ABSTRACT

The forced emigration itself had been accompanied by a series of other losses, culminating in the unexpected death of his young wife–and closest colleague— soon after they had resettled. In 1939, the lives of the Budapest analysts were filled with tough choices, tensions tied to preparations for emigration, hopeful anticipation, and unhappy disappointments. When the Balints left Hungary in the early months of 1939, the second emigration wave of the Budapest School had begun and the opportunity to carry on this building project in Hungary evaporated. Robert Bak first scholarly article discussed insulin treatment for schizophrenia. Bak became a professionally mature psychoanalyst at a historic moment. Sandor Feldman completed his medical studies at the University of Budapest in 1915. Robert Bak also received support from the Emergency Committee in the sum of $200. In April 1943, he joined the New York Psychoanalytic Society and experienced nearly instant success.