In the first drill (OT TR-0) they sit with their eyes closed, in the second (TR-0) open and staring at one another. These drills are often done for hours without pause, and form part of most Scientology courses. As with meditation, I hallucinated while doing the open-eyed TR-0. My coach explained vaguely that people who had taken drugs often experienced this. In fact, hallucination is not unusual for anyone who stares fixedly for long enough, but I did not realize this, and was genuinely concerned.
The next step is "TR-0 Bullbait." One student baits the other, verbally and through gestures, trying to disturb the recipient's motionless composure. If the recipient moves, laughs, speaks, or even blinks excessively, the coach "flunks" him. It is presumed that something the coach said or did provoked the reaction, so the drill is restarted, and the coach tries to repeat the earlier stimulus exactly. This is done until there is no reaction from the recipient.
I was first "bullbaited" by a dour, middle-aged house painter who had little time for me. In "bullbaiting," the coach can do anything save leave his chair; so he sat and insulted me, told obscene jokes, and pulled faces until I stopped responding. The idea is to find "buttons" which when pushed force an immediate reaction and, through drilling, to overcome these reactions, allowing a more considered response to real-life stimuli. His main approach was to insist that because I had long hair I must be a homosexual. It took about two hours before I attained immobility in the face of this onslaught. I felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment.
The next Training Routine, TR-1, is supposed to teach the student to speak audibly and coherently, and to teach him to ask written questions in a natural way. In TR-1, the student reads lines at random from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland; he "makes the line his own," and then repeats it to the coach. The coach must hear clearly what is said, and feel it was intended that he hear it. A course room full of people declaiming, "Off with his head!" or "Contrariwise" is one of many surreal experiences Scientology provides.
TR-2 deals with acknowledgments. In counselling it is necessary to show you've heard, so you say "Good," "Thank-you," "Okay," or something similar. This ends what Hubbard calls a "cycle of communication," and prepares the way for a new "cycle." The coach reads a line fromAlice inWonderlandand the student acknowledges it.
By the time the student comes to TR-3, he has learned to concentrate on the person in front of him and not be thrown by his reactions. The student has also learned to make sure that he is clearly audible, and to show he has heard what is said to him. The lessons of the earlier TRs must be retained throughout the course. In TR-3, the student learns to repeat an unanswered question without variation. TRs were designed for Scientology counsellors, and Hubbard's counselling
questions are exactly worded. To prevent the drilling from turning into counselling, two non-sensitive questions are used: either "Do birds fly?" or "Do fish swim?" If the coach answers, the student accepts the answer by acknowledging it. If the coach does anything else, the student says, "I'll repeat the question," and does so.
TR-4, the last Training Routine on the Comm Course, drills the student to "handle originalions" made by the coach, and to return his attention to the original question. For example:
Student:Do birds fly?
Coach:It's hot in here!
Student:I'll open the window (opens window). Okay, I'll repeat the question, do birds fly?
Over the years I persuaded about 20 people to do the Communication Course. I instructed some of them, or in Scientology terms "supervised," as Hubbard's course materials do all the talking, and the supervisor adds nothing by way of explanation or comment. He meets the confused student's queries with, "What do your materials state?" This is supposed to ensure that Hubbard's materials are not altered by personal interpretations.
The Comm Course helps people to hide, though not overcome, their nervousness, and to look people "right in the eye." It also inculcates persistence with questions until they are answered. It can have a positive effect, generating self-confidence. Of course, people on the receiving end sometimes feel intimidated. Critics of Scientology usually mention the "relentless stare" which for the great majority of Scientologists is habitual.
After completing the Comm Course, I was allowed a few pounds against the "Hubbard Qualified Scientologist Course" for all the people I had brought in.