Nightmares and Unexplained Fears—How Past Experiences Could Be the Source

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Halloween turns fear into a seasonal pastime, with haunted houses and horror films, but some fears aren’t limited to October. Many people have had a recurring nightmare, a fear they can’t trace to anything, or a reaction far larger than the moment called for.

First published in May 1950, the book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health by L. Ron Hubbard offers an explanation for these reactions, tracing them to the hidden depths of the human mind.

Dianetics distinguishes between the analytical mind, which reasons, evaluates information and solves problems, and the reactive mind, which Mr. Hubbard describes as recording experiences outside conscious awareness. These recordings, called engrams, are central to his explanation of why people react in ways they do not fully understand.

He describes the reactive mind as the source of nightmares, unreasonable fears, upsets and insecurity, and explains that past experiences can influence how a person responds to situations in the present.

“Halloween is the one night of the year we invite fear in on purpose, and most of us can walk away from a haunted house and forget it,” said Josie Gibson, a Dianetics spokesperson. “But some fears show up uninvited the rest of the year, and people can’t say where they come from. In Dianetics, Mr. Hubbard traces those reactions to past experiences recorded outside our awareness.”

Dianetics offers a technique to examine these past experiences and address the painful emotions associated with them. According to the book, the purpose is to help a person make their own rational choices, free from the effects of past negative memories. For readers curious about what lies behind the mind’s unexpected reactions, Dianetics is an introduction to Mr. Hubbard’s broader examination of the mind and human behavior.

For more information, visit www.dianetics.org.

Established in 1981, Bridge Publications, Inc., located in Los Angeles, California, is the publisher of the nonfiction works of international best-selling author L. Ron Hubbard. Bridge Publications’ award-winning, state-of-the-art facility serves geographic regions including North and Latin America, Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

Sara Lucatero
Bridge Publications, Inc.
sdinges@bridgepub.com

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Nightmares and Unexplained Fears—How Past Experiences Could Be the Source

Many people seek out scares in October, but Dianetics offers an explanation for the unexplainable fears that surface year-round.