Analytical Mind
The conscious, aware, rational part of the human mind. The analytical mind computes, reasons, creates, and solves problems. Dianetics holds that the analytical mind is essentially perfect in its function — it only malfunctions when interfered with by the reactive mind. When the reactive mind is cleared, the analytical mind operates at its full, natural capacity.
Auditing
The central technique of Dianetics. A structured, one-on-one process in which a trained auditor guides the preclear through specific questions and techniques to locate, examine, and erase engrams. Sessions typically last one to two hours. The auditor listens without interpreting, advising, or judging. The preclear is always in control and can stop at any time.
Auditor
A person trained in Dianetics techniques who conducts auditing sessions. The word comes from the Latin 'audire' — to listen. The auditor's role is precisely defined: to ask questions and listen. The auditor does not advise, interpret, evaluate, or diagnose. Anyone can learn to audit using the techniques described in the Dianetics book.
Bank
An informal term for the reactive mind, or the collection of engrams stored within it. 'Clearing the bank' refers to the process of erasing all engrams through auditing, resulting in the State of Clear. The term emphasises the reactive mind's function as a storage system for painful recordings.
Basic
The earliest engram on a particular chain of similar incidents. In Dianetics auditing, the auditor works to find the basic on each chain, as erasing the earliest incident tends to resolve the entire chain more efficiently. Reaching the basic is a key milestone in the auditing process.
Chain
A series of engrams linked by a common theme, sensation, or phrase. Engrams on the same chain share similar content and tend to reinforce one another. Dianetics auditing addresses chains by working from the most recent incident back to the earliest (the basic), which releases the charge from the entire chain.
Charge
The emotional energy or pain stored in an engram. When an engram is restimulated, its charge is released into the person's present experience as irrational emotion, anxiety, anger, or physical sensation. Through auditing, the charge in an engram is gradually reduced and eventually eliminated, leaving only an ordinary memory.
Clear
The State of Clear is the primary goal of Dianetics. A Clear is a person who no longer has a reactive mind — all engrams have been erased through auditing. L. Ron Hubbard described the Clear as having excellent memory, high intelligence, good physical health, and the ability to think clearly and rationally in any situation. The State of Clear is not a mystical state; it is a measurable, achievable condition.
Dianetics
A methodology developed by L. Ron Hubbard for understanding and addressing the reactive mind. The word comes from the Greek 'dia' (through) and 'nous' (mind or soul) — literally, 'through the mind'. First published in 1950 in the book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, which became an immediate international bestseller. Dianetics provides a precise, step-by-step approach to locating and erasing engrams.
Engram
A complete mental recording of a moment of physical pain or unconsciousness combined with real or imagined threat to survival. Engrams are stored in the reactive mind and contain every sensory detail of the original incident — sounds, smells, physical sensations, words spoken nearby. Unlike ordinary memories, engrams are not available to conscious recall but can be triggered (restimulated) by similar stimuli in the present, causing irrational reactions, anxiety, or psychosomatic illness.
Erasure
The process by which an engram is fully addressed in auditing and its charge permanently released. An erased engram is transferred from the reactive mind to the analytical mind as an ordinary, accessible memory. It can no longer trigger irrational reactions or psychosomatic symptoms. Erasure is the goal of each auditing session.
Lock
A mental image picture of a situation that contains no physical pain but is similar to an engram and therefore becomes associated with it. Locks are formed when the environment restimulates an engram. While locks themselves are not engrams, they can accumulate and add to the overall charge of the reactive mind.
Preclear
A person who is undergoing Dianetics auditing — someone who has not yet reached the State of Clear. The term indicates a person who is in the process of clearing their reactive mind. The preclear works with an auditor in sessions to locate and erase engrams. The preclear is always in control of the session.
Psychosomatic Illness
Physical illness or symptoms caused or worsened by the reactive mind. Dianetics holds that a significant proportion of physical complaints — chronic pain, headaches, skin conditions, digestive problems, fatigue — are psychosomatic in origin, meaning they are generated or maintained by engrams rather than by physical causes. As engrams are erased through auditing, many psychosomatic conditions resolve.
Reactive Mind
The part of the human mind that operates below conscious awareness and stores engrams. Unlike the analytical mind, the reactive mind does not reason — it reacts. When triggered, it overrides the analytical mind and forces the person to react as if the original painful incident were happening now. The reactive mind is the source of irrational behaviour, chronic emotional pain, and psychosomatic illness. The goal of Dianetics is to erase the reactive mind entirely.
Restimulation
The triggering of an engram by something in the present environment that resembles the original painful incident. When an engram is restimulated, the reactive mind replays its content and forces the person to react — with irrational emotion, physical sensation, or compulsive behaviour — as if the original threat were happening now. Restimulation is the mechanism by which past pain controls present behaviour.
Returning
A Dianetics auditing technique in which the preclear mentally returns to an earlier time to examine an engram. The preclear narrates what they perceive — sounds, sensations, words, images — while the auditor guides them through the incident from beginning to end, then asks them to return to the beginning and go through it again. With each pass, the emotional charge diminishes. Returning is the primary technique for erasing engrams.
Somatic
A physical sensation experienced during auditing as an engram is being addressed. Somatics are the body's re-experience of the physical pain or discomfort recorded in the engram. As the engram is erased, the somatic diminishes and disappears. The presence and reduction of somatics is used as an indicator of progress in auditing.
Tone Scale
A scale developed by L. Ron Hubbard that maps emotional states from the highest (enthusiasm, serenity of beingness) to the lowest (apathy, death). The tone scale is used in Dianetics to understand and predict human behaviour and emotional responses. A person's chronic tone level reflects the overall state of their reactive mind. As engrams are erased, a person's chronic tone level rises.
Unconscious
In Dianetics, 'unconscious' refers to any period during which the analytical mind is partially or fully shut off — through physical injury, anaesthesia, extreme pain, high fever, or emotional shock. During unconsciousness, the reactive mind continues to record everything as an engram. This is why incidents of unconsciousness are particularly significant in auditing.
Valence
A personality or identity that a person assumes, often unconsciously, as a result of an engram. During a painful incident, the person may 'become' someone else present in the incident — taking on their mannerisms, attitudes, or behaviour patterns. Valences can cause a person to act in ways that are not their own natural personality.
Showing 21 of 21 terms