Energy Fields, Science, Spirituality, Wilhelm Reich and the Body-Mind Connection(Fall, 1997) | |
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| In the human body, energy fields are constantly interacting with one another, converging and interacting on multiple levels. Wilhelm Reich believed that these energy fields had a great deal of impact on human health. Furthermore, he believed that in order to achieve full health, it's necessary to eliminate rigidity and pent up energy (what he calls "character armor") and that to do this, it is frequently necessary to achieve powerful and lasting orgasms. (Murphy, 1992). Davis (date unknown) lends support to Reichian concepts, noting that: ...Modern science tells us that the human organism is not just a physical structure made of molecules. Like everything else, we are composed of energy fields... we are moving out of the world of static solid form into a world of dynamic field energies...Even hydrogen, the element with the simplest atomic structure, has its single electron orbiting in a pattern which is neither predictable nor consistent (Hein, Best, Pattison & Arena, 1992). Originally, Reich's theories were not widely accepted, but currently, he's his theories are being revisited and taken much more seriously than they were during his lifetime (Nathan, 1995). Currently, the International Institute for Training and Research of Somatic Psychotherapy is continuing Reich's legacy by working with the notion of Biosynthesis. According to the Institute's web page: Biosynthesis means integration of life and refers to specific processes of self-formation which guide organic growth, personal development and spiritual emergence. (International Institute for Training and Research of Somatic Psychotherapy, date unknown).The Institute, however, breaks with Reich, believing that his theories have been interpreted and applied in a more reductionistic fashion, focusing more on body manipulation. It's unclear whether or not this criticism is accurate. Since not a great deal of attention has been given to Reich over the years, it's hard to tell where the connections between his and other theories begin and end. Rolfing, for example, applies similar principles on the muscular level, dealing with trying to release blockage on a connective tissue level, but nowhere does Rolf address anything beyond a Cartesian approach. (Murphy, 1992) Thomas Hanna (1992), as another example, presents many exercises which are designed to look at how we deal with our skeletal structure, through looking at posture and physical practices. Reich, on the other hand, was focused much more on the energy level of organisms. According to Murphy (1992): Reich found support... in biological research that indicated... that all living substance was animated by alternating periods of contraction and dilation with accompanying buildups and discharges of... current.While some, such as Glickman (date unknown) and the Rocky Mountain Skeptics Society (1993) tend to dismiss the notion of any form of touch therapy or such effusive notions of energy fields, there is a great deal of evidence to support the notion that these energy fields exist, and contemporarily there are people who professionally perform therapeutic touch and other energy-field derived practices. Clients of Reich, furthermore, indicate that his therapy was highly effective. Milton Herskowitz, a long-time patient (and later, friend) of Reich's, was willing to drive twenty-four hours every weekend just to make therapy appointments when Reich relocated from Philadelphia to Maine (Freihold, 1997). Reich himself seemed unquestionably dedicated to his theories and ideas. This is reflected in his last will and testament, in which he leaves the vast majority of his income to the upkeep and maintenance of a museum designed to maintain and demonstrate his inventions and philosophies (Reich, 1957). It is also true that Reich was criticized later in his life for having developed viewpoints which some considered psychotic. However, Herskowitz provides an alternate explanation for such perspectives on Reich's part: ...I do believe that many of the ideas that he expressed toward the end of his live were exaggerated, outlandish, not realistic, but I don't tribute [sic] that to psychosis. I tribute [sic] that to the kind of thinking that Reich did all his life... Reich was truely [sic] one of the rear geniouses [sic] in this world... those people think by exploring all kinds of ideas that never appeared to us, that they push ideas way beyond the limits... because of that he came up of so many of his marvellous [sic] ideas, but that along with the... ideas there were also these cuckey [sic] ideas, [at] which those of us who use common sense and are always careful to be correct would never arrive... But he arrived... [at them] in both in positive and in negative direction... it was his kind of thinking. (Freihold, 1997)Thus we have a picture of a man who's insight and intelligence may have actually done him some harm at times, leading him in directions which brought him ridicule and derision. However, in 1920 Reich was an extremely well-respected man in his field, and a protégé of Freud's (Fischer, 1997). Much of Reich's criticism seems to stem more from the fact that he, similarly to Gestalt psychologists (Zinker, 1977), was willing to embrace the creative as well as the analytical. (Murphy, 1992). As Pietgen and Richter note: Science and art: Two complimentary ways of experiencing the natural world‹ one analytic, the other intuitive. We have been so accustomed to seeing them as opposite poles, yet don't they depend on one another? The thinker, trying to penetrate natural phenomena with...understanding, seeking to reduce all complexity to a few fundamental laws... also the dreamer plunging... into the richness of forms... as part of the eternal play of natural events?While Peitgen and Richter were discussing mathematics and fractals (complex mathematical structures which take on often surprising and beautiful forms when displayed in graphical form), their comments apply readily to the practice of psychology. When treating a client, Reich believed it was important to take the whole being into account. Rather than simply working with verbal aspects of a client's lives, exchanging comments and thoughts and dialogue, Reich believed in active therapy with patients, on a physical and bio-energetic level as well as a psychological one. When he is talking about "Character Armor," he meant specifically the parts of our personality which respond reflexively to various situations on a subconscious level in response to our life history. (Murphy, 1992). As Herskowitz put it, "The armor plate blockades the river of natural impulses and bends and bends her/it/them to a new content. Equally like glass or waters light breaks, armor plate breaks natural impulses." (Herskowitz, 1993). However, Reich believed this armor interferes with our ability to grow and mature and therefore it must be confronted on multiple levels. (Murphy, 1992) Eilenberger (1986) discusses the difference between aesthetic art and the pursuit of science, noting that "There is... an essential difference between scientific endeavors and the construction of a real cathedral: in science there are no blue-prints! Great surprises happen now and again..." Reich seemed to live in the moment for those surprises, embracing creative approaches to therapy and allowing himself to think beyond traditional approaches. Ellenberger (1986) also paraphrases the philosophies of French mathematician Laplace: If we can imagine a consciousness great enough to know the exact locations and velocities of all the objects in the universe at the present instant, as well as all forces, then there could be no secrets from this consciousness. It could calculate anything about the past or future from the laws of cause and effect.This, Ellenberger notes, is a rather monstrous notion‹ reducing our entire identities and lives to simplistic mechanistic thinking, eliminating the aspects of creativity and free will from notion of the universe. Reich believed that the external forces of the universe were, in fact, part of that blockage (Herskowitz, 1993) which contributed to the Character Armor. Yet, at the same time, the universe is open to us once we can release the armor and tune into the energies around us. (Murphy, 1992). Today there is an abundance of work being practiced which seems to rely on the notion of energy fields. Barbara Jayne (1997) for example, professes to practice "Vibrational Bodyworks," which includes such therapies as Therapeutic Touch and Reiki. Dr. Lynn Kelly, a Chiropractor, believes in a very strong mind-body connection which includes the notion of spirit, brain and body interacting not only on multiple levels but as an integrated whole. (Kelly, date unknown) Veltheim (1997), furthermore has five hypotheses surrounding notions of Reiki and systems theory. Specifically that: [1] Systems are expression of organized energy and emit energy... [2] Energy activates and regulates systems interactively... [3] Different energies (types and frequencies) are emitted simultaneously as patterns... [4] Energy is emitted interactively, not only within systems, but between systems as well... [5] Levels of consciousness may modulate patterns of energy; patterns of energy may modulate levels of consciousnessAll of this ties in quite nicely with Reich's beliefs. Taken one at a time: "Systems are expression of organized energy and emit energy""Energy activates and regulates systems interactively"This is an important concept because everybody has different aspects to themselves and their own energy patterns. Just as no two molecules (once again, even ones as simple as hydrogen atoms), emit the exact same pattern of electron orbit, no two individuals are alike, and thus each must be treated differently (Hein, Best, Pattison & Arena, 1992). "Energy is emitted interactively, not only within systems, but between systems as well""Levels of consciousness may modulate patterns of energy; patterns of energy may modulate levels of consciousness"It is clear that there is still much to be learned about Reich and Reichian therapy. There has not been sufficient testing of the notions of energy fields to prove specific therapeutic value in common practice (Murphy, 1992). However, there is a great deal of knowledge and understanding that such energy fields do exist in some fashion or another. More importantly, however, is the legacy that Reich left behind: the idea not just of his therapeutic approaches, but his willingness to be open to new ideas and concepts and to push the boundaries of psychology into new and different realms. Pioneers are not always right. In most disciplines, periods of flux and change are often accompanied by stress and trauma as old modes of thought evolve into new, and yesterday's geniuses become today's relics of history (Capra, 1982). However, it's that idea of creativity and exploration which seemed to drive Reich. Whether or not his theories stand the test of time, he does seem to have earned his place in history as a fascinating figure and a man willing to expand his consciousness beyond the simple Cartesian theories which were laid out before him. References
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Sunday, October 19, 2008
Energy Fields, Science, Spirituality
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