Alexander Lowen’s bioenergetic therapy It is one of the most influential body psychotherapies, perhaps surpassed only by the character-analytic vegetotherapy of Wilhelm Reich, who was Lowen’s teacher.
In this article we will describe what this therapy consists of, as well as what character types exist according to Lowen.
Alexander Lowen (1910-2008) was born and raised in New York. His parents had emigrated to the United States from Russia. During his childhood and adolescence, which he described as lonely and stressful, He spent his leisure time practicing sports and other physical activities. Later he also discovered yoga and Jacobson’s muscle relaxation.
Lowen obtained three doctorates throughout his life: one in Science and Business, another in Law (both from the City College of New York) and, later, one in Medicine from the University of Geneva, in Switzerland.
Between 1940 and 1952 He was a disciple of Wilhelm Reich, creator of characteranalytic vegetotherapy, the first body psychotherapy. Lowen practiced Reich’s methods until Reich began working on his orgone theory, which many psychotherapy experts considered a complete fraud.
It was then that he developed his own clinical contribution: bioenergetic analysis or bioenergetic therapy. In 1956 he founded the Institute for Bioenergetic Analysis together with John Pierrakos and William Walling, also former students of Reich. He continued his activity as a psychotherapist until he suffered a heart attack in 2006, two years before his death.
Lowen believed that psychopathology derives from conflicts between human beings’ innate predispositions and their need to adapt to society. More specifically, he conceptualized neurosis as a consequence of the accumulation of sexual energy, in a manner similar to the approaches advocated by Reich, his mentor.
According to Lowen, people we tend to downplay our bodily and emotional experience ; On the contrary, we overvalue cognition and rationalize excessively. However, the psychological and physical dimensions of human experience are closely interrelated, so that one can cause alterations in the other.
In this context, bioenergetics can be defined as the study of personality based on the analysis of the energetic processes of the human organism. In particular, Lowen proposed that energy is naturally anchored in two poles – the head and the genitals – and flows freely between the two; Alterations in this flow cause disorders.
The therapeutic process
Based on Reich’s original hypotheses and his own, Lowend developed a therapeutic procedure called bioenergetic analysis although it is known to a greater extent under the name “bioenergetic therapy.”
The objective of bioenergetic therapy is to help the client obtain pleasure satisfactorily with all the basic functions of their body: motor skills, breathing, sexuality, emotions, feelings and self-expression. For this it is necessary to release the accumulated tension, both physically and psychologically.
The bioenergetic therapy process consists of three phases clearly differentiated:
Become aware of body tension and psychological problems.
Emotional discharge: expression of frustrated feelings and muscle tension; defense mechanisms are no longer necessary.
Release of energy associated with conflicts; access to a full physical and psychological experience.
Lowen described five types of character structure depending on the parts of the body where the flow of energy is hindered. The body regions that this author considered especially relevant are the eyes, mouth, neck, shoulders, chest, diaphragm and waist.
1. Schizoid
People with a schizoid character tend to dissociate their thoughts and emotions, as well as to lose touch with reality and to be rejected by others. Because they grew up in hostile environments, these people are constantly afraid.
According to Lowen, in these cases the flow of energy is blocked in the neck, shoulders and waist. Weight tends to be carried on the outside of the feet, and the build is usually thin.
2. Oral
Oral personality is characterized by infantile attitudes derived from the lack of satisfaction of affection needs during early development. This people They tend to be narcissistic and dependent on others or excessively independent.
The energy blockage occurs mainly in the shoulders and waist, so the limbs tend to be weak and less developed than normal. Furthermore, breathing is shallow.
3. Psychopathic
In the case of psychopathic character The blockages would occur in the diaphragm and waist, which causes the energy to not flow properly to the genital pole. These people block their feelings, including sexual ones, and tend to dominate, seduce and deceive others, while fearing that others will take advantage of them in similar ways.
4. Masochist
Masochistic people tend to show a negative, submissive, insecure and unassertive attitude, and to repress their intense feelings of hostility and aggressiveness. This character structure derives from excessive pressure from adults during early life that blocks a person’s individuality and pleasure.
On a physical level, the masochistic character manifests itself in energy blockages in the neck, specifically in the throat and waist. This increases the likelihood of feelings of anxiety appearing. The body is usually stocky and short, according to bioenergetics theorists.
5. Rigid
This personality type is characterized by traits such as aggressiveness, stubbornness, ambition, pride, and compulsive sexuality. Rigid people repress what they consider signs of weakness, such as crying, and They fear emotional closeness with other people. Of the five types, this is the least pathological due to good contact with reality.
In this case tension accumulates to some extent in all parts of the body; If the degree of tension concentration is relatively low, it can manifest itself in a vital and energetic attitude.
