The bolt from the blue that began a worldwide movement. For here is L. Ron Hubbard’s landmark book presenting his discovery of the reactive mind that underlies and enslaves Man. It’s the source of nightmares, unreasonable fears, upsets and insecurity. And here is the way to get rid of it and achieve the long sought goal of Clear. This is the complete handbook of Dianetics procedure and, with it, any two reasonably intelligent people can break the chains that have held them prisoner to the upsets and trauma of the past. A bestseller for more than half a century and with tens of millions of copies in print, translated in more than fifty languages and used in more than 100 countries of Earth, Dianetics is indisputably the most widely read and influential book about the human mind ever written. And for that reason, it will forever be known as Book One.
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[Dianetics is] A new science which works with the invariability of physical science in the field of the mind. --Walter Winchell, Daily Mirror
Dianetics can remove the aberrations which make man a selfish and anti-social creature.... It holds hope that man may at last dispense with the ugly institution of war, because wars are the end product of social aberrations at the national level... Dianetics can rectify the mental short circuits which bring accidental death, can increase longevity, minimize the pain of child-bearing and present Mankind with vast new intellectual vistas... --Los Angeles Daily News
...the wave of interest in the subject of Dianetics which has swept the country. --Publishers Weekly
Dianetics can remove the aberrations which make man a selfish and anti-social creature.... It holds hope that man may at last dispense with the ugly institution of war, because wars are the end product of social aberrations at the national level... Dianetics can rectify the mental short circuits which bring accidental death, can increase longevity, minimize the pain of child-bearing and present Mankind with vast new intellectual vistas... --Los Angeles Daily News
...the wave of interest in the subject of Dianetics which has swept the country. --Publishers Weekly
Book Description
How can you increase your mind’s potential?
Have you ever felt like something was holding you back?
What is the source of irrational behavior?
The painful experiences of our past clearly have an effect upon our present – but to what degree and why?
That is the subject of Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, the most widely read and broadly acclaimed book ever written on the subject of the human mind. Dianetics reveals how negative experiences in your past cause your mind to depart from rational thought and behavior – without you even knowing it. What’s more, it tells you exactly how to use the precise Dianetics procedure to locate these past experiences and eliminate their negative effects.
Dianetics enables you to be your best: confident, rational, productive and creative. In other words, you can be yourself – free to enjoy life and reach your full potential. That is the goal of Dianetics.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1,317 of 1,409 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I found this book to be filled with jargon, half baked theories and bizarre assertions. Hubbard seems to only be guessing; he gives no clue as to how he arrives at any of his fantastic claims- that one can raise one's IQ, avoid accidents, pretty much eradicate any and all issues in one's life, by clearing away "engrams" created by bad experiences, including *prenatal* experiences.
In short, one will become more or less superhuman- and if not, it's because you're not doing it right- and it's this weird circular logic that makes the book impossible to take seriously. He seems to have started with some interesting borrowed ideas (regression therapy, ritual magick, etc.) and gotten extraordinarily carried away. In short, he combines older forms of psychotherapy with magical techniques and his own version of Buddhist mindfulness meditation.
This could be of limited usefulness, but I am very concerned that the book makes claims that homosexuality, infertility, etc., are 'perversions,' actual physical illnesses that can be 'cured' by Dianetics, and that ulcers and other diseases are caused by unsuccessful attempts at abortion. These are just two of the many odd medical assertions hubbard makes which could cause serious harm were one to prefer Hubbard's advice over proper medical or pychological care. Most disturbing of all, critics of Hubbard's methods are, of course, ill themselves, criminals, or worse, a frighteningly convenient idea.
In short, one will become more or less superhuman- and if not, it's because you're not doing it right- and it's this weird circular logic that makes the book impossible to take seriously. He seems to have started with some interesting borrowed ideas (regression therapy, ritual magick, etc.) and gotten extraordinarily carried away. In short, he combines older forms of psychotherapy with magical techniques and his own version of Buddhist mindfulness meditation.
This could be of limited usefulness, but I am very concerned that the book makes claims that homosexuality, infertility, etc., are 'perversions,' actual physical illnesses that can be 'cured' by Dianetics, and that ulcers and other diseases are caused by unsuccessful attempts at abortion. These are just two of the many odd medical assertions hubbard makes which could cause serious harm were one to prefer Hubbard's advice over proper medical or pychological care. Most disturbing of all, critics of Hubbard's methods are, of course, ill themselves, criminals, or worse, a frighteningly convenient idea.
820 of 913 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Hubbard is attempting to introduce a new system of therapy in this book and as such, it is necessary that he take pains to write in a particularly lucid and precise style; this is not the case. This book rambles on for far too long in many places, introduces concepts out-of-step with their field in a brash manner that is not thoughtful, and does not sufficiently refute its interlocutors. It is also hard to tell how seriously the author himself takes these theses in the course of his writing. As a piece of rhetoric, self-help, or literature, this is a failure. Also, I can only speculate on why there is a bursting volcano on the cover; this makes the book less credible and more sensational in my opinion.
-JAK
-JAK
815 of 930 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
L. Ron Hubbard has been grossly underestimated as a writer of Science Fiction. He is possibly one of the greatest fiction writers of the 20th century. With "Dianetics," Hubbard has been able to weave a complex, believable tale of the science of the mind, essentially forming the basis for what would come to be taken to be a religion. How many other Science Fiction writers have done something of that magnitude with such far reaching effects? Darn few.
"Dianetics" made an early appearance in the magazine "Astounding Science Fiction" back in May of 1950. It garnered a lot of press and created a buzz that eventually garnered the attention of a wider audience.
Hubbard created a whole mythology around himself. It is said he was a bronco buster at the age of three, a teenage explorer, a blood brother of the Blackfeet Indians of Montana, a Nuclear Physicist, and a World War II hero, among other things. But above all, he was a writer of pulp Science Fiction.
Interestingly enough, there's plenty of documention that many of the ideas put forth in this book are not original. Many may not be aware that at the root of Dianetics are the discoveries of Dr. William Sargant (a psychiatrist). Sargant's research observed post traumatic stress syndrome in World War II soldiers, leading to a cure known as Abnormal Reaction Therapy. This entailed re-experiencing traumatic events (Hubbard called these "engrams") utilizing a hypnotic (or drugged) state to confront these real or imagined items with the aid of a facilitator. If you are interested in exploring Sargant's work, his book is called "Battle for the Mind: A Physiology of Conversion and Brainwashing." There are many very close similarities between the two texts.
The key is to become "Clear." Getting to the state of clear comes via "auditing" (a confessional) to remove engrams, thus destroying one's reactive mind. This is the portion of the mind that Dianetics states is the cause of mental and physical ailments. A Dianetics auditor questions the "pre-clear" with the use of an e-meter (a simple lie detector) to assist with this process.
It's been debated that either George Orwell or Ron Hubbard said: "Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion." Well, Hubbard did just that. And he did indeed make millions. And here is the book that started it all, compliments of the extremely imaginative mind of Science Fiction writer, L. Ron Hubbard, and a few uncredited Psychiatrists.
"Dianetics" made an early appearance in the magazine "Astounding Science Fiction" back in May of 1950. It garnered a lot of press and created a buzz that eventually garnered the attention of a wider audience.
Hubbard created a whole mythology around himself. It is said he was a bronco buster at the age of three, a teenage explorer, a blood brother of the Blackfeet Indians of Montana, a Nuclear Physicist, and a World War II hero, among other things. But above all, he was a writer of pulp Science Fiction.
Interestingly enough, there's plenty of documention that many of the ideas put forth in this book are not original. Many may not be aware that at the root of Dianetics are the discoveries of Dr. William Sargant (a psychiatrist). Sargant's research observed post traumatic stress syndrome in World War II soldiers, leading to a cure known as Abnormal Reaction Therapy. This entailed re-experiencing traumatic events (Hubbard called these "engrams") utilizing a hypnotic (or drugged) state to confront these real or imagined items with the aid of a facilitator. If you are interested in exploring Sargant's work, his book is called "Battle for the Mind: A Physiology of Conversion and Brainwashing." There are many very close similarities between the two texts.
The key is to become "Clear." Getting to the state of clear comes via "auditing" (a confessional) to remove engrams, thus destroying one's reactive mind. This is the portion of the mind that Dianetics states is the cause of mental and physical ailments. A Dianetics auditor questions the "pre-clear" with the use of an e-meter (a simple lie detector) to assist with this process.
It's been debated that either George Orwell or Ron Hubbard said: "Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion." Well, Hubbard did just that. And he did indeed make millions. And here is the book that started it all, compliments of the extremely imaginative mind of Science Fiction writer, L. Ron Hubbard, and a few uncredited Psychiatrists.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
So many fake reviews by scientology hacks
Creepy, check out all the five star reviews by people that seem to only review scientology junk. Its the ponzi scheme of religions. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Nathan Forczyk
1.0 out of 5 stars
You really want to leave this alone
Most of the 5 star reviews here you can bet are written by other Scientologists attempting to keep this book as highly rated as possible and selling - it's all about the money. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Peter Blood
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic book
What an incredible book. I've studied different religions all my life,Freud, mind over matter.This book explains why we do the things we do, how negativity developes, and how... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Curious
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely life changing!
This book really will change your life. The techniques work. It's really that simple. You read the book, understand the theory and then apply the methods, and you get RESULTS. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Jesse Dvorak
5.0 out of 5 stars
It works
The most meaningful comment I can make is that Dianetics, upon applicaiton, works. There is no way all those negative reviews are actually written by those who have read the book... Read more
Published 2 months ago by nic
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book has changed my life
As the title, this book has changed my life for the better. There is not much I can say besides that. I hope everyone will find out how it works!
Published 3 months ago by Giulio
3.0 out of 5 stars
on my list of books to read.
I cant really rate the book yet. I've heard of the book as well as what others might think and i was told it's informative
Published 3 months ago by sinae
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dianetics is amazing
I just finished reading Dianetics for the first time. I didn't understand the reasons for some of my actions. After I did something I would wonder what made me act so irrational. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Katy Karson
1.0 out of 5 stars
I don't believe it....
So I read Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health and I am very unimpressed.
First off, it is not modern, as it is over 40 years old. Read more
First off, it is not modern, as it is over 40 years old. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Krissy Larsen
1.0 out of 5 stars
The Mein Kampf of $cientology
The theory of Dianetics and the subsequent establishment of $cientology can best be understood as a product of its times, the 1950s. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Michael
Citations (learn more)
57
books
cite this book:
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- New Religions in Global Perspective: A Study of Religious Change in the Modern World by Peter Clarke on 4 pages
- Challenge of the Cults and New Religions, The by Ron Rhodes on 4 pages
- New Religious Movement in Global Perspective; a Study of Religious Change in the Modern World by Peter Clarke on page 69, page 100, and page 104
- Legitimating New Religions by James R. Lewis on page 92, and Back Matter
- The Everything World's Religions Book: Discover the Beliefs, Traditions, and Cultures of Ancient and Modern Religions (Everything (Religion)) by Robert Pollock on page 208, and page 211
See all 57 books citing this book
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