Dianetics

American religious movement

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June 25, 2026

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Dianetics, introduced by L. Ron Hubbard in 1950, is a system of mental therapy that evolved into the religious movement of Scientology. Hubbard believed that human survival is the fundamental principle of existence and that negative emotional states, called engrams, stem from the reactive mind storing painful experiences.123

Dianetics proposed a counseling process called auditing, using an E-meter to help individuals confront and eliminate these engrams, aiming to achieve a state of "Clear". While initially presented as a mental science, Hubbard later shifted to a more religious approach, founding the Church of Scientology in 1954. Scientology expanded on Dianetics by introducing concepts like the spiritual self, or thetan, and a broader cosmic vision.321

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Scientology
Hubbard’s early life and beliefs
In Dianetics the goal was to rid the mind of engrams, and individuals were said to have reached a major goal when they became “clear.”
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In Dianetics the goal was to rid the mind of engrams, and individuals were said to have reached a major goal when they became “clear.”
Read More

new religious movement
Scientific NRMs: UFO groups and Scientology
…Hubbard (1911–86), Scientology began as Dianetics, which was Hubbard’s term for a kind of therapy that claimed to eliminate destructive imprints of past experiences, called “engrams,” that had accumulated in one’s unconscious. Hubbard devised a method—employing both discussion with an “auditor” and the use of an electrical device called an…
Read More
…Hubbard (1911–86), Scientology began as Dianetics, which was Hubbard’s term for a kind of therapy that claimed to eliminate destructive imprints of past experiences, called “engrams,” that had accumulated in one’s unconscious. Hubbard devised a method—employing both discussion with an “auditor” and the use of an electrical device called an…
Read More