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Reference: Hubbard 1950: Dianetics TMSMH

These are some comments on Book Three, Chapter 1, “The Mind’s Protection” from  DIANETICS: THE MODERN SCIENCE OF MENTAL HEALTH.

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Comments on
The Mind’s Protection

KEY WORDS: Contemplation, Discipline of Subject Clearing

It has been known for centuries that when one is in a secure environment and does not interfere with the mind, then the mind takes care of itself by gently unwinding its stress. That is why meditation has been successful over the centuries.

The mind is a self-protecting mechanism as long as it is not interfered with. Many of older practices of psychiatry and hypnotism have been injurious to the mind when they have heavily interfered with it. Basically this chapter is saying that Dianetics is safe to apply because it is designed not to interfere with the mind. But it does not mean that Dianetics cannot be injurious when it is misapplied.

Dianetics cautions one against the use of drugs and hypnotism. It also has a theory that provides one with a better understanding of the mind. However, Dianetics is much safer when its principles are applied by oneself in meditation, rather than getting audited by another. The recommended approach is Subject Clearing.

The goal of Dianetics is to assimilate the unknown sensations from the traumas in one’s life. 

These sensations are unknown because they do not become perceptions until they are assimilated. Therefore, it requires certain skill to sort out these sensations while still in the dark. A person can safely apply the meditative and contemplative approach of subject clearing in using the Dianetic technique to heal oneself. 

The comments in the subsequent chapters examines the Dianetics techniques for their use by oneself through the subject clearing approach. 

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