Reference: TR0 with Mindfulness
TR0 is the very first exercise in Scientology. People get wonderful results on it, when they do it for the first time and apply the principles of mindfulness naturally. Unfortunately, Scientology instructions for TR0 do not mention mindfulness. This opens the door to misapplication of this exercise to control people, which is deliberately done in Scientology. This essay is written to correct that situation.
“TR” stands for training routines. TR0 is the very first exercise that one practices in Scientology. The first part of TR0 is called OT TR0. The purpose of OT TR0 is
“To train student to be there comfortably and confront another person. The idea is to get the student able to BE there comfortably in a position three feet in front of another person, to BE there and not do anything else but BE there.”
This exercise cannot be done correctly without the understanding of mindfulness. Mindfulness is attentiveness. The purpose of mindfulness is to recognize things as they are. In the context of assisting another, one should be able to deal with oneself, as well as with the other person, objectively and with full attentiveness.
Thus, in the context of assisting another person, one requires,
- Recognizing oneself for what one is.
- Being totally comfortable in proximity of another person.
- Recognizing the other person for what he or she is.
TR0 is a brilliant exercise. Its formula can be applied to confronting other things in life as well. The following instructions are provided for OT TR0.
“Student and coach sit facing each other with eyes closed, a comfortable distance apart—about three feet… There is no conversation. This is a silent drill. There is NO twitching, moving, confronting with a body part, “system” or vias used to confront or anything else added to BE there. One will usually see blackness or an area of the room when one’s eyes are closed. BE THERE, COMFORTABLY, AND CONFRONT… When a student can BE there comfortably and confront and has reached a major stable win, the drill is passed.”
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With an understanding of mindfulness, these instructions may be expanded as follows (with eyes closed).
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Become aware of the body and stay aware of it without interfering with its natural movements, such as, that of breathing. Do not resist anything.
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Become aware of the mind and stay aware of it without interfering with its natural processes, such as, thoughts and feelings. Do not suppress anything.
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Become aware of what your physical and mental senses present to you, such as, visual forms, sounds, smells, taste, touch, thoughts, emotions, and impulses. Do not strain to perceive them.
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Let the body move in response to the natural impulses from the mind. Do not try to control the body movements. Let them unwind and settle down on their own.
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Let the mind respond naturally to the stimuli present in the environment. Do not try to control the mental responses. Let them unwind and settle down on their own.
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Let physical reactions, such as, twitches in muscles, minor pains and aches, sleepiness, etc., come and go. Don’t resist them. Experience the body as a whole, thoroughly. Such reactions shall unwind and settle down on their own.
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Let mental reactions, such as, embarrassment, guilt, anxiety, anger, fear, grief, apathy, and even sleep, come and go. Don’t suppress them. Experience the mind as a whole, non-judgmentally. Such reactions shall unwind and settle down on their own.
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If you find yourself mentally doing something else, or getting lost in thoughts, then simply recognize it, and continue. Let the attention roam freely.
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Let the “pictures” of the current and past events come and go. Let the feelings, emotions and sensations play themselves out. Do not speculate on anything. Simply be aware.
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Let the realizations present themselves without you making any effort.
Once the above is accomplished one may then move to the next part of TR0, which is similar to this exercise but with eyes open.
So get a friend to do this exercise with you, and have fun.
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Note added 2/14/15:
It may be possible to do OT TR0 and TR0 sitting in front of one’s reflection in a mirror. This may help one become comfortable with oneself. There is no possible harm in doing this if one follows mindfulness instructions.
After doing this exercise with oneself, one may then do it with another.
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The second part of TR0 is “TR0 Confronting,” which is done with eyes open.
NOTE: “Auditor” is the person who is helping the “preclear” using scientology procedures called “auditing” In this exercise the “student” is playing the role of an auditor and the “coach” is plating the role of the preclear..
“PURPOSE: To train student to confront a preclear with auditing only or with nothing. The whole idea is to get the student able to be there comfortably in a position three feet in front of a preclear, to BE there and not do anything else but BE there.
“TRAINING STRESS: Have student and coach sit facing each other, neither making any conversation or effort to be interesting. Have them sit and look at each other and say and do nothing for some hours. Student must not speak, blink, fidget, giggle or be embarrassed or anaten. It will be found the student tends to confront WITH a body part, rather than just confront, or to use a system of confronting rather than just BE there. The drill is misnamed if Confronting means to DO something to the pc. The whole action is to accustom an auditor to BEING THERE three feet in front of a preclear without apologizing or moving or being startled or embarrassed or defending self. Confronting with a body part can cause somatics in that body part being used to confront. The solution is just to confront and BE there. Student passes when he can just BE there and confront and he has reached a major stable win.”
OT TR0 was oriented more toward “recognizing oneself for what one is.”
TR0 Confronting is oriented toward “being totally comfortable in proximity of another person.” This is a valuable skill.
Per L. Kin, “[The exercise] is passed when they can give each other flawless attention on the level of friendly interest, for at least two hours.”
OT TR0 and TR0 Confronting may be practiced in KHTK with expanded instructions as provided per mindfulness.
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The third part of TR0 is TR 0 BULLBAIT.
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NAME: Confronting Bullbaited.
COMMANDS: Coach: “Start” “That’s it” “Flunk”.
POSITION: Student and coach sit facing each other a comfortable distance apart— about three feet.
PURPOSE: To train student to confront a preclear with auditing or with nothing. The whole idea is to get the student able to BE there comfortably in a position three feet in front of the preclear without being thrown off, distracted or reacting in any way to what the preclear says or does.
TRAINING STRESS: After the student has passed TR 0 and he can just BE there comfortably, “bull baiting” can begin. Anything added to BEING THERE is sharply flunked by the coach. Twitches, blinks, sighs, fidgets, anything except just being there is promptly flunked, with the reason why.
PATTER: Student coughs. Coach: “Flunk! You coughed. Start.” This is the whole of the coach’s patter as a coach.
PATTER AS A CONFRONTED SUBJECT: The coach may say anything or do anything except leave the chair. The student’s “buttons” can be found and tromped on hard. Any words not coaching words may receive no response from the student. If the student responds, the coach is instantly a coach (see patter above). Student passes when he can BE there comfortably without being thrown off or distracted or reacting in any way to anything the coach says or does and has reached a major stable win.
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Per L. Lin,
Then the newly acquired poise of calmly being able to face up to whatever it may be, is put to a test. The two partners divide up in coach and student, and the coach tries verbally and nonverbally to tease the student and make fun of him. This is called “bullbaiting”. When he does not manage to throw the student and when the student succeeds in keeping up his calm serenity, the drill is passed.
The coach corrects the student concerning the training target by saying “flunk!” anytime the student goes off the exact form, and carefully explaining to the student what he, the coach, has objectively observed. Then the coach goes through the same situation once again, so often till the student can take the hurdle easily. Only then will the coach present a new situation or increase the gradient of difficulty. He makes sure that the correct training gradient is kept and that there is never more than one button pushed. A “button” is an item stored in the reactive bank. When it gets “pushed” (restimulated) by the words, phrases or gestures of the coach, the student will react with discomfort, embarrassment, upset or uncontrollable laughter. A button is pushed repeatedly until it15 is flat. i.e. until the student has ceased reacting to it. Only then does the coach look for a new one.
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TR0 Bullbait may be used while training on KHTK but in a very mild form and with emphasis on the 12 aspects of mindfulness.
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Here is a brief description of TR1:
“PURPOSE: To train the student to deliver a command newly and in a new unit of time to a preclear without flinching or trying to overwhelm or using a via….
“TRAINING STRESS: The command goes from the book to the student and, as his own, to the coach. It must not go from book to coach. It must sound natural not artificial. Diction and elocution have no part in it. Loudness may have.”
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Here is the significance of TR1 per L. Kin.
TR-1 is the auditor’s mental and verbal reach into the pc’s bank. He is interested, he is curious (3.5 on the tonescale). He wants to get something done about it. He restimulates the pc by the auditing command, he invites him to look into the bank and thereby establishes the auditing comm cycle. A bad auditor will under-restimulate the pc, not reach him, bore him, and get nothing done.
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In KHTK it is recognized that the pc (preclear or the person) is already in a restimulated condition, and his bank doesn’t need to be restimulated any more, even selectively, through the use of TR1.
The KHTK guide simply helps the person to locate the charged areas in the order that they are stacked up in the mind, and then let the mind unstack them naturally. The 12 aspects of mindfulness are applied to accomplish that.
Therefore, TR1 has no application in KHTK. Natural communication is employed.
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Here is a brief description of TR2:
“PURPOSE: To teach student that an acknowledgement is a method of controlling preclear communication and that an acknowledgement is a full stop.
“TRAINING STRESS: Teach student to acknowledge exactly what was said so preclear knows it was heard. Ask student from time to time what was said. Curb over and under acknowledgement. Let student do anything at first to get acknowledgement across, then even him out. Teach him that an acknowledgement is a stop, not beginning of a new cycle of communication or an encouragement to the preclear to go on.
“To teach further that one can fail to get an acknowledgement across or can fail to stop a pc with an acknowledgement or can take a pc’s head off with an acknowledgement.”
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Here is the significance of TR2 per L. Kin:
TR-2 validates the pc for having found an answer to the auditor’s question. He has done what the auditor commanded, he has looked and searched and it wasn’t easy at all and now he has come up with an answer: he wants this validated.
The auditor’s TR-2 acknowledges the pc’s efforts and results. This is not in order to be nice, this is no hand-patting. The auditor has commanded the pc to enter the unknown jungle of his bank and come out with a certain thing which the pc doesn’t quite know what it is going to be. So the pc goes into the jungle and comes out with something and doesn’t know yet if it is the right thing. The auditor looks at what the pc found, estimates its value by meter reaction and pc indicators, sends him back when it isn’t good enough or validates him when it indeed is the real thing.
A full acknowledgement is given when the auditor has fully understood the pc, and not before. It’s a sign of understanding and therefore composed of Communication and Reality and Affinity, in this sequence. The auditor has received the pc’s Communication. He acknowledges the Reality of the pc in a way that makes the pc confident that the auditor did get it. Only then will the pc feel no further need to talk about the subject. The auditor as well must acknowledge the pc on the right tone level (Affinity): a half-tone above the pc’s tone. Then, and only then, will the pc feel understood . When the auditor is over-serious (“wooden TRs”) or lower toned than the pc, the pc will never have a release as he won’t come uptone enough to get out of the bank. The auditor therefore takes up two positions on the tone scale simultaneously: that of interest (3.5) which he never leaves, and that one half tone above that of the pc. This is not to say that the auditor is pretending no, he just naturally goes along with the pc.
The auditor “listens and computes” [2]. He does not just listen, take anything the pc may say, and nod his head. He computes. He thinks. It is entirely up to his judgment how far he drives the pc into the bank, what he has him search for and for how long it is up to his estimation whether what the pc found is within the context of the specific auditing command – fitting or not. He uses his own good sense. He most certainly does not break the Auditor’s Code [1] by invalidating the pc or making evaluative comments. And yet he computes, by giving his acknowledgement at the right point and for the right thing. His TR-2 controls the communication cycle – and it makes the pc feel more certain.
The pc’s uncertainty regarding the three universes is the only reason why he wants auditing. He needs the auditor’s acknowledgement in order to build up the certainty he does not have naturally. Good TR-2 encourages the pc to be fully certain; eventually he will create his own certainty independent of the auditor or anyone. TR-2 is the vital factor in a session. Any session lives off it, no matter what method is being used.
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The above is too complex from KHTK point of view. It is the person who needs to look and realize that his inconsistency has been resolved fully. No such realization or understanding is required on part of the KHTK guide. The guide simply ensures that the 12 aspects of mindfulness are being applied by the person.
Therefore, TR2 has no application in KHTK. Natural communication is employed.
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Here is a brief description of TR3:
“PURPOSE: To teach a student to duplicate without variation an auditing question, each time newly, in its own unit of time, not as a blur with other questions, and to acknowledge it. To teach that one never asks a second question until he has received an answer to the one asked.
“TRAINING STRESS: One question and student acknowledgement of its answer in one unit of time which is then finished. To keep student from straying into variations of command. Even though the same question is asked, it is asked as though it had never occurred to anyone before.
“The student must learn to give a command and receive an answer and to acknowledge it in one unit of time.
“The student is flunked if he or she fails to get an answer to the question asked, if he or she fails to repeat the exact questions, if he or she Q and As with excursions taken by the coach.
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Here is the significance of TR3 per L. Kin:
This TR trains the auditor to persist in asking his question until the pc comes up with the right answer, not a contrived one. The right answer is accompanied by masses blowing off . A wrong answer is a mere “significance” [2] and has no mass connected to it. In this case the auditor sends the pc back into the jungle to look some more. He does his TR-3 subtly and tactfully and imperceptibly and keeps the question going till he has the answer. And then – bang – here comes his TR-2 to end the cycle.
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This TR is required in Scientology because the question to be asked is determined by the auditor, and it is assumed that a dilligent search is required by the pc to come up with an answer.
In KHTK, no such evaluation is done by the KHTK guide. If the correct item is spotted the answer is right there. No search is required by the person.
The KHTK guide assits the person in spotting what is at the top of his mental stack that needs to be looked at more closely. He then gets the person to let his mind do the looking in the most natural way. Basically, the guide makes sure that the 12 aspects of mindfulness are being applied by the person.
Therefore, TR3 has no application in KHTK. The 12 aspects of mindfulness are employed.
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Here is a brief description of TR4:
PURPOSE: To teach the student not to be tongue-tied or startled or thrown off session by originations of preclear and to maintain ARC with preclear throughout an origination.
TRAINING STRESS: The student is taught to hear origination and do three things. 1. Understand it; 2. Acknowledge it; and 3. Return preclear to session. If the coach feels abruptness or too much time consumed or lack of comprehension, he corrects the student into better handling.
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Here is the significance of TR4 per L. Kin:
It is the objective of TR-4 to reestablish the pc’s willingness to cooperate with the auditor and continue with the process .TR-4 is the auditor’s tool to help build up the pc’s confront when he’s too scared of the bank to carry on. It doesn’t matter how the auditor does it and how long it takes, as long as the pc is back in session. TR-4 is the most subtle of all TR’s as it entirely lives off the ARC of the auditor and nothing else.
Going back for a moment to the importance of “auditor presence”: It is most obvious in TR-4, where the auditor has to show that he has really understood the pc, and in doing so, he, the auditor, is at his most visible. If he is not genuinely interested, his acknowledgment will stand out as false or inadequate, with the result that the pc will cease to feel safe, will lose trust, and the auditing session will fail to some degree. It is no surprise that TR-4 is the most difficult for some to learn to do really well. The auditor’s interest in the pc is as important as the pc’s interest in his bank.
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The Scientology auditing, by its nature, puts such demands on the pc that are often difficult for him to meet. Thus, the above training is needed so that the pc could be persuaded and controlled by the auditor to follow the scientology process.
Such a situation does not arise in KHTK because the person is simply asked to untack the inconsistencies that are stacked up in his mind. The 12 steps of mindfulness, when applied, help the person allow his mind to unstack itself in the most natural manner. The KHTK guide is there to simply encourage and help the person apply the 12 aspects of mindfulness. The rest takes care of itself.
Therefore, TR4 has no application in KHTK. The 12 aspects of mindfulness are employed.
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‘Experience’ is a better word for what you are doing than ‘confront’.
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Yes. In KHTK, confront = experience thoroughly.
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NOTE: The above is how I did TR0 when I first came across Scientology in 1969. It has now become part of who I am. But this practice is not Scientology. It is Buddhism.
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I got those ideas from HCOB of 2 JUNE 1971, Issue I, CONFRONTING, as well as from my background of the East.
As I remember, those ideas were also shared at the little Cambridge Mission where I started. In fact, just before my first auditing session I was asked to do TR0 with my auditor across the e-meter, with the instructions that I need to maintain that TR0 mode throughout my auditing session.
That was very successful.
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This is great!
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It may be possible to do OT TR0 and TR0 sitting in front of one’s reflection in a mirror.
This may help one become comfortable with oneself. I do not see any harm in this.
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Hey Vin, do Scientologists have permission to do TRs outside of the course room anytime they want?
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I doubt it. They may be violating KSW and squirreling it if they think for themselves.
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That’s what I suspected. Thanks.
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KG and Vinnie, in my almost 3 decades in Scientology, half that time in the SO, I never heard of needing permission to do TRs outside the course room. And for most of those years, I was either an Ethics Officer or a Word Clearer , which are posts where I would have come across such “violations” if they existed.
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All field activities are very much controlled and closely supervised in Scientology. Also, “exchange” in terms of money is a big concern. They won’t accept goats or goodwill in exchange. That is why there is no grass roots expansion of Scientology.
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Hi Vin. I don’t think KG was talking about setting up other TRs course rooms or such. I got that he was asking if it was okay to do TRs with another person at home, for example. And that’s what I was referring to.
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I don’t think that would happen with the mindset that Scientology inculcates.
Do you know if that ever happened?
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You have a point about the mindset, and it may not have happened too much, but I wouldn’t doubt that people who were off lines (because of not having money for their next service, for example) did TRs on their own.
I know for a fact that some people, myself and others, have done False Data Stripping on our own – which is much closer to auditing tech than TRs. A friend of mine even went in to see the Examiner – at Flag, no less – to get exams after the FDS’ing. And there was no problem with doing that.
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I think that Independent Scientology movement has not really taken off either because of the “Scientology Mindset”. Part of that mindset is that there must be a monetary exchange. No other type of exchange is considered.
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This document is updated by the following:
https://vinaire.me/2018/10/24/tr0-with-mindfulness/
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