Woman lifts the lid on what it was REALLY like growing up in the Church of Scientology's Sea Organization

A female has candidly lifted nan lid connected what it was really for illustration increasing up successful nan Church of Scientology's Sea Organization.

Katherine Spallino, who is now based successful Minnesota, appeared connected a caller section of nan Cults To Consciousness podcast to talk her puerility experience.

She explained that she was calved into nan belief and grew up arsenic a cadet earlier being trained to go a afloat personnel of nan Sea Organization - the senior-most position of unit successful Scientology, which started arsenic nan founder's private navy.

But mom-of-three Katherine, who has since authored memoir The Bad Cadet, has revealed really she was 'horribly neglected arsenic a child' and was near pinch 'no education' aft being 'forced into difficult labor' from a young age.

Katherine began by telling big Shelise Ann Sola really she was calved astatine a Scientology religion successful Hollywood - but ne'er sewage registered astatine birth.

'My parents were truthful engaged moving for nan Church of Scientology, they ne'er sewage astir to registering me,' she shared.

This would later beryllium to beryllium problem since a deficiency of Social Security Number meant she could not legally get paid - but she conceded nan oversight apt stemmed from nan truth that children were not prioritized wrong nan statement because kids were considered 'adults successful mini bodies.'

Elaborating connected her way to becoming a cadet, Katherine explained: 'For cadets - which is what I was - our parents worked for nan Church of Scientology in nan inner, soul circle of it.

'They signed a billion-year statement giving their life to nan Sea Org and, successful turn, excavation arsenic well.

'So I was virtually calved successful nan Sea Org and I had started signing contracts by nan clip I was six years aged saying "I'm a Sea Org member, that's my purpose."'

Katherine said that astatine 8 years aged she 'randomly sewage pulled speech astatine school' and sewage told she would beryllium going to unrecorded successful nan cadet ranch - wherever her older sister, who is six years her senior, was already staying.

'I don't retrieve saying goodbye to my parents astatine all. I conscionable sewage successful a car and near - that's really nonchalant it was,' she said.

'I went pinch my champion friend astatine nan clip and we get astatine nan schoolhouse and I'm conscionable for illustration "I can't judge we're going to beryllium cadets."'

Katherine divulged that she felt 'special' and was keen to impressment from nan outset, adding: 'All I want to do erstwhile I was location is beryllium a bully cadet.'

The young cadets were shipped disconnected to a boarding schoolhouse arsenic she shared: 'I was not raised pinch my parents....

'By nan clip I was 8 years aged I'm surviving distant from my parents astatine a boarding schoolhouse successful nan mountains supra Los Angeles.

'I'd spot my parents very rarely. It becomes erstwhile each fewer months... sometimes I wouldn't spot them for a twelvemonth and I thought that was normal.

'They had little to nary engagement successful raising me.' 

She dished that she was alternatively raised by unit members successful her dorm which she shared pinch betwixt 13 and 16 different girls astatine a time.

'There were 3 bunk beds stacked high, each crammed successful a room, and we would each conscionable get fresh together.'

The group would past locomotion to a schoolhouse building other nan Church of Scientology.

Katherine explained: 'We would each spell location for nan time and study really to publication and truthful connected - but we'd already started nan Scientology processing and indoctrination astatine that time...

'Every time there was immoderate benignant of Scientology connection aliases word that we would beryllium learning verbatim and repeating backmost and we would outcry it complete and complete which is simply a shape of an indoctrination.'

She said that erstwhile a week nan children were besides taken to an accumulation astir Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. 

'We would see each of this accusation astir L. Ron Hubbard - astir how much we adored him,' she said.

'Every week we would spot these astonishing accolades arsenic an grounds of him. It was virtually for illustration a museum that they locomotion done and they show each nan awesome useful of L. Ron Hubbard....

'To maine he was for illustration a deity - this all-knowing personification who knew everything astir the world.'

Discussing nan conception further, she said: 'I thought that he knew everything that location was to cognize and I did deliberation he had typical powers.'

Katherine committed herself to being successful nan cadets until nan property of 14 erstwhile she was invited onto nan Estates Project Force (EPF) - arsenic portion of nan Sea Organization - which she described arsenic a 'boot campy for children.'

'The EPF is erstwhile I commencement to tally into problem because I americium 14 and I really for illustration boys and there's a batch of tiny boys connected nan EPF,' she said.

'I can't thief flirting pinch them and I support getting shamed for that.

'They opportunity "get your veilance in" which intends get your Sea Org characteristic on, extremity messing astir and joking around.

'That continues for a mates years wherever I yet subordinate nan Sea Org and I'm ever conscionable getting yelled astatine for being too loud, excessively rambunctious and I besides benignant of skip retired connected Scientology studies.

'I'm benignant of doing what normal teenagers mightiness beryllium doing isolated from for I'm successful a cult situation wherever there's each these rules.'

She said that wrong nan organization 'age does not matter' truthful location would beryllium immoderate teenagers holding 'executive' posts who were telling adults what to do.

Katherine divulged that astatine 16 years aged she was taxable to an 'interrogatory' - wherever her contemporaries were forced to study connected her bad behaviors.

'I was truthful mortified... I get called into nan morals area - which is nan spot you spell to erstwhile you're successful trouble,' she said.

'They're for illustration "everybody tells america that you're ever successful nan bath putting connected makeup, that you're ever goofing off, that you're not successful course, you don't return your station seriously."

'I conscionable consciousness so ashamed. I consciousness for illustration nan full statement knows that I'm specified a bad Sea Org personnel and I consciousness truthful bad astir it.'

She said that from past connected she tried to fresh successful and beryllium 'more robotic' but admitted: 'This rhythm starts to return a toll connected maine and astatine immoderate constituent I person to take - americium I going to enactment aliases americium I going to go?'

Katherine shared that anyone successful nan extracurricular world who does not cognize astir Scientology is referred to pinch a derogatory word that brands them arsenic 'stupid' because 'they don't cognize immoderate better.'

She was besides warned astir leaving nan Scientology group successful nary uncertain terms.

'They'd opportunity "you're going to beryllium promiscuous, you're going to extremity up connected drugs, you're not going to person a batch of money because you're leaving nan bully place,"' she said.

Nonetheless, nan past teen was still unhappy wrong nan organization.

She continued: 'The jobs I had successful nan Sea Org were very tedious, boring, pointless jobs wherever I had nary excitement aliases joyousness successful it.'

Katherine explained that followers were not allowed connected nan net but 1 of her jobs was that of a rudiments registry - successful which she had to effort and entice Scientology followers backmost if they had started to go disillusioned.

'I'm 15 years aged and I had to person adults to travel backmost to nan religion because they aren't coming anymore,' she said.

'I would person this database of group to telephone and I would telephone them and I would get sworn astatine and hung up on.

'They're astir apt being harassed each of these group who I'm calling and I'm conscionable for illustration "why do group look to dislike Scientology truthful much? I don't understand." I didn't really understand it.

'That was my first station for a fewer months and wrong a mates of weeks I was already hating it. I ne'er had immoderate success.

'I was decidedly having to push myself to effort to activity because it was conscionable truthful pointless.'

She continued: 'If you make a batch of mistakes on your station and you get removed there's a batch of shaming that goes on in Scientology.

'People will constitute reports connected you - it's very Big Brother. Your hubby will constitute a study connected you if they consciousness that you're saying something negative astir nan religion aliases nan Sea Org aliases if you're complaining like, "Oh I had to enactment up till midnight to get this activity done."

'They'll constitute a study connected you thinking they're helping you. There is this consciousness of righteousness that everybody has successful nan Sea Org... It's very, very scary really bad it is.'

Katherine explained that she struggled to get paid because she did not person a Social Security Number - but nan statement still took taxes retired of her $15 play paycheck which near her 'broke.'

She said that she was teased because she only had 1 brace of underwear, adding: 'I besides had nary shoes - astatine 1 constituent I was stepping astir barefoot. There's cipher to look retired for maine and cipher cares I guess. That was conscionable nan measurement it was.'

But yet it became excessively much. 

'It was just weighing connected maine and I was like, "Maybe I'm not meant to beryllium successful nan Sea Org, possibly I'm meant to conscionable beryllium a Scientologist - personification who conscionable takes services from nan Church of Scientology and doesn't person to enactment for illustration a Sea Org personnel - possibly that would beryllium better,"' she said.

'Another immense portion that was starting to travel to play was being 15 aliases 16 and I'm alert of this norm that they made successful nan 80s wherever they said Sea Org members cannot person children. I loved kids....

'I was opening to realize I really want to person kids and I'm besides not doing very good successful nan Sea Org and I besides conscionable want to person a life... There was nary joyousness that I was getting from being successful nan Sea Org.'

She yet near nan training programme - but was saddled pinch $5,000 successful 'freeloader' indebtedness that covered nan costs of nan courses she had studied during her clip successful nan group.

Katherine went to schoolhouse and later decided to break distant from Scientology each together.

She landed a occupation arsenic a individual adjunct portion time, which past allowed her to activity connected her book.

'I was conscionable putting it each down conscionable for illustration barfing each my thoughts connected my page and copying my diary into it,' nan writer divulged.

'My mom said, erstwhile I told her I had been working connected writing, she said, "You amended not beryllium penning astir Scientology." That was her first reaction.'

She continued: 'My book is not moreover attacking Scientology. It's maine conscionable telling my communicative and you could return what you want retired of it. How I was raised was really I was raised.

'I conscionable want group to shape their ain opinions about it.

'Most opinions are I was horribly neglected arsenic a kid and I was forced into difficult labour and nary education.'

Katherine, who has since joined and had 3 sons, revealed that her narration pinch her parents is still strained, adding: 'They chose Scientology complete maine and my children.

'I'm not angry astatine my parents because I cognize that they're conscionable nether undue influence. They've conscionable been indoctrinated to what they deliberation and if they do want to time off I'm here. I would still beryllium present and love them.

'It's sad evidently and disappointing but I besides cognize really overmuch power Scientology has connected these people.'

Reflecting connected her mentality now, Katherine concluded: 'I revel in being capable to make my ain choices for myself each time each day.

'It's nan nicest emotion to not person personification telling you what to do each nan time.'