L. Ron Hubbard published the book, "Dianetics: the Modern Science of Mental Health" in 1950. Despite failing grades in his 2-year college career, Hubbard felt he had the background to develop a replacement for psychology and psychiatry.

The book became a best-seller, and Hubbard began offering courses on how to practice dianetics.

Dianetics claims to be a method of handling mental problems that anyone can do with a friend. The basic theory is that some memories, called "engrams," are incorrectly stored in our reptilian "reactive" mind and need to all be moved over to our properly functioning "analytical" mind. An "auditor" asks probing questions about the "pre-clear's" past.

Using an "e-meter" - a crude skin-response galvinometer that the pre-clear is attached to - answers that produce a particular read on the e-meter are then gone over until the e-meter shows that these memories are no longer problematic.

Once all these incorrectly stored memories are moved to the analytical mind, a person is declared a "clear" and should have perfect mental health and improved physical health.

Almost from the beginning, Hubbard had trouble with the law. The New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners initiated legal proceedings against the Hubbard's Research Foundation for conducting a school of medicine without a license.

In 1952 US Marshalls interrupted Hubbard's speech to arrest him for failure to return some $9000. [Hubbard Dianetic Foundation Inc. In Bankruptcy No. 379-B-2, District Court of the United States for the District of Kansas; RTF: 51]

The Detroit School of Scientology and Dianetics was raided by the police on behalf of the Detroit Board of Health in March of 1953 for investigation of practicing medicine without a license.

In 1955, a $9000 damage suit was brought in superior court in Phoenix Arizona by Mrs. Estrid Anderson Humphry. In her suit she charged that her house in Paradise Valley, which had been leased by agents of Hubbard and the Hubbard Dianetic Research Foundation and the Hubbard Association of Scientologists International, had been extensively damaged by persons" with seriously deranged minds" who were placed there for care and treatment.

While dianetics claims to handle the individual's mental and some physical problems, Hubbard in 1953 created Scientology, which is processing taken after going clear.

Scientology, declared to be a religion by Hubbard, deals with the human soul, called a "thetan." The problem our thetan has is that it has other "body thetans" attached to it, which take over at times in unexpected and unwanted ways. Scientology's secret "OT levels" are processes to get these other infesting thetans to detach and leave.

The e-meter is used in these processes as well, only now to find the body thetans rather than engrams. Once all your engrams and then body thetans are eradicated, you are an "Operating Thetan," or OT, and the claim is you will have absolute control over matter, energy, space and time (MEST).

Scientology's history shows its disdain for the law and ethics. This history is consistent and a bit frightening.

In 1963 the Food and Drug Administration raided Scientology headquarters and seized their e-meters. The FDA accused Scientology of claiming the e-meter could cure medical ailments. Later all e-meters were ordered to have labels disavowing any such claim.

More History of Scientology

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