Dianetics(R) (dianetic therapy)

Forerunner and a major "technique" of Scientology. Proponents describe it as a mode of pastoral counseling. The name "Dianetics" is based on Greek words meaning "through soul." The method's postulate is that "engrams"--traumas that occurred in early childhood, in utero, or during previous incarnations--are the cause of all psychosomatic and mental illnesses. Its purported design is to erase "engrams" by auditing (see above).