"Copyright Ulf Brettstam 2004© "
Published 030524
-Narconon save lives. We just want to help people. Our activity could´nt be more open to insight than it allready is. Anybody is welcome to visit and see how we works. Our accounts are public and can be read at Länsstyrelsen. The rehabilitation is politically and religously unbound.
No there is really nothing "fishy" about Narconon , ashures manager Thomas Pettersson ,Stockholm and Bo Persson, represantative for the European office of Narconon in Copenhagen, in a unison voice. They are both ex-drugaddicts and holds Narconon accountable for their lives. Today they are powerful and dynamic personalities whom has dedicated their lives to help others. They does not understand the critics aginst Narconon,least of all the furious attacin the newspaper from chiefpsychiatrist Ulf Brettstam, regarding the plans of a new treatmemntcentre in Lättarp.
Pettersson and Persson confirms that Narconon (wich means no to drugs) is sprung from the religious philosophy of scientology, that is the parts from L. Ron Hubbards ideas concerning the problems of drugaddiction. Hubbard and others whom developed the international Narcononmovement, does not think it is a good idea to use drugs when rehabilitating drugaddicts.
Motivation needed
The philosophy of Narconon is that the clients should be motivated for rehabilitation. The different steps in rehab means that the drugaddict gets help managing abstinence through care and nurishmentincrements and undergoes "communicationexcersises" to become more acting out. Chemicals like medicin or drugs is not used during this de-escalation , with multiple saunabaths and light physical excercise to help the body get freed from drugresidues. In phase two , the client gets help getting over the barriers on the way to start studying, get an education, and to become an activly engaged citizen. In phase three , it is much about personal development, to realize the difference between destructive features in character and a social outlook. It is also about knowledge in ethical values, a moralcode that "give clean hands". Abot a year after finished rehab, the client gets an individual follow up for a new start in life.
Hard to measure
There is nothing murky in this.The rehabprogram works allover the world for people with religious alignment, the Narconon represantatives explains. How effectivly Narconon is in getting succes with the treatment, is hard to measure. One talks about 60 % succesrates in general, but in the case of the individual, everything depends on his/hers attitude:
- An individual who choses the Narcononmethod has a great possibility to succes. We are now talking about pure drugaddicts, not about people with another diagnosis, type mental disorders, Thomas Pettersson says. A cornerstone in the treatment is that "streetdrugs" is not allowed to be replaced by psychopharmaceupticals. This and the fact that Narconon was a pioneer regarding treatment outside the frames of traditional medicin has meant that especially psychiatry has passed a lot of disbelife in us.
Pure drugaddicts
Bo Persson states that Narconon only works with pure drugaddicts. How to treat people with mental disturbances is not in our field of knowledge. Thomas Pettersson and Bo Persson has both been working in Narconon for 20 years and senses that there is a big acceptance for the method today. In the present locations where Narconon is established, we have got full approval from authorities and can not see any obstacle to get a permission from länsstyrelsen in Jönköping as well , regarding a treatmentcentre in Lättarp.
Low cost for treatment
How big a venture Narconon is thinking in Lättarp depends on what limits Länsstyrelsen decides . We are thinking 40 beds. Today the old mansion Lättarp is classed as a youth hostel and restaurant but he planning committy has permitted a new classification to nursing - home. Narconon has today a centre in Eslöv with room for 12 clients and one in Stockholm vith room for 28. It is the latter that is planning to move to Lättarp.
It is mostly municipal communities and companies that buys rehabilitation from Narconon. A round-the-clock cost is 1180 swedish crowns (~150 usd) wich means that Narconon is far from the most expensive rehabcentres costs.There is a multitude of organisations in sociaty which through different methods offers rehabilitation to drugaddicts, but the connection to the lively debated Church of Scientology , seems to be the reason why Narconon stirs up peoples emotions more than others. An establishment of the Lewi Petrus foundation would hardly cause any discussion, but when the nwespaper writes that Narconon plannes to move in it immidiatly causes reactions from strongly critical people.
Higher level of consciousness
Thomas Pettersson and Bo Persson is both themselves believers in scientology. Is it really possible to believe in a religion that that is founded on "sciencefiction" based thoughts that planet earth for many thousand years ago been invaded by souls transported on jetdriven planes?
You can find these thaughts in scientology , as well as all religions has parts that can be hard to accept. Bo Persson says, and asks himself how easy it is to believe that God created woman from Adams rib.
He who studies and reaches a higher level of consciousness understand the finess with scientology, Persson hints but states that the Narconon philosophy does not require such studies.
"Copyright Ulf Brettstam 2004© "