What is Dianetics?

Answer

Dianetics is the general term for the beliefs that form the basis of Scientology. Dianetics asserts that each individual’s past painful experiences leave a lasting mark, known as an “engram,” on their “reactive” (subconscious) mind. According to Dianetics, these engrams are the primary cause of various illnesses, conditions, neuroses, and injuries. Scientology expands on this, listing a wide range of ailments attributed to engrams, such as poor eyesight, sexual issues, allergies, joint pain, headaches, and more. Engrams are also held responsible for mental health problems ranging from depression to aggression. L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, even claimed that global application of dianetic therapy would eradicate crime, warfare, and insanity.

Through a process known as “auditing,” Dianetics principles are utilized to eliminate these engrams from the individual’s soul—referred to as a “thetan—resulting ultimately in a person devoid of any reactive or subconscious mind, known as a “Clear.” During auditing, a trained auditor sits face-to-face with the individual and guides them through revisiting a series of past experiences. These experiences can theoretically come from any point in the individual’s life, including infancy, pre-birth, or even past lives. All “memories” are considered valid, and the individual is encouraged to discuss them until they find peace with the experience. This process is believed to eliminate the engram, preventing any further negative effects. This procedure bears some resemblance to hypnosis and involves the use of an E-meter, or electro-psychometer, a device that functions akin to a polygraph.

Hubbard began teaching Dianetics principles in the 1950s. Almost immediately, his assertions were criticized by medical and psychiatric professionals. Since its introduction, Dianetics has been labeled a pseudoscience, grouped with practices like phrenology, homeopathy, and astrology.There are no scientific studies supporting its effectiveness, nor any scientific reasons to think that it would work as advertised. Dianetics’ most proven capability is in generating revenue: auditing sessions are expensive, and the wealthy are profoundly over-represented in Scientology.

Biblically, the claims of Dianetics are entirely false. There are no prior lives from which to remember pain and trauma (see Hebrews 9:27). A person’s primary moral problem is not the memory of pain but his own in-born sin (Romans 3:23; Romans 5:12). Dianetics claims that a person can, through force of will, make himself a better and more moral person. The Bible teaches that true change only happens when a person is reformed by Christ (1 Corinthians 6:10-11). As a mishmash of pseudoscience, Eastern spirituality, and New Age concepts, Dianetics is not only factually false but incompatible with the worldview of the Bible: “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (Colossians 2:8).