New Thought and the Concept of the Subconscious Mind

Introduction

The New Thought movement, which emerged in the late nineteenth century as a distinct American metaphysical tradition, made the subconscious mind one of its central pillars. For New Thought thinkers, the subconscious was not merely a psychological curiosity but a dynamic, creative force that could be consciously directed to produce health, prosperity, and spiritual growth. This article traces the evolution of the subconscious concept within New Thought, from its roots in mesmerism and transcendentalism through its systematization in the writings of figures like Charles Fillmore, W. John Murray, and Abel Allen, and its enduring legacy in contemporary self-help and human potential movements.

Historical Context

The New Thought movement arose in the mid-nineteenth century against a backdrop of rapid industrialization, religious ferment, and the popularization of psychological ideas. The transcendentalism of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau emphasized the innate divinity of the individual and the power of the mind to shape reality. Meanwhile, mesmerism—the practice of inducing trance states and suggesting healing—gained widespread attention, especially through the demonstrations of Franz Anton Mesmer and his American followers. These currents converged in the work of Phineas Parkhurst Quimby (1802–1866), a clockmaker and healer from Maine who rejected conventional medicine and developed a method of mental healing based on the idea that illness was rooted in false beliefs. Quimby’s approach, which he called “the Science of Health and Happiness,” laid the groundwork for what would become New Thought. His patient and student, Mary Baker Eddy, later founded Christian Science, though she diverged from Quimby’s more psychological emphasis. Other students, including Warren Felt Evans and Julius Dresser, carried Quimby’s ideas into the growing “mental healing” movement. By the 1880s, a loose network of practitioners and teachers had formed, giving rise to organizations such as the Divine Science Church, Unity, and later Religious Science. The concept of the subconscious mind—a term popularized by European psychologists like Pierre Janet and Sigmund Freud—was quickly adopted and adapted by these New Thought pioneers, who saw in it a scientific explanation for their metaphysical claims.

Main Narrative

Definition and Origins

In New Thought literature, the subconscious mind is typically described as the vast, silent realm of the mind that operates below conscious awareness. W. John Murray, in his 1923 book Mental Medicine, likens it to the submerged portion of an iceberg—far larger than the visible conscious mind—and calls it a “vast submerged storehouse of memories.” He also compares it to a “phonographic disk, which receives impressions only to repeat them again when proper conditions are provided for the repetition.” This mechanistic metaphor underscores the New Thought belief that the subconscious faithfully records every experience and belief, and then manifests those records in the outer life. Charles Fillmore, co-founder of Unity, adds that the subconscious is “the sensitive plate of mind,” whose true office is to receive impressions from the conscious mind and carry them out with “infallible exactitude.” This definition, while influenced by contemporary psychology, is infused with metaphysical significance: the subconscious is not just a passive recorder but an active agent that can be directed to bring about healing and transformation.

Who Popularized It

The concept of the subconscious mind entered New Thought primarily through the writings of its early teachers, many of whom were influenced by European psychology. Phineas Quimby himself did not use the term, but his idea that the mind could be divided into an “inner” and “outer” self prepared the way. Emma Curtis Hopkins, often called the “teacher of teachers,” synthesized Quimby’s ideas and those of Christian Science into a more systematic metaphysics. Her students included Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, who founded Unity in 1889, and Nona Brooks, who co-founded Divine Science. William Walker Atkinson, a prolific writer under the pseudonym “Theron Q. Dumont” and others, wrote extensively on the subconscious, blending New Thought with elements of Eastern philosophy and Western occultism. Ralph Waldo Trine, whose 1897 book In Tune with the Infinite became a bestseller, popularized the idea that the subconscious could be harnessed for spiritual growth. Later, Ernest Holmes, founder of Religious Science (now Centers for Spiritual Living), devoted significant attention to the subconscious in his 1926 masterwork The Science of Mind, teaching that the subconscious is the creative medium through which the “Universal Mind” operates.

How Different New Thought Groups Understood It

While all New Thought groups shared a core belief in the power of the subconscious, they nuanced its role according to their theological emphases. Unity, with its strong Christian orientation, viewed the subconscious as the “carnal mind” that could be transformed by the “Christ consciousness.” Charles Fillmore distinguished between the conscious mind, the subconscious, and the superconscious, describing the subconscious as the “great gulf fixed” between the human and the divine—a gulf that could be bridged through prayer and affirmation. Divine Science, which emphasized the absolute goodness of God and the unreality of evil, saw the subconscious as a field where erroneous beliefs could be corrected by realizing one’s true spiritual nature. Religious Science, founded by Ernest Holmes, taught that the subconscious is the “law” side of mind, which faithfully executes the “word” spoken by the conscious mind. Holmes wrote, “The subconscious mind is the universal law of cause and effect, and it operates automatically.” In all these interpretations, the subconscious is both a potential ally and a source of bondage, depending on the beliefs impressed upon it.

Historical Development

The New Thought concept of the subconscious evolved over several decades. In the 1880s and 1890s, writers like Warren Felt Evans and Helen Wilmans began to describe the mind as having a “subjective” or “unconscious” aspect. By the early twentieth century, the term “subconscious” had become standard in New Thought literature. The 1906 book The Law of the New Thought by William Walker Atkinson (under the name “Theron Q. Dumont”) included a chapter on “The Subconscious Plane,” which presented the subconscious as a plane of mind that could be programmed through suggestion and auto-suggestion. This period also saw the rise of New Thought periodicals such as Unity Magazine (founded 1890), The Nautilus (founded 1898 by Elizabeth Towne), and Science of Mind magazine (founded 1927), which disseminated these ideas to a mass audience. In 1914, the International New Thought Alliance was formed to unite the various branches, and its annual congresses featured talks on the subconscious and its practical applications. The 1923 publication of W. John Murray’s Mental Medicine, which included a chapter entirely devoted to the subconscious, marked a mature phase in the movement’s psychological integration. Murray, a former Christian Scientist who became a New Thought minister, argued that the subconscious was “the greatest discovery of modern psychology” and that its proper use could cure disease and transform character. Abel Allen, in his The Message of New Thought (undated, early 20th century), placed the concept within a broader cosmic framework, linking the individual subconscious to the “Universal Mind” that pervades all creation.

Related Concepts

The subconscious in New Thought is intimately connected to other key ideas: the law of attraction, the creative power of thought, and the superconscious. The law of attraction, popularized by William Walker Atkinson and later by the New Thought classic The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace Wattles (1910), holds that like attracts like; the subconscious, by holding a mental image, attracts corresponding circumstances. The superconscious, a term used by Charles Fillmore and others, represents the higher, divine aspect of mind that can inspire and guide the subconscious. New Thought also drew on the concept of the “Universal Mind” or “Infinite Intelligence” as the source of all mental activity. Abel Allen’s chapter on “Universal Mind in Man” asserts that the individual subconscious is a “point of contact” with this universal mind, allowing humans to tap into infinite wisdom and power. These related concepts formed a coherent metaphysical system in which the subconscious served as the bridge between the finite and the infinite.

Modern Legacy

The New Thought understanding of the subconscious has had a profound influence on modern self-help and the human potential movement. Authors like Napoleon Hill (Think and Grow Rich, 1937), Norman Vincent Peale (The Power of Positive Thinking, 1952), and more recently Rhonda Byrne (The Secret, 2006) have all drawn on New Thought ideas about the subconscious and the law of attraction. The concept of “affirmations” and “visualization” as tools to reprogram the subconscious is now mainstream. Even in academic psychology, the idea of the “adaptive unconscious” (as popularized by Timothy Wilson) echoes the New Thought belief that the mind operates on multiple levels. While New Thought’s metaphysical claims are not scientifically validated, its emphasis on the power of belief and mental imagery has left an indelible mark on Western culture.

Why It Matters in New Thought History

The concept of the subconscious mind was not peripheral to New Thought; it was foundational. It provided a psychological mechanism for the movement’s core teachings: that thoughts create reality, that healing is possible through mental means, and that every individual has access to divine power. By integrating the subconscious into their cosmology, New Thought thinkers were able to bridge the gap between religious faith and scientific psychology, making their message appealing to a modern, educated audience. The subconscious also allowed the movement to address issues of personal responsibility and self-development, as individuals were taught to examine and change their inner beliefs. This focus on the inner life has persisted in New Thought organizations today, from Unity’s prayer ministry to the Centers for Spiritual Living’s “Science of Mind” classes. Understanding how the subconscious was conceptualized in New Thought is essential for anyone studying the movement’s history, because it reveals the movement’s unique synthesis of philosophy, psychology, and spirituality—a synthesis that continues to shape spiritual and self-help discourse in the twenty-first century.

Primary Sources

• W. John Murray, Mental Medicine (1923) – Chapter 7, “The Subconscious Mind,” provides a classic New Thought exposition of the subconscious as a storehouse of memories and a phonographic disk. Available at lessonsintruth.info.
• Charles Fillmore, Keep a True Lent (Unity, 1905) – Chapter 12, “Conscious Mind and Subconscious Mind,” distinguishes the three planes of mind and offers practical guidance for using the subconscious in spiritual development.
• Abel Allen, The Message of New Thought (early 20th century) – Chapter 5, “Universal Mind in Man,” places the subconscious within the context of the Universal Mind, showing the metaphysical reach of the concept.
• William Walker Atkinson (as Theron Q. Dumont), The Law of the New Thought (1906) – Chapter 8, “The Subconscious Plane,” is a key early systematization of the idea.
• Emma Curtis Hopkins, High Mysticism (1891) – A collection of lessons that influenced many New Thought leaders, including the Fillmores and Nona Brooks.
• Phineas Quimby, Manuscripts (1860s) – Quimby’s unpublished writings contain the seeds of the subconscious concept, though he used terms like “inner mind.”