Note: the references below are taken from the new red volumes. I did not look at any BTBs, since none are included in the newer set of red volumes.
It says it is “fatal” to pass an instant reaction on a pc and may cancel further reads.
“The reaction of the needle may be any reaction except null. An instant read may be any change of characteristic, providing it occurs instantly.” This HCOB further says: “The instant read may consist of any needle reaction, rise, fall, speeded rise, speeded fall, double tick (dirty needle), theta bop or any other action so long as it occurs at the exact end of the major thought being expressed by the auditor.”
So far, with these 2 points, we know something should be done with those instant stops, rises, ticks…
This one is very important and seems incorrectly interpreted in IGN Bulletin 25, where this HCO PL was interpreted as meaning you could not take a stop or a tick, but only falls. This is not what this HCO PL says! It says that you should only take instant reads, and even refers to the HCOB 25 May 1962 (point 2 above).
Here is an extract: “This came from needle-reading TRs where instructors had students calling off every activity of the needle as a read, whereas only the needle action at the exact end of the question was used by the auditor. Auditors have thought all needle actions were reads and tried to clean off all needle actions except, in some cases, the end actions.” Ron says here that an action needle occurring prior is not a read, and that you should only take instant reactions.
So far, we have nowhere a difference between “instant read” and a “read occurring instantly”.
Here, a valid read is any instant reaction of the needle. And so far, in rudiments, one should take up any instant reaction on rudiments, or the meter might go null and mask further out ruds.
“A meter can become null if an instant reaction is missed on a rudiment, and obscure further out ruds. Instant reads are defined in HCOB 25 May 1962 above.”
So, if you get a stop, but no falls even with buttons, and ignore that rudiment, you are in trouble.
The HCOB further states: “If it reads, the auditor uses the meter to steer the pc to the answer […]”, and refers to the 25 may HCOB for the definition of instant read.
So far, in rudiments, one should take up any instant reaction on rudiments, or the meter might go null and mask further out ruds.
One instant read missed out of 200 can deprive a pc from all gains. Usually, any session trouble starts with an error in reading an instant read.
The above HCOBs of 1962 are still indicated as valid.
This explains how to date on the track (as in EMD25). So far, the instant read has not been redefined yet.
This implies that when dating, you must take any instant reaction (rise, tick, theta bop, …).
That exercise is from 1963 also. At that time, the definition of instant read is the one from 25 May 1962. So, you should take any instant reaction, like a tick or a stop. If you ignore it because it was not a fall, the pc might go ARCX gradually and will react even less on the meter! If this worked in 1963, it will of course still work in the twenty-first century. In 1963, dating was done using any instant reaction and this worked, so there is no reason why today you could not use any instant reads in dating.
“Look only for tiny ticks or falls or a small left to right slash of the needle. Do not expect large reactions.” Here the greatest read is to be taken from the assessment, but a tick would still be ok.
On lower levels, size of read is usually 1/8” to 1/4” (ticks or SF) at sensitivity 16. On upper levels, reads are often huge. But even there, ticks and tiny falls would be ok in rudiments: the HCOB does not revise that. In checking a goal, getting only a tick, you would put in buttons to see if it develops into a big read.
But this is for a goal, to run something! For rudiments, reads are not often so large and you must accept ticks.
Here is an extract: “in class V and VI, tiny reads are used only for mid ruds as they were in lower levels”.
So this is just another reference allowing to take ticks in rudiments. If it worked in 1964, it would still work this way today.
There is an example of nulling to one item. Items giving an instant reaction but not a fall are noted as “/”. Falls are noted SF, F, LF or LFBD.
In the example, he has two “/” and one “F”. The rest is null (“X”). After the first nulling, he reassesses those 3 items, including the 2 “/” items. This shows they were considered as reading items.
There is also an example of L&N, and on first nulling, there is one “/” and one “F”. The list is extended, because it has more than one reading item (thus, the “/” is counted as reading item).
This is in 1968.
So far, an instant read is still as per the 1962 definition.
So, if you check ARCX? And you get any instant reaction, you take it! A Fall is not needed. There is so far no HCOB yet stating that.
If it is null, you put suppress in.
(Error in Golden Age of Tech: it states that if you get a tick or a stop on ARCX, you have to check suppress. If it does not read, you skip that rud, while there is something, since it gave an instant reaction of the needle! The result is BPC and out-ruds.)
“A tick or a stop is not a read. Reads are SF, F, LF or LFBD”.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WHERE IT IS STATED THAT STOPS AND TICKS ARE NOT READS!
But… Let’s look at the full HCOB to see in which context this applies, because all earlier HCOBs have not been cancelled.
This applies to listing (includes also listing for Running Items, HCOB 14 Sep 71, DIANETIC LIST ERRORS), items to prepcheck. A item with just a tick, stop or “/” would not give a proper Dianetic chain.
But this says nothing about ruds, dating, or assessments like EM-24, or correction lists.
This HCOB says that in order to RUN something (run = audit a process), it must read well (not with a tick only, but with falls). But rudiments and correction lists are to locate BPC, not to audit the case. So, if in a rud or prepared list, you get only a “/”, you take it. (See HCOB 3 July 1971R, AUDITING BY LIST, which, although coming later in time, explicitly allows a tick as valid read on a correction list).
“Mark the read at once (tick, SF, F, LF, LFBD, R/S), […] and look expectantly at the pc”.
So, a tick is a valid read when you are assessing a prepared list. This confirms that the redefinition of read as being a fall (point 13 above) applies on things that you want to RUN (items for Dianetic chain or L&N question,). But it does not apply to ruds, ARCU /CDEINR assessments or prepared lists.
The only thing changed or clarified here is that all definitions which state it is fractions of seconds after the question is asked are cancelled. There is nothing new regarding what is a read, in regards to the definition from 1962.
In 1962, an instant read was defined as any reaction of the needle occurring instantly.
This was never cancelled. However, many data were added, stating that when you want to run something, you need to have at least a fall. But for rudiments or prepared lists, or dating (EM 22), any instant reaction is valid, even if not a fall. EM 19, EM 22 and EM 24 all are to be done with that 1962 definition, since they are from that period! And it worked like that at that time, so it will work the same way today.
There are no contradictions in HCOBs, just various contexts and aspects of the same subject. And there is no strange confusion between “instant read” and a read (that is instant).
Marie, 2001