Ferenczi's Forgotten Messenger: The Life and Work of Izette de Forest

From Stratford, Connecticut to Budapest, Hungary, from the lavish Tiffany mansion on Madison Avenue to a rustic farmhouse in New Hampshire—the untold story of Ferenczi's analysand Izette de Forest captures the pioneering spirit of one of America's earliest female lay analysts. While Ferenczi's influence in the United States is often attributed to Clara Thompson, de Forest was one of the first Americans to bring Ferenczi's ideas to this country. In this paper, the author provides a biographical sketch of de Forest and traces her involvement as one of the first American women to be trained by the Budapest school during the period of Ferenczi's active technique. The author argues that although Clara Thompson is often seen as Ferenczi's major protégée in North America, Izette de Forest is his forgotten messenger.