When Reich Was Cool and Jazz Was Hot

I recently had the opportunity to correspond with blog follower Jessica Williams, a renowned musician and composer. Music critics have referred to her as one of the greatest pianists of our time, with a jazz style that is experimental and avant-garde. Ms. Williams has had a longstanding interest Wilhelm Reich’s work and, in 1979, made an LP record entitled Orgonomic Music. She has written beautifully about Reich and the emotional plague in her blog CURRENTS: The Collected Writings of Jessica Williams. 

If you haven’t yet heard Ms. Williams’ music, treat yourself and be carried away by her beautiful compositions and remarkable technique. She was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1948 and began piano lessons at the age of four. Remarkably, at seven, she entered the Peabody Conservatory of Music. As a teen she moved to Philadelphia and played with the quintet of Philly Joe Jones, who had been the drummer with Miles Davis’ band. She left for San Francisco in the 1970s, where she played with notables such as Eddie Harris, Tony Williams, Dexter Gordon and Stan Getz. Ms. Williams now resides in Olympia, Washington. Throughout her career, she recorded many general release records and CDs and presently has at least 40 CDs available for purchase. 

Ms. Williams told me of a particular concern she has with those who have set themselves up as authorities on Reich. I am now in the process of researching and writing on the issue that troubles her and will address it in a future post. It is good to know there are still artists out there who appreciate Reich’s work and want it kept free from distortion.  

In the past, there was a strong connection between Reich’s ideas and the art world. Myron Sharaf, author of Fury on Earth, the acclaimed biography of Reich, wrote a letter to the editor of the magazine Commentary in 1962. In it, he spoke of the “sweep and depth” of Reich’s influence on major contemporary American artists such as Saul Bellow, Norman Mailer, Karl Shapiro, and Paul Goodman. 

Reich’s influence was especially strong in New York during the late 1950s and early 1960s, when artists of all kinds were becoming fascinated with psychology. Some became involved in Freudian psychoanalysis while others were taken with Reich’s ideas. Many experienced some form of “Reichian” therapy. 

At this time, in many circles, Reich was the height of hipness. William S. Burroughs (1914-1997) mentored Jack Kerouac (1922-1969) and Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997). It is reported he introduced them to Reich’s writings. These three were the icons of the Beat Generation. Burroughs included many references to orgone energy and Reich’s research in his novels, Kerouac wrote of the orgone accumulator in On the Road, and Ginsberg corresponded with Reich about his own emotional concerns. 

Burroughs, Kerouac and Ginsberg and their followers frequented the Manhattan nightclubs, listening to the music of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis, musicians Ginsberg dubbed as “secret heroes” to their group. It is evident, although not widely acknowledged or known, that Wilhelm Reich, jazz music, and the so-called Beat Generation are linked. 

At the same time, Reich’s ideas were generating interest among musicians. In the book Jazz Visions: Lennie Tristano and His Legacy, British jazz double bassist and record producer Peter Ind writes about Reich's influence on Tristano and other jazz musicians and artists during the 1950s, including Ronnie Ball and Gil Evans. Ind points out that the draw was that orgone therapy was less introspective and less cognitively-oriented than Freudian psychoanalysis.  

It is not accidental that orgone therapy was, and is, appealing to musicians who sense the energy in and around them and rely upon their contact with it to play. Musicians “spark” one another, making for performances where the energetic charge builds and affects both performers and audience. Hence it is said that performances are exciting, electrifying, thrilling, stirring, moving, stimulating, and so on. Also, when one is performing, they are feeling not thinking. Orgone therapy is, in part, about getting out of the world of the “thinking brain” and into the world of the “feeling body.” Improvisation, so fundamental to jazz, is not intellectual but spontaneous and immediate, free of conscious thought. I believe this can only be explained through an energetic connection. 

Emotions are based on the perception of the movement of orgone energy within the body. In fact, the word “emotion” is derived from the Latin emovere, which means “move.” It is also why we say we are moved when something, especially a musical piece, touches us emotionally. If a person’s energy is stagnant, they don’t feel much. However, if the energy becomes excited (as it does when one hears or plays music) and begins to move, the perception of feelings emerges. This is why music has the capacity to ignite deep feelings in both listener and performer. 

Just as some in the jazz world were being influenced by orgonomy, so too were practitioners of orgone therapy being influenced by the jazz scene. I am a fan of Thelonius Monk and heard him play in the 1960s and 1970s. I recall being with Dr. Morton Herskowitz when Monk was at the Showboat in Center City Philadelphia. Monk at times struck the treble keys not with his fingers but a two-foot long shoehorn, swaying from side to side, stamping time, and drinking whisky. Around the corner from the Showboat was Peps, another jazz emporium that brought in the finest musicians and vocalists. 

The Philly clubs, along with those in New York, were a center for the jazz greats, beginning in the late 1940s. I was fortunate to have seen many amazing musicians who were, or became, legends. I also grew friendly with a few. These experiences have added to my lifelong enjoyment of this wonderful musical genre.  

Those of my generation had the opportunity to live through a remarkable period of artistic and intellectual expression, a cultural wave that allowed Reich’s ideas to be embraced, for a time. I would even argue that Reich played a role in creating that wave, and hope one day history will properly recognize this contribution.

In the late 1960s, and even into the 1970s and 1980s, those of us involved in orgonomy held out hope that Reich’s discoveries would be accepted and really take off. That interest in orgone therapy would grow in an exponential fashion. We felt we were at the beginning. Unfortunately, the therapy I practice and know to be so beneficial has not caught on in the way we’d anticipated. There is far less interest in orgone therapy then there was decades ago. For example, while I do have a few patients who are artists, there is not nearly the demand for orgone therapy by those in the art world as there once was. 

On a personal level, I am glad to have helped many lead happier, more satisfying lives. Yet I do worry about the future of orgone therapy. Those few of us who continue to practice the treatment Reich pioneered are not young. Furthermore, beginning psychiatrists and psychologists have shown almost no interest to be trained in this unique method. My hope is that with the Internet people will not only come to know Reich in an intellectual way, but will also be inspired to experience the extraordinary therapy he pioneered. Perhaps some of these will then undertake training. In my experience, only by having therapy do people come to see the tremendous value of it and, by extension, the whole of Reich’s work. 

Through the years, gifted artists of all disciplines have experienced and benefitted from therapy. Correctly conducted therapy systematically loosens “armor,” chronic contractions within the body. Contractions are removed first in the upper body, which include the ocular, oral and cervical segments. Alleviating holding in these areas increases the flow of energy to the areas below, especially the thoracic (chest) segment which includes the shoulders, arms and hands. It is important to point out that armor is not not just physical but is also held in a person’s character. Character involves a complex set of thoughts and behaviors that have developed to defend against painful feelings.

The thoracic segment holds rage, reaching, longing and sobbing. During therapy sessions, as armor is dissolved, long-buried feelings that would otherwise remain unconscious are re-activated and their expression is allowed. For example, removal of armor might lead to feelings of heartbreaking sadness, which sobbing then relieves. With the breakdown of  armor, stronger contact with core feelings comes about and one feels better and more, emotionally and physically. Often even serious disorders such as chronic depression and bipolar illness can be treated effectively without psychotropic medications. It is truly a mind-body therapy. 

I have had the good fortune to treat a number of artists and virtually all have felt therapy has helped them with their artistic expression. Those who express their art with their arms, hands and chest are able to play their instrument, sing, or paint with more feeling. Their “mechanical” movements are not necessary improved, but their “heartfelt feelings” are better able to come though. This makes sense because reducing armor brings about better contact with the self and allows for freer expression of one’s individuality. Also, when energetic holding in the ocular (brain) segment is reduced, there is decreased intellectualization and increased spontaneity. Thinking always interferes with emotional and artistic expression. As Jessica Williams says: “Music doesn’t come from one’s hands. It comes from one’s HEART.” 

In my experience, therapy moves artists away from adherence to former, needed structure. For example, a patient of mine who is a painter had relied a great deal on copying and produced work that was detailed. She is happy to report she now is painting large, abstract forms in a much freer way. Transformations of this kind occur without any conscious effort on the artist’s part. Complexity gives way to more effortless expression of individuality. Art is performed more simply, one might say, more organically.

Of course, many vastly talented artists have not had psychiatric orgone therapy. Neurotic, and even psychotic, individuals can produce phenomenal work. Reich said artistic expression was able to come through “a hole” in the armor. However, painter Ken Noland, one of the best known color field painters, had a different perspective. In a January 2006 interview I conducted with him, he said he was not sure about a “hole" and that “probably armoring can be put in abeyance in creative circumstances, somehow put aside.” Sadly, Ken passed away on January 5th of this year. I will miss him. 

As for Jessica Williams, she says she has managed to discover a whole new type of music, which is not jazz. Instead of playing in smokey venues and immersing herself in all that such a lifestyle entails, she has chosen to focus on recording at her great piano right at home. She says: “Now my audiences are larger and the music, just as hip, is presented in the way it deserves. And I deserve.”  I feel much the same about my work, now, in the field of orgonomy. 

_________________________________________

Ms. Williams feels her most recent CD titled Jessica Williams: The Art of the Piano is her best yet. It is available for purchase along with her other music at http://jessicawilliams.com/cds/aotp.html. She is also working on a new CD, titled Touch.

Anti-Circumcision Group Needs Help

Georganne Chapin, Executive Director of Intact America, has just put out a message about an urgent and time-sensitive opportunity in the war against circumcision. The Massachusetts State Senate will consider the Male Genital Mutilation Bill on March 2nd, this coming Tuesday. If enacted, it would outlaw the genital mutilation of both young girls AND boys in that state.
The deadline is rapidly approaching and Intact America needs your help right now.  They are asking those who oppose circumcision to share their stories, and will make sure these personal testimonials are heard by the Joint Committee on Tuesday. This as a unique opportunity for those who feel strongly about this issue to have their voices heard and influence decision-making.  Whether you or a loved one has been harmed by circumcision, now is the time to give your statement. In fact, Ms. Chapin says anyone who opposes the practice can and should speak up now. 

Intact America has made submitting your testimony for Tuesday’s meeting really easy. Just click the link at the end of this post and you can share your story or opinion via the Intact America site. I will be submitting my testimony in this way and encourage those reading this post who oppose circumcision to do the same. It will only take a few minutes. Submissions must be in before Tuesday. 

As a psychiatrist, I am in the unique position of seeing the emotional devastation that circumcision can cause for those who have undergone this horrific experience. Many still think that if we don’t consciously remember traumatic events from infancy and early childhood, they don’t effect us. I know otherwise. In the course of the unique form of therapy that I practice, long repressed feelings and emotions that result from early painful, traumatic experiences are often relived. I know this is difficult to believe, especially for those who are unfamiliar with this method of treatment, but I have watched men in therapy re-experience their circumcisions, wide-eyed with terror and writhing in pain. There is no mistake about this. The circumcision experience has been locked within them throughout their lives and has adversely effected many aspects of their functioning. Thankfully, with therapy, they are often able to overcome this trauma and lead happier lives.


To submit your testimony click here. 

In appreciation of blog followers who make their statement to the Massachusetts State Senate, I will send them the first-of-its-kind official “Wilhelm Reich Today” coffee travel mug! The mug says: 

If Not Now--When? 

“Wilhelm Reich Today” 

orgonomist.blogspot.com 

Just email a note to info@thewilhelmreichcenter.com saying you have submitted your testimony, along with your name and shipping address, and your mug will be sent to you. Unfortunately, due to the cost of shipping, this offer has to be limited to those who live within the contiguous United States. 

Government vs. Raw Milk

An Associated Press report issued this morning calls attention to an important battle taking place here in the United States between dairy farmers that produce and sell unpasteurized milk, claiming it is safe, and government authorities who maintain pasteurization is the only way to assure destruction of pathogenic microorganisms that might be present. 


According to the report, which bears a Des Moines, Iowa tagline, debate about the health advantages and risks of raw milk is spilling into statehouses and courtrooms countrywide as raw milk advocates push to make unpasteurized dairy products easier for consumers to purchase.

I am glad to see this relatively little-known debate receiving the national attention it

deserves. We can expect that in the hours and days to follow a number of news venues will be picking up the AP report and writing on this matter, which makes this the perfect time for me to share my thoughts on the subject.

Avid raw milk drinkers swear by its taste and health benefits. Some believe consuming it cures asthma, prevents ear infections in children, strengthens bones and the immune system, and improves the functioning of those with autism. Indeed, a study published in the June 2006 Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology found that 4,767 children in rural England who lived on farms and drank unpasteurized milk had significantly fewer symptoms of asthma, hay fever and eczema than their pasteurized milk drinking peers. A follow-up European study of nearly 15,000 children published in the May 2007 issue of Clinical and Experimental Allergy found children who drank unpasteurized milk were less likely to have asthma and hay fever.

However, the FDA claims health risks associated with drinking raw milk far outweigh any benefits. It strongly advises against consuming it and, under its commerce clause powers, has banned its interstate transport and sale. Laws among states differ greatly. Some have banned its sale, other states allow it but strictly for non-human (animal) consumption, while others allow its sale to the public at large. But even where legal, raw milk dairy farmers are harassed by the FDA and local authorities, who are increasingly committed to overseeing and regulating production. 

I recently attended a lecture and book signing by journalist David Gumpert, who writes on matters of health. His most recent book The Raw Milk Revolution: Behind America’s Emerging Battle Over Food Rights provides an engaging and informative account of the ongoing clash between the government and dairy farmers. Blog follower Joseph Heckman, Ph.D., a professor of soil science at Rutgers University, hosted the lecture and alerted me to it. I am glad he did! Mr. Gumpert spoke about many aspects of this debate, including the overall safety of unpasteurized milk, presenting a wealth of statistics to prove his point. He has become an important spokesperson for the raw milk movement, asserting that people be allowed to return to enjoying this natural drink. 

Pasteurization was introduced by French chemist Louis Pasteur in the mid-19th century and thereafter became the norm for milk. Prior to this, drinking milk posed serious health hazards and many became ill. Conditions on dairy farms were often atrocious. Cows were kept under filthy conditions, water was contaminated and there was no refrigeration. It’s no wonder milk-borne illnesses were common. With widespread implementation of pasteurization, milk and its various products were made quite safe. Pasteurization largely, but not always, prevents food-borne sickness, ranging from mild food poisoning to serious illnesses caused by contaminants such as listeria, salmonella and E. coli. 

No one argues the assertion that pasteurization was an enormous advance for public health, or that it remains valuable. However, healthy cows raised in a clean environment don’t produce contaminated milk, and refrigeration keeps it fresh. Today’s dairy farmers who produce unpasteurized milk take pride in their clean facilities and in their first-rate healthy cows, certified free of disease.

Following Mr. Gumpert’s lecture, I had the opportunity to speak from the audience about the similarity between the current situation facing these milk producers and Wilhelm Reich’s ordeal. I spoke about Reich’s fate at the hands of the FDA. Here was a brilliant scientist who died in prison because his natural health products and information were transported across state lines. I also said that what happened to Reich and what these dairy farmers are now up against can be understood in the context of what Reich discovered and termed the “emotional plague,” a force that drives authorities to exert control over the lives of others for their own good.

One might expect that honorable people with good intentions, on both sides of the table, could somehow resolve the raw milk issue without battling in court. After all, people consume raw or undercooked products all the time, as with sushi, clams and oysters on the half shell, beef carpaccio, or simply a rare burger. None of these are banned. But common sense won’t prevail. Nor is it a question of needing more information, more facts pro or con, to settle the matter. 

I contend no matter how much proof of safety is presented or what additional information is provided, the government authorities will never relent in their efforts to end sales of unpasteurized milk. If farmers, brave or foolish enough, elect to violate the inevitable court decisions in favor of the FDA, I fear they will be imprisoned as Reich was. Here’s why. The safety of unpasteurized milk and the best interest of the public are not the sole or even primary reason for the government’s attack. It is its stated reason, and because the safety issue does have validity and is partly right, the more insidious underlying aspect of the emotional plague remains hidden. 

What we know from Reich is that the emotional plague has infiltrated society’s institutions. Many who have gotten themselves into positions of authority over others are afflicted with this illness. The emotional plague was so named by Reich to indicate the condition’s psychological roots and contagious nature. The principal element of the plague is a compulsion to control the natural behavior of others. Those suffering with the plague cannot tolerate actions that don’t conform to their rigid ways of thinking. When people choose to live as they see fit, especially when it is in accord with healthy, natural functioning, those afflicted with the plague experience intense anxiety. They cannot tolerate the feelings that rise up in them when people are happy and enjoying life naturally. Their thinking and actions are always extremely well-rationalized as being for the common good. Remarkably, they are entirely unaware that their true motive is not the best interest of others. They do not see their irrationality or their inability to act fairly on matters that effect them emotionally.

Unlike the neurotic who suffers inwardly without troubling others, “plaguey” people deal with their emotional upset by attempting to control its source, the behavior of others, which stirs up in them an intense longing for living the natural life that they themselves cannot live. But they just don’t see it. In their minds they must stop “dangerous” activities and behaviors, never realizing their prohibitive actions are not really for the good of others but rather to make themselves feel better by putting an end to the behavior that makes them intensely anxious. Controlling others makes plague-ridden individuals feel better, at least temporarily.

The emotional plague is often found in individuals who are bright and endowed with a high level of energy. This combination enables them to rise through the ranks into positions of authority. As officials with power, they are now really in a position to exert control over others. It is no mistake they have gotten themselves into these positions. Their livelihoods serve as a defensive mechanism to ward off their intense anxiety. It cannot be over-emphasized that plague-ridden individuals and the institutions they control have no insight into their destructive behavior. They believe, in their heart of hearts, what they are doing is right and necessary. There is always an element of truth that justifies their control over others. It is this truth--the partly right--that creates much confusion and allows others, on the sidelines, to so easily get caught up in the plague’s activity. In the case of unpasteurized milk, the assertion of a health hazard causes many decent and openminded people to side with the FDA. Notwithstanding, there may often be a sense something is not right in what the government is doing, but good people can’t place a finger on it. Try as they might, they won’t find what that “something” is because the driving force behind the FDA’s attack is the unseen hand of the emotional plague. 

Reich wrote in Character Analysis (1933) that the plague “has to give way when confronted, clearly and uncompromisingly, with rational thinking and the natural feeling for life.” Was he naive or did he think this way because he had not yet, himself, experienced its full power? Whatever led him to believe as he did in those early days, I am certain that he did not hold the same opinion in 1957, when confined to his prison cell. Reich was not only imprisoned, but on orders of the FDA, his books were burned. When the “little guy” comes up against “big brother” plague wielding its enormous power, the odds of succeeding in a battle are slim at best. 

Nevertheless the emotional plague can and must be fought. The battle over raw milk is an important one. If it isn’t won, we will all be on the slippery slope, raw milk drinkers or not. Increasing controls on the foods we eat and the health measures we choose are limitless. Next could be mandated irradiation of food, as Mr. Gumpert points out. 

Raw milk advocates have their work cut out for them. I believe they are doing the right thing by organizing demonstrations to gain media attention, especially outside of the courtrooms where dairy farmers are being prosecuted. I also think it important to continue to get the message out to consumers about the relative safety of unpasteurized milk in whatever ways possible. Given the expensive nature of court battles, funding for the legal defense of targeted farmers will have to come from individuals and organizations that support natural health and wellness, free from government control. Finally, I offer that raw milk advocates consider using the adjective “unpasteurized” as opposed to “raw,” which seems to me could conjure up the unpleasant image of bloody meat. Referring to the milk as “organic, unpasteurized, certified safe” or something along these lines may improve its overall image. 

I encourage my readers visit David Gumpert’s blog, The Complete Patient, and to read his book The Raw Milk Revolution. It might appear worlds apart from Wilhelm Reich’s The Sexual Revolution, but the overall conclusion is the same, which is that people should be free to live their own lives, naturally, as they choose. Reich wrote about sexual repression as it existed then in the late 1920s. He was on the side on the unthinkable, defending natural functioning and healthy sexuality. Both Reich and Mr. Gumpert assert people have the right to live as they wish and both, in their own way, support a return to nature, or more natural functioning. For Reich it was the enjoyment and health benefits of sex, free of moralism and societal restraint. For Mr. Gumpert it is for the enjoyment and health benefits of natural foods, free of government control. Both declare it a right and duty to resist the enforcement of unreasonable, unjustifiable laws.

For further exposition of the emotional plague as conceived by Reich, I recommend reading Chapter 12 of Wilhelm Reich’s Character Analysis and Chapter 13 of Elsworth F. Baker’s Man in the Trap.  The Complete Patient is located at www.thecompletepatient.com. Also, The Weston A. Price Foundation at www.westonaprice.org is an excellent source for information on nutrient-dense foods. One of their specific goals is the establishment of universal access to clean, certified and unpasteurized milk.

Thoughts on the Innovative Mind

Why is there is so much resistance to new ideas that challenge old ways of thinking? Why have great innovators met resistance, often fierce? Jonathan Swift said: “When a true genius appears in the world, you can know him by this sign, that the dunces are in a confederacy against him.” Yet there is far more behind resistance to new ideas than lack of intelligence. In fact, even brilliant individuals are often completely closed to innovative ideas that conflict with their established ways of thinking. This fundamental problem has plagued the work of many, including Wilhelm Reich. 

Reich maintained he discovered a real, scientifically measurable force existing in all living things and permeating the cosmos. He performed experiments that confirmed the existence of this energy and many others have replicated his findings.

Yet to the established scientific world, Reich’s contention that there exists a universal energy is nonsense. They would never test his theories with an open mind, if they would test them at all. Why bother? It’s nonsense. As Galileo said: “By denying scientific principles, one may maintain any paradox.”

Certain established organizations in society gain the stamp of authority and thereafter become the definitive voice in a particular field. In Galileo’s time it was the Roman Catholic Church. Today, in the United States, there are many associations, academies, administrations, and institutes that make pronouncements that become the unquestioned, and unquestionable, truth. The American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Institute of Health and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are but a few examples in the medical field. These organizations have set themselves up as authorities and have become perceived by the media and public as having an exclusive hold on the truth. Their pronouncements take on a godlike and unquestionable status. So long as those in the community, or practitioners in a particular field, agree with and follow their accepted way of thinking, they are welcomed with open arms. On the other hand, any deviation from the “gospel” is likely to bring ridicule, or worse.

Respected thinker Thomas Kuhn (1922-1996) wrote extensively on the history of science and progress of knowledge. His premise was that those within the ruling theory of science don’t change their basic assumptions and don’t challenge or attempt to test their existing theoretical framework. They explain away anomalies outside their paradigm. Kuhn said those within the ruling theory cannot make the shift to see and, in effect, “think outside the box.” But why? Why do people fail to examine new information with genuine objectivity? I have been considering this question for a long time and my thoughts are as follows. 

Most people think “rationally.” By this I mean they think according to a strict system whereby their past experiences and knowledge dictate the answers they arrive at. While “rational thought” appears to be a good thing, it has the function of preventing true and unbiased observation--that is, just looking and seeing what is before one’s eyes. I would argue rational thinking is largely responsible for the mindset that prevents people from even entertaining that thinking different than their own can be valid. Such “rationally afflicted” individuals are entirely unaware of their own blindness. They cannot, even temporarily, abandon their view of the world. This prevents objective evaluation of anomalous phenomena. I do not feel this blocked perceptual function is directly related to emotional plague behavior, or confined to a particular character type or personality. 

However, not all people think this way. There are those who when presented with a new idea can say that it, and the way they have always viewed the subject, are both possible ways of understanding the matter. They are judgment-free. They see competing ideas as standing side by side, and if they present a contradiction, so be it. 

Then there is the rare individual who is able to look with fresh eyes. This person is able to just observe, without comparing or contrasting. Being able to completely step out of rational thought in this way allows them to make great discoveries. This doesn’t mean that at some point they don’t bring in their education and experience--they do--but for the moment of observation they are just looking and seeing and not refuting. 

The ability to not compare, contrast and judge is unfortunately not the way of scientists stuck in their rigid way of thinking. Some who make new findings remain quiet. They, like Copernicus, know and fear the consequences of going public, understanding their colleagues’ and the world’s ability to attack and destroy them. They therefore, some might say quite wisely, keep a low profile. Others have the gift and speak out. They are often naive (sometimes brave) and are always amazed their discoveries are not investigated and validated by the established authorities. They are shocked, then deeply hurt when they are vilified. Men like Wilhelm Reich--as well as Christ, Galileo, Lister, Semmelweis--suffered greatly and often died because of their remarkable way of seeing.

Reich was able to observe the natural world without bias. This ability enabled him to come into exquisite contact with what he observed, whether it was a bion, a patient, man’s irrationality, or the orgone energy in the atmosphere. Reich was quite possibly the most extraordinary individual ever to have the gift of seeing without comparing and I believe this gift is the reason why he was able to make his remarkable discoveries.

Follow Me On Twitter

As someone born before the advent of televisions, dishwashers, clothes dryers and ball point pens, I’ve watched with amazement the unceasing advancements in technology. Learning to navigate in this high-tech world, with it’s iphones, computers, and the like certainly doesn’t come naturally to me. However, I am slowly finding my way. It has become necessary if I am to achieve my goal of bringing Wilhelm Reich’s discoveries into the 21st Century. The power of this never-ending technology is tremendous, and to keep pace I’ve now begun “tweeting.”

For those unfamiliar with Twitter, it’s a free service that allows those who join up to send and receive short messages of up to 140 characters. The messages are called “tweets.” Tweets are then delivered to those who subscribe, called followers, who can view the messages on their cell phones through SMS text messaging, or in other ways. You can subscribe to someone’s Twitter updates in an RSS feed reader, which can then appear, for example, on your Google or Yahoo home page. For a more complete understanding, you can visit Twitter’s Frequently Asked Questions at: http://help.twitter.com/forums/10711/entries/13920.

When I first heard about Twitter, I wasn’t sure how I could use the service. I wondered what could be said of value and interest in so limited a format. Then I had a thought. I’ve always loved aphorisms and quotations and have collected a great many of them over the years by underlining the  universal truths in the books I read. I probably have one of the most extensive libraries in existence when it comes to books by and about Wilhelm Reich. Why not tweet the best quotes by and about Reich, and those that are related to his ideas? So this is how I will be using Twitter, for the most part. Occasionally, I’ll also tweet something else. For example, I’ll let followers know when there’s a new post on my blog, or if there is an event they might be interested in attending. If you want to follow me on Twitter, you can click the icon on this blog to get started. Or, you can go directly to my Twitter home page at http:/twitter.com/Dr_Schwartzman.

I'm Changing My Name

I've always referred to myself as a medical orgone therapist, and to the treatment approach I employ as medical orgone therapy. But I’ve decided to make a change. From now on I will now be calling myself a psychiatric orgone therapist and calling the work I do psychiatric orgone therapy. 

Why the change? Now that my blog is underway and being read worldwide, I am paying close attention to the way I use terms. For many coming here, this is their first exposure to orgonomy. Others are very familiar with Reich’s work. Regardless, knowing that I am reaching a broad audience, I want to be as clear and accurate as possible in all I present.  

The therapy Reich originated has been referred to in different ways. Reich originally called it vegetotherapy because it is directed toward normalizing the vegetative (autonomic) nervous system. However, he changed the name from vegetotherapy to character-analytic vegetotherapy. This modification combined his specific verbal technique with the somatic aspect of the treatment. With Reich’s discovery of orgone energy, he again changed the name, this time to orgone therapy. This served two purposes: it eliminated “vegetotherapy” (as it sounded too much like like “vegetables” and “vegetate”) and introduced orgone energy as the central element. After that time Reich referred to the treatment as "medical orgone therapy" and as "psychiatric orgone therapy." Since Reich's death, it has been variously called orgone therapy, medical orgonomy, orgonomic therapy, orgonomic biopsychiatic therapy, orgonomic bio-emotional therapy, and psychiatric orgone therapy. These terms have largely been used by psychiatrists. 

On a historical note, Elsworth F. Baker, M.D., in his book Man in the Trap, did not use the word “orgone” except in the preface, to define it, and in the glossary. He elected to call the treatment orgonomic biopsychiatric therapy. Why he chose to do so I do not know, as I never raised the issue with him. He might have avoided the term because of the 1954 Food and Drug Administration court injunction against Reich and Michael Silvert, M.D. This ruling ordered any material that was "misbranded" would be recalled and destroyed. Misbranded material included all books and journals issued by the Orgone Institute Press. The defendants (Reich and Silvert) were “perpetually enjoined and restrained from making statements and representations pertaining to the existence of orgone energy.” Baker (and others) surely understood the meaning of perpetual, and I believe Baker might have chosen to avoid the using the terms “orgone” and “orgone energy” to steer clear of FDA investigation and prosecution of himself and other physicians practicing orgone therapy. 

Reich died in 1957 and Baker’s book was published just ten years later. This was still a time when every physician practicing Reich’s therapy lived under the threat of an FDA investigation for claiming orgone energy existed. As I recall, I think it was in the mid 1970’s, there was talk that there would be an FDA inspection of the offices of physicians practicing orgone therapy. The doctors who had medical DOR-busters and orgone accumulators that were for their personal use only, and not for the treatment of patients, panicked. I know of many, myself included, who destroyed all their “misbranded devices.” For sure, the possibility of yet another attack, in some form, upon physicians practicing psychiatric orgone therapy remains. 

Returning to Baker, his later writings in the Journal of Orgonomy referred to orgone energy. He also used the term "medical orgone therapy." This, too, had been my choice and while there is nothing fundamentally wrong with it, I do find it problematic. Here’s why. It indicates the treatment is “medical,” but what does this really mean? “Medical,” when employed as an adjective, has become so widely and loosely used that it has lost much of its meaning unless employed within a specific context. The word “psychiatric,” because it is specific, is far more descriptive. With this change it is now clear the treatment I render is being performed by a psychiatrist and that emotional problems are its focus. My decision to call myself a psychiatric orgone therapist has good precedent. Reich used it. Morton Herskowitz, D.O., a respected psychiatrist who trained with Reich and still practices today also uses this designation. However, even the phrase "psychiatric orgone therapy" is awkward. There’s that odd word “orgone.” It isn’t common parlance and therefore provides no mental reference for those unfamiliar with Reich and his work. Furthermore, it just sounds strange. This unfamiliarity and strangeness might well cause those seeking help for their emotional problems to abandon further investigation into such a “weird” treatment. 

So, should the word “orgone” be done away with and replaced with some other designation, possibly one that indicates the treatment is energy-based, or that emotional release is involved? I know of practitioners in the field who presently refer to themselves as medical orgone therapists and are seriously considering getting rid of the “orgone” altogether and replacing it with some other more “acceptable” word or phrase. While I see where they are coming from, in my view the word “orgone,” odd as it is, must remain. Reich warned many times that although orgone energy and the function of the orgasm were the center of all his discoveries, these fundamental concepts would be removed in future generations. He said his findings would be appropriated without referring to what he called the “hot potatoes” no one wants to touch. Indeed, many of the spin-off treatments employed by neo-Reichians omit the “orgone” in both word and concept proving Reich was correct.  

To those of my colleagues who are considering taking the “orgone” out, I say that yes, the change may make your services more marketable and might well persuade people to enter into therapy with you. But such a change is made with the goal of personal financial gain. This is wrong and it would be a start down a slippery slope. What next? Will the controversial figure Wilhelm Reich be removed from marketing campaigns and literature geared toward the public? With orgone and Reich removed, as has been done by so many, Reich's therapy will be sanitized. But to do so would be a disservice to Reich’s legacy and the science of orgonomy. It is a risk to retain the word "orgone," as it was in Reich’s day and in Baker’s, but this is a risk I feel obligated to assume.

Wilhelm Reich was a true pioneer who discovered that the life energy, which he chose to call "orgone," was a real force in nature, flowing through all living things and existing in the cosmos. The therapeutic approach he developed involves emotional release and, with it, the removal of "armor"--blockages in the flow of energy. Every therapist practicing the therapy Reich originated owes him a debt of gratitude, a debt that can be repaid by crediting him and referring to his core discoveries, strange words and all.   

Attacking a Tiger: Emotional Plague Roars in Woods Scandal

I have been waiting for a particularly good, widely publicized, example of the emotional plague to begin writing in earnest on the subject. The ongoing events involving professional golfer and fallen media darling Tiger Woods furnishes many components of the plague, making it ideal for introducing this important topic.

The emotional plague may be Wilhelm Reich’s least emphasized and most misunderstood discovery. However, I hold it ranks (next to the discovery of orgone energy itself) as his most important. I say this because the plague permeates every aspect of armored human society and seeks out and destroys healthy ways of living. However, although the plague is ubiquitous, not every aspect of armored man’s conduct is driven by it. The plague is a very specific kind of damaged human functioning that, like the energy itself, can be identified and understood in a scientific way.


The complexity of the emotional plague cannot be overemphasized. No other subject in all of orgonomy can compare. The question I have been wrestling with is how to address the plague both fully and in a way that will be readily grasped by those with differing levels of experience with Reich’s ideas. The blog format isn’t really appropriate to address such an involved topic, and I am developing a complete course on the emotional plague that will eventually be offered on The Wilhelm Reich Center site, located at http://thewilhelmreichcenter.com.

Rather than approaching the plague in a textbook-like fashion, using a formal tone and presenting a plethora of orgonomic terms, definitions, and political analyses, the course will illustrate the plague largely through a series of vignettes. These will be relatively brief, graphic descriptions of accounts and episodes that will reveal the plague’s many faces. My goal is to help people of all backgrounds to recognize, understand, and most importantly, deal with the plague, especially when it effects their own lives. Nevertheless, I won’t ever entirely avoid the subject of the emotional plague on my blog, and today examine the Tiger Woods scandal.

Those watching the news over the past weeks could not have missed reports on Mr. Woods. Here are the facts briefly: In the early morning hours of November 27, Mr. Woods drove out of his Florida home, plowed into the hedges, jumped a curb, and smashed into a fire hydrant and then a neighbor’s tree. When police arrived, Mr. Woods was on the ground outside of his SUV. He was rushed to the hospital where he was treated and released. His wife told authorities she had used a golf club to break windows to free him. Highway patrol investigators attempted to interview him but he refused and was ultimately cited with careless driving and paid a small fine.

Instantly, the media was all over the story. There was much speculation as to what had really happened. The tabloid papers said the crash was the result of a quarrel between Mr. Woods and his beautiful young wife because of his extramarital affairs. Indeed, in days that followed the media began reporting on a number of alleged mistresses now coming forward, claiming they’ve had sexual relations with Mr. Woods. The gossip continues and the reports seem to worsen every day.

The emotional plague manifests in countless ways and under the most varied circumstances. The Tiger Woods incident is just one example of an emotional plague attack. My analysis of the assault on Mr. Woods follows, using a method I have devised for dissecting the plague.

In an emotional plague attack there are three key players. These are what I call (1) the target, (2) the direct attacker and (3) the self-righteous followers. The target is typically a single individual, well-defined group, institution, or idea that is the subject or focus of the attack. The direct attacker is the instigator of the attack. The self-righteous followers are two people, or two million, who get caught up in the excitement of the attack and join with the direct attacker, and each other, against the target.

Every emotional plague attack is unique. For this reason the target, direct attacker and self-righteous followers, while present without fail, will always be different. In a plague attack, there may be more than one way to accurately identify the players. For the purpose of analyzing the Tiger Woods incident in this blog, I have chosen to identify the players as follows:

Target:                             Tiger Woods

Direct attacker:                 The Media

Self-righteous followers:     The Public 

Here I have chosen to assign the role of direct attacker to the media as a whole. In other emotional plague attacks, the role of direct attacker can often be assigned to a specific individual. The self-righteous followers in this case are members of the general public who follow the lead of the media, and join in with the media and each other against the Mr. Woods. Included in this group is anyone who is listening with excitement and “genuine concern” to the gossip the media reports. They have become excited by the attacker and feel closely allied with others who have an interest in the scandal.

The direct attacker and followers always believe their opinions and actions are justified. A self-righteous, holier-than-thou feeling is always present in them when they join to tear down and attempt to destroy the target. They feel themselves to be morally superior, and from this elevated position they delight in watching the downfall of one who has been been held in such high esteem. (Note that the self-righteous followers have become infected by the attacker, and each other, hence Reich’s choice of the term “plague.”) The relationship between the direct attacker and the self-righteous followers (and among them) gives the emotional plague its conspiratorial aspect.

Now that the players have been identified, let’s move on to some of the more typical characteristics of an emotional plague attack, and how the Tiger Woods situation illustrates them. One hallmark of a plague attack is that the target, in some way or ways, represents natural, healthy functioning. Here, the target is a handsome and sexually attractive, hardworking, extremely wealthy and enormously successful individual with a beautiful wife. Mr. Woods can be said to be close to representing the American dream, as he embodies a great deal of what is esteemed and valued. However, the target of an emotional plague attack need not have so many admired qualities. Indeed, individuals who become the target of a plague attack will have flaws. It is these flaws that are seized upon to justify and legitimize the attack. That is, the direct attacker and self-righteous followers are correct that there is an imperfection or fault in the target, and it is this "partly right" element that legitimizes the assault.  Mr. Woods’ many outstanding, esteemed qualities have now been overshadowed by his “bad character.” The superior, morally righteous followers can now, with “good” reason, minimize or turn a blind eye to the whole of his tremendous achievements that should continue to be a cause for holding him in high regard.

What’s behind this radical shift in perception and the turning against Mr. Woods? The answer lies in two elements of the emotional plague that are always present: intense longing and hatred. Natural functioning (especially sexual functioning) arouses longing in armored man. The perpetrators of a plague attack immediately and unconsciously feel envy and then hatred. The feeling of enmity, fueled as it is by intense longing and jealousy, can be tremendous, driving the self-righteous relentlessly forward to destroy their victim.

To summarize, further elements in this emotional plague attack are as follows:

Healthy functions being targeted: Sexuality, professional accomplishment, and success.

Stated (legitimizing) reason for the attack: Public deserves the right to know. It's wrong to have affairs.      

Real reason for attack: Jealous hatred for what Woods is, a superstar and pubic darling.      

Partly right element: He has had affairs, behavior that can be destructive in a marriage.  

Most of the essential elements are in place for a full scale emotional plague attack against Tiger Woods and they are being played out before us. Whether Mr. Woods will be destroyed or merely very damaged as a result remains to be seen.

Therapy as Wellness & Beyond

As an orgone therapist, some patients come to my office seeking help for the kinds of complaints they would bring to a traditional psychiatrist. These include the gamut of emotional problems, such as anxiety, depression and bi-polar disorder. However, with time these initial complaints are resolved and patients often elect to continue with therapy to feel even better. They remain because they now have a sense of what it’s like to feel really good and, in a way, it becomes a bit like an addiction--they want to feel better and better.

Others come for therapy not because they are experiencing any pressing emotional problem but because they are either in training to become orgone therapists (therapy is part of training) or because they've heard about orgone therapy and want to experience its benefits.

The concept of wellness has become a familiar one today. Most who exercise, practice yoga, meditate, enjoy massage and explore alternative modalities do so because they are seeking ever-better states of feeling, not because they are unwell. They want not only to feel better, but to feel more. With his creation of orgone therapy, Wilhelm Reich was far in advance of his time as he developed not only a method of treating emotional disorders but a natural wellness therapy that can be used to "treat" those who are healthy.

A reason I was drawn to orgone therapy for myself so many years ago is I have always been inclined to actively participate in my health. I have always wanted to feel as good as possible. This propensity also has led me to explore and use many other natural health approaches over the years. I will be writing a little about this here.

My father was a pharmacist and I grew up over our drugstore in Philadelphia. In those days the role of physicians and pharmacists overlapped quite a bit. Pharmacists were often called “doc” and were regularly asked for medical advice, and those who came in for help became our “patients.” Our neighborhood people came in with a wide range of complaints and conditions. My father and then I, while still a high school student, recommended treatments. They included cough syrups, tinctures, powders, poultices, ointments, mustard and belladonna plasters, liniments and other remedies. Some products required compounding and others were sold as prepared “patent medicines.” Humphrey’s Homeopathic Remedy # 1 (for teething) and tincture of arnica (for bruises) were popular and effective. Multivitamins in capsule form or as a tonic were frequently recommended and those who took them regularly usually said they felt better.

Often it appeared the patient did as well with our treatment as with the physician’s. Keep in mind that in those days there were not many effective medications available. When they were used, the drug interactions so common today did not exist, as these are the result of poly-pharmacy, the giving of multiple medications at the same time. This wasn’t regular practice then.

Our patients often reported back what was effective and what wasn’t, and in this way I came to learn what worked. This early experience gave me respect for what might now be called alternative medicine. It also gave me an appreciation the value of not doing much a good deal of the time, and waiting for time and nature’s healing powers to overcome illness.

I went on to study pharmacy, which prepared me well for medicine, better I thought than the regular pre-med liberal arts programs. The courses were all science based and included mathematics; medication calculations; biochemistry; inorganic, organic and physical chemistry; physiology; pharmacology and pharmacognosy. This last is the study of medicinal drugs obtained from plants and other natural sources. Thus my background of growing up in a drugstore and becoming a pharmacist before entering medical school helped point me in the direction of prevention and natural healing.

I began taking a multivitamin about fifty-five years ago and have added, over the years, ever more supplements. I now have an extensive supplement regimen. Much of what I have incorporated is backed by published studies, many conducted in Europe. Given the nature of medical practice here in the States and the profit motive of the pharmaceutical industry, there isn’t the incentive to fund studies of natural remedies that cannot gain FDA approval. So the studies just don’t happen. Some of my regimen has been recommended by my European colleagues and patients, as they are aware of methods of treatment and supplements hardly known here in the United States. Thanks to those through the years who have offered their knowledge and advice!

My usual procedure before adding something new is to wait until I see follow-up research studies. This way I can see if the effectiveness is confirmed and if there are reports of drug interactions or adverse side effects. I now take many pills as well as some powder formulations each day. I also take some anti-aging agents. And there is never a time I look forward to swallowing them! (A carbonated drink out of a bottle will help those with difficulty getting down more than one pill at a time.) Taking so many pills everyday is a discipline, and an expensive one at that.

With all I've taken over the years, it’s reasonable to ask: How do you know your regimen is doing anything? My answer is I don’t. Even if I live well beyond my genetically programmed lifespan, without the illnesses and disabilities that come with aging, I still won’t know. As a case study of one, I will never know which, if any, supplements have been valuable and which have not, or even how they might be interacting. Also, there’s no control for whatever else I do (or don’t) that might account for my overall health.

I do know I continue to feel fine at seventy and appear (so far!) to be in all-around good health, free of arthritis or even any of the aches and pains that many of similar age experience. However, my health has not always been perfect. Medical issues have cropped up from time to time, and for the most part I have addressed them naturally and with success. Heart disease runs in my family and I experienced angina in my forties. This is when I really began to investigate and take supplements. It is decades later, and I am without evidence of heart disease. Without pharmaceutical medications, I have normalized my blood pressure, brought all my blood chemistries (including cholesterol) into normal range and improved kidney function. My vision and hearing are as good as, or even better than, in my youth. I also see an internal medicine physician and other specialists regularly for examination and testing and would never hesitate to undergo traditional treatments. 

Patients sometimes ask me what supplements they should take. There is no one-size-fits-all program so I work with them to help them develop the right plan. As a pharmacist and their psychiatrist, I am in a good position make recommendations, and I do. However, I always remind my patients that traditional medical evaluations and tests should be performed and I ask that reports of those studies be sent to me.

My knowledge of supplements is the product of probably thousands of hours of research over many years. To detail the specifics of what I take, and why, is far too comprehensive a subject for today. Also, what I take is based on my unique biochemistry and health goals and therefore it would be unwise of me to recommend it to anyone in a general sense. However, if there is an interest in what I have to say about supplements, I will write again on this topic with more detail.

There are many sources I turn to in order to learn about supplements. Those interested in doing their own research may wish to consult one source I visit regularly that publishes abstracts of worldwide scientific studies. It is located at: http://www.clinicalpearls.com/.