Psychiana

Psychiana, religious movement that emphasized spiritual healing, prosperity, and physical and material happiness, founded in 1929 by Frank B. Robinson (1886–1948), a pharmacist of Moscow, Idaho. The son of an English Baptist minister, Robinson studied in a Canadian Bible school but later rejected organized religion. He was subsequently influenced by the New Thought movement and experienced religious conversion. This convinced him that he must share his new religious insights with others.

In his series of Psychiana Lessons and books, including Your God-Power (1943), Robinson emphasized the availability of the power of God to all. He was called the “mail-order prophet” because he advertised his movement in newspapers and periodicals, over the radio, and by direct mail. About one million copies of his publications were purchased as a result of his persuasive advertising campaign.

Robinson incorporated the Psychiana movement and called himself the archbishop of Psychiana. Eventually he had a staff of about 100 people in Moscow, Idaho, that helped him run his organization. He rejected, however, the formation of local groups. After Robinson’s death in 1948, his son headed the organization for a time, but the movement had been so dominated by the elder Robinson that it lost vitality and eventually died out.