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How This Scientology Service Helped Me Be a Better Father

Tad Reeves Survival Rundown

The Scientology Survival Rundown helps Featured Contributor Tad Reeves be in the present.

Not too long ago, I wrote a piece trying to sum up a succinct description of the Scientology religion. When doing so, one facet I wanted to stress was how much of Scientology is geared around helping people to live in the present moment, as opposed to acting out of touch with one’s surroundings, and in response to old perceptions, conclusions and situations. It’s a huge reason why I don’t drink, and why Scientologists, as a group, are so vocally anti-drug.

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But with respect to the actual practices and activities of the Scientology religion itself, I’d say no other action one does in Scientology is as forthrightly for the purpose of “being in present time” as an action known as The Survival Rundown. And, seeing as I just completed the Survival Rundown at my local church, I figured I’d take the time to say a few things and answer any questions you might have on it.

What is The Survival Rundown?

First off, some definitions are in order: In Scientology, a “rundown” is a series of related actions which culminate in a specific end result. In this case, the core of the Survival Rundown is a series of Scientology processes known as Objective processes. Objectives are processes designed to get a person more in touch with their surroundings and into “present time”. This quote by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard sums up some of the theory behind these:

“‘Present time’ is a very important factor in mental and spiritual sanity and ability. A human being can be stuck in literally thousands of different past moments. His behavior and attitudes are influenced by such past incidents and experiences. As a matter of fact, a person can be totally regressed and can be in an incident of the past to the entire exclusion of present time.”

L. Ron Hubbard

Article from 12 May 1980 entitled DRUGS AND OBJECTIVE PROCESSES

Further actions one does in Scientology stem from a first gradient of having a person oriented in the here and now, without being encumbered by thoughts and reactions they can’t control. If a person, let’s say, can’t get his mind off women, or feels a compulsion to punch someone in the face whenever they give him an order, or has a hard time finishing things once started, or starting things in the first place, these are all traits which would impede life in general, never mind further counseling. So, the Survival Rundown is usually done as a prerequisite to much any other further Scientology counseling.

What’s actually done on the Survival Rundown is a very tailor-made series of Scientology auditing (Scientology spiritual counseling) actions called Objective Processes. From the same issue referenced above, Mr. Hubbard gives a good definition of these Objective Processes:

“The thing that characterizes OBJECTIVE processes is that they bring about interaction between the individual and the existing physical universe. This is different than SUBJECTIVE processes in that these interact between the individual and his past or himself.

“Objective processes do several things: They remedy havingness*, they locate a person in his environment, they establish direct communication with the auditor and, last but not least, they bring a person into present time.” – L. Ron Hubbard

[‘Havingness‘ definition: “Havingness is defined as that which a person believes he can reach. And no-havingness is defined as something that a person can’t reach or doesn’t permit itself to be reached.” – L. Ron Hubbard, Objectives Processes Handbook p.643]

Essentially, if you think about a person who would rather not confront his life, and who then goes to the bar or smokes a joint in order to take his attention off of his life, surroundings and problems, the Survival Rundown is the exact inverse of this.

When one does the Survival Rundown, one first does a study of the theory of communication and of Objective Processes, and does a number of drills and exercises to practice how to deliver Objective processes on another. The entire course is done with a “twin” – someone whom you pair up with for the duration of the course. You then go back and forth with your twin, performing Objective procedures on your twin, and your twin doing the same for you.

The exact procedures that are run are vastly different for each person. Case Supervisors at the Church first determine which, out of more than three hundred different processes, are applicable to your case, and in exactly what sequence they’re to be done. These are then executed under the supervision of staff at the Church who not only watch to make sure you’re able to do all of the procedures properly, but also get the proper end result from each.

What I Got from Doing the Survival Rundown

First off – Scientology Auditing is a very personal thing, so as such, the gains and changes one can expect from it are going to be totally different person-to-person. So, things that were life-changing to me may or may not make the smallest bit of difference for you, but I’ll at least try to articulate what it’s meant for me to do this.

All told, this has been an amazing experience for me. Please do shoot me any questions you have about the Survival Rundown, I’d be happy to answer them.

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