Authors: Alexander Lowen
ISBN-13: 9780140194715, ISBN-10: 0140194711
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Date Published: January 1994
Edition: Reissue
Bioenergetics is a dynamic form of therapy based on the teachings of Wilhelm Reich.
It links physical pain, muscle tension, and postural disorders with state of mind, demonstrating that suppressed emotions, unhappiness, and anger can block energy flow and cause physical distress. Dr. Alexander Lowen, founder and prime mover of this revolutionary therapy, analyzes common complaints like headaches and lower back pain and shows how they can be overcome by releasing the muscular tension that creates them. Through bioenergetic exercise, physical pain can be dissolved and emotion released, leading to a new sense of confidence and well-being. Illustrated by many helpful diagrams, this fascinating book is the first step to a happier, healthier life for thousands of men and women.
I. | From Reich to Bioenergetics | |
Reichian Therapy, 1940-1945 | 13 | |
Work as a Reichian Therapist, 1945-1953 | 25 | |
The Development of Bioenergetics | 35 | |
II. | The Energy Concept | |
Charge, Discharge, Flow and Movement | 45 | |
You Are Your Body | 54 | |
Mind, Spirit and Soul | 61 | |
The Life of the Body: The Bioenergetic Exercise | 69 | |
III. | The Language of the Body | |
The Heart of Life: The Heart of the Matter | 83 | |
Interacting with Life | 89 | |
Body Signs and Expressions | 99 | |
IV. | Bioenergetic Therapy | |
A Voyage in Self-Discovery | 105 | |
The Core of Therapy | 117 | |
Anxiety | 124 | |
V. | Pleasure: A Primary Orientation | |
The Pleasure Principle | 135 | |
The Ego and the Body | 142 | |
A Characterology | 151 | |
The Hierarchy of Character Types and a Bill of Rights | 170 | |
VI. | Reality: A Secondary Orientation | |
Reality and Illusion | 175 | |
Hang-Ups | 183 | |
Grounding | 193 | |
VII. | Falling Anxiety | |
The Fear of Height | 199 | |
An Exercise in Falling | 203 | |
The Causes of Falling Anxiety | 213 | |
Falling in Love | 218 | |
VIII. | Stress and Sex | |
Gravity: A General View of Stress | 225 | |
Lower-Back Pain | 232 | |
The Sexual Release | 244 | |
IX. | Self-Expression and Survival | |
Self-Expression and Spontaneity | 261 | |
Sound and Personality | 269 | |
The Eyes Are the Mirrors of the Soul | 279 | |
Headaches | 298 | |
X. | Consciousness: Unity and Duality | |
Expanding Consciousness | 305 | |
Words and the Heightening of Consciousness | 321 | |
Principles and Character | 330 | |
Index | 344 |