Secrets of Scientology: The E-Meter

This is an E-meter (Hubbard electro-psychometer): a crude lie detector used by Scientology auditors (counselors) to examine a person's mental state. Scientologists claim the device allows people to "see a thought". In the hands of a trained auditor it is said to be able to uncover hidden crimes. Here you will learn the truth about this device. John Travolta swears by it. And so do Jenna Elfman and Priscilla Presley.

How The E-Meter Works

• The E-Meter Unveiled, by Chris Owen.
• The Book Introducing the E-Meter. Gives basic data on the Mark V.
• The E-Meter, chapter 14 of the Report of the Board of Inquiry into Scientology ("The Anderson Report", Victoria, Australia, 1965.)
• The E-Meter, chapter 18 of Paulette Cooper's historic book, The Scandal Of Scientology.
• alt.religion.scientology FAQ entry on the E_Meter.
• What's a Wheatstone Bridge?, from a post by David Morning.
• Biophysics and the E-Meter, by Chris Schafmeister.
• How to Audit Aphids, by Perry Scott.
• A Study of E-Meter Frequency Response, by Perry Scott.
• Fraudulent "Electrodiagnostic Devices" are described by Stephen Barrett, M.D., at his award-winning quackwatch.com web site. And check out this page on Radionics, another quack diagnostic "technology".
• Electroplating and endorphins -- Arnie Lerma's dubious speculations about the biological effects of prolonged exposure to the E-meter's low current.

Auditor Training

• The E-meter drills. A detailed summary of the actual drills used to train Scientology auditors.
• The TRs. Scientology's training routines (actually brainwashing procedures) teach an auditor to suppress all affect (and critical thought) while maintaining positive control over the pre-clear throughout the auditing session.
• David Alexander answers some questions about E-meter auditing.

Schematics for Early E-Meters

• Do-it-yourself lie detector project: 1941 forerunner of the E-meter.

• L. Ron Hubbard's patent application for the E-meter (courtesy of Bill de Carle). And here is the
  full size schematic and the component specifications for the diagram at left.
  
  
• Page 1 and Page 2
  Illustrations accompanying US patent # 3,290,589, Device for Measuring and Indicating Changes in Resistance of a Living Body, awarded Dec. 6, 1966 to L. R. Hubbard. Filing date June 7, 1965.
  
  
• Homer Wilson Smith's design for a Mark V E-meter.
  
  
• FreeZone E-meter schematic from Ralph Hilton's tech page.
  
  
• A patent on a more recent design, by James Briggs, was assigned to Scientology.
  
  
• Koos' E-meter page: Koos Nolst Trenite, self-proclaimed "Ambassador for Mankind" and resident kook of alt.religion.scientology, tells us how to build a better E-meter.
  
  
• Ability Meters International, a FreeZone group, sells their own version of the E-meter, which looks a lot like the Mark V.

Embarassing E-Meter Facts

• Although Hubbard's name is on the patent application, the E-meter was actually invented by a chiropractor named Volney Mathison, and was originally called the Mathison Model B Electropsychometer.

• Needle actions can be faked. Martin Hunt confessed to faking an F/N (floating needle, a movement that signals the end of an auditing process) by gently squeezing the cans. E-meter drill 9 and drill 13 are supposed to teach auditors to recognize such actions, but they don't always catch them. Patrick Jost and Arnie Lerma have found that a violent needle movement called a rockslam can be produced simply by checking the electrode leads, or by corrosion in the plug contacts.

• The ``metabolism test'' done at the start of each session has nothing to do with metabolism.

• The mechanical meter movement is specially designed to bounce around a lot, producing extra ``phenomena'' for the auditor to interpret.

• The US Food & Drug Administration raided Scientology on January 4, 1963 and seized hundreds of E-meters as illegal medical devices. The incident is described in Jon Atack's book, A Piece of Blue Sky, and in this essay by Stephen Barrett, M.D. Since that time, meters have been required to carry a disclaimer stating that they are purely a religious artifact.

• Read Judge Gesell's opinion, which says in part: ``As a matter of formal doctrine, the Church professes to have abandoned any contention that there is a scientific basis for claiming cures resulting from E-meter use. The Church, however, continued widely to circulate Scientology literature such as Government's exhibits 16 and 31, which hold out false scientific and medical promises of certain cure for many types of illnesses.''

• The 9th Circuit reached a similar conclusion, noting that ``Labels of disclaimer, to-wit: "Not intended or effective for the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of any disease," found on about half of devices, were not controlling in determining whether devices were mislabeled within Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and thus subject to prohibition of importation, but were to be considered together with any extrinsic evidence of intended use of device.''

A Guided Tour of the Mark Super VII

• Click here for a guided tour of the Mark Super VII.
  Until the release of the Mark VII Quantum model in 1996, the Hubbard Professional Mark Super VII was the latest (mid-1980s) and most sophisticated model E-meter sold. We offer a comprehensive tour of this device, with exterior and interior shots including the main circuit board, charging circuit, jacks, and data plate. "Hey, it's got Intel inside!"

E-Meter Maintenance

• Battery leakage

Reviews

• Understanding the E-Meter.
  Book description from the Church of Scientology's web site. "Is the theta being inside or outside the mest body or both? How big is a theta being in relation to his body?" The answers aren't very convincing, but it's unusual to see Scientologists even asking loopy questions like this in front of raw public, much less purporting to answer them. Bottom line: $50 buys you a load of comic book physics and a revealing look at what constitutes a "scientific explanation" in the cult of Scientology.

• The Book of E-Meter Drills. Compiled by Mary Sue Hubbard, who later went to jail for a long list of crimes including bugging the IRS and stealing files from the FBI. Her husband L. Ron Hubbard was named as an un-indicted co-conspirator.

• CoS and Totalitarianism, by Laura Kay Fuller. This excerpt is the section on Technology, which focuses on the E-meter.

E-Meter Humor

• Travolta Hospitalized with Critically Low E-Meter Reading. Parody piece from The Onion.
• Chilling fictional account of what can happen to someone who gets too much auditing.
• This web site endorsed (not!) by Koos Nolst Trenite, official kook-in-residence of alt.religion.scientology. And we thank him for his endorsement.