Bion, Rickman, Foulkes and the Northfield Experiments

Northfield was referred to in tones of awe when one joined Group Relations work of the Tavistock Institute in the mid sixties, but there was never any detailed discussion, no flesh to the bones of the story. It was a mystery. Now, Tom Harrison has written of the myth and given it a substance that makes it more exciting than the myth itself... Harrison offers in his exposition of the myth a well documented, seduously researchedm gripping tale. Using his knowledge of groups, contemporary documents and personal interviews, he seamlessly unfolds the history... Harrison reaffirms in his book the importance of the ideas of Northfield but, more importantly, spells out its consequences for a democratic society.'

- Organisational and Social Dynamics

'Taken over as a psychiatric military hospital in April 1942, Hollymore Hospital, Birmingham, treated a large number of servicemen suffering from so-called "war neuroses" until it was vacated by the army 6 years later. It has become well known for the so-called "Northfield Experiments", the first run by Wilfred Bion and John Rickman, and the second by Michael Foulkes, harold Bridger, Tom Main and others.

Tom Harrison himself worked at Northfield as a consultant psychiatrist and this study is the outcome of 15 years of dedicated research. The history of the institution is clearly a great passion and has led him to painstaking archival research, together with numerous interviews of patients and staff. The best chapters deal with theorganization and running of the theraputic community, revealing the considerable contribution of Bridger, the original work of Laurence Bradbury as an art therapist and the tensions and rivalries that existed among the psychiatrists. However, it may be that Bion and Rickman are given too much credit for theoretical innovations. This is curious as Harrison's wide-ranging study provides evidence that others played important roles, notably Delahaye in the War Office Selection Boards, Rees as Director of Army Psychiatry, and in the field of group therapy the roles of Joshua Bierer, Maxwell Jones and Foulkes are clearly documented. This is possibly a reflection of the pressure exerted by psychoanalysts to establish a position of prominence in the field of analytical therapy.

Northfield played an important part in the development of group therapy and rehabilitation...read more...