The New Life Center in San Francisco has an extensive website about its drug rehab program. On the surface of it, there is no mention of the Purification Rundown or L. Ron Hubbard.
Indeed, this program diverges seriously from Scientology's attitude toward drug free treatment.
"Detoxification
Suboxone, Bupenorphine or Methadone Detoxification
The New Life Center program is willing to accept individuals on a maintenance program. It is a New Life Center policy that anyone on Methadone must be on or below 60ml."
This differs from Narconon's "cold turkey" policy, where addicts are sequestered until they've passed through the worst effects of withdrawal.
We can glean some links from the New Life Center website that do point to a Scientology connection. Some elements shared with Narconon are to be found here, as well as a reflection of the theories behind Hubbard's Purification Rundown. They are incredibly covert. If you didn't know what to look for, you'd miss it. For instance:
Literacy:Always a big part of Scientology's secular sales, literacy is a hot-button topic. However, the New Life Center doesn't use Applied Scholastics, the front group which shares a position on the corporate chart with Narconon and Criminon. They're using something else:
"We feel that ones. job performance and personal worth are greatly improved using our Bright Sky Learning system." One hopes that the above sentence is not a result Bright Sky Learning's teaching abilities. Is Bright Sky Learning system another tentacle of the cult?
A look at their web site reveals a lot of information that really reveals very little about the program. However, a web search reveals a link to Scientology:
"Although Bright Sky is not connected to the Church of Scientology and does not use Hubbard's study tech, it was created by Scientologists as a for-profit company."
http://www.xenu.net/archive/WIR/wir09-44.htmlIs this an Acceptable Truth to distance Bright Sky from Scientology a few degrees? Think about it. Has Narconon ever lied to you?
Program Timeline:Right off the bat, clients are subjected to Scientology courses:
"Oritentation Phase (sic)
First 21 Days
Daily Orientation groups and community meetings. One to one's with Orientation Counselor. Weekly health and recovery educaton classes. Start Communications Course & attend Character Building."
The Communications Course is one of the first courses a new Scientologist will encounter. Moving on, we find several more courses right out of the "How to Make a Scientologist" manual:
"Primary focus on educational classes such as Framework for Recovery, Anger Management, Relapse Prevention, Health Education, Ups and Downs in Life and The Way to Happiness. Individual Treatment Plan is implemented along with group counseling in Successful Relationships, Men's/ Women's and "Sage" Group."
It's interesting the way the Scientology material is mingled with other courses. The Way To Happiness and Ups and Downs in Life are Scientology courses also sold to public Scientologists. After 90 days, clients are required to perform the following:
"Complete Changing Conditions in Life and Personal Values and Integrity courses."
Two more Scientology courses.
The veil slips a bit when you look into their Life Skills services:
"The courses listed below have shown high success rates and are made available by the Association of Better Living and Education (ABLE)."
ABLE is the umbrella under which Scientology front groups such as Narconon, Criminon, and Applied Scholastics are located on the corporate chart. What follows on this page is a list of courses which are also sold to Scientologists:
http://newlifecentersf.com/life-skills-services.htmSaunaSauna sessions and vitamins are a major part of the Purification Rundown. Here, we see a reflection of the theories that were reviewed by a panel of medical experts, which resulted in Narconon's educational program being expelled from public schools in California, Hawaii and Boston:
"The sauna program is an extensive cleansing that helps to eliminate harmful toxins from the body while using vitamin supplements and oils to replenish and restore the body's natural reserves."
And more:
"A comprehensive regimen of exercise, specific vitamins and minerals, proper nutrition and intermittent sweating in a sauna; designed to eliminate drug residues from the body which cause drug "flash backs" and cravings for more drugs resulting in relapse."
The theory that sauna and vitamins will eliminate drug residues and that "flashbacks" can result have been dismissed as Hubbardian junk science by qualified medical reviewers.
In conclusion, the New Life Center San Francisco is a strange, recombinant kludge of traditional and Scientology therapies. Nowhere is the Purification Rundown, L. Ron Hubbard or Scientology mentioned.
However, it is abundantly clear that the links are there if one knows what to look for.
Since Hubbard's theories are repeatedly debunked and exposed, the organization keeps trying to find new ways to sell his junk science under new front group names and organizations. It's truly a game of 'Whack A Mole' when Scientology tries to sell its programs to the general public.
An interesting side note, in an old file in my New Life Center folder, someone sent me the following information. If anyone can confirm this, it would be most revealing:
"Richard Prescott is a scientologist who owns the website. Moreover, a Richard Prescott is also the Director of Narconon N. California!"