Reference: Hubbard 1950: Dianetics TMSMH
These are some comments on Book One, Chapter 2, “The Clear” from DIANETICS: THE MODERN SCIENCE OF MENTAL HEALTH.
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Comments on
The Clear
KEY WORDS: Clear, Reverie, Hypnosis, Returning
Clear is the goal of Dianetics Therapy. A Clear is a person who is cleared of all anomalies from his body-mind system. Hubbard wrote earlier about the Clear as The Basic Individual.
An anomaly is any violation of the oneness of reality, such as, discontinuity (missing data), inconsistency (contradictory data), or disharmony (arbitrary data). All aberrations, such as, psychoses, neuroses, compulsions and repressions, are anomalies. Dianetics focuses on clearing up mental and physical aberrations, such as, the psychosomatics ills. The process of clearing also restores one’s perceptions if the organs of perception are physically intact.
The process of clearing depends on the resolution of anomalies.
The dianetic reverie used in clearing is similar to hypnosis. Hubbard takes pains to differentiate reverie from hypnosis. Hypnosis has been used for centuries to treat diverse ills, but it went into relative decline with the rise of modern medicine. In the last 200 years it’s been more associated with stage magicians and movie villains. Just how it works is not clear, and some critics suggest it’s simply a way of relaxing. But practitioners say there’s more to it, and that under hypnosis the patient can concentrate intensely on a specific thought, memory, feeling or sensation while blocking out distractions. See Hypnotherapy Terms and Definitions.
The dianetic reverie is a mild form of hypnosis in which the individual retains enough analytical awareness.
Apparently the process of hypnotism bypasses the “mental filters” to access the intuitive capabilities of the brain. This attenuates one’s analytical capabilities, but not to the degree the person loses control, or does things against his will. A portion of the mind simply returns to a past period of life and re-experiences it. It is an inherent ability of the mind. A person can do it all by oneself. The re-experiencing of the past includes all perceptions. The attention may get absorbed to varying degrees. Due to aberrations this ability to return gets curtailed, and the “memory” reduces to vague impressions.
A person can apply meditative reverie to oneself to access impression that lie below consciousness.
The anomalies generate fixations that aberrate a person’s thinking and behavior. As these anomalies are resolved the logic circuits clear up. In Dianetics, Hubbard identifies “held down sevens” to be the cause of all aberrations. The mind, otherwise, is inherently incapable of error. We may further explain these “held down sevens” as fixations caused by disharmonies, discontinuities and inconsistencies. A person may either be unaware of these anomalies or he could have accepted them as normal.
Not only somatics but fixations may also be used to enter the search for the impressions that lie below consciousness.
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A Buddhist Perspective
When we take the postulates from Buddhism into account we find that Scientology lacks compassion because it is “fixated on the survival of individuality”. We may define a cleared individual as follows:
A cleared individual is not absolutely free of flaws, but he is very close to being completely rational. He has a mind in which perceptions continually break down into fine discriminative elements, and get freely associated and assimilated into an orderly mental matrix providing rational solutions.
The cleared individual does not avoid, resist, suppress or deny any thoughts, emotions, and sensations when thinking; and so he perceives things objectively with clarity. He is able to examine and overcome all prejudices, biases and fixations. He is keenly perceptive and knowledgeable and continues to explore new areas of knowledge.
The cleared individual is universal in his outlook. He rises above any fixation on self or individuality. He is not subjective, self-centric, or human-centric. There are no conflicts within him. He would not hesitate to sacrifice himself if need be.
The cleared individual can look from the viewpoint of others as well as objectively from the viewpoint of all life and the environment. He continues to expand his understanding of the physical and spiritual aspects of the universe without resorting to superstitions.
The cleared individual is the first to realize his error and correct himself. Whenever he senses resistance or observes some oddity, he follows it up until it is cleared. If he suffers a painful experience, heavy loss, or confusion he is able to sort it out quietly in his mind.
The cleared individual is in good health and has no psychosomatic illnesses. He is purposeful in his demeanor, and graceful in his movements. He is strong and calm even in adversity. In no way is he trying to win or dominate, but he is passionately engaged in bringing order to his environment.
Above all, he is compassionate.
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Comments
” . . .we find that Scientology lacks compassion because it is “fixated on the survival of individuality”.”
This is true. “Individuality” is worshipped and promoted. “Certainty” is held in the highest esteem. At the same time, the organizational structure needs participants to conform precisely with goals and purposes as expressed by authority and as it changes on daily basis. It is a conundrum to be a Scientologist. It is fraught with cognitive dissonance for if a group member doesn’t give up his self determinism for the group, he is punished into obedience and chided as “compulsively” self determined.
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Very good point!
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The promoted abilities of the “The Cleared Individual” are a litany of platitudes which are presumed to be ideal but which have never been thoroughly achieved, neither subjectively nor objectively. They cannot be demonstrated,
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There is always an ideal scene to aim for.
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“There is always an ideal scene to aim for.”
Yes. That is how rational people think.
Hubbard doesn’t use mitigating language. He doesn’t only aim high, he defines high. These definitions, none of them that I can think of have ever been attained – ever. Not only that, but there is no metric for progress other than paying for and completing levels of the Bridge to Total Freedom. “Clears don’t need glasses nor do they catch cold.” Any social attribute that a person brings with them to Scientology, not achieved IN Scientology is given the brush-off as “glib.” Do you disagree? Or do you know of abilities that I may not be giving credit?
Were you ever celebrated for almost making a goal?
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I don’t agree with Hubbard’s description of Clear.
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If you don’t agree with Hubbard’s definition of Clear, a state that he invented and defined, what do you think is the correct description?
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Please see the description under the section A BUDDHIST PERSPECTIVE.
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Scientology together with the earlier Dianetics, though not promoted as such, are nevertheless sophisticated role playing games (RPG). They involves voluminous rules, goals and purposes.
“Clearing” is one of the many goal activities. Rich and fluid imagination and a healthy dose of narcissism are paramount for success.
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There is proper “clearing” outside Scientology.
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“There is proper “clearing” outside Scientology.”
Are you using “proper” in the NO TRUE SCOTSMAN fallacy sense, or are you suggesting that the goals of Clearing as defined in DIANETICS THE MODERN SCIENCE OF MENTAL HEALTH can be achieved outside the sanction of Church of Scientology?
My point, and to give Hubbard credit, is that life is a game – a subjective game. He very well defines a proper game in Scientology and then goes on to practice a games condition as he also defined in the DN and SCN TECHNICAL DICTIONARY.
Hubbard had a wonderful understanding of games and the machinations of how we think about things. I do not know why he failed to practice that understanding personally. He seemed brilliant when speaking from his Ivory Tower, but seemed to fail miserably when putting his ideas into practice. He was a compulsive exaggerator and liar. He understood others but failed to understand himself. We could say that he was a brilliant narcissist, but that seems too weak to cover what he was.
I am currently working with the group that is auditing the Maricopa County General Election of 2020. It is thrown together with lots of people quickly and with the processes for performing forensic examinations being put together on the fly. It is quite difficult but possible because it is being done as a team and suggestions are being listened to. It makes me think a lot about you and about the early days of Scientology when not many knew anything about the sea, ships, sailing, navigating, maintenance and the like, and running the Royal Scotman was only the “taxi” for supporting the investigative research of Hubbard. I wonder at how that activity quelled Hubbard’s cognitive dissonance? Or did it at all?
From my understanding of Hubbard from the readings and lectures, he was forever a personal mess. All those years of the 50’s through his death in ’86 were spent “on the run.” All his personal bad habits, spending and the such were lavished on and stuck to his church through personal examples and through his management writings. His narcissism prevented him from sharing any of the credit for the accomplishments of his church with the people responsible and prevented him from assuming any blame for the problems of the church, except in the most glib and perfunctory way.
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I may be using the term “Clearing” but I don’t mean in Hubbardian sense as it is clear from the article. Hubbard meant clearing of engrams only. I mean clearing of all anomalies in the Buddhist sense.
Hubbard’s theory of games has never made sense to me. The only game in this deep sense that I know of is the clearing of anomalies (disharmonies, discontinuities and inconsistencies).
Hubbard failed because he was fixated on he survival of individuality. He wanted it to be immortal, when it is naturally not.
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“Hubbard’s theory of games has never made sense to me.”
“Goals-barriers-purposes” define games. That is very simple and elegant. Maybe tell me what you do not understand about it. Life as a game pretty much softens up the solidity of life, I think.
You and your writing: Game.
And your recap of Clearing seems pretty much like Hubbard’s. That is why I do not understand how you are differing in your opinion. You recently mentioned Hubbard’s 4th Dynamic Engram being unhandled. I actually didn’t know what you meant by that but it seemed consistent with a Scientology concept.
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A game consists of freedoms, barriers, and purposes. The real barrier is ignorance and not another person. A proper game would be between a person and his ignorance; and not one person against another person. The latter idea of game is an aberration.
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The natural game is evolving into the unknown through trial and error. Therefore, the game is being played against the unknown. The nature learns and builds up on its laws by maintaining continuity, consistency and harmony.
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