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The Method of Modern Orgonomy

formerly: The Orgonomic Institute of Northern California (OINC)

About Dr. Frisch

In the mid-90’s, Dr. Patricia Frisch set about utilizing her decades of experience in Orgonomic Therapy and passion for teaching to begin providing professional/public workshops and trainings based on her clinical knowledge of Wilhelm Reich. Reich’s mind/body integrated approach to treatment is the foundation of somatic psychology.  Orgonomic treatment includes characteranalysis: a dynamic interplay that impacts unhealthy aspects of the patient’s character structure as well as biophysical work that transforms the body through opening the breath and releasing muscular holding. Treating both character structure and its biophysical manifestations helps ameliorate distressing symptoms.

Dr. Frisch’s Innovative Theoretical and Clinical Method

Dr. Frisch’s unique method evolved from her experiences as a clinician and teacher. She realized that Reich’s theories were based in the analytic context of his time and needed an update. She felt the theory could be enhanced with additions from Masterson and attachment theorists who came after Reich. She has expanded Reich’s character types to include pre-oedipal disorders of the Self as delineated by James Masterson.

Dr. Frisch’s professional trainings proved to be extremely successful in providing participants a rarely seen view of the potency of Reich’s techniques and Dr. Frisch’s method in the professional realm. She was inspired to develop her programs further and on January 1st, 2000, she formally launched The Orgonomic Institute of Northern California (OINC).

The Institute’s mission is to meet the needs of professionals and students who wish to be trained in the techniques of orgonomic bio-therapy and Dr. Frisch’s method, and to provide information to the public about the orgonomic therapeutic process. MMO achieves its mission through professionally designed and delivered trainings.

We invite you to view two short video clips: Dr. Frisch introducing the Orgonomic Institute in a preview clip titled Introduction, and Dr. Frisch giving a short orientation titled Orgonomy, which features her introducing this powerful therapeutic approach. These videos are part of the SAGE Video collection, published by SAGE Publications, Ltd.

Patricia Frisch PhD

Executive Director

about us

Patricia Frisch PhD, psychologist, MFT, is known as an expert in Wilhelm Reich’s characteranalytic and somatic approach, known as Orgonomy, as well as her own unique method that defines the nuts and bolts of clinical practice and enhanced clinical skills. Reichian theory is at the heart of current somatic approaches. Dr. Frisch was founder and Director of The Orgonomic Institute of Northern California (OINC) where she supervised and trained professionals in her method: characteranalysis, somatic interventions, and expanded  diagnostic typologies.  Her programs include instruction in Masterson’s Disorders of the Self, dream analysis, group therapy and couples therapy. Dr. Frisch created a comprehensive audio training program, which provides Independent Study through long-distance learning and certification options to students in the U.S. and internationally.

Dr Frisch’s book: Whole Therapist, Whole Patient: Integrating Reich, Masterson and Jung in Modern Psychotherapy, was published in 2018 by Routledge/Taylor & Francis.

She authored the Orgonomy (Reichian Therapy) chapter of SAGE Publications’ (2015) Encyclopedia of Theory in Counseling  and Psychotherapy and published a video through SAGE (2015).

She was founder and director of Counseling and Training Consultants, a non-profit which provided communications training for correctional officers and therapy for inmates at correctional facilities in California and Nevada, and supervised mental health professionals in California State Prisons for over 10 years, including a full treatment and training program at San Quentin. She was also a well-received workshop leader at Esalen® Institute for 10 years.

Books, Magazines and Publications:

Frisch, P. (2019, May/June) Psyche and Soma for Mental Health Professionals.

Energy Magazine (103), pp 41-43.
Retrieved from: https://ow.ly/4lEl50uygRR

Frisch, P. (2018) Whole Therapist, Whole Patient:  February 2018

Integrating Reich, Masterson, and Jung in Modern
Psychotherapy.
New York, NY: Routledge.

Frisch, Patricia (Producer & Author).  2011 – 2015
Copyright 2011 – 2015
33 Audio CD Courses.

Frisch, Patricia: Video: “Orgonomyin Sage Video:  June 2015
Product for Libraries: Counseling & Psychotherapy.   https://www.sagepub.com/video
Video Editors: Michael Carmichael and Rachael LeBlong, Sage Publications, Ltd. Toronto, Canada.

Frisch, Patricia: “Orgonomy (Reichian Therapy)
in  Encyclopedia of Theory in Counseling and Psychotherapy: March 2015

1st ed. Edited by Dr Edward Neukrug, General Editor.
Reference Publishing, Sage Publications, Inc., Thousand
Oaks, CA. 2015. 743-748. Print.

Frisch, Patricia and Emery, Alan. “Eight Years at San Quentin”,
AHP Perspective Newsletter, Edited by Kathleen Erickson, Association of Humanistic Psychology, San Francisco, CA.

Press:

Whole Therapist, Whole Patient: Integrating Reich, Masterson, and Jung in Modern Psychotherapy – Press Release

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