There are five stages of Release. When one of these is attained the next one up can be run.

A preclear who has attained a stage of Release may not be run further on the processes of that stage or below or he will go back into his Reactive Mind.

All Releases however can have their problems handled, their withholds pulled, their ARC Breaks repaired and any Release at any stage can be audited on the exact processes of Release Rehabilitation.

The states of Release differ in that one is more stable than another.

The Reactive Mind (known also as the R6 Bank) can only be audited out by someone who is trained up to Class VI. When the Reactive Mind is fully audited out (erased completely), one has a Clear.

When a Clear has been refamiliarized with his capabilities, you have an Operating Thetan (an OT).

A Release, then, is pulled out of his Reactive Mind.

A Clear has fully erased his Reactive Mind.

An Operating Thetan is one who is Cause over Matter, Energy, Space and Time and is not in a body.

The degree and relative permanence of being pulled out of the Reactive Mind determines the state of Release.

There are numerous things that can pull one back into the Reactive Mind.

These are (1) Locks (2) Secondaries (3) Engrams (4) The Whole Time Track.

By reducing locks as in Levels 0 to IV, we then remove the ability of locks to pull the being back into his R6 Bank.

Locks are mental image pictures of non-painful, but disturbing, experiences the person has experienced. They depend for their force on secondaries and engrams.

Thus, one who has had his locks reduced is a First Stage Release.

When a being has had the secondaries and engrams reduced, he is far less likely to be pulled into the Reactive Mind than if he has just had their locks reduced.

Secondaries are mental image pictures containing misemotion (grief, anger, apathy, etc). They contain no pain. They are moments of shock and stress and depend for their force on underlying engrams.

Engrams are mental image pictures of pain and unconsciousness the person has experienced.

When these are reduced, one has a Second Stage Release.

Bits and pieces of the whole track remain after the locks, secondaries and engrams are reduced. These bits inhibit the being from recovering knowledge.

The Whole Track is the moment to moment record of a person’s existence in this universe in picture and impression form.

When these bits are cleaned up, a being is a Third Stage Release.

When the pc has taken the locks off the Reactive Mind itself, using R6EW, he attains Fourth Stage Release.

When the entire Reactive Mind has been erased and the person is again wholly himself, one could call it a Fifth Stage Release.

But that is really Clear.

When a being once more has recovered his full abilities and freedom, a state much higher than Man ever before envisioned is attained. This state is called Operating Thetan.

[This HCO B is replaced by HCO B 9 February 1966, Release Grades, page 141.]