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Before visiting, I wanted to be sure of what I was getting into. I went to the library and checked out the book "What Is Scientology?" It outlined the life of L. Ron Hubbard (founder of Dianetics & Scientology) and his findings, and even addressed accusations that Scientology is a cult. Suddenly all of those articles online made a bit more sense, but since they addressed it, I was not so worried. “Why would they even talk about being a cult if they were a cult?” I justified to myself.
I was a bit cautious at this point, but figured that I could go check it out. I'd decided that the minute that I started to feel uncomfortable or noticed anything strange, I would stop going.
I should mention that I was still very excited to go. Despite telling myself that I was cautious, I was willing to put up with a lot. I was very much ready for a change in my life.
When I found time, I drove down to Nicollet Mall where the Dianetics Center is located. I marched up and a squirrelly guy with giant glasses (we'll call him Doug since I don't remember his name) asked me if I wanted to take a personality test. I accepted.
**Another side note about the DC (Dianetics Center):
They almost always have someone standing outside asking people if they want to take a personality test. It's a way for them to recruit you. They give you a test, tell you that you have all kinds of problems in your life, and offer you a solution: Hubbard Dianetics.**
While my test results were being evaluated, Doug brought me into the theater to show me a movie. I despairingly accepted. I remembered thinking, "Is this it? Is this where they brainwash me?"
I kept my nose open in case they wanted to gas me.
The movie that was shown to me featured a husband and wife who just couldn't get a grasp on life. They were stressed, depressed, and needed to go around town to figure out how to get their crap together. They visited the psychologist who was a crazy haired, mad scientist with test tubes that had a ridiculous chuckle and tortured mice in experiments. They visited the doctor who wanted to pump them full of drugs. They tried everything, and everyone was crazy. That is until they visited their local L. Ron Hubbard Dianetics Center. It was one of the most ridiculous videos I'd ever seen. It looked like a Saturday Night Live commercial. Of course I was keeping an open mind, so I decided to hear them out.
Doug handed me off to one of his associates for my analysis. We'll call her Molly. Molly sat me down to talk to me about what was going on in my life. She told me that I needed to get started on the Dianetics program right away, that my life was an even bigger mess than I thought. So, I was excited to finally be doing something about my depression and to get started.
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