RATINGS
 Evidence
 Medical Opinion
 Practitioner
 Self-Help
 Compatibility
Bioenergetics
is a body-oriented form of psychotherapy developed in the US in the 1960s by Dr
Alexander Lowen. An individual's history of dealing with stress or trauma is
thought to be "programmed" into the muscles, and practitioners
believe that posture and physical tension provide clues to mental attitudes and
psychological problems. Bioenergetics exaggerates, then releases, tensions
linked with buried memories, enabling past traumas to be explored. Known as
Bioenergetic Analysis in North America, where most practitioners are based,
bioenergetics is also practiced in Europe and New Zealand.
Search this Category:
|
local
Practitioners
|
introductory packages
|
discussion groups
|
|
|
KEY PRINCIPLES
The
term "bioenergetics" was first coined by Dr. Alexander Lowen, an
American psychotherapist practicing in the 1960s. He was a student of Wilhelm
Reich, a follower of Freud who believed that the body, mind, and emotions are
closely interrelated. To develop bioenergetics, Dr. Lowen adapted some of
Reich's ideas, including his theory of "body-armoring" (adopting
defensive postures because of past events). Someone hurt as a child, for
example, might hold herself as if warding off blows. Following Freud's
practice
of encouraging people to relive repressed traumas, Dr. Lowen devised
exercises
from sources such as t'ai chi and Pilates.
EVIDENCE & RESEARCH
A number of papers on bioenergetic theories
and practice have been published in psychotherapeutic journals, but most
evidence is anecdotal, six sessions can be life-changing for some people,
while others continue for years.
MEDICAL OPINION
If
body and mind are as closely linked as practitioners suggest, then the theory
of bioenergetics seems plausible. Any doctor would appreciate that strong
feelings may manifest physically - we talk of "tension" headaches,
"irritable" bowel, and "nervous" stomachs. But the defenses
that lead to feelings being expressed through the body, rather than verbally,
are very important, and should be dismantled only at a pace that the patient
can handle. |
