Contribution to the conference: Wilhelm Reich and the Science of Life Energy: "Orgonomy" November 9, 2019 NYC
Introduction of Dr. Simonian by Dr. Alexander Bingham conference moderator:
Dr. Stephan Simonian is a Board certified general and child psychiatrist he completed medical school in Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran. He completed general psychiatric residency training program as well as child psychiatry fellowship at New York Medical College, Metropolitan Hospital Center. Concomitant with his psychiatry training program Dr. Simonian completed New York Medical College psychoanalytic Division didactic courses including his own personal required psychoanalysis. In 1990 Dr. Simonian started his personal psychiatric orgone therapy with Dr. Morton Herskowitz. He later became a member of Institute for Orgonomic Science. Dr. Simonian has been practicing general and child psychiatry since 1984.He was chief of department of psychiatry in Milford -Whitinsville Hospital in Milford ,MA for several years, In 2003 he moved to Los Angeles and has been practicing general and child psychiatry and psychiatric orgon therapy in Glendale CA. Dr. Simonian translated the book “Function of Orgasm” by Dr. Wilhelm Reich to Persian language and it is published both in the US and in the Iran. He is the editor of an on line Journal “Psychiatric Orgone Therapy” and has written several articles in that Journal.
Dr. Stephan Simonian:
Thank you very much, and thank you for generous introduction. My part of this conference is to discusses how Reich developed from Freud, because Reich was a student of Freud and he first was psychoanalyst but then he rather digressed from Freud and psychoanalysis and then developed Orgonomy which is rooted in psychoanalysis. So Orgonomy grew in the womb of psychoanalysis, the founder of psychoanalysis was Sigmund Freud,
Orgonomy grew in the womb of
psychoanalysis.
Reich was the student of Freud, and a psychoanalyst in the Freud’s circle.
A picture of Freud given to Reich as a remembrance with Freud’s inscription
stating to Dr. Wilhelm Reich as a kind remembrance of Sig Freud in March
1925. This picture is posted at the Wilhelm Reich Museum in Rangeley,
Maine.
This is the Freud’s picture; this is the picture that Freud gave to Reich ass a remembrance and this picture is hanging on the wall of Wilhelm Reich Museum in the Rangeley Main. Freud himself inscribed under the picture stating “To Wilhelm Reich as a remembrance” and dated and signed the picture.
Wilhelm Reich Museum in Rangeley, Maine.
Those who have not visited Wilhelm Reich Museum I encourage them to do it is in the Rangeley Main, it is a serene place very nice, very quiet, with many lakes around it, it is a marvelous vacation place and also a good learning experiment. This is a slide of Wilhelm Reich Museum.
Erwin Stengel, Grete Bibring-Lehner,
Rudolph Lowenstein, and Wilhelm
Reich at the 1934 Lucerne
Psychoanalytic Congress.
Now, this is a picture of Wilhelm Reich, in the Lucerne conference in 1934
This was an international Psychoanalytic Conference. The reason I am showing this slide to you is for you to realize how central figure he is for psychoanalysis at that time, he is an authority in psychoanalysis, he is talking and others around him are listening to him. I want to convey that his knowledge in psychoanalysis is very deep. Someone with deep knowledge in a scientific branch can also further that knowledge. Know that we establish that Freud’s psychoanalysis was the basis of what Reich developed latter on, I will quickly go over some essential principles of psychoanalysis. Freud developed three major theories:
Freud developed 3 major theories
throughout his life
- Libido theory (economic theory)
- Topographic theory (theory of Conscious and Unconscious)
- Structural theory, (theory of Id, Ego and Superego).
First Theory is Libido Theory, or economic theory. The second theory is Topographic Theory, or the theory of Conscious and unconscious, and the third theory is Structural Theory, or the theory of Id, Ego, Superego.
Now, first let’s explain a bit Libido Theory; Freud hypostasized that there must be an innate energy in the child that propagates the life. By observation of the newborns and children he made these assumptions that an innate energy operates in the newborn and goes through different stages of development. Freud made the fallowing conclusion (Slide)
Libido theory
“Economic theory”
- Hypothetical psychosexual energy operating in
newborn- Is the source of propagation of life
- Instincts get their power from this energy source
- Neurosis develops when this energy is blocked.
Topographic Theory, or the Theory of Conscious and unconscious:
Freud assumed that under the human conscious mind there is a larger segment of unconscious, that influences our lives and influences our decisions and pushes us toward directions which we are consciously unaware of it. Psychoneurotic symptoms are manifestations of conflicts that are rooted in the unconscious. Freud postulated that psychoanalytic technique can penetrate into unconscious and bring the unconscious conflict to the consciousness and Freud postulated that when unconscious roots of the conflict becomes conscious than symptoms should improve.
Topographic theory
- Under the conscious mind there is a larger
hidden segment of unconscious- Psychoneurotic symptoms are manifestations
of conflict rooted in a person’s unconscious- Freud postulated that by psychoanalytic
technique when the unconscious becomes
conscious neurotic symptoms should improve.
Structural theory of the Freud or the Theory of ID, EGO and Superego:
Structural theory
- Freud divided human psychological structure
to 3 components- Id – Which are instinctual strivings
- Ego – Face and interact with the world
- Superego – Which is internalized social,
parental and religious values, causes approval
& disapproval, creates guilt and demands
punitive measures.
Freud hypothetically divided human psychosexual structure to three components, Id which is the component of instincts, Ego which is the component that deals, interacts and negotiates with the world, and Superego which is the internalized social, parental and religious values and causes approval or disapproval and creates guilt and demands punitive measures. These three basic theories of Freud overlap in some points with each other.
Freud suggested two types of neurosis, one type of neurosis he called Stasis Neurosis or Actual Neurosis.
Freud suggested 2 types of neurosis
- Stasis neurosis or actual neurosis, which is caused
by disturbance of sexual life, damming up of
libido energy (psychosexual energy) which causes
toxic reaction in the body such as palpitation,
hyperventilation and high level of anxiety and can
be cured by counseling and helping the patient
not to be abstinent- Psychoneurosis, develops because of unconscious
conflict and can be cured by psychoanalysis.
This neurosis, Freud said, happens when the flow of Libido Energy is blocked because of abstinence which in turn it causes accumulation of the energy and causes toxic reaction and that causes symptoms of neurosis like palpitation, hyperventilation, similar to toxic reaction of elevated thyroid hormone and thyrotoxicosis. Freud suggested that by counselling and helping the patient not to be obstinate, this neurosis will be cured. The second type of Neurosis, was postulated by Freud was called Psychoneurosis, this neurosis was a consequence of unconscious conflict which patient is unaware of it. However, Freud himself agreed that under each psychoneurosis there is a core of stasis neurosis and with each stasis neurosis there is as component of psychoneurosis. So, Reich questioned that since each neurosis contains the other neurotic components as well, and then there is no reason to differentiate between each type of neurosis.
However Freud agreed that underneath of each psychoneurosis there is a core of Stasis neurosis and with each Stasis neurosis there is a component of psychoneurosis. By this consideration no differentiation between neurosis and psychoneurosis seems necessary.
Now to treat psychoneurosis, to penetrate into the unconscious of a patient and make unconscious conscious, we need to have a technique. That technique is Freudian Psychoanalysis. In Psychanalytic technique, Freud suggested that the patient should lay down on a coach and he or she is encouraged to free associate. To talk whatever comes to his mind. By free association, one idea will bring up another idea, like the links of the chain which this eventually will lead us to the unconscious conflict and according to Freud when unconscious conflict gets conscious, the neurotic symptom should improve. Psychoanalyst during the psychoanalysis leads the patient toward discovery of the unconscious conflict.
Freud’s Psychoanalytic Technique
- Patient lies on couch and is encouraged to say
whatever comes to his mind- By free association ideas like links of chain will
lead to unconscious conflict- Dream interpretation
- This technique is to make unconscious roots of
the conflict conscious and according to Freud
when unconscious becomes conscious patient
should improve.
Freud also suggested dream interpretation, because dreams contain unconscious elements in a form of symbolic way and dream interpretation helps uncovering some of the unconscious issues.
Picture of psychoanalytic setting
This is a picture of psychoanalytic setting; the psychoanalyst sits on the top of the coach and the patient lays on the coach. Freud postulated that laying position makes easier for the patient to free associate. Also, it was suggested that analyst to be out of the site of the patient.
Psychoanalytic theory and technique does not always work.
However psychoanalytic technique and making unconscious conscious does not always work. Patients often resist the process of psychoanalysis, they do not free associate, or even when they cooperate and eventually reach to the unconscious conflict, often they do not improve. In such cases they only gain an intellectual understanding, they cognitively know why they are feeling miserable or acting in a certain unhealthy way but the still continue to feel miserable and continue to behave in the unhealthy manner and they are helpless to change it. So psychoanalytic theory and technique sometimes work and sometimes doesn’t.
This is the cover picture of Time Magazine in November issue of 1993. The title of the picture says: Is Freud Dead. The author in this article concludes that psychoanalysis and all of its offshoots may in final analysis turn out to be no more reliable then countless other Pseudoscience.
The author of this article states:
“Psychoanalysis and all of its offshoots may in final analysis turn out to be no more reliable than countless other pseudoscience’s”.
Now, keep in mind that this is a major discovery, Freud did a major discovery, and because it is halfway done, because sometimes it does not give results, people have prematurely dismissed it and labeled it “Pseudoscience” Reich, in the book “Reich Speaks of Freud” says : Freud was the Moses who did not reach to promise land! And that is true, he didn’t reach the promise land because the discovery is halfway done and is not complete. Here is where Reich comes to the scene.
Reich was a student of Freud and was analyzing the patients according to Freud’s teachings and instructions, Reich realized that sometimes when unconscious becomes conscious patients improve, sometimes they do not. So, in his mind he was questioning “why”. Reich in the book “Function of Orgasm” gives two examples. First case is a student that Freud referred to Reich, who was suffering from obsessions and was counting a lot. Everything was changing into numbers. Reich analyzed this patient according to Freud’s suggestions and on the ninth month of the analysis an incest fantasy broke through and patient was consequently was able to have satisfying sexual release. The patient had relapse of symptoms and setbacks for few episodes which improved by subsequent satisfying sexual experiences and eventually the symptoms remitted and after he became capable of healthy sexual life, he married and stayed free of symptoms for six years that Reich had contact with him.
In the book of “The Function of Orgasm”, Reich writes about two patients who were treated with psychoanalysis. One of whom had a successful outcome and the other did not.
Concomitantly Reich was analyzing another patient, a waiter whose main symptom was sexual impotence. Reich says” During the third year of the psychoanalysis we arrived at the perfect reconstruction of Primal Scene. He was two years old when this occurred. His mother gave birth to a child and from the adjacent room he had been able to observe every detail of the delivery. The impression of a large bloody hole between mother’s leg became firmly ingrained in his mind. In conscious level he only sensed an emptiness in his own genitals. Based on psychoanalytic knowledge of that time I merely connected his inability to have erection to his severely traumatic impression of seeing the castrated female genital. This analysis was no doubt correct, but at that time I incorrectly assessed the total personality of my patient. He was very quiet, well mannered, well behaved person. He agreed with everything that he was asked to do. In a course of three years of his treatment he never once became angry or exercise criticism, thus according to the prevailing thought of that time he was fully integrated, adjusted character with only one acute symptom, monosymptomatic neurosis.
Reich presented this case to the older analysts at that time and he was praised by them. Reich then thought that if the analysis is fine, then why is that the patient has not improved?
Even when unconscious conflict of neurotic symptoms is discovered the symptoms may persist.
Reich says that he realized that the major problem was this waiter’s unshakable calmness, tranquility and agreeableness that everyone thought that it was an asset, but real sickness was his character. Reich says that after three years of analysis he terminated the analysis and the patient was not improved. The patient accepted the termination as he accepted everything else in his life with politeness calmness. So, Reich realized that the real sickness was this patient’s character and the symptom was sustained on the base of this unhealthy character.
From here on Reich moves to character analysis vs. symptom analysis Patient’s whole character resists the treatment It is not important “what the patient says”, It is important “how he says it”.
From here on Reich moves into character analysis. He realizes that character is the basis of the illness. The character analysis the takes priority since when character is intact, even when unconscious conflict becomes conscious, the patient dose not improve. Reich moved to character analysis versus symptom analysis, he said it is more important “How patient says” rather than “What he says”. He presented this approach to Freud, but Freud did not approve it and said that whatever patient says should be analyze as it is said. So, Reich, from here on drifted away from Freud and developed two theories, the theory of armoring and the theory of orgasm.
Hence Reich developed 2 major
theories
- A. Theory of Armoring
- B. Theory of Orgasm
These are two main psychiatric theories of Wilhelm Reich. Dr. Herskowitz once in one of his lectures said that the discovery of armoring is one of the most important discoveries in psychiatry, which is unknown and unnoticed by conventional psychiatry.
The theory of armoring
- The theory of armoring developed in the process of Reich’s work with patient’s resistances to treatment.
The Theory of armoring developed in the process of Reich’s works with the patient’s resistances. Reich discovered that the patients’ whole character resists to the process of psychoanalysis. It is interesting that in the process of psychoanalysis, when the patient’s’ character is mentioned, patients usually become defensive and deny any negative aspect of their character.
Reich discovered that the patient’s whole character resists the process of psychoanalysis. It resists the change like aforementioned polite and agreeable waiter.
Character armor is defined as the sum total of character attitude which an individual develops ass a defense against emotional excitation resulting in rigidities in the body and lack of genuine emotional contact.
Character armor is defined as the sum total of character attitudes which an individual develops as defense against his emotional excitations resulting in rigidity of the body and lack of genuine emotional contact.
Character analysis although is in variance with psychoanalytic technique, but still is in the domain of psychoanalysis because it still is in the turf of interacting with the words.
From 1926 Reich suggested character analysis versus symptoms analysis. Character analysis although in variance with Freud’s technique but still works in the realm of psyche.
Now character armor has a physical counterpart.
Character armor has a physical and muscular counterpart which is functionally identical with it but works in the physical realm.
A patient who is always smiling and nice will develop some muscular contractions and rigidities in his or her face and mouth which as time goes on it becomes permeant feature and turns into muscular armor, now from here on Reich is moving into physical state, into the body. Emotional armor and physical armor are counterpart of each other and functionally identical with each other, one in the realm of psyche and the other in the realm of body (soma).
Emotional armor and physical armor are counterpart of each other and are functionally identical with each other, one in the realm of psyche and the other in the realm of body.
Now these things are not known in the conventional psychiatry, they don’t understand the physical component of the psychological features. Reich gives an example of muscular armor in the book “Function of Orgasm”:
An example of muscular armor from the book “The Function of Orgasm”.
“A man with stiff neck”.
Reich says: “I treated a man who offered a considerable resistance to the uncovering of his passive homosexual fantasies. This resistance was overtly expressed in the extreme stiffness in his throat and stiff neck. A concentrated attack on his defense finally caused him to yield though in an alarming way. For three days he was shaken by acute manifestation of vegetative shock the paler of his face changed rapidly from white to yellow to blue, his skin was spotted and mottled, he experienced violent pains in the neck and back of the head, his heartbeat was rapid and pounding and had diarrhea. He felt tired and seemed to have lost control. I was uneasy, true. I had often seen similar symptoms but never in such a violent form. Something had happened here that while somehow a legitimate part of the work was not immediately intelligible. Affects had broken through somatically after the patient had relinquished his attitude of psychic defense. Apparently the stiff neck which emphasized austere masculinity had bond vegetative energies, which now broke loose in an uncontrollable and chaotic manner. A person with an ordered sexual economy is not capable of such reaction. Only continues inhibition and damming up of biological energy can produce it. The musculature has served the function of inhibition. When the neck muscle relaxed powerful impulses as if unleashed from a taught coil broke through”. Reich then describes the technique to dissolve character armor as well as its’ counterpart, muscular and physical armor.
Dr. Reich developed and describes a technique to dissolve the character armor and its counterpart physical armor in the books of “Character Analysis” & “The Function of Orgasm” and Dr. Herskowitz described it in the book of “Emotional Armoring”.
The technique of dissolving character armor and physical armor is described by Reich in the book “Character Analysis’ and the book “Function of Orgasm” and also it is described in the book, “Emotional Armoring” written by Dr. Morton Herskowitz. “Pictures of the books”
Wilhelm Reich
THE FUNCTION
OF THE ORGASM
Volume 1 of the Discovery of the Orgone
Wilhelm Reich
CHARACTER ANALYSIS
THIRD, ENLARGED EDITION
As we described earlier, character armor and physical armor are counterpart of each other, but in the deeper level they are conjoined with each other.
This point of view is also unfamiliar to conventional medicine and psychiatry. If you open any psychiatry or medical book and go to the chapter of psych-somatic medicine, in the first couple of pages you will see the declaration of the author stating that psyche and soma are interrelated and interconnected, but when you keep reading a bit more you will reserialize that they talk as if psyche is here and somas is somewhere there, as if they are two separate entities. This is because they do not know the way they are connected with each other. So, chronic contraction of the body tissue that constitutes the muscular and physical armor, is mediated by vegetative or autonomic nervous system therefore the treatment technique to dissolve the physical armor is called “Vegetotherapy”
Chronic contraction of body tissues is mediated by vegetative (autonomic) nervous system. Treatment technique of physical armoring is called vegetotherapy by Dr. Reich.
It is called Vegetotherapy because chronic and involuntary muscular contractions are in relation to autonomic nervous system. Vegetotherapy is functionally the same work as character analysis but in a deeper level, in the body and in the muscular realm.
Vegetotherapy means the same work as character analysis but in a deeper level of biological system.
As we said earlier Reich has developed two major theories, the theory of armoring and the theory of orgasm, these two theories at the end get integrated with each other and become counterpart of each other. Dissolution of the armor leads to establishment of natural orgiastic potency.
The theory of armoring and theory of orgasm are interrelated with each other dissolution of armor leads to establishment of natural orgastic potency.
In the book of “Function of Orgasm” Reich describes the changes in patients in whom the armoring is dissolved and orgiastic potency were restored.
In the book of “The Function of Orgasm” Reich describes the changes in the patients in whom the armor was dissolved and healthy sexual functioning was restored.
Reich says: quit spontaneously patients start to experience moralistic attitudes of the world around them something alien and peculiar. No matter how tenaciously they might have defended premarital chastity beforehand, now they experience this demand as grotesque. Such demands no longer had any relevance to them, they became indifferent to them. Their attitude toward the work changed, if they have previously worked mechanically, not demonstrating real interest, they became discriminating. The change in the sexual sphere was just as pronounced, patients’ who felt no qualms about going to prostitutes became incapable for doing so. Wives who had patiently endured living with unloving husband and submitted to sexual act out of marital obligation, they could no longer do so, and they simply refused they had enough. Reich says that when the armoring dissolved and sexual potency is retorted, people developed a character like Jesus Chris character, they became self-regulated, they did not need police to behave.
I will now mention some of the important points regarding to the Theory of Orgasm:
The Theory of Orgasm
- This theory corresponds with Freud’s theory
of neurosis- Reich says: That orgastic impotence is not just
one of many symptoms of neurosis but it is
the most important symptom as well as the
cause of neurosis- All neurotic patients are orgastically disturbed.
Dr. Harry Lewis will be talking about it in more details later today. The theory of orgasm corresponds with Freud’s theory of Neurosis, Reich says that the orgiastic impotence is not just one symptom of neurosis but it is the most important symptom as well as the cause of neurosis. All neurotic patients are orgasticly disturbed. This statement was objected by Reich’s contemporary psychiatrists and psychoanalysts. Many of them stated that they have neurotic patients that are orgastically very potent, that they can have sex several times in one night. However, that sexual potency, when is probed a bit, becomes evident that it is not a genuine potency. They either were unable to reach to orgasm, or they had premature ejaculation, or they had to use strange fantasies to achieve orgasm, or after the orgasm they were experiencing a sense of disgust within themselves, etc.
In Orgonomy orgastic potency is defined as person’s ability to surrender to the flow of biological energy free of any inhibition or fantasy and its capacity to discharge completely the dammed up sexual excitation through involuntary pleasurable convulsions.
In Orgonomy, orgasmic potency is defined as person’s ability to surrender to the flow of biological energy, free of any inhibition or fantasy and its capacity to discharge completely the dammed up sexual excitation by involuntary pleasurable convulsions.
Orgasm theory is rich in encompassing concept of expansion and contraction of the living organism and its psychological expression of pleasure and displeasure as well as it’s relation to autonomic nervous system.
Orgasm theory is a rich theory and encompasses concepts of expansion and contraction of living protoplasm and its psychological expression of pleasure and displeasure as well as its relation to autonomic nervous system.
Now you can see the difference of treatment theory and approach based on Reich’s description comparing to conventional psychoanalysis and medicine. Psychoanalysis stopes in the most superficial level of psyche, while in Orgonomy it penetrates to the muscles and even deeper into autonomic nervous system, which is far deeper in the tissues and therefore psychiatric orgone therapy brings changes to the patients which are very basic and fundamental.
Orgastic potency and the process of armoring in deeper level are connected with each other. These are connected with each other, they also are function of autonomic nervous system, which governs the involuntary process of contraction and expansion of the body by sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous branches.
Orgastic potency and the process of armoring both in deeper level are connected to function of autonomic nervous system which governs the involuntary process of contraction and expansion of the body by sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous branches.
Now that we recognize that armoring is related to muscular contractions which are mediated by autonomic nervous system, then it is logical to infer that this chronic contraction of the muscles and tissues should cause some physical problems as well. These pathologic changes of the tissues as a consequence of armoring is called Biopathy by Reich. In the book “Cancer biopathy” Reich used the term biopathy for such a physical condition.
- Now that we recognize the physical armoring by
contractions of muscles and body tissues and its
relation to autonomic nervous system, it is logical
to conclude that many physical illnesses may also
arise because of the armoring.- Reich in the book of cancer biopathy used the
term biopathy for such physical conditions.- Reich says: “The term biopathy refers to all disease
processes caused by basic dysfunction in the autonomic or
vegetative nervous system….”
Reich says: “The term Biopathy is referred to all disease processes which is caused by basic dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. Once this happens it can develop neurosis, or cancer or different types of the physical illnesses ”
Now if armoring of the organism is detrimental to its health then why does it happen?
Now if armoring is such a bad thing, if it is detrimental to the health of the humans, that it causes psychological and physical illnesses, then why it happens. Why human animal becomes armored.
Armoring happens in the process of child’s interaction with his environment. This aspect of the Orgonomy enters to the realm of sociology that Dr. Philip Bennett will be talking about it. The anti-sexual and authoritarian upbringing of the children which is prevalent in the most cultures are the main cause of armoring. Schematically the process of armoring is as follows:
- Armoring happens in the process of a child’s
interactions with his environment.- The antisexual and authoritarian upbringings
of children prevalent in most cultures are the
main cause of armoring.- Schematically the process of armoring is as
follows:
Child initially resists the inhibition that is imposed by the outer world, through some temper tantrums but eventually submits to it and part of the drive splits and identifies with the oppressing force ,turns against itself and soon the oppression from outside becomes unnecessary because part of the child’s impulse dose the function of oppressing force of outer world. In the interface of these two forces armoring develops.
This is the process of persistence of the traditions, behavior and sicknesses that goes from one generation to the next generation. I have many patients that they say, ” Doctor I hated when my mother or father was doing this to me, I thought I will never do it to my children, but I find myself doing the same thing to my children” Because it has become ingrained in the armor and operates automatically.
From here on sociological branch of Orgonomy starts which deals with socio-cultural norms that causes armoring.
The model of the human psychological structure in psychoanalysis is Id, Ego Superego. However in the Orgonomy the model of human psychological structure is, Core, Middle layer and periphery.
Orgonomic model for a healthy organism is composed
of core, middle layer and periphery.
This is depiction of an unarmored human psychological structure in which the impulses are able to be expressed undistorted.
Diagram depicting basic function in armored organism.
The inhibition of primary impulses produces secondary
impulses and anxiety.
This is the armored structure.
Schema of the structure of the armor
The armor prevents and distorts the primary impulses and makes secondary impulses which are distorted forms of the genuine primary impulses. Secondary drives can manifest themselves as sadistic and destructive drives, greed, distorted sexual impulses lascivitisness. which then has to be covered up by insincere excessive politeness, kindness or harsh moral attitudes. The armor is complicated interlacing forces acting against each other.
In the book “Mass Psychology of Fascism” Reich says: Extensive and painstaking therapeutic work on the human character has led me to conclude that as a rule we are dealing with three different layers of biopsychic structure in the evaluation of human reaction. These three layers of the human character structure are deposits of social development which functions autonomously.
In the book “Mass Psychology of Fascism” Reich says: Extensive and painstaking
therapeutic work on the human character has led me to the conclusion that, as a rule, we are dealing with three different layers of the biopsychic structure in the evaluation of the human reactions. These layers of character structure are deposits of social development, which function autonomously.
Reich says: On the surface layer of his personality, the average man is reserved, polite, compassionate, responsible and conscientious. There would be no social tragedy of the human animal if this surface layer of the personality were in direct contact with the deep natural core. This, unfortunately, is not the case. The surface layer of social cooperation is not in contact with the deep biologic core of one’s selfhood; it is borne by a second, an intermediate character layer, which consists exclusively of cruel, sadistic, lewd, greedy and envious impulses. It represents the Freudian “unconscious” or “what is repressed”; to put it in the language of sex-economy, it represents the sum total of all so-called “secondary drives…
If one penetrates through this destructive second layer, deeper into the biologic substratum of the human animal, one always discovers the third, deepest, layer, which we call the biologic core. In this core, under favorable social conditions, man is an essentially honest, industrious, cooperative, loving and, if motivated, rationally hating animal.”
Reich says “Had I known it, I would have packed up and ran, but it is too late now”
The biological energy that works in the human organism and Freud called it Libido and Reich named it orgone, in the human organism, based on orgonomic assumption originates in the autonomic ganglions, and by pulsating manner propagates in the body by sympathetic and para sympathetic nervous branches. Vegetative centers are abundant in the lower abdominal area which is called solar, hypogastric and lumbosacral plexus. This assumption is supported by a physiology experiment done in Pavlov institute in Leningrad, Russia on 1961 in a paper written by Zamiatine.
The biological energy that operates in the human organism which Freud called it Libido and Reich named it Orgone, originates in vegetative ganglions and propagates through the body in a pulsating manner by vegetative nervous system. This vegetative centers are most abundant in lower abdominal area solar plexus, hypogastric plexus and lumbosacral plexus.
In this paper the author verifies that there is pulsation propagating from the ganglion independent of higher centers in a cat.
This orgonomic concept is supported in paper Zamiatine, N. (1961). Electrophysiological analysis of excitation conduction through ganglia of the solar plexus. Journal of physiology of USSR. 47(6), 1-8.
Schematic depiction of the ganglion emitting the energy.
Reich identified same energy that operates inside the living organism, orgone energy, in the environment, in the atmosphere, and tried to harvest it by different devices and used it medically.
From here on Biophysical aspects of Orgonomy branches off that Dr. Hutstiener will be talking about it.
- Reich identified the same energy, orgone
energy in the atmosphere and tried to harvest
it by different devices and use it medically.- From here on the biophysical branch of
Orgonomy develops.
Reich identified same energy that operates inside the living organism, orgone energy, in the environment, in the atmosphere, and tried to harvest it by different devices and used it medically.
Reich says: the basic theory belongs to Freud but I furthered it so much that he himself could not recognize it anymore.
Thank you.
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Every muscular contraction contains the history and meaning of its origin.
As usual, very interesting read. Dr. Simonian puts it in an easy way for all to understand (even a novice like me); quite interesting and informative, both about Freud’s as well as Dr. Reich’s works.
I like to learn more about relation of insite or intuition and unconscious. Did Reich alaborate about this?
Thank you for the question. Reich, in different books talked about unconscious and its effect on human behavior. I, however, have not seen direct comment by him regarding “intuition and unconscious”. However, it is a known fact in psychoanalysis that unconscious thoughts influence the persons conscious actions. Hence, intuition, which is defined as “knowing things without conscious reasoning” should also be related to unconscious knowledge that makes itself known without conscious reasoning or knowledge. This corresponds to psychoanalytic as well as orgonomy theories.