FROM: POSTGRADUATE MEDICINE

Official Journal of the Interstate Postgraduate Medical Association 516 Essex Building, Minneapolis 3, Minnesota

FOR RELEASE IMMEDIATELY .

(Editorial by Dr. Morris Fishbein, Contributing Editor in September issue)

DIANETICS OR THE "POOR MAN'S PSYCHOANALYSIS"

L. Ron Hubbard, an engineer, explorer and writer of science fiction., is the author of a book called "Dianetics" with a subtitle "The Modern Science of Mental Health." The book is introduced by Dr. J. A. Winter, a physician, recently announced as director of the Chicago office of the Hubbard Dianetics Research Foundation. Reports indicate that the "foundation" has taken -over an entire office building floor of some 18 consulting rooms in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Dr. Frederick Wertham has said that "Dianetics" is neither a good book nor a hoax but a harmful mixture of science and science fiction. The Journal of the American Medical Association obtained opinions from two psychiatrists who agreed that the concept is unscientific unsupported and confusing.

The author of dianetics claims that his method has been used in a series of 270 unselected cases, including arthritis, ulcers, migraine., allergies, asthma, psychosomatic coronary difficulties (sic), tendonitis, bursitis,. paralysis (hysterical), eye trouble (nonpathologic) without a failure in any cases. According to Hubbard's system, psychologi difficulties are caused by "blocked engrams.„ The "engram" is said to be Ma moment of 'unconsciousness' containing physical pain or painful emotion and all perceptions and is not available to the analytic mind as experience." Again,, an "engram" is a "definiteand permanent trace left by a stimulus on the protoplasm of a tissue," This assumption leads to the statement that every cell in the body has memories and these include memories derived from ancestors and others and developed in the womb, all of which memories mark the entire life of the unfortunate individual whose body is composed of these talented cells.

The writer of this weird volume suffers apparently from a cacoethes scribendi. Some of his paragraphs are lush outpourings of exuberant diction funnier than anything attempted in the verbal caricatures that distinguished Robert Benchley. Mr. Hubbard"Dianetics or the "Poor

is so concerned about the effects of engrams that he demands that a11 operative procedures whether or not done under anesthesia be conducted in complete silence. Anything said during coitus, he claims., creates engrams for mother and fetus. Attempted abortions that fail create engrams that show up in the life of the fetus many years later.

As nearly as I can make out therapy in dianetics consists of unblocking or releasing the engram. The therapist is called an auditor. As with psychoanalysis the patient is at ease. If you are an auditor you put him in reverie. Then you "install a canceller." Try to make him remember a prenatal. Ultimately you will get at a basic-basic. "You are looking for a painful, emotional engram, an instant of loss which will discharge." The discussion proceeds including mention of pre-clears, somatic strips, valence shifts, and other jargons perhaps even beyond some of the individualistic nomenclature of advanced Freudians. The similarities to psychoanalysis are obvious. A ++clear++ is a person without any engrams, just as ifhe had been analyzed and was free from inhibitions.

The United States is overwhelmed with mind-healing cults. A new one like 'dianetics" simply adds to the fun and fury. Some analysts have not been beyond retracing the infant's mental characteristics to his prenatal life. The concept of trauma on the infant's mind by attemptedabortion iss as far as I know., original with Engineer Hubbard.

Dr. J. A. Winter will no doubt open an office for treatment by the "dianetic" scheme in Chicago. Los Angeles would be better, but perhaps that gold-mine has already been assigned to some other prospector. Sooner or later some official agency will have to give this method a name--either the practice of medicine, mind healing, or some other classification covered by the laws of the individual states. Meanwhile, dianetics is good stuff for resort conversation; perhaps by next summer something even more comical will come along. I'd prefer to die speaking my mind than live fearing to speake

If the Borg were to breed with the Ferengi you'd get Scientology!

The only real product of Scientology is More Scientologists That is the etiology of cancer.

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