I felt the same way about Dianetics. But soon I had discovered that it cannot cure the illnesses such as MS, paralysis, arthritis, high blood pressure and many others.
Sounds like you were a "Book One" Dianetic auditor. Did you use a meter?
In the old days, being a "Dianetic auditor" meant one had completed the "Hubbard Standard Dianetics Course," which was a long course, and was passed after doing a certain amount of auditing on a "pc," and receiving a certain number of "Well Dones" or "Very Well Dones," then taking a 100 question exam and successfully C/Sing - IIRC - three folders.
This changed when Hubbard introduced "fast flow" and "method four word clearing," which resulted in everyone having a preoccupation with having a floating needle.
Before this, and after this, Hubbard had ordered all sorts of things to be done, or not done. The overall pattern was the one described by "first real Clear," soon to be declared by Hubbard as an "SP," John McMaster, of creating an "assembly line" where "square ball bearings" could be made into "round ball bearings."
That said, only just-walked-in-the-door "raw meat" expected that Dianetic auditing was going to do the things claimed in "Book One." Dianetics was mainly about "handling" drug craving and drug "somatics," and maybe a grief engram or that sort of thing, and was mainly just something one needed to do before doing the "Lower Grades," which was something that one needed to do before doing "Power Processing," "R6EW," and the "Clearing Course," which was something that one needed to do before doing the "OT levels."
With relatively low expectations for Dianetics, it was easy to have "wins."
And R3R (the Dianetics procedure) was kind of neat. People "ran" some real incidents and a lot of imaginary incidents, and it didn't matter, as the e-meter faithfully responded as we had been told it would, and the "pcs" were happy enough - since they "got to run past lives." They also had to complete their Dianetic auditing before they could move on to Grade Zero, Grade One, etc., etc., etc.
The basic function of what is called "auditing" is essentially asking a simple question, or giving a simple direction, and watching and listening, and acknowledging. By itself, it can sometimes be helpful.
The key words are "by itself."
With Scientologists, this simple action, which is potentially beneficial, but seldom or ever miraculous, is surrounded by abundant significance and the expectation of MORE.
The person received a little "auditing" and feels pretty good, then looks at the towering "Grade Chart" and goes, "Wow! If this was good, then the rest must be tremendous!"
You see, I was a Dianetics auditor for a while. The best way to see that Scientology is crap is do some auditing of your friends and relatives. That would make you realize that Hubbard was a liar.
Blanket negative statements about an, in and of itself, essentially benign activity, an activity that's used as a kind of neutral medium and also used as a lead-in to a mind-control cult, usually aren't effective in inoculating a person from involvement, or extricating a person who is involved.
I've "audited" people - without a meter - who had no idea what I was doing, and they did feel better as a result.
Even elementary Dianetic procedure can sometime be helpful, but it's not so great that one should surrender his mind - or bank account, or credit cards - to receive it.
And Scientology, by Hubbard's design, is about people surrendering their minds.