In the Scientology religion, man is held to consist of three parts—thetan, mind and body. The thetan is the spiritual being. The thetan is the individual. One is a thetan who has a mind and who occupies a body. As is explained more fully below, the thetan is that which animates the body and uses the mind.

One of the most basic tenets of Scientology is that man is an immortal spiritual being whose experience extends well beyond a single lifetime and whose capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realized.

The term is taken from the Greek letter theta for thought or life or the spirit. It is used to avoid confusion with previous concepts of the soul.

What is the mind?

In Scientology, the mind is a communication and control system between the individual—i.e., the thetan—and his environment. The individual uses his mind to pose and resolve problems related to survival and to direct his efforts accordingly.

The mind is composed of mental image pictures which are recordings of past experiences. These mental images are what is often thought of as memory. They are three-dimensional color pictures with sound, smell and all other perceptions. These pictures are actually composed of energy. They have mass, they exist in space and appear when a person thinks of something. For example, a person who thinks of a cat will get a mental image picture of a cat.

The mind is made up of two parts—the analytical mind and the reactive mind. The analytical mind is the rational, conscious, aware mind which thinks, observes data, remembers it and resolves problems. The reactive mind works on a totally stimulus-response basis. It operates below the level of consciousness and is not under the individual’s control. The reactive mind exerts force and the power of command over his awareness, purposes, thoughts, body and actions.