Reichian Therapy / Dr. Frisch’s Method

When we are open, we experience pleasure, liveliness, and vitality. Many of us, however, find that our lives and relationships feel painfully constricted. We develop coping strategies early in life to ward off difficult, uncomfortable feelings. These defenses become habitual and can inhibit us from experiencing joyful, expansive feelings as well as honest contact with our pain. We become frozen and trapped in our defenses, and can become physically ill. These symptoms are cries for help from our wounded past, a past that may keep us from being fully available to the present. Our contracted self is revealed in our character structure and body armor. To find our free, authentic self we must become conscious of our armoring – our self-distortions that turn us into unhealthy adults that attack, cling, isolate, dominate and distort reality.

As we shed unnecessary layers of armor and facade we begin to discover our true, creative, naturally sexual and spiritual natures.

What is Dr. Frisch’s Method?

Dr. Frisch was a clinician, teacher and supervisor for 4 decades. She has developed an innovative approach based, in part, on the theory and technique of Wilhelm Reich and includes the development of her own unique, formalized method founded on her years of experience.

From Reich, she teaches and practices Character Analysis, an out-of-the-box, at times confrontive, active and engaged dialogue with the patient’s defensive character patterns and unhealthy coping strategies that are visible and obvious in the room, in the here and now. The defensive patterns are usually part and parcel of the patient’s presenting list of problems and symptoms. She has elaborated on Reich’s character typology and expanded it – facilitating her acute perception in defining various patient patterns. Dr. Frisch guides the patient to change dysfunctional character armoring seen in the specific style of each patient. Her approach is an intensive, confrontational, personally demanding process for those who wish to profoundly change themselves and their life.

Dr. Frisch works with a mind/body approach, a critical theoretical underpinning of Wilhelm Reich. The mind/body are functionally identical as our character expresses itself in the body creating body armor. The body reflects our stress level, our chronic patterns of holding, our debilitated nervous systems and manifests symptoms: chronic pain, gut problems, irritable bowel, fatigue, headaches, etc. As we increase our capacity to breathe naturally, feel into our difficult memories, we are able to release chronic muscular tensions with deep massage, expressive exercises and subtle manipulations. The method creates relief and unwinds the distraught body/mind.

Dr. Frisch’s method includes a focus on early attachment stage ruptures that appear less as neurotic defenses, but are defined by more serious defensive patterns and symptoms. She helps the patient regulate their life in all areas: sleep issues, bad financial habits, work-related difficulties, communications problems and other aspects of a life that isn’t working.

She is an expert in marital therapy and works with couples and families to unwind difficult and painful patterns.

Dr. Frisch includes dream analysis and focuses on activation/individuation issues utilizing the theory of Carl Jung. She helps patients navigate through all stages of life including the attainment of transformative spiritual objectives as integral to a transcendent viewpoint.