The word Dianetics comes from the Greek dia, meaning "through" and nous, meaning "soul," and is defined as "what the soul is doing to the body."

Dianetics is a methodology which can help alleviate unwanted sensations and emotions, irrational fears and psychosomatic illnesses (illnesses caused or aggravated by mental stress). It is most accurately described as what the soul is doing to the body through the mind.