The Northfield Experiments—a reappraisal 70 Years On

Abstract

More than 70 years ago during the Second World War, what became known as the Northfield Experiments began in a southern suburb of Birmingham, England. By 1946 these experiments had ceased and the major participants had journeyed in different directions but carried with them new ideas, particularly in relation to group psychotherapy and more generally applied psychoanalysis. John Rickman, Wilfred Bion, Tom Main, Sigmund Foulkes, Harold Bridger, Patrick de Maré and others at the end of the war dispersed to create abundantly. Such creativity fertilized the development of the principles and practices of therapeutic communities, psychoanalytic group therapy, the application of an analytic understanding to organizations and more. This article includes a consideration of how practice was influenced from these origins. This contribution has as a background the author working for over two years at the Cassel Hospital early in the 1990s and more recently attending a conference in January 2018 conducted at Northfield or Hollymoor Hospital, as it was originally, and remains, known. It includes some personal reflections.

So vibrant today . . . The Northfield Experiments. Response to Paul Coombe’s ‘The Northfield Experiments—a reappraisal 70 years on’

“…One of the major merits of his contribution is to have put the Northfield Experiments into a more personal perspective. Recollecting his grandfather’s wartime experiences as an infantry private on the Western front from 1915 to 1918 Paul remarked: ‘He could neither speak of his experiences within the family, nor as far as I know with anyone’ much like his father who in the Second World War was a ‘navigator, wireless operator, and air gunner of the RAAF’ who experienced ‘some life threatening events’ (Coombe, 2020: 175) while serving in Europe and the Middle East. These fathers who were actually our fathers and grandfathers left us with a legacy of suffering beyond words, confining their sons and their daughters to the speechless intimacy of a gaze cast upon the scarred bodies and minds of those who were private s when they were young: as Paul said ‘his wounds always struck me when he went swimming with us in the sea and I felt frightened by the scars on his legs and buttocks’ (Coombe, 2020: 174).…”

“…The workshop presentations were presented by Marina Mojovic (2018), Bob Hinshelwood (Hinshelwood, 2018), Tom Harrison (Harrison, 2018), Diana Menzies (Menzies, 2018) and Dieter Nitzgen (Nitzgen, 2018). Since then, we received a further paper, Paul Coombe’s ‘The Northfield Experiments—a reappraisal 70 Years on (Coombe, 2020). Again, it was commented on by Bob Hinshelwood (Hinshelwood, 2020), Tom Harrison (Harrison, 2020) and Dieter Nitzgen (Nitzgen, 2020).…”

“…It was de Maré who should continue this line of thought. II Paul Coombe in his article (Coombe, 2020) added a further view and version of the historical facts and fictions of Northfield. One of the major merits of his contribution is to have put the Northfield Experiments into a more personal perspective.…”

Response to The Northfield Experiments—a reappraisal 70 years on

“…Dr Coombe comments on the various individuals involved being ‘rather ambitious and self-focussed, believing strongly in their abilities and making strong claims for their superiority. Humility was not their strong point’ (Coombe, 2020: 172). I think this misinterprets the collegiate confidence of those later identified as the Tavistock Group.…”

“…Dr Coombe’s statement that the ‘almost universal view of these matters since is that Bion and Rickman were not able or willing to bring the administrative part of the hospital or the army into an understanding of their ideas’ (Coombe, 2020: 165) perhaps overstates the case leading up to their dismissal, particularly in the light of Harold Bridger’s observation that Bion was ‘ill at ease with open systems’ which better describes the situation. My own observations, (Harrison, 2000), perhaps failed to emphasize the fact that Rickman was deeply involved in training other psychiatrists at the hospital and organizing psychiatric conferences, which were much appreciated by those attending them (de Maré, 2000: 111).…”