Customer Reviews
Read real psychology instead - By: Anonymous, 12 May 2008 
Dianetics argues that the sources of human suffering are stored in 'engrams' in the 'reactice mind' - complete recordings, down to the accurate detail, of every perceptual experience. It also describes the way to rid yourself of these 'engrams' as a process callled 'clearing'. It sounds reasonable until you dig deeper into Dianetics & Scientology (the Church of Scientology).
I bought 'Dianetics' in 1998 from a street recruiter from the Church of Scientology (L. Ron Hubbard was the founder of the 'Church'). Luckily, I only wasted 6 pounds. 'Dianetics' is an entry point into the 'Church' of Scientology - a blend of pseudo-psychotherapy, religion & science fiction which has bankrupted hundreds of people & led to some suicides (see Time Magazine, 6th May 1991). You can find scientologist recruiters on city streets everywhere. A popular trick (used on me) is to ask - survey style - "if you could change three things in your life, what would they be". Scientologists calll this 'finding your ruin', i.e. a weakness or problem they can hook into. Alternatively, they use a 'personality (or 'stress') questionnaire' - with no scientific basis & no demonstrated psychometric validity (i.e. never validated in a scientific peer-reviewed journal). The Scientologist wrote my three answers down & mentioned a book which could help - 'DIANETICS'. I was taken to a basement beneath a pub, which was full of the books, & others by the Author Ron Hubbard, the founder of the Church of Scientology. I am a psychologist - not stupid - but was then persuaded due to my interest in psychology. I bought the book for 6 pounds, & was asked to give my name & address, in order to send out a "receipt". What I received was over 10 unsolicited letters from Scientology members asking if I had resolved my three issues, & offering 'help' in their local centre.
Hubbard describes a process callled 'clearing' (callled 'auditing' when performed by another person, which it has to be). This is a form of 'psychotherapy' performed by people who are not trained in psychology or counselling, & are not members of any professional psychological or counselling organisation. It involves aspects of hypnotism, social pressure & conditioning, though the church states that it is not psychotherapy. Auditing costs a lot of money. After some years of auditing, at great expense, one might reach an 'advanced level' known as OT III. Here you are told that...the cause of your (and everyone's) problems was that the world is full of the souls of space aliens murdered 75 million years ago. The alien galactic ruler Xenu was in charge of Earth & 75 other planets in this part of the galaxy some 75 million years ago & cured overpopulation by paralysing the people of the other planets, flying them to Earth in DC-8 space planes, arranged them round a volcano to murder them with H bombs. These souls of murdered people were gathered up & boxed, taken to cinemas & shown films for several days. The end result was that the souls clustered together & now inhabit people in their thousands. Scientology will help 'clear' you of this, at great expense. Sounds ludicrous? Well it's true. Check it out for yourself.
'Dianetics' is full of unscientific nonsense with no supporting empirical evidence that has been published in peer-reviewed psychology journals. The American Psychological Association denounced it as such. The language is deliberately complex to baffle & impress the average reader. Most would consider it unreadable.
The author was actuallly a science fiction writer, who saw that he could make more money by inventing a new religion - Hubbard stated: "Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man reallly wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion". Scientology has been exposed by many independent Judges & Governments, & by the press (famously by Time magazine, 1991). Scientology or its practices has been banned on & off in many countries & states. However, in order to silence its critics the it issues legal procedings citing copyright infringement against journalists, newpapers & websites that reveal negative information about Scientology.
As for the author, Hubbard the (Australian) Report of the Board of Inquiry into Scientology (Victoria) stated that "expert psychiatric witnesses" were of the opinion that Hubbard's writings indicated "symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia of long standing with delusions of grandeur" & came to the conclusion that Hubbard's "sanity was to be gravely doubted." Hubbard claims to have visited Venus, the Van Allen Radiation belt, & heaven (twice). Hubbard wrote the fair game policy - that anyone critical of scientology is fair game for abuse including violence. You can find his sci-fi books on Amazon - & science fiction is exactly what Scientology is. Hubbard claimed to have a Ph.D. from "Sequoia University" - a residential dwelling in Los Angeles which operated through a post office box & delivered mail order doctorates without exams, or attendance... Hubbard had no qualifications in psychology, counselling, psychotherapy, theology, or philosophy.
Still interested in reading it?
Be careful criticising this book - By: James Murdoch, 01 May 2008 
Shortly after I reviewed 'Dianetics' in the university newspaper my editor received several threatening phone callls. He was asked to print a retraction & to fire me. There are certainly some die-hard fans of 'Dianetics': I guess it must be good. (But people should learn to take criticism). I didn't find it useful at alll.
In a nut-shell this 'self-help book' is just a stepping-stone to taking 'courses'. The book makes no sense at alll. It is designed to not make sense so that people are trapped in an eternal cycle of expensive 'lessons', hypnosis & indoctrination. This is just my personal experience: I may be wrong.
Very practical - By: N. Fraser, 29 Apr 2008 
I'd read a lot of books like this but I found this to be much more practical than most. I would thoroughly recommend this to anyone. I like the idea of actuallly being able to improve your mind & quality of life rather than just learning to live with what you've got.
"Basic Language" claim is a LIE - By: Kate Adie, 24 Apr 2008 That stuff about "basic language"? That's a bald-face lie. No sooner does Hubbard get going with whatever it is he's trying to do, than he starts mangling & making up words willy-nilly. Visual memories are rechristened "visio"; "evolute," a term that used to refer to the center of a curvature, serves as an entirely unnecessary synonym for "develop"; & sense impressions become "perceptics." Footnotes offer helpful definitions of commonplace idioms like "a far cry: only remotely related" & the sublimely tautological "present time: the time which is now."
Rambling - By: James Murdoch, 24 Apr 2008 Minimum Essentials of a Book Review
1. Description of the book.
It a book about improving mental health.
2. Something about the author.
He is a science fiction writer who managed to convince a large following of people to believe in his mental health religion callled Scientology. Using terms he learned from a course on molecular & atomic physics in which he failed, he wove them into everyday common human element concerns thereby creating his own "new age" cult or religion.
3. An indirect appraisal based on the aims & purposes of the author.
A fair writer using some creative terminology & statements to persuade numerous readers to become devoted to his beliefs & practices. By using mental health statements wrapped in scientific, political & personal weaknesses, numerous readers have been swayed to follow his teachings - possibly for that alone he should be rated 5 stars. However, I give it one star because I found his use of words, sentence structure, & persuasive arguments & scientific research to be weak & unfounded.
