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What is exteriorization in the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard?

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Father of Scientology — Scientology L. Ron Hubbard's seminal – and controversial – work was *Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health*, written in 1950.

In the teachings of Scientology, exteriorization is defined as the separation of an individual’s consciousness from their body.12

Founder L. Ron Hubbard posited that this experience allowed him to identify the thetan—the individual's authentic spiritual identity—as the true self that is capable of existing apart from the physical body. This concept was a pivotal factor in Hubbard’s transition from his earlier work in Dianetics to the broader spiritual framework of Scientology, as it led him to conclude that thetans have inhabited various bodies over time.12