Travolta personally gave hurricane victims massages - or, as the church calls them, "assists"

During his visits, Mr. Travolta showed a demonstration of the "assists" that the Volunteer Ministers are giving and which are helping individuals overcome the trauma of loss of homes and loved ones.

Assists operate on the principle that one tends to withdraw mentally or spiritually from an injured area. Only by restoring communication with this area can one bring the spiritual element into healing, thereby greatly speeding the healing process. Assists are used to alleviate stress and physical aches and pains, or to orient a confused or distraught individual to his present environment. Assists are not "massages." They are techniques developed by L. Ron Hubbard to alleviate the spiritual component of physical pain, shock and emotional trauma.