The body psychotherapies of Reich, Lowen and Gendlin

Body psychotherapy is a type of psychological intervention that emerged in the second half of the 20th century and claimed the importance of physical functioning in the onset of neurosis and other disorders, as well as well-being global.

In this article we will describe what this therapy consists of and what aspects unite and separate three of the main theorists of body psychotherapy: Wilhelm Reich, Alexander Lowen and Eugene Gendlin.

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What is body psychotherapy?

The term “body psychotherapy” is used to refer to a body-centered set of interventions. These types of treatments became popular in the 1960s and 1970s; later they would come to be considered alternative and not very respectable methods, although interest in body therapy has grown again in the new century.

Unlike behaviorism, the psychoanalysis Y humanism, which dominated the field of psychotherapy at the time, body therapies do not focus on observable behavior or mental content, but on

the sensations experienced on a physical level. The organism itself is understood as the central aspect of human identity.

Within this framework, it is considered that bodily and psychological disorders, in particular neurosis, are a consequence of the accumulation of tension in different areas of the body, as well as the disconnection between mental life and organismic experience. However, the specific hypotheses vary depending on the school to which we refer.

There are several branches of body psychotherapy; most of them from theoretical models and methods developed by specific authors, some of whom were highly charismatic and exercised an almost messianic influence over their followers. Three of the most influential therapists in body therapy it was Reich, Lowen and Gendlin.

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Wilhelm Reich: Character-analytic Vegetotherapy

Wilhelm Reich (1897-1957) trained as a psychoanalyst, although he ended up being expelled from this movement. He was a peculiar figure who he attributed the neurosis to sexual repression and socioeconomic inequalities, and a fervent advocate of the integration of Freudianism and Marxism and of the sexual revolution. Many believed that he was mentally unstable.

Reich defended the existence of a "muscle memory" consisting of the physical record of childhood conflicts and trauma; these situations would generate defenses organized in seven rings of body tensions, associated with the chakras. He called the configuration of these defenses "characterological structure" and his study "character-analytic vegetable therapy."

The accumulation of tension is due, according to this author, to the repression of emotions in difficult situations in order to avoid the anxiety associated with their free expression. Reich's psychotherapy focused on the analysis of the interaction between muscle tension, bodily sensations, psychic trauma and character.

Reich postulated the existence of a biological-sexual energy called orgone to which he attributed physical and mental life, as well as atmospheric phenomena; in fact, this energy would be due to the light radiated by the sun. The word "orgone" is derived from "organism" and "orgasm."

Since Reich related neurosis to sexual dissatisfaction, he also developed orgasm therapy. Through this intervention he intended to help the patient to release accumulated sexual energy, which would decrease the accumulation of tension and allow the free circulation of orgone through the body.

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Alexander Lowen: Bioenergetic Analysis

The bioenergetic analysis of Alexander Lowen (1910-2008) he was greatly influenced by Reich's work. Both authors shared hypotheses on the sexual origin of the neurosis and on the bodily experience as a nucleus human experience, although Lowen departed from the postulates of his teacher when he began to focus on the orgone.

For Lowen, the organism of people constitutes an open energy system organized according to two poles: the head and the genitals. Under normal conditions the energy flows freely and balanced from one pole to the other, but the accumulation tension in different parts of the body can hinder this flow, generating alterations characteristic.

This author described five types of pathological personality based on the main points of tension and blockage, as well as on the physical and psychological characteristics. His bioenergetic therapy, consisting of specific exercises for each character disorder, had the objective of restoring the balance between body and mind by releasing energy.

The five bioenergetic characters Lowen described are as follows:

• Schizoid: people who have grown up in cold and hostile environments, whose thoughts are dissociated from emotional life and bodily experience.
• Oral: it is an egocentric and dependent personality or excessively independent, derived from the non-satisfaction of children's needs for affection.
• Masochistic: Excessive pressure from adults can make it difficult to seek pleasure, generating hostile and negative personalities with repressed aggressiveness.
• PsychopathicThese people deny their feelings and fear that others will take advantage of them, so they try to control and seduce others.
• Rigid: the rigid character is characterized by stubbornness, ambition, aggressiveness, interpersonal distancing, compulsive sexuality and denial of pleasure

Eugene Gendlin: Focusing

In addition to training as a psychotherapist under Carl Rogers, Eugene T. Gendlin (1926-2017) was a philosopher influenced by existentialism and phenomenology. Gendlin's focus of interest was the creation of meanings and symbols from bodily experience.

Gendlin called "experiencing" the ability of people to experience physical sensations. Through “experiencing” we can anchor ourselves to our body, while the symbolization of the experience allows us to express it in a healthy way on an emotional level.

Developing its main therapeutic tool, Focusing, with the aim of helping his patients to connect with their physical sensations and with life experiences. After properly processing them, the person would also become able to symbolize them correctly and attribute meaning to them.

According to Gendlin, Focusing, or "inner crucial act", consists of the following six steps:

• Clear a space: it is fundamentally about relaxing physically and mentally, distancing yourself from worries.
• Selecting a problem: deciding which personal concern will be worked on, feeling the associated emotions but without getting lost in them.
• Find a felt sense: fully feel the global emotion produced by the selected problem.
• Finding a handle: identifying a symbol (a word, a phrase, an image…) that accurately represents the problem.
• Resonate the handle: examine the relationship between the handle and the felt sense; if it's not perfect, find another grip.
• Ask questions: reflect on the felt sense and wait for answers that are accompanied by changes in emotions.