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Escaping Scientology: An Insider's True Story
Escaping Scientology is a candid and chilling true story of a woman who breaks free of Scientology's grip and gains a whole new life once she meets the Living God. From serving in the higher levels of the Church of Scientology, author Karen Schless Pressley reveals the deception of this belief system and speaks out courageously against the lure of this false religion. Karen, a Hollywood fashion designer, and her former husband Peter, a musician and composer, were enjoying the success they found after he cowrote the hit song "On the Wings of Love" when they joined the Church of Scientology. In return for paying exorbitant fees for Scientology training, they were told they would discover themselves as immortal beings, unlock the mysteries of the universe, be led to a social system that would give them a better life. Together they gave up their home and careers and became enmeshed in the Church of Scientology. After signing a billion-year contract--this life and all future lives--to work for the Scientology organization, Karen and her husband began working extreme hours for poverty-level wages. They lived in shared quarters with other couples where they had no more than a bedroom to themselves. Karen gave up contact with family and former friends and experienced the constant coercion of the church in every aspect of life. After 16 years serving in the higher levels of Scientology, the veil of deception lifted from Karen's eyes. Following two failed attempts to leave, she successfully disentangled herself from Scientology on her third attempt, but that action resulted in a divorce from her husband of 20 years. Karen tells in vivid detail the inside story of her time in Scientology anddescribes her fearful escape, the years she spent breaking free from her former life in Scientology, and the new life she found in Jesus Christ.
- GenresCultsNonfiction
288 pages, Hardcover
First published April 30, 2007
77 people are currently reading
375 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 22, 2022
EXCELLENT
This is an excellent book that tells the
Tale of a Scientology Couple who at first loved it and were living it. Slowly the female began to question scientology and its abuse. If you want to see the effect of scientology on a married couple and where one continues to thrive and the other wants to leave. Tremendous
This is an excellent book that tells the
Tale of a Scientology Couple who at first loved it and were living it. Slowly the female began to question scientology and its abuse. If you want to see the effect of scientology on a married couple and where one continues to thrive and the other wants to leave. Tremendous
May 26, 2024
A FORMER CELEBRITY CENTRE HEAD GIVES HER TESTIMONY
Karen Schless Pressley left Scientology after three decades, who oversaw the Celebrity Centre International network, and held other posts in Scientology.
She wrote in the Introduction to this 2017 book, “A person who gets involved in Scientology can fall down … without seeing it coming, like we did. Reflecting on my twenty-something state of mind when my then husband, Peter Schless, and I detoured from building our lives together in the Hollywood entertainment industry to journey into Scientology, is a perplexing experience… We saw ourselves as interested participants, not victims, but no one knows they are being deceived while they are being deceived… We are not the bad guys as [L. Ron] Hubbard and [David] Miscavage would have everyone believe. But… we bring on the wrath of the group that tries to shut us up and defame us.
“It began for us as it does for many new people in Scientology, with an innocent reach for some … short, inexpensive self-help course. These led us to indulge in their impressive buffet of spiritual-enhancement services at Scientology’s temple of the gods, the Hollywood Celebrity Centre… Scientology artists and celebrities are protected… gratified, and revered simply for showing up. It was easy to become drunk with self-importance from CC’s signature cocktail: A mix of Hubbard’s ego-boosting words that elevate the artist… as a special breed of human… Add the luxury Celebrity Centre oasis, its privileged services… garnished with the … lofty promises embedded in its spiritual pursuit system, and we have intoxication from daily engagement in celebrity spirituality.” (Pg. 1-3)
She continues, “While Tom Cruise and John Travolta are known as Scientology celebrities, far less is known about how celebrities are seduced by Scientology’s siren song with promises of achieving immortality. And that key people strategize celebrity recruitment, and utilize them as mouth pieces with social capital to bring in more recruits and income… Behind all of this is the masterminding of the Scientology empire emanating from the secretive International Management headquarters in the southern California desert for more than 30 years. Two decades of experience at the Celebrity Centre level in Hollywood and at the highest levels of Scientology management exposed me to the inner workings of both… My story answers the question, how does Scientology transform artists into zealots, and staff into extremists? And how does Scientology hide its crimes behind the banner of religious freedom?” (Pg. 5)
She explains, “This story is written chronologically by the best of my memory. It covers three decades, starting prior to Scientology membership, 16 years in Scientology and 12 years in the Sea Organization, and about 15 years of aftermath… All statements are drawn from my direct knowledge, observation, and experiences to the best of my recollection. Conversations with staff or friends from twenty or so years, whose name of conversation is unknown, is unable to be documented.” (Pg. 6-7) She adds, “I hope this book raises questions such as: What other church … runs separate buildings for its celebrity followers[?]… that calls its followers a recruiter to whom they pay commissions on the money spent by a recruiter’s selectees to that church?... Is there another church that enforces their followers to get abortions to prove their loyalty? What about routinely covering up child abuse behind the banner of religious freedom?... At what point will our justice system… step in ad halt the crimes the group commits under the guise of religious protection?” (Pg. 8)
In the first chapter, she recalls, “As a member of the Sea Organization, the elite corps of Scientology management who makes a billion-year commitment to safeguard Scientology, I had to physically escape to get out. I … couldn’t just say, ‘I’ve changed my mind and want my old life back, so goodbye, thanks for everything, I’m done.’ No. I relinquished my rights to control my mobility when I signed that eternal contract in 1986… Once I realized that I couldn’t convince Peter to leave with me… My best option was to escape in the middle of the night when there was less of a chance that anyone would see me… Since Peter had been on the ‘OK to drive’ list we had a remote control for the gate in the car… I was in luck! Security guards must have fallen asleep… No one stopped me. The miracle of driving through those gates … with east belied my sense of feeling like a convict breaking free.” (Pg. 13-14)
After recounting how she had to pay hundreds of dollars for ‘metered auditing’ after her Book One auditor ‘had messed up,’ she explains, “This introduced me to the money-motivated procedures of Scientology, where nothing is free. You pay every step of the way, even when the mistake is theirs. It also introduced me to the no-responsibility caveat of the Scientology organization. If something goes wrong in session, the customer has to be responsible for all outcomes. The church is never at fault… Customer satisfaction doesn’t count in Scientology… If a customer requests a refund, then that customer is declared a suppressive person and expelled.” (Pg. 49)
She says of the Celebrity Centre, “Any prospect who walked in the door and met the criteria of being an artist or celebrity was treated as one of Earth’s top strata of being. This helps to explain why, in the fiercely competitive environment of Hollywood, artists and opinion leaders of all levels are comfortable here. CC is perfectly situated in the hub of American Idol culture where people turn to star power for everything from creative inspiration and cultural trends to political responses and spiritual guidance. At the CC, high-profile celebs also receive special treatment not afforded to general Scientologists, such as special entrances into designated rooms, private lounges… and even rooms for auditing separate from general Scientologists.” (Pg. 58)
She notes, “Making this confidential level [OT VIII] available only at sea was a smart way for the church to … [collect] millions of dollars in donations for the Scientology ‘war chest’ in free international waters outside governmental regulations. And getting Scientologists to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for OT VIII plus ship accommodations was a clever business decision… But the recruiters were pocketing the likes of $50,000 in commissions when their selectee paid for all the steps… that cost more than $500,000… Can you imagine any church paying commissions on tithes thrown in the Sunday collection basket?” (Pg. 60)
She explains, “The Celebrity Centres drive the strategy behind the power of celebrity in Scientology, and manipulate the outcomes for the profits of Scientology… The goal? American consumers who listen to celebrities praise Scientology will make the success equation: ‘If Scientology worked for that celebrity, it could work for me too.’ … Scientology wants to be viewed as a savior to social betterment with its celebrities speaking to community and government officials about how their social reform is religious in nature.” (Pg. 61)
She acknowledges, “I disliked Scientology’s use of words and concepts from major world religions to create the impression that similar ideas could be found in Scientology, while knowing that they are not… The use of a recognizable word from a religion’s context is misleading, since a Scientologist seeks spiritual freedom and immortality, not salvation… Dedicated Scientologists lock into the belief that Scientology holds the keys to their immortality. This conviction is a top reason why people stay in Scientology for so long, even when they have doubts about it… Scientology deifies the self as an object of worship, compared to major world religions that deify their God… (And for this, the organization gets to claim tax-exempt status as a religion?)” (Pg. 98)
She states, “No family visits were allowed. If we received a phone call from an outside family member or friend, the call would never be patched to us directly. Instead, a security guard or a senior would listen in on a phone extension. Sometimes we would be interrogated about details in the conversation… Same for mail; our letters were opened and read by security before they were passed on to us, if they were passed on. If we wrote letters… security would read them before they were mailed, if they were mailed.” (Pg. 162) Later, she adds, “we weren’t allowed to have Internet access or a personal computer, or watch television. We might have discovered the world’s view about Scientology. Instead, we were told that we didn’t read outside media because we were being protected from the lies told by our enemies.” (Pg. 220)
Ultimately, she realized, “Coming to the Int[ernational] base had been a crazy, irreversible mistake. I had only transitioned from freedom to psychological slavery and spiritual abuse and our marriage seemed to be slipping through our fingers…. I couldn’t keep living like this; this wasn’t living… Escaping would become a matter of courage and survival, not cowardice.” (Pg. 190)
She observes, “It was all about cover-ups---that’s what I was learning about public relations, Scientology-style… church operations and mission were, in great part, set up to do cover-ups… We covered up the truth about this being the Int base for the leaders of Scientology and instead called it Golden Era Productions. When going into town, we wouldn’t wear our name tags identifying our job titles.” (Pg. 251-252)
She suggests, “I doubted whether David Miscavage even believed in Scientology anymore. He was showing me that he knew Scientology and the IAS were a scam… this man lived for the power he held over the Scientology empire, and he was already trapped within his own addiction to it… He had already told us that … all the OT VII and OT VIII completions were invalid. So this is a man running a multi-billion dollar corporation selling Scientology services that don’t work, but he had to continue running the charade to keep the empire propped up, because he isn’t going to relinquish the power that he appeared to covet.” (Pg. 276)
She recounts, “I was done. But … I had failed two escapes already, and that couldn’t happen again… the conflict exploded in my head… In one split second, a compelling strength arrested me… A deep, powerful love filled me, as if washing me. My anxiety and confusion was replaced by what I can only describe as a transfusion of peace that brought a calming, and a sense of overwhelming love… I had heard a small, still voice emanate from the silence of my soul… and a filling of love, calming, comfort and peace, so compelling that I wanted to know God beyond this incident. Not God of any religion, just God through personal discovery.” (Pg. 287)
She admits, “I was not part of any superior breed, as we believed in Scientology. I had been living within Scientology’s groupthink, which included delusions of grandeur… there was nothing superior about my knowledge gained in Scientology, as I had thought. I had to purge myself of this ‘superior’ persona.” (Pg. 338) More recently, she recorded her testimony with an anti-cult group, Watchman Fellowship. (Pg. 350)
This is one of the best and most detailed ‘ex- Scientologist’ books available, and will be “must reading” for anyone seeking such books.
Karen Schless Pressley left Scientology after three decades, who oversaw the Celebrity Centre International network, and held other posts in Scientology.
She wrote in the Introduction to this 2017 book, “A person who gets involved in Scientology can fall down … without seeing it coming, like we did. Reflecting on my twenty-something state of mind when my then husband, Peter Schless, and I detoured from building our lives together in the Hollywood entertainment industry to journey into Scientology, is a perplexing experience… We saw ourselves as interested participants, not victims, but no one knows they are being deceived while they are being deceived… We are not the bad guys as [L. Ron] Hubbard and [David] Miscavage would have everyone believe. But… we bring on the wrath of the group that tries to shut us up and defame us.
“It began for us as it does for many new people in Scientology, with an innocent reach for some … short, inexpensive self-help course. These led us to indulge in their impressive buffet of spiritual-enhancement services at Scientology’s temple of the gods, the Hollywood Celebrity Centre… Scientology artists and celebrities are protected… gratified, and revered simply for showing up. It was easy to become drunk with self-importance from CC’s signature cocktail: A mix of Hubbard’s ego-boosting words that elevate the artist… as a special breed of human… Add the luxury Celebrity Centre oasis, its privileged services… garnished with the … lofty promises embedded in its spiritual pursuit system, and we have intoxication from daily engagement in celebrity spirituality.” (Pg. 1-3)
She continues, “While Tom Cruise and John Travolta are known as Scientology celebrities, far less is known about how celebrities are seduced by Scientology’s siren song with promises of achieving immortality. And that key people strategize celebrity recruitment, and utilize them as mouth pieces with social capital to bring in more recruits and income… Behind all of this is the masterminding of the Scientology empire emanating from the secretive International Management headquarters in the southern California desert for more than 30 years. Two decades of experience at the Celebrity Centre level in Hollywood and at the highest levels of Scientology management exposed me to the inner workings of both… My story answers the question, how does Scientology transform artists into zealots, and staff into extremists? And how does Scientology hide its crimes behind the banner of religious freedom?” (Pg. 5)
She explains, “This story is written chronologically by the best of my memory. It covers three decades, starting prior to Scientology membership, 16 years in Scientology and 12 years in the Sea Organization, and about 15 years of aftermath… All statements are drawn from my direct knowledge, observation, and experiences to the best of my recollection. Conversations with staff or friends from twenty or so years, whose name of conversation is unknown, is unable to be documented.” (Pg. 6-7) She adds, “I hope this book raises questions such as: What other church … runs separate buildings for its celebrity followers[?]… that calls its followers a recruiter to whom they pay commissions on the money spent by a recruiter’s selectees to that church?... Is there another church that enforces their followers to get abortions to prove their loyalty? What about routinely covering up child abuse behind the banner of religious freedom?... At what point will our justice system… step in ad halt the crimes the group commits under the guise of religious protection?” (Pg. 8)
In the first chapter, she recalls, “As a member of the Sea Organization, the elite corps of Scientology management who makes a billion-year commitment to safeguard Scientology, I had to physically escape to get out. I … couldn’t just say, ‘I’ve changed my mind and want my old life back, so goodbye, thanks for everything, I’m done.’ No. I relinquished my rights to control my mobility when I signed that eternal contract in 1986… Once I realized that I couldn’t convince Peter to leave with me… My best option was to escape in the middle of the night when there was less of a chance that anyone would see me… Since Peter had been on the ‘OK to drive’ list we had a remote control for the gate in the car… I was in luck! Security guards must have fallen asleep… No one stopped me. The miracle of driving through those gates … with east belied my sense of feeling like a convict breaking free.” (Pg. 13-14)
After recounting how she had to pay hundreds of dollars for ‘metered auditing’ after her Book One auditor ‘had messed up,’ she explains, “This introduced me to the money-motivated procedures of Scientology, where nothing is free. You pay every step of the way, even when the mistake is theirs. It also introduced me to the no-responsibility caveat of the Scientology organization. If something goes wrong in session, the customer has to be responsible for all outcomes. The church is never at fault… Customer satisfaction doesn’t count in Scientology… If a customer requests a refund, then that customer is declared a suppressive person and expelled.” (Pg. 49)
She says of the Celebrity Centre, “Any prospect who walked in the door and met the criteria of being an artist or celebrity was treated as one of Earth’s top strata of being. This helps to explain why, in the fiercely competitive environment of Hollywood, artists and opinion leaders of all levels are comfortable here. CC is perfectly situated in the hub of American Idol culture where people turn to star power for everything from creative inspiration and cultural trends to political responses and spiritual guidance. At the CC, high-profile celebs also receive special treatment not afforded to general Scientologists, such as special entrances into designated rooms, private lounges… and even rooms for auditing separate from general Scientologists.” (Pg. 58)
She notes, “Making this confidential level [OT VIII] available only at sea was a smart way for the church to … [collect] millions of dollars in donations for the Scientology ‘war chest’ in free international waters outside governmental regulations. And getting Scientologists to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for OT VIII plus ship accommodations was a clever business decision… But the recruiters were pocketing the likes of $50,000 in commissions when their selectee paid for all the steps… that cost more than $500,000… Can you imagine any church paying commissions on tithes thrown in the Sunday collection basket?” (Pg. 60)
She explains, “The Celebrity Centres drive the strategy behind the power of celebrity in Scientology, and manipulate the outcomes for the profits of Scientology… The goal? American consumers who listen to celebrities praise Scientology will make the success equation: ‘If Scientology worked for that celebrity, it could work for me too.’ … Scientology wants to be viewed as a savior to social betterment with its celebrities speaking to community and government officials about how their social reform is religious in nature.” (Pg. 61)
She acknowledges, “I disliked Scientology’s use of words and concepts from major world religions to create the impression that similar ideas could be found in Scientology, while knowing that they are not… The use of a recognizable word from a religion’s context is misleading, since a Scientologist seeks spiritual freedom and immortality, not salvation… Dedicated Scientologists lock into the belief that Scientology holds the keys to their immortality. This conviction is a top reason why people stay in Scientology for so long, even when they have doubts about it… Scientology deifies the self as an object of worship, compared to major world religions that deify their God… (And for this, the organization gets to claim tax-exempt status as a religion?)” (Pg. 98)
She states, “No family visits were allowed. If we received a phone call from an outside family member or friend, the call would never be patched to us directly. Instead, a security guard or a senior would listen in on a phone extension. Sometimes we would be interrogated about details in the conversation… Same for mail; our letters were opened and read by security before they were passed on to us, if they were passed on. If we wrote letters… security would read them before they were mailed, if they were mailed.” (Pg. 162) Later, she adds, “we weren’t allowed to have Internet access or a personal computer, or watch television. We might have discovered the world’s view about Scientology. Instead, we were told that we didn’t read outside media because we were being protected from the lies told by our enemies.” (Pg. 220)
Ultimately, she realized, “Coming to the Int[ernational] base had been a crazy, irreversible mistake. I had only transitioned from freedom to psychological slavery and spiritual abuse and our marriage seemed to be slipping through our fingers…. I couldn’t keep living like this; this wasn’t living… Escaping would become a matter of courage and survival, not cowardice.” (Pg. 190)
She observes, “It was all about cover-ups---that’s what I was learning about public relations, Scientology-style… church operations and mission were, in great part, set up to do cover-ups… We covered up the truth about this being the Int base for the leaders of Scientology and instead called it Golden Era Productions. When going into town, we wouldn’t wear our name tags identifying our job titles.” (Pg. 251-252)
She suggests, “I doubted whether David Miscavage even believed in Scientology anymore. He was showing me that he knew Scientology and the IAS were a scam… this man lived for the power he held over the Scientology empire, and he was already trapped within his own addiction to it… He had already told us that … all the OT VII and OT VIII completions were invalid. So this is a man running a multi-billion dollar corporation selling Scientology services that don’t work, but he had to continue running the charade to keep the empire propped up, because he isn’t going to relinquish the power that he appeared to covet.” (Pg. 276)
She recounts, “I was done. But … I had failed two escapes already, and that couldn’t happen again… the conflict exploded in my head… In one split second, a compelling strength arrested me… A deep, powerful love filled me, as if washing me. My anxiety and confusion was replaced by what I can only describe as a transfusion of peace that brought a calming, and a sense of overwhelming love… I had heard a small, still voice emanate from the silence of my soul… and a filling of love, calming, comfort and peace, so compelling that I wanted to know God beyond this incident. Not God of any religion, just God through personal discovery.” (Pg. 287)
She admits, “I was not part of any superior breed, as we believed in Scientology. I had been living within Scientology’s groupthink, which included delusions of grandeur… there was nothing superior about my knowledge gained in Scientology, as I had thought. I had to purge myself of this ‘superior’ persona.” (Pg. 338) More recently, she recorded her testimony with an anti-cult group, Watchman Fellowship. (Pg. 350)
This is one of the best and most detailed ‘ex- Scientologist’ books available, and will be “must reading” for anyone seeking such books.
November 27, 2022
1 billion years is a heart wrenching, true life story of a man brought into a cult as a small child who devoted his life to that cult and suffered its abuse until he finally found the courage to break free. Rinder is brutally honest about his experiences in Scientology as well as his own behavior as a high-ranking official. The book is a letter to the two children that he raised in Scientology and who now have nothing to do with him because he dared to leave. This is a quick read, mostly because it’s impossible to put down. There is an important message in this book for anyone who finds themselves in a high control group that it is possible to get away and start a new life. I have so much respect for the man who wrote this book and hope that someday his children are able to get away and reunite with your father. I cannot recommend this book enough.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 1, 2022
While parts of the book was interesting, it was frustrating to keep reading "if you want to know more about this, go to the book website". I'm reading the book - I don't want to go on the computer to find out about what I'm reading. Also, there are quite a few typos which, while not a big deal, I found to be annoying. The most interesting was towards the end, but again, a lot of the time when I got to a part I was very interested in, it would refer to the book website for further information.
March 26, 2018
Good, but Missing Much
The book is pretty good, but spent way too much time on non Scientology details. It was really frustrating to get to an interesting portion of the book and then be told to reference the book’s website, particularly after long passages on a dress design or photo shoot that was before COS.
The book is pretty good, but spent way too much time on non Scientology details. It was really frustrating to get to an interesting portion of the book and then be told to reference the book’s website, particularly after long passages on a dress design or photo shoot that was before COS.
February 27, 2023
I loved the story & can see how someone & in this case a couple can get caught up in something they think is a good thing. So many families destroyed because of this NON RELIGIOUS group. The thing that was really annoying was “for more on this go to the book website…” happening repeatedly through the book & was a bad choice to do the book this way. It was very frustrating as I wanted to read the complete story in just one place. The book. I doubt I will ever go to the book website to finish reading the story.
April 6, 2018
A hard to stop reading book.
Scientology, like all religions, is but an evil scheme to make people believe stupid things....and make them pay money for believing that stuff. Scientology makes slaves out of its believers. There is no god!
Scientology, like all religions, is but an evil scheme to make people believe stupid things....and make them pay money for believing that stuff. Scientology makes slaves out of its believers. There is no god!
March 31, 2020
I enjoyed this read but it would have been SO much better had it been proofread properly!
Worth reading though as it shows Karen's resilience and determination after all she went through with that ridiculous 'religion.' Glad you are finally 'clear' Karen!
Worth reading though as it shows Karen's resilience and determination after all she went through with that ridiculous 'religion.' Glad you are finally 'clear' Karen!
October 5, 2017
Frightening
A well told story about the nightmare of Scientology, I was pleased when Karen finally got away,great book ,Scary non Religion
A well told story about the nightmare of Scientology, I was pleased when Karen finally got away,great book ,Scary non Religion
October 15, 2019
Scientology escape
L this was very much likes text book a reAlly hard read,New because of the content and not the writer
L this was very much likes text book a reAlly hard read,New because of the content and not the writer
November 12, 2017
The strategy of going linear in revealing this story was truly a great decision. Often I think it weakens a story but in this case, it is vital to see both the effects of Scientology on a person’s psyche but also the morphing of Scientology over a very crucial time period. It’s a great telling and helps you understand perceptions. It answers questions and truly gives a voice that is bold, certain but yet shows so malice. This isn’t a grudge (although I’d understand if she had one). It’s simply her truth told without reservation and as an attempt to save a few from her pain.
My only comment that I will make is that I wish an editor would have given it a scrub and polish - just to correct typos and what I’m sure were initial edits (words are missing from phrases (not quotes but regular phrases). Maybe if they could find a way to pull it together without the “check the website” asides that become distracting. Everyone has a broader story than can be captured in a book but a good editor can pare it down and make it feel whole. Let extra stories still exist - as a great bonus but the constant mentions are so distracting and ruin the flow.
My only comment that I will make is that I wish an editor would have given it a scrub and polish - just to correct typos and what I’m sure were initial edits (words are missing from phrases (not quotes but regular phrases). Maybe if they could find a way to pull it together without the “check the website” asides that become distracting. Everyone has a broader story than can be captured in a book but a good editor can pare it down and make it feel whole. Let extra stories still exist - as a great bonus but the constant mentions are so distracting and ruin the flow.
February 2, 2019
Great inside information, needs editing, lots of typos and grammatical errors
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews