The development of body psychotherapy owes a significant debt to the clinical work of Wilhelm Reich, who spent his career bridging the gap between psychoanalysis and the physical expression of personality. Born in 1897 in Dobrianychi, Austria–Hungary, he later expanded his research into life energy, creating a legacy that traversed multiple continents and academic disciplines.
Early Career and Psychoanalysis
Reich earned his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Vienna between 1918 and 1922. During this period, he served at the Vienna General Hospital from 1922 to 1924. He worked under Eduard Hitschmann from 1924 to 1930, refining his approach to psychoanalysis. As a proponent of Freudo-Marxism, he sought to address neurosis through prevention rather than mere treatment, focusing on sex education and the concept of orgastic potency.
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Seeking to further his studies, Reich held a position at the University of Oslo from 1934 to 1939. He eventually moved to the United States, where he was employed at The New School from 1939 to 1941. In 1943, he established the Orgonon facility, where he continued his investigations into what he termed orgone energy. His writings, including The Mass Psychology of Fascism, Character Analysis, and Die Sexualität im Kulturkampf, reflect his transition from orthodox psychoanalysis to his own distinct theories.
Legal Challenges and Final Years
In his later years, Reich faced intense scrutiny from the United States Food and Drug Administration regarding his orgone accumulators. These devices were ultimately labeled fraudulent by authorities. Legal battles led to an injunction against his work and a subsequent conviction for contempt in 1956. Reich was sentenced to two years in prison and died of heart failure at Lewisburg in 1957. He was buried at Orgonon.
Fast facts
- Born: 1897, Dobrianychi
- Died: 1957, Lewisburg
- Education: University of Vienna (1918-1922)
- Citizenship: Austria–Hungary, Germany, Poland, United States
- Religion: Atheism
- Notable Works: The Mass Psychology of Fascism, Character Analysis, Listen, Little Man!
- Primary Fields: Psychoanalysis, body psychotherapy
- Burial Site: Orgonon
Questions readers ask
What is orgone energy?
Reich defined orgone as a universal life energy, a term he derived from the words orgasm and organism.
What was the result of the FDA investigation?
The FDA obtained an injunction against the distribution of his orgone accumulators, which resulted in the destruction of over six tons of his publications.
Achievements
- Notable work: Character Analysis
- Notable work: Die Sexualität im Kulturkampf
- Notable work: Listen, Little Man!
- Notable work: The Mass Psychology of Fascism
- Held posts at Eduard Hitschmann, Orgonon and The New School
- Educated at University of Vienna
- Fields of research: body psychotherapy and psychoanalysis
