Wilhelm Reich

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Wilhelm Reich

The museum at Orgonon: http://www.somtel.com/~wreich/
The College of Orgonomy: http://www.aco@orgonomy.org/

This is Dr. Wilhelm Reich, scientist, whom you will find lovingly
and faithfully represented at Orgonon, now The Wilhelm Reich Museum
by Mary M. Leue

Wilhelm Reich (1897-1957) is still today (in 2001) a commanding but controversial figure in both the history of science and of psychoanalysis. I find it fascinating to realize that all but ONE of the sources of information about this pioneer of what I would call "the science of the energy of life" is male! But that one exception (Ilse Ollendorf's personal biography of Reich) is for me the only one that offers us, Reich's heirs, a really balanced view of this amazing life, this equally amazing work! How can I say such a thing? Easy. I'm a woman.

What's so peculiar about the issue of gender that makes me utter such a gender-biased, one-sided generalization? Well, look at it. Reich did his amazing work in the field of human desire - of sexuality - moving from resolving one conundrum to the next , each step a logical extension of his previous findings - but all within the biological arena of that life force which is in us, which surrounds us, which makes us alive! He never seems to have extended his inquiries into the realm of RELATIONSHIP which form a setting for that energy to flow - or to cease to flow!

Yes, he worked tirelessly and brilliantly as a medical analyst with the patients who presented him with dysfunctional histories and/or relationahips which had resulted in serious energy blocks in their bodies. He offered as his model of health the capacity for a full orgasmic reflex, and he helped them to achieve this capacity. But the concept of a process in which the learning of self-healing within the context of a healthy, mutually satisfying relationship seems to have escaped his spotlight! I might label this interpersonal process "person-centered," rather than functionally-centered - following Carl Rogers.

Unlike many of Reich's devoted friends and followers - including his wife Ilse and his lifelong friend A.S. Neill! - I am quite comfortable in accepting the scientific verifiability of Reich's findings. But that's because I am not limited to looking for answers in either western scientific or western religious traditions about the nature of life. I feel quite comfortable in drawing conclusions about the nature of reality from my own experiences, and comparing them with the personal experiences of other people.

It's easier now than it was in 1957, when Reich died of a broken heart in the Lewisburg Penitentiary. to move beyond his work into the field of relationships - although he did help set up important precedents in the area of psychosomatic medicine, spearheaded by his student and colleague Flanders Dunbar. Also, medical research has finally begun to include chronicling and quantifying the healing powers of some of the eastern healing practices like acupuncture and yoga. It is OK now to speak of "chi" and of "prana" as a special kind of biological energy. Violating a huge taboo of the time, Reich had come across this "unknown" energy stream by setting out to measure the energy of sexual arousal - and saw that it followed a different pattern from other forms of energy. Freud had given up on his attempt to validate his belief that the libido was a biologically verifiable principle, not just psychological, but Reich had the courage to tackle the issue head on - and he succeeded! And paid a huge price throughout the remainder of his life for his devotion to what he had discovered.

OK. Where does gender come in? Well, it only comes in at the point where we are willing to acknowledge that the battle to validate Reich's lindings scientifically has been won. It remains to be stated publicly that that war has been won, and that many of the remaining issues are socio-political, not scientific. Until that happens, we are never likely to begin looking at the gender issue - or even of acknowledging that there IS one!

So what IS this gender issue you see?

It's like the gender issue in Freudian psychoanalysis. It took decades for the prychoanalysts and the psychologists to admit that there are two psychologies, not just one (male). That's still true among the followers of Reich. The bulk of Reichian practice as well as research is being done by men, or in a male-dominated model of science - which means a strict definition of what is rational, what is real, what is scientific. That means a lot more than I can spell out in so many words, because it covers a huge territory in an area that has been labeled, in large block letters, as forbidden, as unscientific, as fraudulent! Such areas, for example, as "mysticism," "religious healing," astrological analyses, the existence of past lives, predictions of the future, channeling - a whole congerie of areas of this kind have been ruled out of bounds by their very nature as irrational and even as evidence of unsoundness of mind, of character or of intentionality!

Generally speaking, most of the Eastern traditions fit into this huge category, only the existence of the energy of the body and of the breath being close enough to Reich's own findings to pass the test of Reichian science! And NO ONE wants to raise the issue of what happens to the individual's sociological, his professional standing among his colleagues, if and when he violates these dogmatic taboos! The connections beween this rigid "system" of thought and gender is one of the most jealously guarded aspects of the dogma itself! Women have understood the validity in personal terms of many of the "forbidden" areas of inquiry throughout history! Their practices and their understandings based on their experiences have been labeled "anecdotal" by (male) scientific definition and have been ignored by the dominant males who wear the white coats in the halls of scientific inquiry - and who make the big salaries that demonstrate the correctness of their beliefs!

Fully humanizing the traditions of Reich's own stubborn refusal to accept the social shibboleths of Viennese society by extending "anecdotal" research into the areas mentioned above has still to occur. When women enter the field - not as acolytes, but as pioneers in these fields within the walls of Reichian scientific communities - this partial, this one-sided view of the nature of life will begin to change. Reich himself has shown the way. What follows below is totally appropriate to the present phase of our understanding - but is a way station to truth, not a bastion, if my observations have any validity.
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For a review of Dr. Myron Sharaf's definitive biography and detailed description of the life and work of Wilhelm Reich entitled Fury on Earth, click here.

From the Museum's website:
The Wilhelm Reich Museum at Orgonon was Reich's home and workplace in the 1940-1950s. Located in the Rangeley Lakes Region of Maine and comprising 175 acres of fields and woodland with a system of trails and two major buildings, the museum represents and interprets the life and work of Wilhelm Reich. ..
Reich was a renowned physician-scientist whose investigation of the energy functions in human emotions led to the discovery of an unknown energy which exists in all living matter and in the cosmos. He called this energy "orgone."
Born in 1897 in the Austrian province of Galicia, Reich graduated from the Medical School of the University of Vienna in 1922. A student of Sigmund Freud, he became one of the great psychoanalytic pioneers before his clinical studies led him into the laboratory and to investigations of the energy processes in nature at large.
An avowed anti-fascist, Reich came to the United States in 1939 where he continued to study the manifestations and laws of orgone energy and to invent ways to make this energy usable. In 1947, the Federal Food and Drug Administration began a determined attack designed to destroy Reich's work. It obtained an injunction against Reich by default and in March, 1957 Reich was imprisoned for "contempt of court." He died in Lewisburg Penitentiary on November 3, 1957.

The Orgone Energy Observatory has been entered in the National Register of Historic Places. Designed for Reich in 1948, it exhibits biographical materials, inventions, and equipment used in his pioneering experiments.
Reich's library, personal memorabilia, sculpture, and vivid paintings are also on view, and there is a discovery room for children. The observatory deck on the roof provides a spectacular vista of the surrounding countryside.
Reich's tomb, with its dramatic bronze portrait bust, stands in a forest clearing nearby.
The museum is owned and operated by The Wilhelm Reich Infant Trust which was created by Reich in his will to protect, preserve, and transmit his scientific legacy. Your contributions to support this task are essential.
Programs on various aspects of Reich's work and the natural environment take place in the conference center and on the Orgonon property.
A Bookstore / Catalogue gives access to all Reich's published work, which includes such essential volumes as Character Analysis, The Mass Psychology of Fascism, The Function of the Orgasm, The Cancer Biopathy, Children of the Future, Passion of Youth, Beyond Psychology, American Odyssey, and Orgonomic Functionalism.
You can browse our catalogue and place orders from this web site! The museum rents two year-round Housekeeping Cabins. They are located on that part of the property that borders scenic Dodge Pond and have easy access to all museum facilities. Go to the site for more information on Camps Tamarack and Bunchberry. Membership: Friends of the Wilhelm Reich Museum is a non-profit organization incorporated in the State of Maine. Its support plays an important role in the museum's development. Membership privileges include: free admission to the museum, discounts on publications, and an annual newsletter. Click on the museum's URL above to find out how you can join.: ..........................................................................
The American College of Orgonomy

President's Message 2001:

We live in a society preoccupied with superficiality - "appearance over substance." As a result, serious scientific endeavor must adapt and seek financial resources and backing through expedience and political savvy. Basic research and teaching often become secondary concerns because financial and public relations concerns make it necessary to focus on near term "results." The American College of Orgonomy (ACO) has always placed basic research and education first; therefore we rely on the support of those who recognize the long term potential of what the science of orgonomy has to offer mankind.

For the uninitiated, orgonomy is a basic science about life energy, built upon truthful and objectifiable observations balanced by a clear perception of humanity's place in nature. Although its theoretical basis may seem new and unusual to some, the methodology is anchored firmly in the Western tradition of scientific research, the pursuit of truth through observation and experiment. What is unique about orgonomy is that the object of study is the driving force of life and nature itself. This exploration does not fall neatly into the traditional categories of the life and physical sciences. We all know that living systems, as they develop, become more complex. And regardless of the complexity, all have at their foundation physical and bioenergetic processes. Since the study of these bioenergetic processes forms the basis of orgonomy, this work transcends the usual boundaries between sociology, psychology, biology, chemistry and physics. Orgonomy addresses the fundamental relationships of nature and therefore has application in all fields of science.
I would like you to explore our web site in detail and have an up to date view of our organization's projects. Hopefully this will encourage your curiosity and desire to learn more. We welcome you to e-mail or call us with your questions and ideas. There is much on the Internet about orgonomy that is distorted, self-serving, distracting and destructively wrong-frankly, a major turn off. I hope this does not turn the curious person aside, but you will be forewarned to focus on the material of quality that makes sense. In this regard, we are proud of our non-profit, voluntary organization and the important life positive work we accomplish. I would like you to see the breadth and scope of orgonomy and to interest, not overwhelm you. We have been doing our work quietly, steadily and effectively for over thirty five years! We have the most rigorous psychiatric-medical therapeutic training program for physicians in the world. Beginning with a personal character restructuring, trainees then complete several years of didactic training in the fundamentals of character analysis and character based somatic therapy. Many years of clinical training seminars, written and oral examinations, and individual supervision follow. Given the "youth" and evolving nature of our science, training is never "finished," in the usual sense, but continues actively as a life long process of sharpening our clinical skills. Every patient's therapy is also an education, and improves our perceptual acuity and therapeutic art. We hold the highest ideals of traditional medicine from Hippocrates and at the same time, from the unique perspective of a palpable, living energy, experience the excitement of restoring the individual's capacity for the basic spontaneity of life. Medical orgone therapy cannot help everyone, and we all know human unhappiness and illness can be profound. We can learn from everyone's experience, from the treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar illness, anxiety, depression, and marital and family problems, and contribute to the growing science.
This year we began training "social orgonomists," a modest beginning with students of individual and organizational psychology. Our goal is to apply the living principles of character analysis to social functions, in the context of couples, family and group therapy, and the therapy of organizational systems. Another new development for members of the research staff, and for medical and sociology students is a course on "orgonometry"-the specific organization of functional logic and the mathematical formulation of natural functions first developed by Reich to encompass and describe the qualitative aspects of relationships in nature.
Also in the educational arena, we have developed a well-received, hands-on laboratory course in basic orgonomic life science for interested adolescents and young adults. Beginning with Reich's biogenesis experiments and physical properties of orgone, students examine bions, protozoa and red blood cells, and make direct measurements of orgone in the orgone accumulator (ORAC) and quantify atmospheric weather conditions from an orgonotic, energetic perspective. Our goal is to build a public awareness of orgonomic science in a practical and non-mystical fashion. Just as scientific education has resulted in increased environmental awareness, someday students and scholars will routinely apply orgonomic, functional thinking to many fields of human endeavor.
Other educational programs of the College include the ACO Press, the reprinting of classic texts taken from the history of orgonomic literature, as well as the publication of new scholarly works such as Neither Left Nor Right, Dr. Konia's book on the sociopolitical function. It is our hope to place our texts in libraries and universities throughout the world, so that all may have access to our work. The Journal of Orgonomy, a rich collection of articles describing ongoing work in the orgonomic medical, sociological, biological and physical sciences has published bi-annually since 1967. We are proud of the Journal as the voice of the most important and serious orgonomic work. Every student of orgonomy should be certain to have a full collection of these works in their library.
Our goals for our web site include the continued publication of ongoing research on the web, and when staffing permits, to have an interactive, real time site for questions, answers and research support. Please check back while we improve our resources available to you through the web.
We also support research projects undertaken with our European colleagues investigating basic physical and biological properties of the ORAC and dor buster (devices that modify energy charge and excitation, see other references on this web site). In addition to defining objective properties of these energetic devices first pioneered by Wilhelm Reich, we are developing the means through basic research and the orgonomic blood test to objectify orgonotic (energetic vitality) parameters in physical health and in various states of medical illness. We are also developing and investigating physical orgonotic parameters to assess environmental conditions objectively and to predict the weather, in the hope of contributing new technology to traditional meteorology and weather forecasting.
Reich said about his own work that he had discovered the coastline of a vast new continent, a new, non-mechanistic science. It is up to all of us who have come later to develop this science and discover the "roots of man's place in nature." We have used our resources to insure the quality of our observational skills and our work and to continue the tradition established by Wilhelm Reich and Elsworth Baker (the founder of the ACO). We have begun an incredible journey as an organization. There is enormous room for further growth and development of new and old ideas in our young science.
Another research project that we continue is the study of perinatal health. It has always been a core dream that through the study of mothers and infants that humanity could learn to prevent chronic armoring and misery. Over twelve years ago we began to look carefully at the lives and pregnancies of over a dozen mothers-to-be. Following the children of these pregnancies, through delivery and infancy, we studied the roots and foundations of human character armor. The goal is to continue evaluation of children through adolescence and adult life to see how the determinants of character unfold. We will continue to learn about the boundaries of self-regulation, health and illness.
Each year we have a conference open to the public in the Princeton, New Jersey area. New research is presented in biology, physics and most especially captivating clinical case reports sharing depth insights and meaning for the interested professional and non-professional audience. We invite everyone to join us, students, parents, clinicians, scientists; everyone learns something. Audience friendly, the presentations are accessible to all, regardless of background and training.
We will soon complete our first hour-long documentary movie about medical orgone therapy. We expect a public preview screening by the end of this year. If you read our newsletter or visit our web site for further information you will be able to join us in this exciting and moving cinematic presentation of actual therapy sessions and discussions with patients and medical orgonomists.

I hope each of you will allow your basic curiosity to reach out and guide you to look further into orgonomy, to see if the principles and ideals of our work apply to your life and work. We are comfortable developing new friends and wish for your interest and support. Feel free to browse our web site, read our newsletter and journal, and come to our annual conference whose primary focus is to present medical orgone therapy to the public, where people learn practical things about life, relationships and living. If you are a new visitor, I look forward to meeting you. If you are an old friend, we seek your support. And many thanks for sharing your connection with our College and work with others, a college of many warm colleagues. Best wishes always for a healthy and happy year.

Gary A. Karpf, M.D.