Laurence J. Bendit

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UNDER CONSTRUCTION
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Dr. Laurence J. Bendit was an English Theosophist and psychiatrist who practiced in London, England. He is best known as a researcher, writer, and lecturer on parapsychology who worked in collaboration with his wife, clairvoyant Phoebe D. Bendit.

Early life and education

Laurence John Bendit was born in Marseille, France to Edmund Bendit and Emily Westerman.[1] His father was born in Bavaria, but emigrated first to England and then in 1879 to the United States where he became a naturalized citizen. He engaged in the import-export business "connected with American interests."[2] Laurence grew up speaking English, French, and German proficiently. He lived with his parents and younger brother in Marseille until 1909, when he was sent to England for schooling. In 1911 he attended the Bedales School, a coeducational prep school in Hampshire. He matriculated at Cambridge University, where he studied medicine and was awarded M.A. and M.D. degrees. After additional study, he received a diploma in psychological medicine.

In 1925, Laurence married Ethel May Impett in Leeds. That marriage seems to have ended in 1939.

Psychiatric practice

In 1923, Dr. Bendit established his medical practice in London with professional credentials including M.R.C.S. (Member of the Royal College of Surgeons) and L.R.C.P. (Licentiate, Royal College of Physicians). By 1931 he had been awarded the D.P.M. (diplomate in psychological medicine). He became a member of the British Psychiatric Society, and by the 1940s had established an office at a prestigious Harley Street address in London. He worked in Tavistock Clinic, Maudsley Hospital, and other psychiatric institutions.[3]

Marriage to Phoebe Payne Bendit

Bendit met Phoebe Daphne Payne through a group of people who were studying clairvoyance, and they began to work together in 1937. After marrying in July, 1939, they lived in London. Until Phoebe's death in 1968, they collaborated in lecturing, teaching, and writing. She worked as a psychotherapist while he continued his psychiatric practice. They engaged in research taking advantage of her clairvoyant abilities in diagnosing medical and psychological conditions.

Theosophical Society involvement

In 1948 he delivered the Blavatsky Lecture on the subject Adam, the Prodigal Son. He was involved with the Theosophical Research Centre in London during the 1950s.

From 1958-61, Dr. Bendit served as General Secretary of the Theosophical Society in England. At the end of his term, the American Section, Theosophical Society in America, invited him to head the research department at their headquarters in Wheaton, Illinois. In 1962, he and Phoebe were asked to revitalize the education program at Krotona School of Theosophy in Ojai, California.

Later years

Dr. Bendit died on September 20, 1974 in Ojai, California.[4]

Writings

The Union Index of Theosophical Periodicals lists 154 articles with Dr. Bendit as author and 24 articles about him and his books. He wrote a number of books, listed here in chronological order:

  • Paranormal Cognition. London: Faber & Faber, 1946.
  • Key Words in the Wisdom Tradition. Wheaton, Illinois: Theosophical Publishing House, 1962.
  • Self Knowledge: a Yoga for the West. Wheaton, Illinois: Theosophical Publishing House, 1967.

Written with Phoebe D. Bendit:

  • Our Psychic Sense: A Clairvoyant and a Psychiatrist Explain How It Develops. 1943. Reprinted under the Quest Books imprint in 1970.
  • Living Together Again. 1946. This volume was focused on mental health of families reunited after war.
  • An Introduction to the Study of Analytical Psychology. London: Theosophical Research Centre, 1947.
  • '

'This World and That: An Analytical Study of Psychic Communication. 1948 or 1950.

  • Some Unrecognized Factors in Medicine. London: Theosophical Research Centre, 1949. Coauthors were Phoebe Bendit, H. Tudor Edmunds, E. Adelaide Gardner, and M. Beddow Bayly.
  • Man Incarnate, A Study of the Vital Etheric Field. Wheaton, Illinois: Theosophical Publishing House, 1957.
  • The Transforming Mind. Wheaton, Illinois: Theosophical Publishing House, 1970. Published after Phoebe's death.
  • The Mirror of Life and Death. Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1965.
  • The Mysteries Today, and Other Essays. Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1973.
  • The Etheric Body of Man. Wheaton, Illinois: Theosophical Publishing House, 1977. Reprint of Man Incarnate.

Audio recordings

These audio recordings were made by the Theosophical Society in America from live lectures and radio broadcasts:

Dr. Bendit with Phoebe Payne Bendit:

Dr. Bendit:

Notes

  1. ↑ U.S., Registration Certificates - Widows, Divorced Women, & Minors, 1907-1914.
  2. ↑ U.S., Passport Applications, 1795-1925. American passport issued in Marseille on 5 Apr 1918.
  3. ↑ The Medical Directory, 1942. See Ancestry.com database UK & Ireland, Medical Directories, 1845-1942.
  4. ↑ California, U.S., Death Index, 1940-1997.
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