William C. Van Valen

William Chauncey Van Valen (1859–1937) was an American practitioner of suggestive therapeutics and psychotherapy whose career began through his association with Dr. Herbert A. Parkyn. He became nationally recognized as a leader in the field of suggestive therapeutics through his widely known Van Valen Sanatorium and partnered with several Parkyn collaborators in 1909 to establish The Progress Company.

Early Life and Education

Van Valen was born near Ypsilanti, Michigan, on December 28, 1859, and was a direct descendant of Johannes Ver Veelen, one of the original settlers of Harlem, N.Y. He moved with his family to southern Wisconsin when he was a child and received his early education there, completing high school in Janesville. He then moved to Chicago to study medicine but the field at that time did not appeal to him. He ended up working for many years in publishing and business, with the Inter-State Publishing Company and was also a partner in the Stork Spice Company.

Meeting With Dr. Parkyn

In 1895, he met Dr. Parkyn in Chicago and was completely fascinated by Parkyn’s work with Suggestion and autosuggestion. His career took a different direction, and he then devoted himself to the study and use of these methods. In 1898, he received a degree as a doctor of suggestive therapeutics from the Cleveland School of Suggestive Therapeutics, which was an affiliate of Parkyn’s Chicago School of Psychology.

The Van Valen Sanatorium in Atlanta, GA

In 1899, Dr. Van Valen moved to Atlanta, where he established a private practice devoted to the treatment of nervous disorders, drug addiction, and related conditions through suggestive and psychotherapeutic methods. His work developed a wide reputation, and patients reportedly traveled from different parts of the country for his treatment. This culminated in the opening of the Van Valen Sanatorium in 1902 in Atlanta at 150 Park Ave.

The Progress Company with Atkinson, Larson, and Beals

In 1909, he moved back to Chicago to partner with Christian D. Larson, Edward E. Beals, and William Walker Atkinson in the formation of The Progress Company, another branch of the mental-science network that had developed around figures previously associated with Dr. Parkyn.

The Progress Company planned an ambitious combination of publishing, instruction, psychotherapy, and institutional treatment, including a downtown Progress Rest Room, a correspondence school of applied metaphysics, and a large Progress Sanatorium. Dr. Van Valen was brought into the organization for his experience operating a sanatorium and his established work in psychotherapy and mental healing.

The Progress Company was very successful for a few years, but overexpansion eventually brought the company down in 1913.

Later Life

Van Valen eventually settled in Yonkers, New York, where, in 1921, he founded a second Van Valen Sanatorium at 304 Palisade Avenue. He continued his work there for the next sixteen years. He became known as a pioneer in the psychotherapeutic treatment of nervous illnesses and maintained a clientele extending well beyond the immediate area.

Death

In 1937, he died at St. John’s Riverside Hospital after a short illness and was survived by his wife, Ida Kemmerer Van Valen, whom he had married approximately fifty-seven years earlier.

Sources & Citations

1. Newspaper. "Van valen with the Inter State Publishing Co" . Chicago Tribune. 1888-07-12. p. 8. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
2. Newspaper. "Van Valen with the Stork Spice Co" . Chicago Tribune. 1890-09-26. p. 9. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
3. Newspaper. "Sanatorium in Atlanta" . The Atlanta Journal. 1902-05-15. p. 5. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
4. Newspaper. "William C Van Valen" . The Atlanta Journal. 1906-09-02. p. 15. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
5. Newspaper. "William C Van Valen Opens school" . Chicago Tribune. 1909-08-15. p. 90. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
6. Newspaper. "Sanatorium in Chicago" . Chicago Tribune. 1909-10-17. p. 69. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
7. Newspaper. "Van Valen opens a Sanatorium in Yonkers, N.Y." The Herald Statesman. 1919-03-15. p. 1. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
8. Newspaper. "William C Van Valen" . The Herald Statesman. 1940-04-30. p. 2. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
9. Newspaper. "Dr William C. Van Valen learned Auto-Suggestion from Dr. Herbert A. Parkyn" . The Herald Statesman. 1923-03-08. p. 3. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
10. PDF / Digital Archive. Van Valen in Parkyn's Suggestion magazine
11. Website. "Dr William Chauncey Van Valen (1859-1940) - Find a..." www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
12. PDF / Digital Archive. History of The Progress Company