Bob Johnson is a British
psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments or strictly ...
and an outspoken opponent of
electroconvulsive therapy
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a psychiatry, psychiatric treatment that causes a generalized seizure by passing electrical current through the brain. ECT is often used as an intervention for mental disorders when other treatments are inadequ ...
and
psychosurgery
Psychosurgery, also called neurosurgery for mental disorder (NMD), is the neurosurgical treatment of mental disorders. Psychosurgery has always been a controversial medical field. The modern history of psychosurgery begins in the 1880s under ...
in general.
He set up the
James Nayler Foundation, a charity named after the Quaker
James Naylor
James Nayler (or Naylor; 1618–1660) was an English Quaker leader. He was among the members of the Valiant Sixty, a group of early Quaker preachers and missionaries. In 1656, Nayler achieved national notoriety when he re-enacted Christ's Palm ...
and set up to further research, education, training and treatment for all types of
personality disorder
Personality disorders (PD) are a class of mental health conditions characterized by enduring maladaptive patterns of behavior, cognition, and inner experience, exhibited across many contexts and deviating from those accepted by the culture. ...
s, especially those involving violence to others or to self. The charity closed in December 2011.
Career
Johnson trained at the
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
, the
London Hospital
The Royal London Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is part of Barts Health NHS Trust. It provides district general hospital services for the City of London and London Borough of Tow ...
, and at
Claybury Hospital
Claybury Hospital was a psychiatric hospital in Woodford Bridge, London. It was built to a design by the English architect George Thomas Hine who was a prolific Victorian architect of hospital buildings. It was opened in 1893 making it the Fifth ...
, Essex, where he obtained a grounding in group work and therapeutic community techniques. In 1964 he was appointed as a Senior Psychiatrist in
Middletown State Homeopathic Hospital
Middletown State Homeopathic Hospital (also known as Middletown State Hospital or Middletown Psychiatric Center) was a hospital for the treatment of mental disorders located in Middletown, New York. It opened on April 20, 1874, and was the firs ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, working in the Drug Addiction Unit and the acute wards.
He was the consultant psychiatrist in the Special Unit in
HMP Parkhurst for dangerous prisoners. While there he devised his
talking cure
''The Talking Cure'' and ''chimney sweeping'' were terms Bertha Pappenheim, known in case studies by the alias Anna O., used for the verbal therapy given to her by Josef Breuer. They were first published in ''Studies on Hysteria'' (1895).
As Erne ...
techniques around which the James Nayler Foundation and his personal crusade against
psychosurgery
Psychosurgery, also called neurosurgery for mental disorder (NMD), is the neurosurgical treatment of mental disorders. Psychosurgery has always been a controversial medical field. The modern history of psychosurgery begins in the 1880s under ...
and
psychiatric medication
A psychiatric or psychotropic medication is a psychoactive drug taken to exert an effect on the chemical makeup of the brain and nervous system. Thus, these medications are used to treat mental illnesses. These medications are typically made of ...
are centred. His work formed the basis of a documentary investigation by the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
's flagship programme ''
Panorama
A panorama (formed from Greek language, Greek πᾶν "all" + ὅραμα "view") is any Obtuse angle, wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography (panoramic photography), film, seismic image ...
''.
The James Naylor foundation is named after the Quaker
James Naylor
James Nayler (or Naylor; 1618–1660) was an English Quaker leader. He was among the members of the Valiant Sixty, a group of early Quaker preachers and missionaries. In 1656, Nayler achieved national notoriety when he re-enacted Christ's Palm ...
who despite being convicted of blasphemy had inspiring words to say on his deathbed. These words inspired Johnson to create the foundation.
In 1997, Johnson was consultant psychiatrist to
The Retreat
The Retreat, commonly known as the York Retreat, is a place in England for the treatment of people with mental health needs. Located in Lamel Hill in York, it operates as a not for profit charitable organisation.
Opened in 1796, it is famous ...
, and in 1998 he was invited to become Head of Therapy at
Ashworth Special Hospital. He has since set up an ''Emotional Support Centre'' on the
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...
to assist and cure those with personality disorders, though this had to close after a few years because of funding problems.
He holds the view that mental ill-health is a software, not a hardware problem. Despite this he "divide electrons into two groups – ‘wild’ and ‘tamed’, random or organised, as in lightning or wheat" and speaks of changing quantum physics. He redefines “Personality Disorders” as “Perception Disorders”, and proposes that “the Healing Hand of Kindness detoxifies trauma”.
In 2002 Johnson was involved in the psychiatric assessment of
Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. He was known for his roles in action films and his "granite features and brawny physique". Bronson was born into extreme poverty in ...
at
HM Prison Durham
HM Prison Durham is a Georgian era reception Prison security categories in the United Kingdom, Category B men's prison, located in the Elvet area of Durham, England, Durham in County Durham, England. Built in 1819, the prison is operated by Hi ...
.
Further reading
*
Emotional Health: What Emotions Are and How They Cause Social and Mental Diseases', Bob Johnson, Trust Consent Publishing, 2nd Rev Ed edition (2003),
*
Unsafe At Any Dose', Bob Johnson, Trust Consent Publishing, 2006,
See also
*
Peter Breggin
Peter Roger Breggin (born May 11, 1936) is an American psychiatrist and critic of shock treatment and psychiatric medication and COVID-19 response. In his books, he advocates replacing psychiatry's use of drugs and electroconvulsive therapy with ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Bob
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
British psychiatrists
Alumni of the London Hospital Medical College
Alumni of the University of Cambridge