Helen Flanders Dunbar
Encyclopedia
Helen Flanders Dunbar — later known as H. Flanders Dunbar — is an important early figure in U.S. psychosomatic medicine and psychobiology, as well as being an important advocate of physicians and clergy co-operating in their efforts to care for the sick.
, Illinois
on May 14, 1902.
As a child she suffered from malnutrition
; and despite Dunbar's later misleading claims that she had suffered poliomyelitis
, and a childhood pediatrician's diagnosis of a muscular form of rickets ("rachitic pseudo-paralysis
"), it seems far more likely that she was displaying what was known as "failure to thrive
".
A diminutive adult — she was 4'11" (150 cm) — she always wore platform shoes.
She married her first husband Theodor Peter Wolfensberger (1902-1954) in 1932 — he was eventually known in the U.S. as Theodore P. Wolfe — and they were divorced in 1939 (Wolfe arranged for the immigration of Austrian psychiatrist Wilhelm Reich
in 1939, and was the translator of most of Reich's books and articles).
She married her second husband, economist and editor of The New Republic, George Henry Soule (1888-1970), in 1940. A daughter, Marcia was born in 1942.
with a B.A. (dual major in mathematics and psychology) in 1923. She held degrees in theology (B.D. from Union Theological Seminary
, where she encountered the psychologist of religion James H. Leuba
, in 1927), philosophy (Ph.D. from Columbia University
in 1929), and medicine (M.D. from Yale University
1930).
She also trained with Anton Boisen
(1876-1965), a co-founder of the Clinical Pastoral Education Movement
, at the Worcester State Hospital in the summer of 1925, and in 1929 with both Helene Deutsch
and Felix Deutsch in Vienna, and with Carl Jung
at the Burghölzli
, the psychiatric clinic of Zurich University
. In pursuit of more knowledge in relation to the psychic aspects of healing and disease she visited Lourdes
and a number of other healing shrines in Germany and Austria.
She was an instructor at the New York Psychoanalytic Institute from 1941 to 1949. She founded the American Psychosomatic Societyhttp://www.psychosomatic.org in 1942, and was the first editor of its journal Psychosomatic Medicine
.
Life
Eldest child of a well-to-do family — her father was the electrical engineer and patent attorney Francis William Dunbar (1868-1939) and her mother was the professional genealogist Edith Vaughn Flanders (1871-1963) — Helen Flanders Dunbar was born in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
on May 14, 1902.
As a child she suffered from malnutrition
Malnutrition
Malnutrition is the condition that results from taking an unbalanced diet in which certain nutrients are lacking, in excess , or in the wrong proportions....
; and despite Dunbar's later misleading claims that she had suffered poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis, often called polio or infantile paralysis, is an acute viral infectious disease spread from person to person, primarily via the fecal-oral route...
, and a childhood pediatrician's diagnosis of a muscular form of rickets ("rachitic pseudo-paralysis
Osteomalacia
Osteomalacia is the softening of the bones caused by defective bone mineralization secondary to inadequate amounts of available phosphorus and calcium, or because of overactive resorption of calcium from the bone as a result of hyperparathyroidism...
"), it seems far more likely that she was displaying what was known as "failure to thrive
Failure to thrive
Failure to thrive is a medical term which is used in both pediatric and adult human medicine, as well as veterinary medicine ....
".
A diminutive adult — she was 4'11" (150 cm) — she always wore platform shoes.
She married her first husband Theodor Peter Wolfensberger (1902-1954) in 1932 — he was eventually known in the U.S. as Theodore P. Wolfe — and they were divorced in 1939 (Wolfe arranged for the immigration of Austrian psychiatrist Wilhelm Reich
Wilhelm Reich
Wilhelm Reich was an Austrian-American psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, known as one of the most radical figures in the history of psychiatry...
in 1939, and was the translator of most of Reich's books and articles).
She married her second husband, economist and editor of The New Republic, George Henry Soule (1888-1970), in 1940. A daughter, Marcia was born in 1942.
Education
Dunbar was taught by private tutors and at private schools. She graduated from Bryn MawrBryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....
with a B.A. (dual major in mathematics and psychology) in 1923. She held degrees in theology (B.D. from Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
, where she encountered the psychologist of religion James H. Leuba
James H. Leuba
James Henry Leuba was an American psychologist, best known for his contributions to the psychology of religion. His work in this area is marked by a reductionistic tendency to explain mysticism and other religious experiences in physiological terms. Philosophically, his position may be described...
, in 1927), philosophy (Ph.D. from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1929), and medicine (M.D. from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
1930).
She also trained with Anton Boisen
Anton Boisen
Anton Theophilus Boisen was widely regarded as a pioneering figure in the hospital chaplaincy and clinical pastoral education movements. Born in Bloomington, Indiana, Boisen was the son of Hermann Balthsar Boisen and Elisabeth Louisa Wylie...
(1876-1965), a co-founder of the Clinical Pastoral Education Movement
Clinical pastoral education
Clinical pastoral education is education to teach pastoral care to clergy and others. CPE is the primary way of training hospital and hospice chaplains in the United States...
, at the Worcester State Hospital in the summer of 1925, and in 1929 with both Helene Deutsch
Helene Deutsch
Helene Deutsch was an Austrian-American psychoanalyst and colleague of Sigmund Freud. She was the first psychoanalyst to specialize in women.- Life :...
and Felix Deutsch in Vienna, and with Carl Jung
Carl Jung
Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of Analytical Psychology. Jung is considered the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as "by nature religious" and make it the focus of exploration. Jung is one of the best known researchers in the field of dream analysis and...
at the Burghölzli
Burghölzli
Burghölzli is the common name given for the psychiatric hospital of the University of Zürich, Switzerland. The hospital is located on "Burghölzli", a wooded hill in the district of Riesbach of southeastern Zürich....
, the psychiatric clinic of Zurich University
University of Zurich
The University of Zurich , located in the city of Zurich, is the largest university in Switzerland, with over 25,000 students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of theology, law, medicine and a new faculty of philosophy....
. In pursuit of more knowledge in relation to the psychic aspects of healing and disease she visited Lourdes
Lourdes
Lourdes is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in south-western France.Lourdes is a small market town lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees, famous for the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes occurred in 1858 to Bernadette Soubirous...
and a number of other healing shrines in Germany and Austria.
Career
She was the first Medical Director (1930-1942) of the Council for the Clinical Training of Theological Students in New York City. She was also the Director of the Joint Committee on Religion and Medicine of the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America and The New York Academy of Medicine from 1931 to 1936.She was an instructor at the New York Psychoanalytic Institute from 1941 to 1949. She founded the American Psychosomatic Societyhttp://www.psychosomatic.org in 1942, and was the first editor of its journal Psychosomatic Medicine
Psychosomatic Medicine (journal)
Psychosomatic Medicine is a peer-reviewed medical journal published nine times per year by the American Psychosomatic Society. It covers "experimental and clinical studies dealing with various aspects of the relationships among social, psychological, and behavioral factors and bodily processes in...
.
Death
On 21 August 1959 Dunbar was found floating face down in her swimming pool; and, although some spoke of suicide, the coroner simply recorded a death by drowning.Scholarship
Dunbar's life and contributions have been studied and documented by multiple scholars, most notably Robert C. Powell, MD, PhD. Dr. Powell's dissertation, "Healing and Wholeness: Helen Flanders Dunbar (1902-1959) and an Extra-Medical Origin of the American Psychosomatic Movement, 1906-1936" is the most comprehensive manuscript on her work. As a result of the extensive scholarship that Dunbar has received, the College for Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy gives out the annual "Helen Flanders Dunbar (1902-1959) Award for Significant Contributions to the Field of Clinical Pastoral Training” in her honor.Works
- Dunbar, H.F., Emotions and Bodily Changes, Columbia University Press, (New York), 1935.
- Dunbar, H.F., Mind and Body: Psychosomatic Medicine, Random House, (New York), 1947.
- Dunbar, H.F., Psychiatry in the Medical Specialties, McGraw-Hill, (New York), 1959.
- Dunbar, H.F., Psychosomatic Diagnosis, P.B. Hoeber, Inc., (New York), 1943.
- Dunbar, H.F., Symbolism in Medieval Thought and its Consummation in The Divine Comedy, Yale University Press, (New Haven), 1929.
- Dunbar, H.F., Your Child’s Mind and Body; a Practical Guide for Parents, Random House, (New York), 1949.