Jon Atack on the History of NOTs

from his book, A Piece of Blue Sky

The Seeds of Dissent: page 37

Mayo described his background in Scientology from his first involvement in 1957. He had been a staff-member from that time, joining the Sea Org in 1968, shortly after its inception. He had been trained by Hubbard personally, and was one of a handful of top-grade "Class 12" Auditors. From the early 1970s Mayo had supervised Hubbard's own auditing. He had worked with Hubbard on OT 5, 6 and 7 (NOTs and Solo NOTs) and was Hubbard's Auditor in 1978. He was one of the very few people privy to the many as yet unreleased OT levels.

The Rise of the Messengers

pages 255-256

In September 1978, a confidential telex ordered Mayo to quit Florida immediately for Los Angeles. A Commodore's Messenger met him at the airport. As they drove down the freeway to Palm Springs, the Messenger apologized to Mayo, but asked him to put on a pair of dark glasses. It was the middle of the night, but Mayo humored his escort. The glasses had been painted over. Top security was being maintained. Mayo dozed, until the driver braked hard because he had nearly overshot the freeway exit. The glasses flew off and Mayo had to reassure the driver that he had not seen the Indio exit sign. Mayo was told that Hubbard was very ill, and was given Hubbard's "case folders" to study. Mayo was to determine what auditing errors Hubbard's current condition stemmed from. He was taken to see the Commodore: "I must admit 1 got quite a shock, because the last time I'd seen him he'd been full of energy and active and it was a surprise to see him lying on his back .... He was lying there almost in a coma, although he had his eyes open, and when I went in the room and said hello to him his eyes flickered and he gave me a little smile."

Hubbard had suffered another pulmonary embolism, a blood clot in the artery to the lungs. Kima Douglas had once again saved his life. This time she was unable to overrule his refusal to go to hospital, so, imitating the doctors at Curaqao, she fed him a huge dose of his pills. He drifted into a coma. Douglas stripped an electric wire, with the desperate idea that he could be shocked back to life. She stayed by him for forty-eight hours. Scientologist medical doctor Eugene Denk was rushed from Los Angeles, blindfolded, to relieve her. (2)

While Kima Douglas and Dr. Denk ministered to Hubbard's physical needs, Mayo devised an auditing program and set to work. He concluded that the New Era Dianetic auditing had been to blame, and it was decided that Dianetics should not be given Clears, because of its deleterious effect upon them. This was not heartening to the thousands of Clears who had paid huge amounts for hundreds of hours of Dianetics.

The procedures brought into being by Mayo and Hubbard became known as New Era Dianetics for Operating Thetans, ("NED for OTs," or, most simply, "NOTs"). Mayo says that what they actually concentrated upon during the auditing were misconceptions; somehow the emphasis changed to Body Thetans when Hubbard helped Mayo rework his notes. Still, Mayo was made Senior Case Supervisor International, an entirely new position, as a mark of Hubbard's gratitude.


Endnotes:

(2) Miller interview with Kima Douglas.