Is Scientology like hypnotism, meditation, psychotherapy or other mental therapies?
There is no resemblance. In fact, it was as a result of L. Ron Hubbards investigation of hypnotism and many other mental practices that he saw the need for practical answers to mans problems. In his book, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, he wrote that he had found hypnotism and psychotherapy to be dangerous and impractical. Nearly all other methods of alleged mental science are based on principles that are quite the opposite of those used in Scientology. They treat man as a thing to be conditioned, not as a spiritual being who can find answers to lifes problems and who can improve enormously.
No. There is no resemblance between Scientology and psychotherapy or any other so-called mental therapy. Prior to publication of Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, mental therapy viewed man as a mere collection of chemicals. The traditional view in this field was that man was only the sum of his genes. His IQ and abilities were fixed and there was nothing he could do to change himself. Psychiatric treatments reflect a brutality Scientologists cannot tolerate. They include such harmful practices as brain-damaging electric shock, dangerous psychotropic drugs and surgical techniques which cause irreparable physical, mental and spiritual harm. In contrast, Scientology deals with man as a spiritual being. It increases self-determinism by providing tools people can use to enhance their abilities and improve their lives. In the field of counseling, Scientology is unique. It relies upon the full consent of the individual, and does not attempt to reshape his opinion in any way.
