Orgone Blast! (Reichian Therapy)
One of my favorite things about life is that there is always something new and interesting to learn about. You could never exhaust the endless stream of bizarre stuff humans come up with.
Today’s interesting tidbit comes from Spirit Under Transsexual Cover where I learned about Wilhelm Reich. A Freudo-Marxist Jew, Reich fled Germany in the 1930’s after his writings were banned by the Nazi regime:
Reich agreed with Freud that sexual development was the origin of mental illness. They both believed that most psychological states were dictated by unconscious processes; that infant sexuality develops early but is repressed, and that this has important consequences for mental health. At that time a Marxist, Reich argued that the source of sexual repression was bourgeois morality and the socio-economic structures that produced it. As sexual repression was the cause of the neuroses, the best cure would be to have an active, guilt-free sex life. He argued that such a liberation could come about only through a morality not imposed by a repressive economic structure.
In his later career, Reich claimed to have discovered an energy called “orgone” which permeated the universe and was sexual in nature. He believed orgone could cure illness and built boxes called “orgone accumulators” for sick people to sit in and be healed. These boxes were rumored to cause uncontrollable erections. Reich also created a device called a “cloudbuster” which he claimed could concentrate streams of orgone in the atmosphere to make rain.
Reich’s claims of a cure for cancer led to a devoted following of patients, which caught the attention of the FDA. Eventually Reich was imprisoned and diagnosed with paranoia and delusions. He died in prison in 1957.
Despite this colorful history, Reichian therapies are still in use today. From what I can find, Reichian breathwork or energetics is a holistic approach to physical and emotional well being. One of the central ideas of Reichian therapy is “armoring“:
Unpleasant events in our lives trigger the well known “fight or flight” reflex. Repeated exposure to such trauma physically hardens the victim to the pain. Reich termed this phenomenon “armoring”. Armoring is often demonstrated in a tightened jaw, a stiff neck and shallow breathing caused by a tight chest. It can also be seen in other segments of the body.
(This idea reminds me of my own pet metaphor for human growth and suffering.)
Reichian therapy endeavors to reverse the physical and emotional effects of armoring through psychotherapy, breathwork and physical manipulations. It’s all very fascinating. I’m always interested in people who are both brilliant and slightly insane. The two seem to go together often.
Here are more resources on Reichian Therapy:
The Orgonomic Institute of Northern California
If you’ve undergone Reichian therapy, please share your experience with us.
