Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health
By Jessica
@JESSY3236 (19912)
United States
June 1, 2018 7:55am CST
I finished reading Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health by L. Ron Hubbard. I got this book on Open Library. I didn't buy it.
I'm not going to do a summary for this book. Instead I'm going to explain why I read this book. No, I'm haven't gone to the dark side to be a scientologist. I love learning about cults and bible prophecy. I have done some research on Scientology before and read Leah Remini's book and Lawrence Wright's book. I had been debating on whether to read Dianetics or not. Then recently Scientology the cult began a network on DirectTV in response to Leah Remini's show. I watched a few shows on their network. That's when I decided to read the book. I wanted to see what he actually said.
A lot of what he said was BS. He made wild claims that Dianetics is a cure all. Of course that is one of the reasons he went bankrupt. I think another reason he went bankrupt was that a doctor left the foundation and wrote a book how Dianetics don't work. ( I would love to read that book, but I would have to buy it.) Some of the book did make sense. I think it may help people with PTSD. A guy I knew went crazy when a train went by because his mother was killed on a train track. I think Dianetics may help him too.
He kept saying Dianetics wasn't hypnotism in the first half of the book. I just couldn't figure out how you could get to the unconscious part of the mind without hypnotism. Then when I got the therapy part, it sounds like hypnotism to me. Then he says it's similar to hypnotism, you aren't put to sleep. Just in reverie which is a dream like state. (Reverie is new tv show which is good by the way. It's about a woman who gets people out of the dream-like state.)
I don't know if he originally wanted to help people or not. He shouldn't have made the wild claims if he did. And he really should haven't made it into a religion/cult if he really wanted to help people. I don't see how learning about Xenu (which don't exist) is helping people. The version of the book I read was the 1985 version. At the back of the book it doesn't mention anything about Scientology. It did give "testimonies" of people saying Dianetics helped them. But a lot of the names of the people weren't given.
Now I'm reading Dark Tower 5: Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King.
5 people like this
5 responses
@FourWalls (67775)
• United States
1 Jun 18
I'm curious: is there anything in the book on which a rational person could base a religion? For years (based on the commercials they ran in the 80s) I thought it was a really bad self-help book (given that self-help books were the rage in the early 80s).
But then, it doesn't take much to start a new religion. I read there's a new sect that commands women wear head coverings, based on one verse of Scripture (1st Corinthians 11:13).
4 people like this
@JESSY3236 (19912)
• United States
1 Jun 18
@FourWalls not really. But says bridging mental health. And he says the definition of Dianetics is "through the soul."
1 person likes this
@Starmaiden (9311)
• Canada
1 Jun 18
Scientology is a cult to not get involved with. I've seen people become completely controlled by it.
3 people like this
@flowerchilde (12529)
• United States
16 Oct 18
I like to read other's summary of a book, then I don't have to read it! So thanks! I read years ago that L. Ron Hubbard did rituals with Aleister Crowley (high warlock?) to bring interdimensional entities through portals to earth - dark entities, I'd call them! And we have plenty thank you very much! Anyway they brought through this guy named "Lam" a gray guy with a big head and big eyes, a lot like our popular green et's, but gray.. pretty weird stuff I thought.. and not good things to dabble in..
@1hopefulman (45120)
• Canada
1 Jun 18
I met a couple of Sciencetologists in my business life that wanted me to get deeper into it but it made no sense from the beginning and so kept away. I don't like anyone to play with my mind. I'll stick with the Bible!
2 people like this