end of the session when the Auditor has 'discharged' the charge attached to the area that was opened up within the PC's bank. An auditing session may consist of several actions of this sort to discharge areas located. The session should always end after a big release when the PC is feeling good and his needle is floating. Need for a Case Supervisor The next question may well be how does the auditor know where to look for a charged area? It is certainly not a good idea to go prodding around unsystematically in the PC's bank to find something to run. It is for this reason that we have a Case Supervisor. It is his or her function to programme the PC's case and decide what area is to be investigated for a charged item that will discharge. The Case Supervisor is a very experienced auditor who has also been trained to supervise cases. He or she operates from a more remote position in relation to the PC than does the Auditor. This means that they work only on written interview and auditing session notes. This is best expressed in the 'Ivory Tower Rule' which says that the Case Supervisor is more successful when he works in seclusion. Probably the main reason for this is because there are far fewer things that can be wrong with thetans than the average human being may think, and even an inexperienced auditor thinks! The Case Supervisor has another equally important function. He or she is the Auditor's 'handler'. As stated in the Technical Dictionary he or she 'tells the auditor what to do, corrects his tech, keeps the lines straight and the auditor calm and willing and winning'. The need for a Case Supervisor to do this comes in part from the fact that the auditor will often get too involved with the PC's case to see the most direct and usually simplest route to solve any difficulty that may occur. This is what is meant by 'keep the lines straight'. Also the auditor could find it difficult not to be drawn into conversation by the PC about his case out of session. He is able to make it clear that the whole operation is run by the Case Supervisor. The degree to which the auditor is under the control of the Case Supervisor is similar to an Astronaut and Mission Control. The astronaut and the auditor are expected to deal with unforseen occurences requiring immediate attention but would report back what they had done as soon as possible. It is unthinkable however that they would change course or destination without the agreement of Mission Control or the Case Supervisor. This is the reason for the strong prohibition against 'C/Sing (Case Supervising) in the chair'. An auditor making decisions on what to do under the pressure of an auditing session is called C/Sing in the chair. It is considered 'very poor form as it leads to Q&A'. So we can see that behind the auditor there is another thetan operating for the benefit of the PC. This ensures that the weight of theta against the PC's bank is that much greater. We could even modify the axiom to say 'PC plus auditor plus case supervisor is greater than the PC's bank'. A PC who has been audited in this situation, and is aware of it, feels very safe. Basic Concept of the Bridge We still haven't dealt with the question that was asked earlier in this chapter about where to find the charged areas for the PC to handle. There is no doubt that every case has a huge amount of charge. Most of it however is not available to discharge or run-out. This is because the PC's condition or 'case level' is not up to confronting that area of charge. Fortunately for the PC and the auditor there is a mechanism called 'The Mind's Protection', referred to as early as 1950 in Dianetics: Modern Science of Mental Health. This means that if the PC is asked to look at an area beyond their confront level, the mind will close it off so that it is not accessible. Although this would protect the PC, it would still represent a setback for the auditor and the PC's confidence in him. So how does the Case Supervisor know what the PC will be able to confront and and thus run-out. The answer is that he utilises 'The Bridge' which is also known as the 'Classification, Gradation and Awareness Chart'. This is the same Bridge that features in the title of this book and it will come up again later on. It is a very detailed document which contains a lot of data and needs to be studied very carefully. At this stage however it is appropriate to give a brief introduction to the origin and purpose of this Bridge or Classification, Gradation and Awareness Chart. The best way to do this is to look from the top down. If we started as very powerful thetans operating in one universe and came to experiment with a new one, it must have taken some very powerful or subtle setbacks to reduce our power. Once the process had started however it would have become a declining spiral. Each setback would have needed less and less power to push us a bit further down. From all the evidence that has emerged, it would seem that all thetans in this sector of the MEST universe have had broadly similar experiences. Thus if we can trace our route down, we can follow it to go back up. This then is what is meant by The Bridge or Classification, Gradation and Awareness Chart. It is a gradient of confront that any being to be found in or around a body in this sector of the universe can follow to regain his lost abilities. The Case Supervisor uses this same Bridge or Chart to programme the running of any individual PC's case. There is not really any question about where a person should start. He or she should start at the bottom. This is because no assumptions can be made about something being uncharged if no check has been made to see if it is charged or not. There are complicating factors however that must be taken into account by the Case Supervisor. The main one of these is that the PC is continuing to live a daily life in the MEST universe. There may be some upsetting interactions which 'key in' other bits of the PC's Bank. These may require special Rudiment type actions to 'key out' their effects so the PC can proceed with his or her standard auditing. Resistive case points A second complicating factor can be what the PC was doing before they came to Scientology auditing. This may be drugs, body illness or mystical practices. All of these can constitute points that resist case entry for standard Bridge auditing and are known as Resisitive Case Points. It is the Case Supervisor's function to programme handlings for these which will clear them out of the way, so the PC can get on with his or her standard auditing up the Bridge. By-passed charge Thirdly, mistakes may have been made in previous auditing which need to be handled. These may be auditing errors or the PC was run on a process he didn't fully understand (also an auditing error as per Auditors Code), or a bogged session that was never repaired, or an abandoned auditing cycle. All of these things, and many similar ones, will leave 'By-passed Charge' (usually refered to as BPC). This is charge that was 'restimulated but overlooked by both pc and auditor'. It is possible for normal life to restimulate charge that is then overlooked but it usually 'keys out' again pretty quickly. As was said earlier, auditing is very powerful theta communication and the potential for BPC here is much greater. The additional difficulty here can be that although the charge may key out again, the prospect of further auditing will cause it to key back in again. Once again it is up to the Case Supervisor to provide a delicate programme to find and handle the By-passed Charge. This type of auditing is known as Review Auditing or Setup Programming but it is only done to the point where the PC can go back to their standard Bridge Auditing. You may have noticed that the aim the Case Supervisor is always working towards is getting the PC back to Bridge auditing. You may ask where does auditing to handle physical difficulties, marital problems or financial disabilities fit in. The short answer is that it doesn't. All of these things are symptoms of the individual's difficulties in handling the MEST universe. The quickest and most efficient route to handle these difficulties is the Bridge. The C/S however will take into account whether this difficulty is so obsessing the PC that they cannot get on with their Bridge auditing. In this case, the C/S will programme a handling to key out the obsession. This should also enable the PC to exteriorise from the issue sufficiently to take some steps in life to improve the situation. The full solution or readjustment of viewpoint may come much later on the Bridge but that must be so because at this point the PC could not confront the underlying issue. Auditors operate as OTs So far we have looked exclusively at the benefits of auditing to the PC. It is interesting to note however that auditing is also beneficial to the Auditor. It is an observable fact that successful, winning auditors look good and feel good after delivering a good session to a PC. There are many factors that may contribute to this but one that was referred to earlier in this chapter is that auditing is theta communication between two spirits. Not only does the PC regain some ability to see things from a spiritual viewpoint and operate as a spirit, but the auditor does so too. The auditor must put himself in the position of an operating thetan before the session starts because he has to initiate the theta communication. The auditor can do this as a result of his training. He was not just trained to be an auditor but to be an Operating Thetan at will. The auditor has a case just like anyone else. This can be an obstacle to auditing someone who is higher on the Bridge and therefore handling heavier areas of charge than the auditor has encountered himself as a PC. Auditors can also find lower level material uncomfortable because it restimulates something else on their case. The question may be asked when is an auditor not in good enough shape to audit because of their case condition? This was answered with characteristic robust humour by Hubbard when he said there was a simple test one could use. You put a mirror under the nose of the potential auditor. If it mists over, he or she can audit! Auditors are guided by the requirement that was familiar to all who worked in the CofS which was 'No case on Post'. This is very much an OT(Operating Thetan) precept because an OT can do anything it wants to. REFERENCES Dianetics and Scientology Technical Dictionary: auditing, arc, arc break, E-meter, communication cycle & auditing communication cycle, q & a, rudiments, reactive mind & bank, case supervisor, c/sing in the chair, ivory tower rule, run out and discharge, in session, resistive case rundown & setup programme, by-passed charge, key-in and key-out, operating thetan HCOPL 17.4.70II An Auditor and 'the Mind's Protection' HCOPL 14.10.68R The Auditor's Code BTB 30.9.71 Auditing HCOB 30.4. 69 Auditor Trust HCOPL 27.5.65 Processing HCOB 30.4.71 Auditing Comm Cycle HCOB 15.1.78RA (Rev. 25,3,81 & 10.3.84) Scientology Auditing CS-1 THE BRIDGE TO TOTAL FREEDOM New streamlined Classification, Gradation and Awareness Chart of Levels and Certificates - 1983 BOOK: Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health Pp 228-9 (Paperback) Note: The book A View from the Bridge can be obtained from Anima Publications, PO Box 10, Bramhall, Stockport SK7 2QF, England. The price is 10 English Pounds plus postage (surface mail). Postage 1 English Pounds United Kingdom, 2 English Pounds rest of Europe, 3 English Pounds rest of the world. (1)Earlier instalments of this book appear in IVy 11, p. 24 and IVy 12, p 20. Mon Jul 17 18:34:07 EDT 2006