A History of the New Thought Movement

The New Thought Movement emerged in the late 19th century and early 20th century in the United States as a spiritual movement focused on the power of the mind to create reality. Horatio W. Dresser was a prominent writer and thinker in the New Thought Movement and his book A History of the New Thought Movement provides a detailed account of the movements origins growth and key figures. According to Dresser the roots of the New Thought Movement can be traced back to the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century which emphasized the importance of intuition and individualism. The New Thought Movement built upon these ideas and focused on the power of the mind to create ones own reality. Key figures in the early New Thought Movement included Phineas Quimby Mary Baker Eddy and Emma Curtis Hopkins. Phineas Quimby was a healer who believed that illness was caused by incorrect beliefs and could be cured through the power of the mind. He influenced Mary Baker Eddy who founded Christian Science and Emma Curtis Hopkins who went on to teach her own system of spiritual healing and became known as the Teacher of Teachers in the New Thought Movement. As the New Thought Movement grew in popularity it attracted a wide range of thinkers and writers including William James Ralph Waldo Emerson and Thomas Troward. The movement also spawned numerous organizations and publications including Unity and the Church of Divine Science.