AboutLaurie Hamilton Expertise I am able to answer questions regarding Scientology practices and procedures, belief system, donations, religious rites, management, administrative and staff matters.
Experience I am a second generation Scientologist whose parents began in Dianetics in 1950 and studied directly with L. Ron Hubbard. I have been personally active in the church for 40 years, have eleven years former staff experience in both technical and administrative areas, and extensive technical and administative training and counseling. I am "clear" and "OT." I come from an extended family of many religions, but my spouse and children are Scientologists, as are my siblings and their spouses, several cousins, nieces, nephews, an aunt, and an uncle. Between us we have had every good and bad experience one might go through in the church at every level.
Question I was hoping you could elaborate on how Scientology helps people to better deal with and perform under pressure. There are jobs in this world that are considered to be more stressful or high-pressure than others. I've noticed that there are some people who remain calm under very intense circumstances and seem almost unaffected, while others seem to lose their focus and become overwhelmed with the pressure when it matters the most.
I know it's safe to assume that a Clear would do better under such conditions, but how much better? I also read that one of the benefits of OT3 was "freedom from overwhelm". Would you say that is applicable as well?
Answer There is no single thing - but rather there are a compendium of things which make Scientologists good under pressure.
First would be training which enables the person to simply be where one is, and be calm, and to remain calm in the face of startling, scary or confusing stimuli. The Communication Course, Training Routine 0 and OT TR 0, plus TR 0 "bullbaited" help in this regard.
Next would be information and training which stresses the value of picking out a single item to focus on, stabilizing or "holding still" that one item and then moving on to successive items one at a time, aligning them to the first item.
Then there is the fact that often, stressful circumstances tend to stir up old unpleasant, unresolved or injurious items and events in the person's past, unbeknownst to the person or "below" the level of consciousness. These items can inject confusion, pain, unconsciousness, fear, uncertainty, or the idea of certain loss, failure or collapse into the mind of the stressed person, causing them to be agitated or feel defeated, and to hesitate and make poor decisions. When a person has received auditing which uncovers, resolves and discharges these old items and events, then stress does not bring them to the surface - because they are not there.
Then, there is a truism that what a person needs to be able to hold their position and not be buffeted by confusion and turmoil is, ANSWERS. Scientology training and processing provide a person with a depth of understanding of the causes and optimum solutions for things which causes them to remain certain and composed and able to move forward and make decisions with confidence. The more such training and processing the person gets, the more of this certainty is created.
Obviously, a Clear would be free of the old "reactive" reasons why they could cave or vacillate or retreat in the face of a challenge. But, a "cleared cannibal is a cleared cannibal." One's training and life experience are what creates effectiveness, once a person is not being subjected to reactive stressors. So just being free of a reactive mind is one thing. Having the training and experience to deal with potentially stressful events is another.
AT OT III, one is, indeed, "Free from overwhelm." When one has truly attained the level, there is NOTHING that will cause them to mentally give up, collapse, or feel overmatched. They will respond to any challenging or stressful situation as a task to complete, a puzzle to solve, or a lesson to learn - and will do so with clear eyes and a "steady hand."
This is not to say a Clear or OT III will always be "calm," as in, slow-moving and seemingly at peace. Some circumstances require a level of activity which objectively seems nothing short of frantic, if incoming challenges are going to be met timely and effectively. In response to such, a Clear or OT III is liable to have dilated pupils, an elevated heart rate, reduced reaction time, no visible patience, and possibly no manners or civility. But they will not be agitated when the emergency is over.
