In 1949, Hubbard's first published article on Dianetics appeared in the Explorers Club Journal. He also presented his findings to the American Medical Association and American Psychiatric Association, but neither were interested in his work. Hubbard and his friends concluded that the medical establishment felt their way of life threatened by the simplicity of Dianetics and were motivated by greed rather than helping others. Hubbard therefore presented his findings directly to the public.

In May 1950, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health was published, and went on to sell over 17 million copies. He wrote six books in 1951 on Dianetics technology and began lecturing all over the country. According to the Church of Scientology, over 750 groups were putting Dianetics technology into practice by the end of 1950.

Despite this success, Hubbard still puzzled over some unanswered questions. Although he felt he had discovered the mechanism of the mind, he wrote that "the further one investigated, the more one came to understand that here, in this creature Homo sapiens, were far too many unknowns. This new avenue of research, into the human spirit, was the focus of the next three decades of Hubbard's study and writing. It is out of this period that Scientology was born.

In 1954, Scientologists, not Hubbard, founded the first Church of Scientology in Los Angeles. As Scientologists describe it, "L. Ron Hubbard founded the subject - early Scientologists founded the church."

In 1959 Hubbard and his family moved to England. He bought the Saint Hill Manor in Sussex, which was to be his home for the next seven years and the worldwide headquarters of the Church of Scientology.

In the 1960s, Hubbard developed a step-by-step method for reaching higher spiritual awareness and ability, and trained Scientologists in this method. Hubbard also designed administrative principles for Scientology organizations.

On September 1, 1966, Hubbard resigned as Executive Director of the Church of Scientology, and spent the next seven years at sea devoted to research. During this time, he developed a drug rehabilitation program, as well as the highest levels of Scientology and further administrative principles.

From 1975 to 1979, Hubbard lived in La Quinta, California, where he wrote (and in many cases directed) numerous training films on the application of his principles.

In 1980, Hubbard published The Way to Happiness, a "nonreligious moral code based on common sense," of which over 35 million copies have been printed. About this book Hubbard commented:

Reading the papers and wandering around in the society, it was pretty obvious that honesty and truth were not being held up to the standards they once had. People and even little kids in schools have gotten the idea that high moral standards are a thing of the past. Man has in his hands today a lot of violent weapons. He doesn’t have the moral standards to go with them.

Hubbard died on January 24, 1986.