Frieda Fromm Reichmann And Psychoanalytically Oriented Therapy

Frieda Fromm-Reichmann was an out-of-the-box psychiatrist for her time. He was able to find a way of operating other than physical repression or drugs to treat those who were labeled mentally ill at the time. In the United States she was one of the most convinced popularizers of psychoanalytic theories.

Considered a revolutionary in the history of schizophrenia treatment, she owed part of her fame to the famous case of Joanne Greenberg. The woman, considered untreatable and classified as “demented” not only regained mental health thanks to the therapy with Frieda Fromm-Reichmann, but established herself as a writer.

Her most important work is Principles of Intensive Psychotherapy  published in 1950. Many think that Frieda Fromm-Reichmann deserves a more relevant place in the history of psychoanalysis, being one of the most prolific and important neo-Freudian minds.

Frieda Fromm-Reichmann, a brilliant young woman

Frieda Fromm-Reichmann was born on October 23, 1989 in Germany. From a bourgeois, Jewish and very conservative family, Frieda was the eldest of several brothers, all males. Her father, for this reason, granted her uncommon privileges for a woman at that time.

One of these was the chance to study medicine at the Könisberg faculty, where he graduated at just 19 years old. At 22 he already had a doctorate in neurology and psychiatry. He loved his work and showed it by dedicating himself to it with passion until his death.

His early work focused on soldiers who had suffered brain injuries during World War I. His first articles with a marked scientific accent are from this phase. After this study, perspective and work had a turning point.

Frieda Fromm-Reichmann’s Practice of Psychoanalysis

Frieda Fromm-Reichmann stopped being interested in the biological aspect of her profession to take a different path. JH Schults had procured her some essays on Freudian psychoanalysis, which had sparked her interest. In particular, she was fascinated by the theme of the relationship in therapy, transference and countertransference.

One day a special patient, Erich Fromm, whom he had already met in some psychoanalytic circles, came to his office. The brilliant patient later became her husband with whom she had a stormy relationship that lasted until her death. The psychiatrist always kept the double surname, even after the divorce.

Due to her Jewish origins, she was forced to leave Germany when the rise of Nazism began. She lived in several countries to finally settle, with her husband, in the United States. After the war ended, he began to popularize psychoanalytic theory.

A special patient

Frieda Fromm-Reichmann began working for the private clinic of Chesnut Lodge (Rockville, Maryland), where she practiced her profession for more than 22 years . Here he also developed his intensive psychotherapy, which he considered a key element in the treatment of schizophrenia.

Joanne Greenberg, a permanently hospitalized teenager, received therapy in this same place. In the girl’s mind lived eight characters with whom she had elaborated a common language that no one could understand. It was a kind of “lost” case.

The therapy progressed and at one point the psychiatrist made a pact with the patient. The two women would have elaborated their own memories of the trial, according to their own perspective. Eventually they would publish a book with both versions.

I never promised you a rose garden

Joanne Greenberg’s treatment was surprising, but Reichmann died on April 28, 1957, at the age of 67, without seeing the final results. She was cut short by a heart attack that doctors attributed to her out of control addiction to smoking and alcohol. The project then stopped abruptly.

For Joanne, the loss was devastating, but she stayed and wanted to keep her promise. Remembering what he had learned in therapy, he wrote I never promised you a rose garden, an extraordinary journey from madness to reason. A journey undertaken under the guidance of Frieda Fromm-Reichmann, and without resorting to drugs.

Frieda Fromm-Reichmann’s therapeutic proposal was to empathize with her patients and achieve a respectful understanding of the cause of the symptoms. He had in fact noted that a deep and loving relationship can produce significant changes in the patient.

Currently his work has taken a back seat, certainly due to the progress made in pharmacology which leaves little room for the American psychiatrist’s proposal.