I Spent 9 Years Inside Scientology: The Shared Occult Origins of the Nazi Party and Scientology — and What It Means Today | Jon Atack

March 3, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

For nine years, Jon Atack believed he was on a path to enlightenment. He was a Scientologist, an "Operating Thetan level five," who had borrowed thousands of pounds to ascend the church's upper levels. At one of those levels, he was taught that 75 million years ago, an evil galactic overlord named Xenu rounded up the populations of 176 planets, blew them up in volcanoes, collected their spirits on electronic ribbons, and exposed them to 36 days of hypnotic implanting in the place Christians call heaven. Atack went through the procedure, felt no different, and asked his counselor what was wrong. The answer was not that the story was absurd. It was that he needed the next level. He borrowed more money and kept going.

Atack spent nine years inside Scientology, rising to Operating Thetan level five. He left not because he stopped believing, but because he discovered that the man who founded the system, L. Ron Hubbard, had lied about nearly everything in his biography. That discovery sent him on a four-decade investigation into where Hubbard's ideas actually came from. What he found traces a direct line from 19th-century occultism through the Nazi Party and into the modern Church of Scientology. The connection is not metaphorical. It is a matter of documented influence, shared texts, and overlapping personnel.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:15) **Hubbard's Core Scam** - Jon Atack states that L. Ron Hubbard merged hypnotic techniques with promises of supernatural powers, creating a scam that has enslaved people psychologically and physically.
2 (00:55) **The Most Outlandish Belief** - Atack recounts the central myth of Scientology's upper levels: the story of Xenu, the evil galactic overlord from 75 million years ago.
3 (01:23) **The Occult Origins of Nazism and Scientology** - The hosts introduce the core thesis: the shared occult roots of the Nazi Party and Scientology, and why this connection matters today.
4 (04:45) **Hubbard's Cynical Scam** - Atack explains that Hubbard cynically repackaged ideas from Aleister Crowley's Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO) to create a scam.
5 (10:55) **Dianetics: From Hypnosis to a Scam** - Atack details the origins of Dianetics, revealing Hubbard's initial letter describing it as a method for money and control, not therapy.
6 (19:06) **The Birth of Scientology** - Atack explains how Hubbard abandoned Dianetics and created Scientology, directly incorporating Crowley's ideas about will and control.
7 (25:29) **Atack's Personal Journey into Scientology** - Atack shares his personal story of joining Scientology at age 19 after a heartbreak, finding a seemingly helpful community.

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Guests on this episode

Jon Atack

Show Notes

What if the roots of modern cults, extremist politics, and even today’s “wellness” movements trace back to Nazi occultism, hypnotic manipulation, and one of the most controversial religions in the world?

In this explosive episode of Mayim Bialik's Breakdown, Jon Atack — the world’s leading expert on authoritarian cults and a former Scientologist who has spent over 40 years investigating its origins — reveals the shocking connections no one talks about. Drawing from his groundbreaking book If Scientology Ruled the World: Nazi Occultists, Sex Magick, Space Aliens, and the Second Coming, Jon uncovers how occult beliefs influenced the Nazi Party… and how those same ideas shaped Scientology.

Jon Atack breaks down:

- How L. Ron Hubbard repackaged occult practices (including hypnotic techniques, repetition, fixation, and mimicry) and sold them as revolutionary “science”

- Outlandish promises that hooked followers: supernatural powers, immunity to illness, genius-level IQ, emotional mastery

- How Hubbard’s early interest in psychology morphed into the darker techniques behind Dianetics

- Hidden factors in Hubbard’s personal life (addiction, PTSD, and legal trouble for practicing medicine without a license) that shaped what Scientology would become

- Allegations of how followers were treated, including psychological and physical abuse

- Frightening recourse Jon himself faced for speaking out

Jon also shares his deeply personal story of joining, and ultimately escaping, Scientology. He reveals the major red flags he ignored at first… and the first warning sign you should always look for before joining any movement or ideology.

But this conversation goes far beyond Scientology.

We also cover:

- What actually defines a cult or authoritarian group

- How recruitment tactics are now supercharged by the internet and social media

- Where dangerous occult practices are still hiding in plain sight

- Surprising benefits and dangers of hypnotherapy

- How to distinguish modern spirituality from manipulative occult systems

- Why today’s political climate often mirrors cult dynamics

- Why healthy skepticism might be the most important survival skill of the digital age

This isn’t about throwing away all ideology or spirituality. It’s about learning how to extract the good without falling for manipulation.

If you care about psychology, cults, spirituality, politics, authoritarian movements, mind control, or the hidden forces shaping modern society…this is a conversation you cannot afford to miss.

Head to https://impact.ourritual.com/c/4792730/2005678/24744 , take a quick quiz, and use code BREAKER20 for 20% off your first month.

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