Thomas Parker Boyd (1864-1936) was born in Manfordville, Kentucky in and grew up working with his two brothers in thetobacco fields during the summer months and attended school during the winter. His parents, Thomas and Mary, decided to relocate the family to Texas while Thomas was in his early teens, and they later relocated again, this time to Oregon where they owned and operated a flower mill.

In his late teens Thomas decided to move to California in order to study theology as he wished to become a minister. He attended the University of California and earned a Doctorate in Divinity in the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. Dr. Boyd later studied psychology at Berkeley, earning himself another Doctorate. He was particularly interested in healing and studied and practiced hypnosis along with other professors at Berkeley, and later became what would now be termed a hypnotherapist.

For a period of fifteen years Dr. Boyd had been a student and practitioner of mental and spiritual medicine, generally cooperating with the physi­cian, but often proceeding without one in cases where the cause appeared to be of a nervous char­acter, in which the physician had seemingly ex­hausted his skill.

In 1906 Dr. Boyd formed the Society of the Healing Christ and later became involved in the Emmanuel Healing Movement, holding his own Wednesday evening study class in the Ascension Church, Vallejo, California from 1908. The Emmanuel Healing Movement was the subject of Dr. Boyd's first book The How and Why of the Emmanuel Movement, published in 1909. In his book , Dr. Boyd showed the art of healing had been practiced from earliest times, from the witch doctor of old driving out the devil, to the modern therapist.

In two short years the Emmanuel Church Healing Movement had forced both physicians and psychologists to confront squarely and publicly a subject that they had long avoided. Lasting from 1906 to 1910, this popular movement was the primary agent responsibile for the efflorescence of psychotherapy in the United States.

Dr. Boyd lectured widely for more than twenty years, visiting most of the cities and larger towns in the USA. as well as England and Scotland and various cities in Canada. He also founded the London Truth Forum. He became involved in the International New Thought Alliance, including serving as its president between 1930-32. Dr. Boyd retired In 1934, naming his student and loyal follower Dr. Edna Lister his successor as head of the Society of the Healing Christ.

He published many books.including The Emmanuel Movement, The How and Why of The Emmanuel Movement, Hypnotism, The Finger of God, The Principia of Spiritual Life, The Evolution of Human thought, The Law of Suggestion and Its Practical Uses, The Voice Eternal, Prospectus of Life in the University of Hard Knocks, The Mental Highway, Borderland experiences, The Law and the Testimony, The Christ Science of Being, Doing and being: The A.B.C's and X.Y.Z's of Spiritual Healing, and an autobiography, "Te-Pe-Be."