Dianetics Developer Hubbard
Lafayette Ron Hubbard was the originator and developer of Dianetics, the Science of the mind.
He described Dianetics as "an organized science of thought built on definite axioms: statements of natural laws on the order of those of the physical sciences".
These Dianetic axioms can be found in many Hubbard books such as Scientology 0-8: The Book of Basics and Advanced Procedures and Axioms.
Hubbard said, Dianetics would work every time if applied properly and "will invariably cure all psychosomatic ills and human aberrations." In April 1950, before the public release of the best seller Dianetics: The Modern Science of mental Health, he wrote: "To date, over two hundred patients have been treated; of those two hundred, two hundred cures have been obtained."
In Dianetics, the human mind was found to be a collection of "mental image pictures," which contain the recorded memory of a past moment, including all sensory perceptions and feelings involved. One type of mental image picture, created during a period of unconsciousness, involves the memory of a painful experience. Hubbard called this memory an engram, and defined it as "a complete recording of a moment of unconsciousness containing physical pain or painful emotion and all perceptions."
The application of Dianetics occurs when an auditor (listener) applies specific questions to the preclear (recipient) in order to assist that person find out areas of trauma in their life that cause discomfort.
Dianetics is different to scientology in that it deals exclusively with the mind whereas scientology deals primarily with the being.
The best way of understanding dianetics is by reading the two definitive works on the subject, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health and Dianetics Today.