Psychiana, the Mail-Order Cult

In 1928, Psychiana, a mail-order "religion" was founded by druggist Dr. Frank Robinson. Psychiana's central belief was in people being able to personally harness the power of God (referred to as "God-Power") in order for them to live a happy, more prosperous life. This was supposed to be in opposition of the teachings of traditional Christian denominations that only God contained divine powers.

Psychiana recruited people through advertisements in national and international publications as well as direct mail solicitations. When one signed up for Psychiana lessons, they would pay $20 for 20 bi-monthly lessons. Once these lessons were completed, they'd advance to higher level teachings. The sales tactics were often described as becoming increasingly aggressive in nature. Especially if one didn't pay up.

There was a lot of suspicion surrounding Psychiana and Dr. Robinson's character. He was shameless in flaunting his wealth, often wearing mink coats and displaying an array of other objects of an opulent lifestyle. During the Great Depression, when promises of prosperity were an easy lure for many people struggling to live day-to-day, he thrived. During this time, his methods had even received the praises of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and Bruno Hauptmann, the man who kidnapped and murdered the Lindbergh baby. Not such glowing endorsements.

In 1937, it was discovered that Robinson had been born in England and was not a naturalized citizen. He was deported. After some pull from an Idaho senator, Robinson was allowed to file immigration paperwork through Cuba and did legally return to Moscow.

He continued his work, until his death from a heart attack in 1948. Psychiana continued to operate until 1952, when Robinson's son ceased all operations. It was never really known if Dr. Frank Robinson believed in what he was telling people, or if he was merely an opportunist running a mail-order cult.

Erika Deasy

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