Lecture: Standard Procedure and Accessibility
Author: Hubbard, L. R.
Document date: 1950, 11 July
Document title: Standard Procedure and Accessibility
Document type: lecture transcript
Event: Professional Course
Location: Elizabeth, New Jersey
Document ID: 5007C11
Description: Hubbard teaches a method to secure the cooperation and "accessibility" of patients by allying with them against their enemies, for instance, the police.
The problem of accessibility lies in your hands, with your skill and persuasiveness in getting somebody to either look at you, sit down, answer a few questions, or at the optimum close his eyes and go straight into work.
Don’t try to force a patient into therapy. In the first place, the patient may be very resistant toward the idea that he isn’t all right. You will discover that you have an ally, for instance, in the police. Let’s say we are picking up somebody from the city jail and we are going to check him over. You will also find relatives occasionally will bring somebody around. Maybe they know the judge and if they can prove the patient is not quite sane but can be repaired, perhaps he will be let off.1 The patient, however, arrives on your doorstep completely closed down as far as you are concerned.
It is up to you then to ally yourself with the patient to turn against his enemy, and the mere fact of turning against his enemy is usually enough to make you an ally of the patient. That very definitely increases accessibility, particularly if you put it on the line of, “Well now, let’s find out what they’ve been doing to you. Let’s really get the goods on these people.” And the first thing you know the person will be working with you. You cannot work very long against a person.
It so happens in Dianetics that people are pretty cooperative, much more so than they have been in the past in various forms of mental therapy. Basic personality gets wind of what you are trying to do and pitches in.
Notes
- Scientology works this angle with their Criminon, Narconon and Second Chance programs. ↩