John Rickman, Wilfred Ruprecht Bion, and the origins of the therapeutic community

The history of psychiatric therapeutic communities is complex and obscure. Nevertheless, one can make a reasonable case for saying that the first true therapeutic community was created at Northfield Military Hospital, Birmingham, England, in 1945. That community had its origins in the thought and practice of two British psychoanalysts, John Rickman and Wilfred Ruprecht Bion. Accordingly, in the present article their careers and the social and intellectual influences bearing on them are discussed. The article then continues by describing Rickman's work as a military psychiatrist, Bion's prototype of a therapeutic community, and the therapeutic community that was eventually created at Northfield. It is hoped that the article will provide some of the groundwork for an adequate history of the therapeutic community.