Marguerite A. Sechehaye (née Burdet; September 27, 1887 – June 1, 1964) was a

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

psychotherapist 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 ...

. A pioneer in the psychoanalytic treatment of

people with schizophrenia A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of property, ...

, she developed the symbolic realization method for treating psychotic patients. The approach was rooted in

psychoanalytic 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 be ...

and existential theory.

Life

Sechehaye was raised in a Protestant family and, as was common at the time, attended a single-sex school. She studied at the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centu ...

where she attended lectures by

Ferdinand de Saussure Ferdinand de Saussure (; ; 26 November 1857 – 22 February 1913) was a Swiss linguist, semiotician and philosopher. His ideas laid a foundation for many significant developments in both linguistics and semiotics in the 20th century. He is widel ...

linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

. Her notes from these lectures assisted

Charles Bally __NOTOC__ Charles Bally (; 4 February 1865, Geneva – 10 April 1947, Geneva) was a Swiss linguist from the Geneva School. He lived from 1865 to 1947 and was, like Ferdinand de Saussure, from Switzerland. His parents were Jean Gabriel, a te ...

and her husband,

Albert Sechehaye Albert Sechehaye (; 4 July 1870, Geneva – 2 July 1946, Geneva) was a Swiss linguist. He is known for editing Ferdinand de Saussure's lectures, ''Course in General Linguistics''. Biography Sechehaye studied at the University of Geneva under Ferd ...

, to develop ''

Course in General Linguistics ''Course in General Linguistics'' (french: Cours de linguistique générale) is a book compiled by Charles Bally and Albert Sechehaye from notes on lectures given by historical-comparative linguist Ferdinand de Saussure at the University of Gene ...

''. After graduating Sechehaye studied at the

Rousseau Institute Rousseau Institute (also known as Jean-Jacques Rousseau Institute or Academy of Geneva; ''french: Académie De Genève'' or ''Institut Jean-Jacques Rousseau'') is a private school in Geneva, Switzerland. It is considered the first institute of ed ...

, where she worked as the assistant of

Édouard Claparède Édouard Claparède (24 March 1873 – 29 September 1940) was a Swiss neurologist, child psychologist, and educator. Career Claparède studied science and medicine, receiving in 1897 an MD from the University of Geneva, and working 1897–98 a ...

, and later went on to establish her own practice based on the encouragement of Raymond de Saussure. Sechehaye followed the work of

Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud ( , ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies explained as originatin ...

and

Jean Piaget Jean William Fritz Piaget (, , ; 9 August 1896 – 16 September 1980) was a Swiss psychologist known for his work on child development. Piaget's theory of cognitive development and epistemological view are together called " genetic epistemolog ...

closely, believing there was a link between psychosis and trauma experienced as a child. One of her most notable cases was undertaken with a psychotic patient referred to as "Renée", a pseudonym used for Louisa Düss,Sometimes spelled Duess or Duss in accounts, but captured as Düss in Sechehaye's personal papers held at the

Bibliothèque de Genève The Bibliothèque de Genève (BGE, English: Geneva Library, Library of Geneva), founded in 1559, was known as ''Bibliothèque publique et universitaire'' (BPU, English: Public and University Library) from 1907 to 2006. It occupies different build ...

. whom the Sechehayes eventually adopted. Over the course of their work together, Sechehaye took the unique approach of chronicling Düss' journal entries and personal reflections in tandem with her own clinical commentary. The approach significantly influenced mental illness research by introducing an

antipsychiatry 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 ...

framework that positioned the patient's experiences as a valid means of establishing their case histories. As a result of this work, the book ''Autobiography of a Schizophrenic Girl: The True Story of "Renee"'' was published highlighting the most memorable aspects of the disease. Sechehaye's work was of particular interest to psychiatrist

R. D. Laing Ronald David Laing (7 October 1927 – 23 August 1989), usually cited as R. D. Laing, was a Scottish psychiatrist who wrote extensively on mental illnessin particular, the experience of psychosis. Laing's views on the causes and treatment o ...

who referenced three of her books in ''The Divided Self: An Existential Study in Sanity and Madness''. Sechehaye died on June 1, 1964 in Geneva.

Selected works

* * *

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sechehaye, Marguerite Swiss psychoanalysts 1887 births 1964 deaths Schizophrenia researchers