I find it concerning that so many folks still have not let go of their connections to the cult.
In my career in Scn I have processed many people on "upper level" material, was Chief of Advanced Courses and research auditor in 1968, opened the AO in Edinburgh with Bill Robertson, Senior C/s AOSH and did the AO review auditing.
In all that time I have NEVER seen anybody demonstrate what is considered to be an "OT ability". Ok, projecting intention is easy, Malcolm Nieman and I used to sit in the AO and see if we could get people to do simple things like turning around to look, move their hand etc. Sometimes it worked, more often it didn't.
The only time I ever saw what I would consider anything even remotely resembling an "OT ability" was in Las Palmas where we developed abilities (not deliberately) just doing huge amounts of physical work. Even then, despite becoming very aware and able to accomplish serious physical achievements, these were not what you would describe as "OT abilities".I have described before seeing Fred Peyer drop a peseta coin on the table and make it move without touching it. To us it was no big deal, just "cool".
Hubbard was for the most part stoned out on drugs. When he became aware of the things we were able to do he went nuts. He had nowhere near any of these abilities ( for want of a better word) and decided that he had to disband the Sea Project, close down the Hubbard Exploration Company and introduce the Sea Organization with its silly one billion year contract. Most of the crew just signed it, the reverence was immaterial. I decided not to, along with Terry Dickenson who told Hubbard that he was off his rocker. I was tasked with conducting James Fuller back to St Hill so he could "De-PTS".
With all the drugs Hubbard was taking and his "research" into "The wall of fire" he was acting and talking in an increasingly delusional manner. When I became Chief of Advanced Courses I had access to the safe and read the full transcript of Hubbard's writings on OT3. No, I didn't fall into a 36 day freewheel, become ill or come anywhere close to death. It was a rambling SF diatribe very mindful of what "Doc" Smith wrote in the 1930's.
In conclusion I would reiterate that it factually impossible for a person to achieve any "OT abilities" from participation in the materials of Scn. Yes, people may well make gains from doing drills, just as if they took a walk, did yoga, swam daily or any other activity which repeated participation brings about.
It is time for folks to move on.
Dart