HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Ronald David Laing (7 October 1927 – 23 August 1989), usually cited as R. D. Laing, was a Scottish
psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...
who wrote extensively on
mental illness A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitt ...
in particular, the experience of
psychosis Psychosis is a condition of the mind that results in difficulties determining what is real and what is not real. Symptoms may include delusions and hallucinations, among other features. Additional symptoms are incoherent speech and behavi ...
. Laing's views on the causes and treatment of psychopathological phenomena were influenced by his study of
existential philosophy Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and val ...
and ran counter to the chemical and electroshock methods that had become psychiatric orthodoxy. Taking the expressed
feelings Feelings are subjective self-contained phenomenal experiences. According to the ''APA Dictionary of Psychology'', a feeling is "a self-contained phenomenal experience"; and feelings are "subjective, evaluative, and independent of the sensations ...
of the individual patient or client as valid descriptions of personal experience rather than simply as symptoms of mental illness, Laing regarded
schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social w ...
as a theory not a fact. Though associated in the public mind with the
anti-psychiatry Anti-psychiatry is a movement based on the view that psychiatric treatment is often more damaging than helpful to patients, highlighting controversies about psychiatry. Objections include the reliability of psychiatric diagnosis, the questionabl ...
movement, he rejected the label. Politically, he was regarded as a thinker of the
New Left The New Left was a broad political movement mainly in the 1960s and 1970s consisting of activists in the Western world who campaigned for a broad range of social issues such as civil and political rights, environmentalism, feminism, gay rights ...
. Laing was portrayed by
David Tennant David John Tennant (''né'' McDonald; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He rose to fame for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor (2005–2010 and 2013) in the BBC science-fiction TV show ''Doctor Who'', reprising the rol ...
in the 2017 film ''
Mad to Be Normal ''Mad to Be Normal'' is a 2017 British drama film directed by Robert Mullan and written by Robert Mullan and Tracy Moreton. The film stars David Tennant, Elisabeth Moss, Gabriel Byrne, Michael Gambon, David Bamber, Olivia Poulet and Trevor Whi ...
''.


Early years

Laing was born in the
Govanhill Govanhill ( gd, Cnoc a' Ghobhainn) is an area of Glasgow, Scotland, situated south of the River Clyde between Pollokshields, the Gorbals, Strathbungo, Crosshill, Glasgow, Crosshill, Polmadie and Queen's Park, Glasgow, Queen's Park. Shires of Sco ...
district of
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...
on 7 October 1927, the only child of civil engineer David Park MacNair Laing and Amelia Glen Laing (née Kirkwood). Laing described his parents – his mother especially – as being somewhat anti-social, and demanding the maximum achievement from him. Although his biographer son largely discounted Laing's account of his childhood, an obituary by an acquaintance of Laing asserted that about his parents – "the full truth he told only to a few close friends". He was educated initially at Sir John Neilson Cuthbertson Public School and after four years transferred to
Hutchesons' Grammar School Hutchesons' Grammar School is a co-educational independent day school for pupils aged 3-18 in Glasgow, Scotland. It was founded as Hutchesons' Boys' Grammar School by George Hutcheson and Thomas Hutcheson in 1641 It is a selective school, ...
. Described variously as clever, competitive or precocious, he studied
Classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
, particularly
philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. ...
, including through reading books from the local
library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vi ...
. Small and slightly built, Laing participated in distance running; he was also a musician, being made an Associate of the
Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including perform ...
. He studied
medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...
at the
University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...
. During his medical degree he set up a "Socratic Club", of which the philosopher
Bertrand Russell Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970) was a British mathematician, philosopher, logician, and public intellectual. He had a considerable influence on mathematics, logic, set theory, linguistics, a ...
agreed to be president. Laing failed his final exams. In a partial autobiography, ''Wisdom, Madness and Folly,'' Laing said he felt remarks he made under the influence of alcohol at a university function had offended the staff and led to him being failed on every subject including some he was sure he had passed. After spending six months working on a psychiatric unit, Laing passed the re-sits in 1951 to qualify as a medical doctor.Beveridge, A. (2011
Portrait of the Psychiatrist as a Young Man: The Early Writing and Work of R. D. Laing, 1927-1960
Oxford University Press


Career

Laing spent a couple of years as a psychiatrist in the
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...
Psychiatric Unit at Netley, where, as he later recalled, those trying to fake
schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social w ...
to get a lifelong
disability pension A disability pension is a form of pension given to those people who are permanently or temporarily unable to work due to a disability. North America An example of a disability pension is from a private or Public Pension Plan, or the Canada P ...
were likely to get more than they had bargained for as
Insulin shock therapy Insulin shock therapy or insulin coma therapy was a form of psychiatric treatment in which patients were repeatedly injected with large doses of insulin in order to produce daily comas over several weeks.Neustatter WL (1948) ''Modern psychiatry ...
was being used. In 1953 Laing returned to Glasgow, participated in an existentialism-oriented discussion group, and worked at the Glasgow Royal Mental Hospital The hospital was influenced by David Henderson's school of thought, which may have exerted an unacknowledged influence on Laing; he became the youngest
consultant A consultant (from la, consultare "to deliberate") is a professional (also known as ''expert'', ''specialist'', see variations of meaning below) who provides advice and other purposeful activities in an area of specialization. Consulting servi ...
in the country.Mad to be Normal: Conversations with R.D. Laing aperback/ref> Laing's colleagues characterised him as "conservative" for his opposition to
Electroconvulsive therapy Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a psychiatric treatment where a generalized seizure (without muscular convulsions) is electrically induced to manage refractory mental disorders.Rudorfer, MV, Henry, ME, Sackeim, HA (2003)"Electroconvulsive th ...
and the new drugs that were being introduced. In 1956 Laing went to train on a grant at the
Tavistock Clinic The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health trust based in north London. The Trust specialises in talking therapies. The education and training department caters for 2,000 students a year from the United Kin ...
in London, widely known as a centre for the study and practice of
psychotherapy Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase happiness, and overcome pro ...
(particularly
psychoanalysis PsychoanalysisFrom Greek: + . is a set of theories and therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a body of knowledge. In what might ...
). At this time, he was associated with
John Bowlby Edward John Mostyn Bowlby, CBE, FBA, FRCP, FRCPsych (; 26 February 1907 – 2 September 1990) was a British psychologist, psychiatrist, and psychoanalyst, notable for his interest in child development and for his pioneering work in attach ...
,
D. W. Winnicott Donald Woods Winnicott (7 April 1896 – 25 January 1971) was an English paediatrician and psychoanalyst who was especially influential in the field of object relations theory and developmental psychology. He was a leading member of the Briti ...
and
Charles Rycroft Charles Frederick Rycroft (; 9 September 1914 – 24 May 1998) was a British psychiatrist and psychoanalyst. He studied medicine at University College London, and worked briefly as a psychiatrist for the Maudsley Hospital. For most of his caree ...
. He remained at the
Tavistock Clinic The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health trust based in north London. The Trust specialises in talking therapies. The education and training department caters for 2,000 students a year from the United Kin ...
until 1964. In 1965 Laing and a group of colleagues created the Philadelphia Association and started a psychiatric community project at
Kingsley Hall Kingsley Hall is a community centre, in Powis Road, Bromley-by-Bow in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, East End of London. It dates back to the work of Doris and Muriel Lester, who had a nursery school in nearby Bruce Road. Their brother, Ki ...
, where patients and therapists lived together. The Norwegian author
Axel Jensen Axel Buchardt Jensen (12 February 1932 – 13 February 2003) was a Norwegian author. From 1957 until 2002, he published both fiction and non-fiction texts which include novels, poems, essays, a biography, and manuscripts for cartoons and animate ...
contacted Laing at Kingsley Hall after reading his book ''The Divided Self'', which had been given to him by
Noel Cobb Noel Cobb (21 March 1938 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA – 2 January 2015, England) Philosopher, psychologist and author Noel Cobb lived and studied in Norway from 1959 to 1966 and made many friends there. Among them Axel Jensen, Jan Erik V ...
. Jensen was treated by Laing and subsequently they became close friends. Laing often visited Jensen on board his ship '' Shanti Devi'', which was his home in
Stockholm Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...
. In 1967 Laing appeared on the BBC programme ''Your Witness'', chaired by
Ludovic Kennedy Sir Ludovic Henry Coverley Kennedy (3 November 191918 October 2009) was a Scottish journalist, broadcaster, humanist and author best known for re-examining cases such as the Lindbergh kidnapping and the murder convictions of Timothy Evans an ...
on which, alongside
Jonathan Aitken Jonathan William Patrick Aitken (born 30 August 1942) is a British author, Church of England priest, former prisoner and former Conservative Party politician. Beginning his career in journalism, he was elected to Parliament in 1974 (serving u ...
and G.P. Ian Dunbar, he argued for the legalisation of
cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: '' Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternative ...
, in the first live television debate on the subject. In the same years, his views were explored in the television play ''
In Two Minds ''In Two Minds'' is a television play by David Mercer commissioned for ''The Wednesday Play'' (BBC 1) anthology drama series. First transmitted on 1 March 1967, it was directed by Ken Loach and produced by Tony Garnett and features Anna Cropper ...
'', written by David Mercer. In October 1972, Laing met
Arthur Janov Arthur Janov (; August 21, 1924October 1, 2017), also known as Art Janov, was an American psychologist, psychotherapist, and writer. He gained notability as the creator of primal therapy, a treatment for mental illness that involves repeatedly de ...
, author of the popular book ''
The Primal Scream ''The Primal Scream. Primal Therapy: The Cure for Neurosis'' (1970; second edition 1999) is a book by the psychologist Arthur Janov, in which the author describes his experiences with patients during the months he developed primal therapy. Althou ...
''. Though Laing found Janov modest and unassuming, he thought of him as a "jig man" (someone who knows a lot about a little). Laing sympathized with Janov, but regarded his
primal therapy Primal therapy is a trauma-based psychotherapy created by Arthur Janov, who argues that neurosis is caused by the repressed pain of childhood trauma. Janov argues that repressed pain can be sequentially brought to conscious awareness for resolut ...
as a lucrative business, one which required no more than obtaining a suitable space and letting people "hang it all out". Inspired by the work of American psychotherapist Elizabeth Fehr, Laing began to develop a team offering "rebirthing workshops" in which one designated person chooses to re-experience the struggle of trying to break out of the birth canal represented by the remaining members of the group who surround him or her. Many former colleagues regarded him as a brilliant mind gone wrong but there were some who thought Laing was somewhat psychotic.


Laing and anti-psychiatry

Laing was seen as an important figure in the
anti-psychiatry Anti-psychiatry is a movement based on the view that psychiatric treatment is often more damaging than helpful to patients, highlighting controversies about psychiatry. Objections include the reliability of psychiatric diagnosis, the questionabl ...
movement, along with David Cooper, although he never denied the value of treating mental distress. He also challenged psychiatric diagnosis itself, arguing that diagnosis of a mental disorder contradicted accepted medical procedure: diagnosis was made on the basis of behaviour or conduct, and examination and ancillary tests that traditionally precede the diagnosis of viable pathologies (like broken bones or pneumonia) occurred after the diagnosis of mental disorder (if at all). Hence, according to Laing, psychiatry was founded on a false
epistemology Epistemology (; ), or the theory of knowledge, is the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge. Epistemology is considered a major subfield of philosophy, along with other major subfields such as ethics, logic, and metaphysics. Epi ...
: illness diagnosed by conduct, but treated biologically. Laing maintained that
schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social w ...
was "a theory not a fact"; he believed the models of genetically inherited schizophrenia being promoted by biologically based psychiatry were not accepted by leading medical geneticists. He rejected the "medical model of
mental illness A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitt ...
”; according to Laing diagnosis of mental illness did not follow a traditional medical model; and this led him to question the use of medication such as
antipsychotics Antipsychotics, also known as neuroleptics, are a class of psychotropic medication primarily used to manage psychosis (including delusions, hallucinations, paranoia or disordered thought), principally in schizophrenia but also in a range of ...
by psychiatry. His attitude to recreational
drug A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via inhala ...
s was quite different; privately, he advocated an anarchy of experience.


Personal life

In his early life, Laing's father, David, an electrical engineer who had served in the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
, seems often to have come to blows with his own brother, and himself had a breakdown for three months when Laing was a teenager. His mother Amelia, according to some speculation and rumour about her behaviour, has been described as "psychologically peculiar". Laing was troubled by his own personal problems, suffering from both episodic
alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...
and
clinical depression Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. Intro ...
, according to his
self-diagnosis Self-diagnosis is the process of diagnosing, or identifying, medical conditions in oneself. It may be assisted by medical dictionaries, books, resources on the Internet, past personal experiences, or recognizing symptoms or medical signs of a cond ...
in a BBC Radio interview with Anthony Clare in 1983, although he reportedly was free of both in the years before his death. These admissions were to have serious consequences for Laing as they formed part of the case against him by the
General Medical Council The General Medical Council (GMC) is a public body that maintains the official register of medical practitioners within the United Kingdom. Its chief responsibility is to "protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public" by ...
which led to him ceasing to practise medicine. Laing fathered six sons and four daughters by four women. After his rise as a celebrity, Laing left his first wife Anne Hearne, a former nursing student (m. 1952–1966), and their five children. Subsequently, he married German graphic designer Jutta Werner (m. 1974–1986) with whom he fathered three children. His ninth child, with German therapist Sue Sünkel, was born in 1984. In 1988 Laing's partner until his death, Marguerite, gave birth to his tenth child, Charles. Laing died 19 months later of a heart attack at the age of 61 while playing tennis. His son Adrian, speaking in 2008, said, "It was ironic that my father became well known as a family psychiatrist, when, in the meantime, he had nothing to do with his own family". His oldest child Fiona, born in 1952, spent years in mental institutions and was treated for schizophrenia. His daughter Susan died in 1976, aged 21, of
leukaemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...
. Adam, his oldest son by his second marriage, who had been in an increasingly melancholic and fragile state of mind, was found dead in May 2008 in a tent on the island of
Formentera Formentera (, ) is the smallest and most southerly island of the Pityusic Islands group (comprising Ibiza and Formentera, as well as various small islets), which belongs to the Balearic Islands autonomous community (Spain). It covers an area ...
. He had died of a heart attack, aged 41.


Works

In 1913, psychiatrist and philosopher
Karl Jaspers Karl Theodor Jaspers (, ; 23 February 1883 – 26 February 1969) was a German-Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher who had a strong influence on modern theology, psychiatry, and philosophy. After being trained in and practicing psychiatry, Jaspe ...
had pronounced, in his work, ''General Psychopathology'', that many of the symptoms of mental illness (and particularly of
delusion A delusion is a false fixed belief that is not amenable to change in light of conflicting evidence. As a pathology, it is distinct from a belief based on false or incomplete information, confabulation, dogma, illusion, hallucination, or som ...
s) were "un-understandable", and therefore were worthy of little consideration except as a sign of some other underlying primary disorder. Then, in 1956,
Gregory Bateson Gregory Bateson (9 May 1904 – 4 July 1980) was an English anthropologist, social scientist, linguist, visual anthropologist, semiotician, and cyberneticist whose work intersected that of many other fields. His writings include ''Steps to ...
and his colleagues, Donald Jackson, and
Jay Haley Jay Douglas Haley (July 19, 1923 – February 13, 2007) was one of the founding figures of brief and family therapy in general and of the strategic model of psychotherapy, and he was one of the more accomplished teachers, clinical supervisors, an ...
articulated a theory of schizophrenia as stemming from
double bind A double bind is a dilemma in communication in which an individual (or group) receives two or more reciprocally conflicting messages. In some scenarios (e.g. within families or romantic relationships) this can be emotionally distressing, creati ...
situations where a person receives different or contradictory messages. The perceived symptoms of schizophrenia were therefore an expression of this distress, and should be valued as a
cathartic In medicine, a cathartic is a substance that ''accelerates'' defecation. This is similar to a laxative, which is a substance that ''eases'' defecation, usually by softening feces. It is possible for a substance to be both a laxative and a catha ...
and trans-formative experience. Laing argued a similar account for psychoses: that the strange behavior and seemingly confused speech of people undergoing a psychotic episode were ultimately understandable as an attempt to communicate worries and concerns, often in situations where this was not possible or not permitted. Laing stressed the role of society, and particularly the
family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
, in the development of "madness" (his term). Laing saw
psychopathology Psychopathology is the study of abnormal cognition, behaviour, and experiences which differs according to social norms and rests upon a number of constructs that are deemed to be the social norm at any particular era. Biological psychopathol ...
as being seated not in biological or psychic organs – whereby environment is relegated to playing at most only an accidental role as immediate trigger of disease (the "stress diathesis model" of the nature and causes of psychopathology) – but rather in the social cradle, the urban home, which cultivates it, the very crucible in which selves are forged. This re-evaluation of the locus of the disease process – and consequent shift in forms of treatment – was in stark contrast to psychiatric orthodoxy (in the broadest sense we have of ourselves as psychological subjects and pathological selves). Laing was revolutionary in valuing the content of psychotic behaviour and speech as a valid expression of distress, albeit wrapped in an enigmatic language of personal symbolism which is meaningful only from within their situation. Laing expanded the view of the “
double bind A double bind is a dilemma in communication in which an individual (or group) receives two or more reciprocally conflicting messages. In some scenarios (e.g. within families or romantic relationships) this can be emotionally distressing, creati ...
” hypothesis put forth by Bateson and his team, and came up with a new concept to describe the highly complex situation that unfolds in the process of "going mad" – an "incompatible knot". Laing never denied the existence of mental illness, but viewed it in a radically different light from his contemporaries. For Laing, mental illness could be a transformative episode whereby the process of undergoing mental distress was compared to a
shaman Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spir ...
ic journey. The traveler could return from the journey with important insights, and may have become (in the views of Laing and his followers) a wiser and more grounded person as a result (Louis, B., 2006, Moving Beyond Prozac, DSM, and the New Psychiatry). In ''The Divided Self'' (1960), Laing contrasts the experience of the “ ontologically secure” person with that of a person who "cannot take the realness, aliveness, autonomy and identity of himself and others for granted" and who consequently contrives strategies to avoid "losing his self". This concept is used to develop a
psychodynamic Psychodynamics, also known as psychodynamic psychology, in its broadest sense, is an approach to psychology that emphasizes systematic study of the psychological forces underlying human behavior, feelings, and emotions and how they might relate t ...
model of the mind to explain psychosis and schizophrenia. In ''
Self and Others ''Self and Others'' is a psychological study by R. D. Laing, first published in 1961. It was re-issued in a second edition (1969), which (in Laing's words) was “extensively revised, without being changed in any fundamental way”. The book for ...
'' (1961), Laing's definition of normality shifted somewhat. Laing also wrote poetry and his poetry publications include ''Knots'' (1970, published by
Penguin Penguins (order Sphenisciformes , family Spheniscidae ) are a group of aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is found north of the Equator. Highly adap ...
) and ''Sonnets'' (1979, published by Michael Joseph). Laing appears, alongside his son Adam, on the 1980 album ''Miniatures - a sequence of fifty-one tiny masterpieces'' edited by
Morgan Fisher Stephen Morgan Fisher (born 1 January 1950) is an English keyboard player and composer, and is most known as a member of Mott the Hoople in the early 1970s. However, his career has covered a wide range of musical activities, and he is still ac ...
, performing the song “ Tipperary”.


Influence

In 1965 Laing co-founded the UK charity the Philadelphia Association, concerned with the understanding and relief of mental suffering, which he also chaired. His work influenced the wider movement of
therapeutic communities Therapeutic community is a participative, group-based approach to long-term mental illness, personality disorders and drug addiction. The approach was usually residential, with the clients and therapists living together, but increasingly residential ...
, operating in less "confrontational" (in a Laingian perspective) psychiatric settings. Other organizations created in a Laingian tradition are the Arbours Association, the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling in London, and the R.D. Laing in the 21st Century Symposium held annually at
Esalen Institute The Esalen Institute, commonly called Esalen, is a non-profit American retreat center and intentional community in Big Sur, California, which focuses on humanistic alternative education. The institute played a key role in the Human Potenti ...
, where Laing frequently taught.


Films and plays about Laing

* ''Ah, Sunflower'' (1967). Short film by Robert Klinkert and
Iain Sinclair Iain Sinclair FRSL (born 11 June 1943) is a writer and filmmaker. Much of his work is rooted in London, recently within the influences of psychogeography. Biography Education Sinclair was born in Cardiff in 1943. From 1956 to 1961, he was educate ...
, filmed around the
Dialectics of Liberation The congress on the Dialectics of Liberation was an international congress organised in London between 15 and 30 July 1967. It was organised by the American educationalist Joe Berke. The scope of the conference was to "demystify human violence i ...
conference and featuring Laing,
Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of the Beat Gener ...
,
Stokely Carmichael Kwame Ture (; born Stokely Standiford Churchill Carmichael; June 29, 1941November 15, 1998) was a prominent organizer in the civil rights movement in the United States and the global pan-African movement. Born in Trinidad, he grew up in the Unite ...
and others. * ''Cain’s Film'' (1969). Short film by Jamie Wadhawan on
Alexander Trocchi Alexander Whitelaw Robertson Trocchi ( ; 30 July 1925 – 15 April 1984) was a Scottish novelist. Early life and career Trocchi was born in Glasgow to Alfred (formerly Alfredo) Trocchi, a music-hall performer of Italian parentage, and Anni ...
, featuring other
counter-cultural A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Ho ...
figures in London at the time including Laing,
William Burroughs William Seward Burroughs II (; February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist, widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodern author who influenced popular cultur ...
and Davy Graham. * '' Family Life'' (1971). Reworking of '' The Wednesday Play'': ''
In Two Minds ''In Two Minds'' is a television play by David Mercer commissioned for ''The Wednesday Play'' (BBC 1) anthology drama series. First transmitted on 1 March 1967, it was directed by Ken Loach and produced by Tony Garnett and features Anna Cropper ...
'' (1967) that "explored the issue of schizophrenia and the ideas of the radical psychiatrist R. D. Laing". Both were directed by
Ken Loach Kenneth Charles Loach (born 17 June 1936) is a British film director and screenwriter. His socially critical directing style and socialist ideals are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as poverty ('' Poor Cow'', 1967), homelessn ...
from scripts by David Mercer. * ''
Asylum Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent Asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea ...
'' (1972). Documentary directed by Peter Robinson showing Laing's psychiatric community project where patients and therapists lived together. Laing also appears in the film. * ''Knots'' (1975). Film adapted from Laing's 1970 book and
Edward Petherbridge Edward Petherbridge (born 3 August 1936) is an English actor, writer and artist. Among his many roles, he portrayed Lord Peter Wimsey in the 1987 BBC television adaptations of Dorothy L. Sayers' novels, and Guildenstern in Tom Stoppard's ''R ...
's play. * ''How Does It Feel?'' (1976). Documentary on physical senses and creativity featuring Laing,
Joseph Beuys Joseph Heinrich Beuys ( , ; 12 May 1921 – 23 January 1986) was a German artist, teacher, performance artist, and art theorist whose work reflected concepts of humanism, sociology, and anthroposophy. He was a founder of a provocative art mov ...
,
David Hockney David Hockney (born 9 July 1937) is an English painter, draftsman, printmaker, stage designer, and photographer. As an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considered one of the most influential British artists o ...
,
Elkie Brooks Elkie Brooks (born Elaine Bookbinder; 25 February 1946) is an English rock, blues and jazz singer. She was a vocalist with the bands Dada and Vinegar Joe, and later became a solo artist. She gained her biggest success in the late 1970s and 198 ...
,
Michael Tippett Sir Michael Kemp Tippett (2 January 1905 – 8 January 1998) was an English composer who rose to prominence during and immediately after the Second World War. In his lifetime he was sometimes ranked with his contemporary Benjamin Britten ...
and
Richard Gregory Richard Langton Gregory (24 July 1923 – 17 May 2010) was a British psychologist and Professor of Neuropsychology at the University of Bristol. Life and career Richard Gregory was born in London. He was the son of Christopher Clive Lang ...
. * ''Birth with R.D. Laing'' (1978). Documentary on the "institutionalization of childbirth practices in Western society". * ''R.D. Laing’s Glasgow'' (1979). An episode of the Canadian TV series ''
Cities A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
''. * The play '' Mary Barnes'' by David Edgar (1979) was a theatrical indictment of traditional psychiatry, chronicling the six-year journey through the illness of Barnes, a middle-aged former nurse diagnosed as schizophrenic, kept in padded cells and drugged and shocked into numbness. Set in 1960s London and based on the personal accounts of Barnes and therapist
Joseph Berke Joseph H. Berke, M.D., (January 17, 1939 – January 11, 2021) was an American–born psychotherapist, author and lecturer. He studied at Columbia College of Columbia University and graduated from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New ...
, the play follows her years as a resident of Kingsley Hall, where the innovative treatment approach begins her path to recovery. Starring Patti Love, it was broadcast on
BBC Radio 7 BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly BBC Radio 7) is a British Digital radio in the United Kingdom, digital radio broadcasting, radio station from the BBC, broadcasting archived repeats of comedy, drama and documentary programmes nationally, 24 hours a ...
on 7 November 2009, and also in December 2011 on
Radio 4 Extra BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly BBC Radio 7) is a British Digital radio in the United Kingdom, digital radio broadcasting, radio station from the BBC, broadcasting archived repeats of comedy, drama and documentary programmes nationally, 24 hours a ...
. * ''Did You Used to be R.D. Laing?'' (1989). Documentary portrait of Laing by Kirk Tougas and Tom Shandel. Adapted for the stage in 2000 by Mike Maran. * ''Eros, Love & Lies'' (1990). Documentary on Laing. * ''What You See Is Where You’re At'' (2001). A collage of found footage by
Luke Fowler Luke Fowler (born 1978) is an artist, 16mm filmmaker and musician based in Glasgow. He studied printmaking at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee. He creates cinematic collages that have often been linked to the British Free ...
on Laing's experiment in alternative therapy at Kingsley Hall. * The Trap 1 (TV series)(2007) - F**k you Buddy! - Adam Curtis. Covering Laings' modeling of familial interactions using game theory. * ''All Divided Selves'' (2011). Another collage of archive material and new footage by
Luke Fowler Luke Fowler (born 1978) is an artist, 16mm filmmaker and musician based in Glasgow. He studied printmaking at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee. He creates cinematic collages that have often been linked to the British Free ...
. *''El amor'' (2016). Short film by Siddhartha García Sánchez, filmed around the book ''Knots'' by Laing. * ''
Mad to Be Normal ''Mad to Be Normal'' is a 2017 British drama film directed by Robert Mullan and written by Robert Mullan and Tracy Moreton. The film stars David Tennant, Elisabeth Moss, Gabriel Byrne, Michael Gambon, David Bamber, Olivia Poulet and Trevor Whi ...
'' (2017). A fictionalised account of the Kingsley Hall project, starring
David Tennant David John Tennant (''né'' McDonald; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He rose to fame for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor (2005–2010 and 2013) in the BBC science-fiction TV show ''Doctor Who'', reprising the rol ...
as Laing and directed by
Robert Mullan Robert Mullan (also Bob Mullan) is a British film director, writer and producer. He is also an author. He wrote and directed '' Letters to Sofija'', ''Gitel'' and ''We Will Sing''. He has produced over 40 documentaries, for the BBC, Granada, An ...
.


Selected bibliography

* Laing, R.D. (1960) ''The Divided Self: An Existential Study in Sanity and Madness''. Harmondsworth: Penguin. * Laing, R.D. (1961) ''The Self and Others''. London: Tavistock Publications. * Laing, R.D. and Esterson, A. (1964) ''Sanity, Madness and the Family''. London: Penguin Books. * Laing, R.D. and Cooper, D.G. (1964) ''Reason and Violence: A Decade of Sartre’s Philosophy''. (2nd ed.) London: Tavistock Publications Ltd. * Laing, R.D., Phillipson, H. and Lee, A.R. (1966) ''Interpersonal Perception: A Theory and a Method of Research''. London: Tavistock Publications. * Laing, R.D. (1967) '' The Politics of Experience and the Bird of Paradise''. Harmondsworth: Penguin. * Laing, R.D. (1970) ''Knots''. London: Penguin
excerpt

movie (IMDB)
* Laing, R.D. (1971) ''The Politics of the Family and Other Essays''. London: Tavistock Publications. * Laing, R.D. (1972) ''Knots''. New York: Vintage Press. * Laing, R.D. (1976) ''Do You Love Me? An Entertainment in Conversation and Verse''. New York: Pantheon Books. * Laing, R.D. (1976) ''Sonnets''. London: Michael Joseph. * Laing, R.D. (1976) ''The Facts of Life''. London: Penguin. * Laing, R.D. (1977) ''Conversations with Adam and Natasha''. New York: Pantheon. * Laing, R.D. (1982) ''The Voice of Experience: Experience, Science and Psychiatry''. Harmondsworth: Penguin. * Laing, R.D. (1985) ''Wisdom, Madness and Folly: The Making of a Psychiatrist 1927-1957''. London: Macmillan. * Mullan, B. (1995) ''Mad to be Normal: Conversations with R.D. Laing''. London: Free Association Books. * Russell, R. and R.D. Laing (1992) ''R.D. Laing and Me: Lessons in Love''. New York: Hillgarth Press. (download free on www.rdlaing.org * Mott, F.J. and R.D. Laing (2014
''Mythology of the Prenatal Life''
London: Starwalker Press. (Hand-written annotations .1977by R.D. Laing are included in the text, revealing Laing's own thoughts and associative material on prenatal psychology as he studied this book.Original is located in the R.D. Laing Special Collection, Glasgow University Library.
See als
“Prenatal Patterns in Postnatal Life” (1978) by R.D. Laing.
/ref>


See also


References


Further reading

* Boyers, R. and R. Orrill, Eds. (1971) ''Laing and Anti-Psychiatry''. New York: Salamagundi Press. * Burston, D. (1996) ''The Wing of Madness: The Life and Work of R. D. Laing''. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. * Burston, D. (2000) ''The Crucible of Experience: R.D. Laing and the Crisis of Psychotherapy''. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. * Clay, J. (1996) ''R.D. Laing: A Divided Self''. London: Hodder & Stoughton. * Collier, A. (1977) ''R.D. Laing: The Philosophy and Politics of Psychotherapy''. New York: Pantheon. * Evans, R.I. (1976) ''R.D. Laing, The Man and His Ideas''. New York: E.P. Dutton. * Friedenberg, E.Z. (1973) ''R.D. Laing''. New York: Viking Press. * Itten, T. & Young, C. (Ed.) (2012) R. D. Laing - 50 Years since The Divieded Self. Ross-on-Wye, PCCS-Books * Miller, G. (2004) ''R.D. Laing''. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. * Laing, A. (1994) ''R.D. Laing: A Biography''. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press. * Kotowicz, Z. (1997) ''R.D. Laing and the Paths of Anti-Psychiatry''. London: Taylor & Francis. * Mullan, B., Ed. (1997) ''R.D. Laing: Creative Destroyer''. London: Cassell & Co. * Mullan, B. (1999) ''R.D. Laing: A Personal View''. London: Duckworth. * Raschid, S., Ed. (2005) ''R.D. Laing: Contemporary Perspectives''. London: Free Association Books.


External links


Biography at The Society for Laingian Studies

Special Issue of Janus Head
Edited by Daniel Burston
The Philadelphia Association


* ttp://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article6058901.ece RD Laing: The Abominable Family Manfrom The Sunday Times
Life before Death
- 1978 album of sonnets and other poems performed by R. D. Laing to an original musical score * : St Görans Lecture, Stockholm, 10 February 1982. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Laing, Ronald David Laing, R.D. Laing, R.D. Laing, R.D. Laing, R.D. Laing, R.D. British psychoanalysts Existentialist and phenomenological psychologists Schizophrenia researchers Laing, R. D. Laing, R. D. Royal Army Medical Corps officers Scottish soldiers Scottish medical writers People educated at Hutchesons' Grammar School Existential therapists Analysands of D. W. Winnicott 20th-century Scottish medical doctors People from Govanhill and Crosshill