skip to Main Content

Reich’s Understanding of Character and Body Expression

Character and Body Expression

Reich discovered, through years of working with patients as well as methodical research, that “…the psychic structure is at the same time a biophysiological structure which represents a specific state indicative of the interplay of the person’s vegetative forces.” 1

What does this mean and how do we apply it to our lives?

In Orgonomic therapy we work to disrobe, if you will, the character — layer by layer. That means the therapist observes, points out, and explores with the client the way — the style that defines how the person engages within himself and the world. How do these character attitudes manifest and shape his total expression and are they effective or problematic? Our job as clinicians is to release our client from the severely limiting character traits that are defensive in nature, learned as a way to cope with early and later life challenges. Although the defenses ‘worked’ to some extent, they become liabilities with negative repercussions increasing with age if not altered.

For example, if a client habitually withdraws as a way to cope with life, that defense is unmasked and deeper feelings are released that have been bound in layers of armoring (the term Reich coined to describe character and biophysical defenses). Then the client learns a more effective and expansive way of relating by developing skill in self-expression rather than relying on retreat. Another example is if a client is emotionally controlling with outbursts of dramatic expression that dwarf the other; that habit is sheared away such that deeper feelings that drive the dramatic display are revealed and new ways of relating are instated. Harshness in style and tone is a sign of character and biophysical armor.

Read more

On the Way to Publication

Writing a book has been on my radar for many years as my method began to take shape; yet, the material had not ripened sufficiently until April 2015 when I officially committed to the process at Sea Ranch, California. I discovered a no-nonsense editor and began what would become a 2.5-year process.

In my mid-20’s, I was drawn to the theories and clinical approach of Wilhelm Reich while in a master’s degree program at Goddard College. As my own clinical practice and role as a mentor and teacher developed over the years, I realized the importance of updating Reich’s character typologies to include attachment theory while keeping the legacy of Reich in tact. Jung, the great master of dream analysis and transformational psychology, was an essential component of my analytic perspective. My method has taken shape over the years and is now ready to be shared.

Read more

Gratitude – Strong Medicine

It may sound cliché at this time of year to encourage thankfulness and gratitude – yet those attitudes are strong inner healing medicine for our minds and bodies. That medicine warms us from the inside out and gives us a sense of wellbeing. When we act with generosity towards others, we cultivate our natural expansiveness – we can relax rather than constrict. We escape the grip of our small, tightly woven, survival-oriented egos that assert their will over our more gracious and generous values. In those moments, when we live inside our smaller self – constricted, hyper-vigilant to what we are getting – we actually feel less worthy. When we experience our feelings of sufficiency, we know we are enough and can give to others as well as experience gratitude for all we receive. We can feel connected to others and to the beauty surrounding us – we can feel more alive. We see the preciousness of others and move beyond our own petty selfishness – hah liberation!

Read more

Learn Dr. Frisch’s Method Through Audio Courses

My Independent Study Program (ISP) offers students, professional therapists and patients easy access to audio teaching modules covering all aspects of therapeutic practice outside of a formal classroom process – in an organized and methodical fashion. After years of organizing and distilling the relevant clinical material of Reich, Masterson and Jung, I developed a method that teaches a precise clinical approach using discrete steps with functionally applicable tools – the basics of how to do therapy from soup-to-nuts.

Through teaching live classes for many years, and with the help of students who recorded a prodigious amount of these sessions, I began the mammoth job of editing all of the recordings with my terrific audio engineer, and created a compendium of CD’s and MP3’s that give public access to this abundant supply of theoretical and clinical information on Orgonomy and my own method. These audio learning programs feature lively student discussions, which include the listener as if he or she is attending the class. Of course, the CD’s were highly edited to eliminate compromising personal information in order to maintain strict confidentiality.

Read more

Touch in Psychotherapy

Touch in psychotherapy has been a controversial topic. This is a very complex discussion as there are many considerations to balance.

First though, let’s discuss a basic misconception still prevalent within vast swaths of psychotherapists and medical professionals, as well as society at large, for that matter. Namely, the mind/body dichotomy and it is still alive and well within psychotherapy since Freud. Wilhelm Reich bridged the scientific and theoretical gap between mind and body elegantly. Reich, through years of clinical experience with patients, and a legacy of scientifically validated laboratory experiments, documented how patients’ psychic conditions were reflected in medical conditions and how physical conditions were mirrored in the psyche.

Read more
Back To Top