On Tue, 12 Apr 2005 00:10:12 +0200 (CEST), George Orwell <nobody@mixmaster.it> wrote:

>COGNITIONS OF A LIBERATED SCIENTOLOGIST
>
> In the years since leaving Scientology, I've become aware of
>just how brainwashed I had been. I have probed for exactly HOW
>an intelligent, well-educated, free-thinking agnostic could be
>so taken in by a "religion,"

snip

> So commanding is this belief, that it blinds to all evidence to
>the contrary. The rational, analytical mind, perhaps perceptibly
>enhanced, becomes imperceptibly stultified, blinded. The word of
>Source is now Gospel. Then comes the dark side of religion,
>intolerance and hatred: Disbelievers? Devils! Evil foes of my
>Source and his Church! Suppressives, enemies, fair game! This is
>THE WAY, and the ONLY way - I must have more, everyone must! How
>DARE they resist the will of Source and block the Bridge to
>TOTAL FREEDOM?!
>
> What will a junkie pay for more junk? Anything and everything.
>What will a junkie do for a fix? Anything and everything.

snip

Good rant there. But I think you missed a really interesting question, *why* do people get hooked on dope *or* cults? Is there a common mechanism? Seems likely because people become just as focused on getting more of one as they do on the other. (And often as irresponsible.)

The answer to both drug and cult addiction can be found by considering the "environment of evolutionary adaptiveness."

In short, our ancestors genes shaped them to be rewarded by things like hunting that increased the chances of their gene being passed on to the next generation.

So we are highly rewarded by intense attention, of the kind you get in scientology from the TRs and auditing. (The kind we used to get from bringing back a large dead animal to the tribe.) The way this works is the attention causes parts of the brain to release dopamine and endorphins that activate the well known reward circuits.

I wrote a long article about this which you can find with "sex drugs cults" in Google. (Remove quotes.)