Touch assist
Encyclopedia
In Scientology
, the Touch Assist is a procedure supposed to help heal illnesses or injuries. It is one of many such Assists
.
founder L. Ron Hubbard
said that when one is in pain, "the energy from a shock will make a standing wave in the body." He went on to explain that the purpose of a "touch assist" is to "unlock the standing waves that are small electronic ridges of nervous energy that is not flowing as it should." This contradicts medical science's current conception of the nervous system, which holds that nerves transmit pain, and do not store it.
The Volunteer Minister's Handbook (ISBN 0-88404-039-9) has a section on the Touch Assist, containing information taken from the Hubbard Communications Office Technical Bulletins (HCOBs), giving guidelines on how to perform a touch assist and explaining the underlying idea. The following quotes for example, are taken from HCOB 25 Aug 87 Issue II : "Every single physical illness stems from a failure to communicate with the thing or area that is ill." "When attention is withdrawn from an injured or ill body areas, so are circulation, nerve flows and energy. This limits nutrition to the area and prevents the drain of waste products."
According to the guidelines, "a touch assist may be done by anyone, on anyone." The person performing the touch assist must explain to the person who is ill how it works. Only once this is done this can he perform the actual touch assist, using one finger, not two ("If you used two fingers the (person) could be confused about which he was supposed to look at or feel."). Once this is done, he must tell the person "End of assist."
The touch assist is not to be used to treat headaches, however:
are given by anonymous persons. One says: "I was under intensive care for weeks with a bleeding ulcer infection and kidney failure...The nurses did not expect me to live. But my wife came to the hospital everyday to give me assists...I am now recovered and would not have lived if it weren’t for the help many people gave me using the procedures developed by L. Ron Hubbard." Another says:
expressed displeasure with the idea of Scientology assists:
In 2006, when Volunteer Ministers from the Church set up a tent on campus at the University of New Mexico
, the campus newspaper Daily Lobo reported:
Scientology
Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by science fiction and fantasy author L. Ron Hubbard , starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics...
, the Touch Assist is a procedure supposed to help heal illnesses or injuries. It is one of many such Assists
Assist (Scientology)
In Scientology, the Assist is described as a "process which is done to alleviate a present time discomfort".Despite the use of assists to treat pain and injuries, the Scientology Handbook states:...
.
Theory
Church of ScientologyChurch of Scientology
The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
founder L. Ron Hubbard
L. Ron Hubbard
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard , better known as L. Ron Hubbard , was an American pulp fiction author and religious leader who founded the Church of Scientology...
said that when one is in pain, "the energy from a shock will make a standing wave in the body." He went on to explain that the purpose of a "touch assist" is to "unlock the standing waves that are small electronic ridges of nervous energy that is not flowing as it should." This contradicts medical science's current conception of the nervous system, which holds that nerves transmit pain, and do not store it.
The Volunteer Minister's Handbook (ISBN 0-88404-039-9) has a section on the Touch Assist, containing information taken from the Hubbard Communications Office Technical Bulletins (HCOBs), giving guidelines on how to perform a touch assist and explaining the underlying idea. The following quotes for example, are taken from HCOB 25 Aug 87 Issue II : "Every single physical illness stems from a failure to communicate with the thing or area that is ill." "When attention is withdrawn from an injured or ill body areas, so are circulation, nerve flows and energy. This limits nutrition to the area and prevents the drain of waste products."
According to the guidelines, "a touch assist may be done by anyone, on anyone." The person performing the touch assist must explain to the person who is ill how it works. Only once this is done this can he perform the actual touch assist, using one finger, not two ("If you used two fingers the (person) could be confused about which he was supposed to look at or feel."). Once this is done, he must tell the person "End of assist."
Procedure
According to the 1994 edition of The Scientology Handbook, the person giving the assist is to instruct the person being assisted to "feel my finger" as they touch various points on his body, using one finger and one finger only. This continues across the entire body, balanced to both sides of it and "following the nerve channels". The Handbook goes on to say:"A Touch Assist must include the extremities and the spine. A correctly done Touch Assist can speed the ThetanThetanIn Scientology, the concept of thetan is similar to the concept of spirit or soul found in other belief systems. The term is derived from the Greek letter theta, which in Scientology represents "the source of life, or life itself." In Scientology it is believed that it is the Thetan, not the...
's ability to heal or repair a condition with his body." (pg.216)
The touch assist is not to be used to treat headaches, however:
"Do not do a Touch Assist on a person who has a headache. Research has shown that headaches are often the result of mental phenomena that a Touch Assist would be the incorrect handling for." (pg.218)
Claims
In the Scientology book Assists for Illnesses and Injuries, testimonialsAnecdote
An anecdote is a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person. It may be as brief as the setting and provocation of a bon mot. An anecdote is always presented as based on a real incident involving actual persons, whether famous or not, usually in an identifiable place...
are given by anonymous persons. One says: "I was under intensive care for weeks with a bleeding ulcer infection and kidney failure...The nurses did not expect me to live. But my wife came to the hospital everyday to give me assists...I am now recovered and would not have lived if it weren’t for the help many people gave me using the procedures developed by L. Ron Hubbard." Another says:
"I was working as a chimney sweep and had an accident in which I fell three stories, landing on my feet and breaking both of my heels. I went to the hospital where they prescribed painkillers and wanted to keep me overnight. Instead, I went home and my wife gave me a Touch Assist which handled the agony I was in, allowing me to sleep that night without painkillers. I received Touch Assists daily and by the end of that week, I was able to hobble around on crutches on my tiptoes. Then I received another type of assist after which something felt ‘different’ and when I stood up, I found I could easily stand on my feet without my crutches!"
Criticism
Professional skeptic James RandiJames Randi
James Randi is a Canadian-American stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a challenger of paranormal claims and pseudoscience. Randi is the founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation...
expressed displeasure with the idea of Scientology assists:
"Giving out only finger-pointing and touching? To a Scientologist, this may be believed to be a huge boon, but to the rest of us, it’s L. Ron Hubbard at his woo-woo best, devising magical gestures that are supposed to bring about the “miracles”...."
In 2006, when Volunteer Ministers from the Church set up a tent on campus at the University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
, the campus newspaper Daily Lobo reported:
"Rose Stevenson said she didn't mind the Scientologists being there. "It's college. This is what it's all about - having all your options presented to you," she said. "It's freedom of expression." However, she said the massage she received, called a touch assist, was ineffective at easing pain from a pinched nerve.
"I was out of time, so I told him I felt something release," she said. "These people are really nice, but I don't think they know what they're doing."