Self-Analysis

Here's another nice excerpt from the book Self-analysis:

“Self-analysis is an adventure

The book "Self-Analysis" Self-analysis cannot raise the dead.

Self-analysis will not empty mental institutions or end wars. These are the duties of the Dianetic Auditor and the Dianetic Group Specialist.

But Self-analysis will let you live the most interesting adventure of your life. The adventure that you are.

How efficient are you? What are your options? How much better can you get? Well, essentially your intentions towards yourself and your fellow human beings are good. While your capabilities are sometimes overshadowed by the not-so-little influence of bad experiences, they're a whole lot better than anyone ever led you to believe.

Memory

For example, look at your memory, a small part of your total wealth. Is it perfect? Can you arbitrarily recall everything you ever learned or heard, every phone number, every name? If you can't, then you know there is room for improvement. Now one who takes a cursory glance at the title page of this book will try to make the assumption that Self-analysis simply improves memory. That's like saying that a train does nothing more than run on time. A train does much more. But memory is a start. If your memory were as accurate as an index system with IBM cards or even faster, you would be more efficient and at ease and it would certainly save you from all those notes you have to make now. Yes, probably your memory of things you have studied and things you need could never be good enough.

Reaction speed

But many things are as important as memory. For example your reaction speed. Most people react too slowly in emergency situations. Let's say it takes you half a second to take your hand off a hot stove. You have had your hand on that stove for far too long.

Or let's say it takes a third of a second before you see the car in front of you stop and you begin to brake. That's too long. Many accidents happen due to a too slow reaction speed.

In the case of an athlete, the reaction speed immediately indicates how proficient he can be at a sport. So it helps a person in many ways if he can react quickly.

Test

Self-analysis increases reaction speed. Here's a trick. Take a folded banknote. Have someone hold it vertically above your hand. Open your thumb and forefinger just below the bottom edge of the bill. Let your friend let it go now. You try to grab the note between your thumb and forefinger.
Did you miss it, did you reach for it when it had already passed between your fingers? That's a very slow response.
Did you grab it by the top edge when it was almost gone? That's way too slow.
Did you grab it by the portrait? That's reasonable.
Or did you grab it near the bottom edge even before it actually started to fall? That's how it should be. It means fewer accidents and greater alertness in general. Unless you are physically handicapped in the hand or arm, Self-analysis will increase your reaction time.

Other aspects

Do you have difficulty falling asleep or getting up? Do you usually feel a bit tired? Well, that can be remedied.

As for what are called psychosomatic diseases — sinusitis, allergies, some heart complaints, "strange" aches and pains, poor eyesight, arthritis, etc. etc. etc. up to seventy percent of human diseases — one might expect that Self-analysis there can do a lot.

Furthermore, we have the issue of how young or how old you look. Self-analysis can change that a lot.

And then there is the matter of the ordinary, everyday ability to be happy in life and enjoy things. And that's where Self-analysis excels, because usually it can lift you emotionally fast enough that even you can agree that things can be good. […]

In short, this is an adventure. How good can you get?”