Breathing
and
Energy
All of the basic life functions
of the individual involve energetic processes. This must be so,
since living organisms are engaged in activity. In physical
terms, this means that living organisms perform work. The word
"energy" is itself derived from the Greek word energein (en,
"in"; ergon, "work").
Energy, in this sense, is used as a concept to describe
key elements of physical reality and to measure
the activity of living organisms. One can measure, for example,
the amount of energy exerted by an individual in a certain task.
In this context, "work" is defined as "the application of a force
through a distance." A thermometer measures the distance a given
amount of mercury will travel in an enclosed space under the force of a
given amount of heat. The unit of measurement for calculating the
energy required to maintain the basal body temperature is the
"nutritional calorie," which is defined as the amount of energy
required to heat one kilogram of water one degree centigrade. The
temperature of the human organism is normally maintained at
approximately 98.6° Fahrenheit, irrespective of fluctuations in the
surrounding temperature. Clearly, work is performed to
maintain the normal temperature of the human body, and that
work takes energy.
Broadly speaking, all organisms on earth derive their
energy from sunlight. The manner of conversion of
solar energy depends on the characteristics of specific
organisms. Plants are capable of synthesizing cellular material
by the direct utilization of solar energy. Human beings, on the
other hand, eat
plants and animals, incorporating into themselves the stored
energy of other living beings. This energy must be broken down in
the process of digestion and converted into a form that can be utilized
conveniently. This is part of the biological activity of
metabolism. The metabolic processes of energy utilization are
complex, involving many organs of the human body, with the
participation of enzymes and hormones.
Virtually any component in the energy metabolism of the human being may
be isolated and studied as a specific factor in metabolic
functioning. From the vantage point of the present discussion,
the most significant variable in these processes is the utilization of
oxygen as part of the biological combustion that maintains the life of
the person.
The role of oxygen in metabolism is well established. In the
human being, oxygen is taken into the body as part of the process of
respiration. Antoine Lavoisier, the
founder of modern
chemistry, declares: "We can state in general that respiration is
but a slow combustion of carbon and hydrogen, similar in all points to
that taking place in a lamp or a burning candle and that from this
point of view animals which breathe are really combustible bodies which
burn and are consumed. In respiration as in combustion it is the
atmospheric air which supplies the oxygen..." [1]
In human beings, the metabolic processes of combustion break down the
chemical bonds of ingested and stored substances within the organism
and convert the energy of these substances into ATP
(adenosinetriphosphate), which can in turn
be utilized by the cells of the body as fuel. Alexander Lowen
observes: "The combustion of food is not unlike the
combustion that occurs in a wood fire which also requires oxygen to
maintain the process." [2] Indeed, using the analogy of a wood
burning stove, we may say that one can have the latest model stove, the
finest kindling, and an ample supply of matches at hand. The fire
can be set. If, however, there is not a proper draught, the
fire will not burn as it should. If the draught is grossly
insufficient, the fire will die. The same is true in the life of
the individual. Human beings are dependent on good respiration to
keep the fires of life burning brightly. Satisfactory respiration
is a key factor in the healthy energetic functioning of the
individual.
In each individual, respiration occurs at both the cellular level and
at the level of the
organism as a whole. In the terminology suggested by Lavoisier,
the act of taking air into the lungs and then exhaling it is called
"primary breathing." The absorption of oxygen by the cells of the
body and the discharge of carbon dioxide from the cells into the
bloodstream, by means of which it is carried to the lungs to be
expelled from the body, is called "secondary breathing." There is
an intimate connection between primary ("external") and secondary
("internal") respiration such that the vital
balance of metabolic processes and the energy level of the person are
directly affected by
the quality of breathing. While all people are aware that
breathing is necessary for life, the relationship between breathing and
the energy level of the person is not commonly appreciated. There
is a tendency to believe that in the absence of pronounced respiratory
pathology - such as asthma, emphysema, hypoxia, dyspnea, sleep apnea,
or other
problems - breathing may be considered satisfactory. While such
statistically normal breathing may not necessarily be directly
correlated with medically diagnosed disabilities and structural damage
to body tissues, there remains the fact that such "average" breathing
can be shown to be significantly less than optimal. Subclinical
problems in breathing are an important aspect of diminished personal
functioning. [3]
If respiration is considered on the basis of the involvement of the
various
groups of muscles that participate in the pattern of alternating
inhalation and exhalation, it is apparent that the act of
breathing, far from being restricted simply to a limited region of
human anatomy, is a global bodily phenomenon. While it is quite
common to find respiratory patterns that are limited largely to the
thorax, abdomen, or diaphragm, it is nonetheless true that deep,
unrestricted breathing involves the participation of the whole
person. The extent of the muscular involvement in satisfactory
breathing has been discussed by Mabel Todd, who notes that quiet
breathing activates principally the muscles of the diaphragm and the
thorax, along with the extensor muscles of the back. She goes on
to make the following remarks: "As breathing becomes more
active, other muscles are engaged, one accessory group following
another, beginning with the lower. The muscles to be added in
close succession are the psoas, followed by the transversalis, and the
quadratus lumborum, which complete the inner muscle lining of the body
wall. All these muscles are in close association with the
[respiratory] diaphragm through fascial structures or with
interdigitating fibers. Accelerated breathing may involve all
trunk muscles extending down as far as the levator ani and coccygeus
muscles which form the pelvic diaphragm. It may also
involve muscles as far up as those connecting chest and head, such as
the sterno-cleido-mastoideus, and in extreme activity, even muscles of
the legs, arms, and jaw may be included. All body muscles assist
breathing when the need is great, but in primary patterns of movement
upper accessory muscles are the last to be called in." [4]
Todd's analysis can be carried further. It is possible to argue
that in relaxed, deep respiration all body muscles are called into
play. Wilhelm Reich, for example, describes a reflexive
pattern of
respiratory movement, a unitary wave reaching out to the upper and
lower ends of the body. This wave can be observed and experienced
when breathing
is undisturbed by patterns of chronic muscular tension. This
reflexive movement involves, in one of its aspects, "giving into" the
expiratory phase in such a fashion that the cervical and sacral
segments of the body collapse slightly toward each other, while the
head falls gently back. When such breathing occurs, one can
observe the actual ripple of respiratory waves extending both headward
and tailward from the region of the diaphragm. Subjectively, deep
respiration of this type is experienced as pleasurable. In the
face of the prevailing tendency of people to block the experience of
plasmatic streaming movements from consciousness by "holding back,"
Reich emphasizes the importance of establishing the
capacity to surrender to the deep expiratory phase of breathing.
[5] In this regard, it is interesting that, as Todd points out,
"... in internal respiration oxygen is taken into the cells in the
expiratory phase of the breathing rhythms." [6] It follows
that holding in the expiratory phase of primary respiration must be
related
to insufficient absorption of oxygen during secondary breathing, at the
cellular level.
On a strictly biochemical level, respiration is an integral part of the
metabolic processes of the individual. An excess of
carbon dioxide in the bloodstream, related to disturbed internal and
external respiration, leads to a condition of hyperacidity. Such
a condition, if chronic, is poisonous to the cells. Conversely,
an increase in the oxygen content of the cells due to a tendency toward
hyperventilation results in increased alkalinity of the body
fluids. Generally speaking, a trend toward acidosis is associated
with depression of the central nervous system, while alkalosis is
associated with hyperactivity. Use of these terms in the present
context does not necessarily imply a condition of medically diagnosed
pathology; rather it refers to a spectrum of physiological balance and
imbalance
related to the basic function of respiration. As one standard
textbook of anatomy and physiology points out: "If you consider that
breathing rate can be altered up to eight times the normal rate, it
should become obvious that alterations in the pH [acid-alkaline
balance] of body fluids may be greatly influenced by respiration."
[7] In this regard, it must be noted that a deviation from the
optimal breathing rate may exist as a characteristic mode of
functioning. In other words, the person with a breathing
problem may be unaware that such a problem is present due to the
habitual nature of the difficulty.
Because of the importance of oxygen in the energy metabolism of the
human being, it is not difficult to gain some appreciation of the
significance of adequate breathing in overall human functioning.
The
level of energy production of the person, however, is only one aspect
of an individual's functioning. For the human
being, life and energy are an expressive phenomenon. It is
important to understand that how much energy an individual
has available and how an individual uses that energy are inextricably
related. Good breathing is an important
element in sustaining
proper balance in that relationship.
The function of breathing reaches deep into the roots of experience, a
fact which is reflected in the etymology of the verb "to be." As
Julian Jaynes notes, "... the English forms 'am' and 'is' have
evolved from the same root as the Sanskrit asmi, 'to breathe.'" [8] It
is interesting that the word "animal" and the word "animated" are both
derived from the Latin term anima,
which literally means "breath." The life of every human being
outside the womb is said to begin with the drawing of the first breath,
and the term "expiration" is used to describe both the act of expelling
one's breath and the act of dying. Our life on earth transpires
(transpire: "to breathe
through") from the instant of our first breath
to the moment of our last breath. To be alive is to
breathe. Breathing is a vital function, and the quality of our
life, therefore, is an expression of the quality of our breathing, just
as the quality of our breathing expresses the condition of our
life. Awareness of this functional relationship has been noted by
many investigators. Such awareness is based, in part, on the
observation that improved breathing contributes to increased biological
vigor and an enhanced sense of well-being. The positive effects
of unimpaired breathing are evident in a wide range of personal
expressiveness and an increased openness to life.
Both functionally and in evolutionary terms, breathing is closely
related to locomotion, as Todd
points out. She writes: "The apparatus for locomotion
and breathing, which appeared simultaneously in the
racial pattern as vertebrates came onto the land, continue to be
clearly associated in the growth of individual organisms and their
function... And in man, the particular parts of the skeleton and
musculature which operate to maintain the spinal curves and to keep the
trunk erect are most closely associated with the bony and muscular
parts involved in breathing." [9] In a similar vein, Ida Rolf
comments on specific muscles and groups of muscles
related to adequate respiratory patterns. She remarks: "The psoas
plays an important part in general body support... Its origin is
in close proximity to the two tabs of the diaphragm, called the crura;
through these neighbors, the psoas can involve the respiratory
pattern." [10] In discussing the muscles of the shoulder girdle,
she writes: "... extensive unbalanced girdle movement disturbs the
structure of the ribcage. In turn, associated respiratory and
cardiac function suffers." [11] Consistent with Reich's
description of the basic reflexive quality of adequate respiration,
Rolf observes: "Contrary to the general idea, normal respiration in a
balanced body involves movement not merely in the thorax, but from the
sacrum all the way up to the cranium. In normal inspiration, the
spine lengthens from one end to the other; in expiration, it shortens."
[12]
If one considers the role of respiration in human metabolism, it
becomes evident that balanced posture and adequate use of the body in
locomotion are significant factors in the conservation of personal
energy. In this sense, the energy level of the person is related
to the depth of breathing, which in turn is modified by the degree of
deviation from an optimal structural alignment. The importance of
a comfortable erect posture can be understood in basic physical terms,
since any deviation from satisfactory vertical alignment in the
standing position will require an expenditure of force to counteract
the pull of gravity. The expenditure of such a force involves
energy, and if the expenditure is chronic, the amount of free energy
available to the organism will be diminished. Rolf's way of
describing this situation is to state: "When human energy field and
gravity are at war, needless to say gravity wins every time." [13]
Not only is breathing related to the energy level of the person by
means of association with the metabolic process of oxidation, with
locomotion, and with posture; it is also connected with the
transmission of nerve impulses and with organ functions. The
heart, for example, rests against the upper surface of the
diaphragm. Todd observes: "The diaphragm is penetrated by a
number of structures, including the esophagus, the great aorta, the
vena cava, the thoracic ducts and various nerves. Some of these
are so placed that the muscular fibers press upon them during
contractions." [14] The lumbar plexus of the spinal system is
embedded in the psoas muscles. Rolf states: "Distortion of
the spinal structure through myofascial incompetence and/or
disorganization can transmit structural stress to the plexi and ganglia
and interfere with adequate nutrition and, therefore, performance."
[15] That chronic contraction of the skeletal musculature can
negatively influence nerve functioning is an accepted principle.
Thus, Tortora and Anagnostakos remark that "Pressure has an effect
on
impulse transmission and conduction also. If excessive or
prolonged pressure is applied to a nerve, impulse transmission is
interrupted and part of the body may 'go to sleep.'" [16] In the
cardiovascular system, the veins and arteries are "in the grip" of
muscles. If portions of the musculature are in a state of chronic
contraction, the blood vessels which are surrounded by them are unduly
squeezed. If proper muscular tonus is lost, then the necessary
degree of pressure - known as "peripheral resistance" - created by the
muscles' grip on the vessels will be absent. It is clear that the
smooth functioning of both the nervous system and
the cardiovascular system is related intimately to the quality of
breathing, the alignment of posture, the patterns of movement, and the
energy level of the person.
The effects of disturbed respiration on the functioning of the
individual can be understood in terms of the level of
stress experienced by the person. According to Hans Selye's
elaboration of the General Adaptation Syndrome, which has become a
standard physiological concept, the body responds to an excessive
degree of stress by means of an "alarm" reaction that involves
activation of the sympathetic branch of the
autonomic nervous system and stimulation of the adrenal medulla. This stage of the response is
indicative of a "fight-or-flight" reaction. If the level of
stress is not reduced in a timely fashion, the body enters a phase of
"resistance," during which the physiological system responds over a
prolonged period with a heightened state of alert, involving secretions
of the anterior pituitary and the adrenal cortex.
If the resistance stage continues without resolution of the stressful
condition, there
follows a stage of "exhaustion." This phase of the response
results in the fall of blood glucose levels leading to systemic
collapse and, ultimately, death due to the depletion of the body's
defenses. If
one considers Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome in terms of the basic
functioning of the person, it is possible to view chronic restrictions
in the respiratory process from two interrelated vantage points.
On the one hand, the restriction in respiration can be seen as an
element in the response to a given set of environmentally arising
stressors, such as a generalized threat of punishment during
childhood. Such a threatening situation has the effect of
provoking a
disturbance in breathing, since holding the breath is a means of
controlling anxiety by deadening sensation. On the other
hand, the restriction in the respiratory pattern itself acts as
a stressor, since a restriction in breathing entails an
habitual increase in the amount of work that must be performed by the
body to counter the effects of chronic contraction and
imbalance in the musculature. These chronic contractions are the
"mechanism"
by means of which the breathing is suppressed. The energy of the
body thus becomes depleted by virtue of disturbed respiration, and this
energy depletion stimulates, in turn, a debilitating syndrome, or
vicious circle, which may result in exhaustion and even
death.
It is important to recognize that the General Adaptation Syndrome
described by Selye is a
natural response of the organism to a distressing situation. The
considerable extent to which this syndrome appears to be a factor not
only in degenerative diseases but in the common, everyday experience of
malaise and futility that characterizes so many people can
be understood in the context or present-day social and cultural
circumstances, which constitute an unrelenting complex of stressors.
[17] This means
that relatively open breathing and a naturally high energy level are
significant variables in combating the distress of modern living on an
individual basis. It remains the case, however, that the precise
nature of the energy involved in
the life process is not yet adequately clarified,
in spite of our ability to understand the importance of breathing in
the metabolic functioning of the person. This need for clarification of
the nature of biological energy also applies to our
understanding of stress. Selye
comments: "What is adaptation energy? Here we are touching on
what is probably the most
fundamental gap in our knowledge about stress. I say
'fundamental' because adaptability, or if we want to give it the name,
'adaptation energy,' is a basic feature of life itself... Yet all
we really know about this mysterious quantity is that constant exposure
to any stressor will use it up... Just what is lost we do not
know, but it could hardly be the caloric energy - which is usually
considered to be the fuel of life - because exhaustion occurs even if
ample food supplies are available." [18]
In a discussion of Selye's concept of stress, Lowen remarks
that one of the weaknesses of Selye's theory is that it
"... fails to appreciate the power of emotional factors in producing
distress and disease." [19] If
"adaptation energy" is related to emotional
functioning, then our understanding of the nature
of biological energy must take into consideration the energy
of the emotions. It is to such a consideration that we now
turn.
The
Energy of the Emotions
One way in which to understand living functioning is
in terms of the build-up and
discharge of energy. Ernest Starling writes: "The activity
of every living being can be regarded as compounded of two phases, assimilation and dissimilation." [20] The
capacity of living beings to function can be viewed in terms of
"excitability." The phenomenon of homeostasis - made popular by
the
physiologist Walter Cannon - is related to the self-regulation of
living
organisms by means of which excitation is accumulated and discharged in
such a fashion as to "... tend to preserve the organism intact, to
favor its growth, or to prevent its destruction." [21] In simple
terms, we all must take in energy in order to function, and we all
expend energy in the act of living. The build-up and discharge of
biological energy is central to the ongoing process of life. A
fundamental aspect of this process in human beings involves the
expression of emotions. Emotional self-regulation is part of the
basic life process.
It is not difficult to appreciate that life is a self-regulating,
excitatory
process, especially if we consider the functioning of a human
infant. Let us take as an example the crying of a hungry
baby. When
the baby is
picked up by the mother and held close to her breast, the vigorous
"latching on" of the infant's mouth to the mother's nipple can be
seen. As Reich indicates, mother and child act as a
functionally united energetic system during the act of
gratifying breast feeding. In this contact between mother and
baby, the energy needs of the child are met with the flow of
nourishing milk and with the warmth of skin contact and the security of
the mother's touch and support. The satisfied baby, after
nursing, is in a state of pleasure, and the baby's energy is
renewed. The infant will utilize the new-found energy in movement
and growth. Waste products will be eliminated through urination
and defecation, which are part of the overall alimentary process.
The baby, however, is not a machine; and the mere
introduction of nutrients into its body does not satisfy its living
requirements. The infant needs loving human contact, and if it
does not receive such contact, it will suffer and its functioning will
become disturbed. This is especially evident on an emotional
level.
After the baby has nursed to its satisfaction, it will be ready to
expend energy. The way
in which the infant expends
energy, however, is important. The gratified infant will often
smile and
make pleasant sounds, and he or she will be in a playful mood. No
machine reacts in this way. This is true because the machine operates while the human infant lives. A basic feature of the
life of the infant is the gratification of its emotional needs, which
may be summarized and understood in terms of healthy human
contact, of which breast feeding is an example. A significant
disruption in the satisfaction of the
baby's emotional needs creates a state of conflict between the infant
and external reality, which in human terms is represented essentially
by the mother and other primary care givers. The "biological
expectation" of the infant is that its needs will be met.
At a simple level, this involves reaching out to a source of pleasure,
such as the mother's breast, the mother's smile, the mother's or the
father's voice, the warmth of a touch, the pleasantness of a snuggle,
the joy of playful eye contact. The infant does not have to be
taught that such contact is pleasurable. The baby knows this
"instinctively." In evolutionary terms, it may be said that many
millions of years of species development have gone into the process
that lets the infant recognize what is naturally pleasurable in
life.
By the same token, the infant knows what is painful. The human
infant, due to its relative
helplessness, is dependent upon a responsive, nurturing environment to
a
greater extent than is the case with other animals. The human
being reacts with pain to the withdrawal of love, and in the context of
this pain there emerges an anxiety response. Anxiety is a
defensive reaction. The infant withdraws
emotionally in an attempt to cope with the absence of pleasurable human
contact. Organismically, the spontaneous flow of movement is
blocked and emotional energy becomes dammed up, resulting in a
condition of "stasis."
The fundamental nature of human functioning - oriented as it is toward
pleasure and gratification - provides the basis for a clear
understanding of the importance of healthy contact between parent and
child. The key ingredients for the child in this
relationship are love, respect, and active support. If the needs
of the infant and child are met, the result will be the establishment
of a firm basis for healthy growth and
development. If the child's needs are not met, the
tendency of the child will be to withdraw in anxiety.
The word "anxiety" (L. angere;
to choke) literally signifies constriction.
[22] The
child's withdrawal represents a movement "away from the world," while
the response of the satisfied person is to open up expressively and
move "toward the world." [23]
The bioenergetic basis of such a situation has been elaborated by
Wilhelm Reich. Reich points out that the movements involved in
emotional
life represent actual expansions and contractions of the
organism. Thus in anxiety, energy is withdrawn from the
periphery of the body toward the core. In contrast, a pleasurable
organismic response is manifested in a flowing of energetically charged
body
fluids from the core to the periphery. These responses, involving
vasoconstriction and dilation, are mediated by the
autonomic nervous system. One of the consequences of this
situation is that an anxiety reaction in the human being, once it has
been assumed as an habitual attitude, becomes a binding
restriction on the free flow of energy and movement of the
person. Energy within the organism becomes locked into
maintaining a defensive state associated with patterns of neuromuscular
imbalance and a condition of chronic distress. At the level of
the body as a whole, a generalized disturbance in the pulsation of the
organism is associated with patterns of diminished contact with the
world and with energy depletion. The most obvious mechanism in
such a pattern of disturbance is restricted respiration. Holding
one's breath serves to deaden anxiety, but in the process it also
brings about a reduction in the energy level of the person.
If the growing child is fortunate enough to have an environment which
meets his or her basic biological needs, then the capacity for open,
meaningful emotional self-expression will be furthered on the solid
foundation of repeated gratification. Expressing oneself
emotionally in genuine human contact satisfies a basic human
need. Expressions of genuine emotion involve the discharge
of energy in heightened motility and
movement.
If one considers that the basic needs of the human being may be viewed
broadly in terms of "assimilation" and "dissimilation," then the
phenomenon of hunger belongs in the former category, while the sexual
drive falls into the latter. As is generally recognized, the
sexual identity of the child becomes anchored in a preliminary fashion
roughly by the age of seven years. This is also the period of
time when the spinal curves become established in more balanced
proportion to one another, when coordinated locomotion is more
confidently
attained, and when the stability of the pelvic structure and lower body
is
more securely organized with respect to the requirements of upright
posture and bipedal carriage. The body image of the child during
this period becomes integrated, and the process of growth, proceeding
in a cephalo-caudal ("head-to-tail") direction, brings the motility of
the lower body structures into a more balanced focus of
awareness. Interest in sexuality on the part of the child during
this time corresponds to an evolving sense of personal identity.
Later, hormonal and other physiological changes that emerge during
puberty and become established during adolescence bring with them a
natural upsurge of sexual desire which expresses itself in the
powerfully felt urge for sexual intercourse. While there are
various theories about the best way of "handling" adolescent
sexual urges, the existence of a powerful sexual drive at this
developmental stage is incontrovertible. The recollection of
virtually every adult will serve as adequate confirmation of this
reality. What must be emphasized is that there is an energetic
component to the sexual drive, and this energetic factor is related to
the emotional needs of the individual. Sexual desire - like
anger, joy, sadness, longing, happiness, rage, tenderness, love,
hatred, despair, and hope - requires appropriate expression in order
for personal well-being to be fostered and maintained.
It is interesting to reflect on the fact that many individuals consider
the emotions to be essentially a mental phenomenon. Thus, almost
anyone will be prepared to admit that getting out of a chair and moving
across a room is a physical act; but many of these same individuals
will be likely to contend that a feeling of anger is in the mind and
not the body. Such a position, however, is untenable.
Emotions are bodily phenomena, and they literally signify movement of
the organism, both in terms of motility of the plasma and with regard
to displacement of parts of the anatomy in space. In anger, the
cheeks become flushed and the fists become clenched, the eyes
flash, and the heartbeat quickens. In joy, the facial muscles
relax, the skin brightens, respiration deepens, and the heart
opens. One could list in detail the various physiological
responses of the organism under varying emotional conditions.
[24]
That physiological mechanisms are related to emotional expression does
not mean that the emotions can be reduced to a mechanistic
interpretation. Erwin Schrödinger comments on this fact by
observing that the sparkle in a child's eye is not to be
explained simply in terms of the wavelengths of light. In Schrödinger's words, "... recall the
bright, joyful eyes with which your child beams upon you when you bring
him a new toy, and then let the physicist tell you that in reality
nothing emerges from these eyes; in reality their only objectively
detectable function is, continually to be hit by and to receive light
quanta. In reality! Something seems to be missing in it."
[25]
Wilhelm Reich has associated the basic antithesis between pleasure
responses and anxiety reactions in the human organism with the
antithetical relationship between the parasympathetic and sympathetic
branches of the autonomic nervous system. [26] At a more
fundamental level, however, emotional expression may be seen as a
quality of the plasma movement itself. In this connection, Reich
argues that the autonomic nervous system is itself an organization
of contractile plasma. [27] He writes: "The living expresses
itself in movements, in 'expressive
movements.' The expressive
movement is an inherent characteristic of the protoplasm. It
distinguishes the living specifically from the non-living systems."
[28] The expansion of an amoeba toward a pleasurable stimulus and
its shrinking away from a painful one may be seen as an example of
expressive movement at a simple level of biological organization.
Reich comments: "The literal meaning of 'emotion' is 'moving out,'
which is the same as 'expressive movement.' The physical process
of plasmatic emotion or expressive movement always goes with an
immediately understandable meaning
which we call the emotional
expression." [29] At the basis of emotional expression, in
turn, there is an energetic factor. It is, therefore, necessary
to
speak of the energy of the emotions.
In human beings, a free-flowing emotional expressiveness is related to
the absence of chronic patterns of excessive muscular tension in the
body and by the existence of a relatively undisturbed respiratory
function. Such a condition means that oxygen requirements at the
cellular level are met and the body is capable of maintaining an
efficient metabolism. The process of assimilation is facilitated,
and the process of energy discharge is likewise facilitated, since the
movement of the organism is committed in a positive way to the
satisfaction of basic needs. With respect to the satisfaction
of the emotional needs of the person, this implies that the various
segments of the body are spontaneously responsive to the environment
and to other people in a coordinated and meaningful way. While
one may choose to inhibit a spontaneous emotional response under given
conditions, such inhibition is a matter of choice, rationally founded,
and is capable of reversal. To express the same idea in different
words, we may say that suppression
of a given emotional response under certain circumstances may be
warranted, but this is different from repression.
It follows that chronic emotional inhibition
is related to a decrease in the energy level of the person as well as
to a distortion of the expressive movements subjected to
inhibition. Under these circumstances, the sensory awareness of
the individual is diminished by a condition of chronic distress in
which organismic motility is disrupted. The movement of
body fluids through the various blood and lymphatic vessels as well as
the flow of interstitial fluids is necessarily affected. In such
a situation, the capacity for relatively unimpeded
perceptual and sensuous contact is diminished. [30] The need to
act and express oneself
in order to survive and to gratify one's fundamental needs persists,
however. The result is that the capacity for
contact is replaced by an inhibited pattern of self-expression which
serves as a form of "substitute" contact based on
impaired respiration, energetic stasis, and specific patterns of
chronic muscular tension which confine the range of organismic movement
within relatively narrow limits.
Given the present analysis, it is evident that there is an
emotional factor associated with muscular balance, range of movement,
sensory awareness, and energy level in the person. The energetic
aspect of this complex of factors is related to the direct role of
breathing in the oxidative processes of the body and the universal
tendency in humans to inhibit the breathing process in response to
chronic conditions of stress and anxiety. That the formative
periods of infancy, childhood, and adolescence are crucial for the
organic learning of restricted functioning
is understandable, since the options of the young person are much more
limited in the face of adversity than are those of the healthy
adult. The
child is a dependent being in need of support, respect, and
guidance. A situation which might be intimidating to a healthy
adult may be
felt to be life-threatening to a child in the absence of protection and
understanding. This is especially true when the
threat emanates from a parent upon whose good graces the child
depends for survival. Absence of necessary contact with
the mother and the father cannot help but provoke a disturbance in the
basic respiratory and energetic functioning of the child. Since
the body structure, experience, and behavior of the child are in the
process of
formation, the influences of childhood - to a great extent - determine
the path of growth that culminates in the structure and function of the
adult. (As Wordsworth writes: "The child is father of the man.")
While the needs of the child must be met within certain limits in order
for functioning to develop naturally, the question arises: what
needs in the emotional life of the adult demand satisfaction in order
to permit continued personal growth and development and to insure
balanced energetic functioning? Since the adult
is a human being no less than the child, the
requirement of a basic degree of genuine contact with others will hold
true in
later as well as in early life. It is difficult to
conceive of
such a requirement's being met - in the case of adults - in the absence
of a mature love
relationship. Whereas the love in a child's life is primarily
expressed in openhearted contact with family members and young friends,
the needs of adult love seek fulfillment in the establishment of a
gratifying sexual relationship with a mate. This need for
fulfillment is rooted in the mature sexual drive, which is itself an
energetic phenomenon. Whereas the
child discharges excess biological energy in the process of physical
growth, the sexual orgasm is the means for the discharge of excess
tension in the adult. Such tension results from an actual
build-up of energy in the tissues of the
body. One level at which this build-up of sexual tension may be
understood is in terms of shifts in the balance of electrolytes and
colloid particles in the body fluids. Such an understanding
involves viewing the body as a system of energetically charged fluids
in a watery solution. In the words of Ernest Starling, "... the
solution in every case is bound up within the meshes or adsorbed by the
surfaces of a heterogeneous mass of colloids." [31] A colloid is
simply a stable solution of particles that do not separate out, at an
appreciable rate, from the medium in which they are suspended.
[32] Starling observes that "The material composing living cells
is permeated throughout with water containing electrolytes in
solution... It is therefore not surprising that practically every
functional change in a tissue has been shown to be associated with the
production of differences of electrical potential." [33] According to the perspective elaborated
by
Reich, the dynamics of the sexual drive can best
be understood in terms of the function of the orgasm.
In Reich's view, the attraction of the male and female during sexual
intercourse involves contact between two organisms (colloidal systems)
in a state of highly
charged
bioelectrical polarization. In
Reich's words: "The male and
female circulations and
the mutually
stimulating plasmatic excitations in the autonomic nervous system
represent the inherent sources of electrical charge on the organs of
sexual contact. The
equalization of the potential gradient occurs
between the two surface potentials: penile epidermis and vaginal mucosa." [34]
Reich's
point is that the sexual orgasm in human beings, when unrestricted,
entails the discharge of accumulated bio-electrical energy and the
reduction of organismic tension.
Another way that the self-regulation of the human organism can be
understood is in terms of the presence in the body of a specific
biological energy functioning according to a pulsatory process of
alternating expansion and contraction. Such a process entails a
rhythmic, four-beat progression: organismic
tension leads to bioenergetic
charge which leads to
bioenergetic discharge which
leads to organismic relaxation.
Such a formula describes the process of sexual arousal and
excitatory build-up culminating in orgastic release. Reich
advances the
proposition that at the core of this process is a concrete,
life-specific energy. He introduces the term "orgone energy"
(derived from the words "organic" and "orgasm") to designate this
phenomenon. [35] Reich's discussion of orgone energy functions touches
upon
the basic question of the nature of biological energy.
Independent, practical evaluation of Reich's theories
concerning the presence of a specific biological energy at the depth of
human functioning (and throughout living nature) requires detailed
and
careful investigation if Reich's assertion that orgone energy is a
scientifically demonstrable "fact" is to be confirmed. [36] The
interested reader should refer to Reich's reports of
his experimental research and to accounts of his methodology in the
relevant literature. [37]
If we hold in abeyance a judgment concerning the
specific nature of the biological energy at work in the sexual
functioning of the human being, it is nonetheless evident that the
deepened respiration and the build-up of excitation leading to orgasm
must be related. It is also true that the rhythmic pelvic
movements and
the convulsive waves that pass through the body preceding and during
the acme of the sexual act require a high degree of coordinated
mobility of the body segments as well as an intensified inner
motility. It is also true that the presence
of chronic patterns of muscular tension (armoring) and restricted
respiration
necessarily interfere with sexual functioning. On an emotional
level, the flow of feeling and excitement is interrupted; the sexual
experience is "short-circuited," and the individual
becomes "hung up." In his analysis of the pressures of modern
living, Alexander Lowen has emphasized
the need to bring the "hung up" individual's awareness "down to
earth." [38] The more secure the ground under one's feet and the
more
vital one's contact with the earth, the greater will be the build-up of
excitement and the more satisfying will be the discharge of biological
energy in life and in sexual functioning. If it is true, as has
been said, that "all life is energy,"
then the challenge of personal growth and improved functioning involves
establishing the capacity for a more thoroughgoing, comprehensive, and
energetic commitment to life. [39] Doing so involves
deepening our awareness of ourselves at the level of bioenergetic
functioning.
Energy
and Awareness *
If,
for a moment, we turn our attention to our subjective awareness, we
will become conscious of processes and events within the field of our
experience. These processes and events involve sensation and
feeling. We know through our intimate awareness of ourselves that
we are sensing, feeling creatures. The feelings that make up who
we are assert themselves as a
tension, as a pressure toward movement. If we express the
particular feeling that we are experiencing, the tension will be
discharged. We know this to be true, because we are
familiar with our own experience, with our feelings and
sensations. The feelings of the heart, the rush of
excitement in
love, the contentedness that accompanies the successful conclusion of a
hard day's meaningful work - all of these are sensations experienced at
a bodily level. If one enters deeply into one's bodily
sensations, one finds that the body is alive with feeling. Sexual
urges emanate from the area of the diaphragm, the abdomen, and the
genitals. Thoughtfulness is associated with the brain, and one
can literally feel one's skull as a "thinking cap" during intense
deliberation. When one feels one's feet on the ground, it is
possible to sense the roots of one's security. Feeling and
sensation on a bodily level are a deep field of experience toward which
one can focus one's attention. Such bodily sensations are a part
of one's awareness.
From the present vantage point, awareness,
movement, and biological energy are
interrelated. We might say, following Reich, that awareness,
movement, and energy are "functionally identical." This means
that there is a quantitative factor in experience. One method,
therefore, of promoting deeper individual awareness is to increase the
energy level of the person. With regard to character structure,
this entails reducing
patterns of chronic muscular tension that act as a kind of
straightjacket limiting the vitality of the person. If such a
process is to be effective, insight into the meaning of the
patterns of restricted functioning must be gained. A genuine
process of learning, involving growth and change, requires that one
gain awareness of one's basic manner of functioning so that one can
attain a reasonable degree of choice regarding one's behavior.
Expanding and deepening the breathing process has the effect
of raising the energy level of the person. This rise in energy
level creates a state of increased biological tension, which results
from the pressure of increased vital energy pushing against
established, limited patterns of experience and behavior.
Resolving such tension requires insight into the meaning of the
pressure that is felt and includes clarifying and working through inner
conflicts on an emotional level in order to mobilize the capacity for
authentic self-expression. On a practical level, it becomes
necessary to organize one's life in a more meaningful way. Doing
so
involves creating conditions that will permit the establishment of a
higher level of personal energy on a sustained basis. Awareness
is a key factor in this process.
Each expansion in the level of
energetic functioning of the person opens the way for a broadening and
deepening of awareness. In this sense, the process of growth and
change is dialectical. The somatic and psychological aspects of
growth and change
form a basic unity. The stuff and substance of this
unity are identical with the energetic, pulsatory movement of life. If the
capacity to live has been thwarted, a
person may seek mystical answers to life's problems or
mechanistic solutions to life's challenges. From a functional
perspective, however, overcoming the difficulties of life requires the
deepening of one's vital awareness and
the
strengthening of one's human potency. This involves a practical
task. In approaching this task, focusing on
bioenergetic factors serves as a basic point of orientation and a
concrete
foundation for fostering improved individual functioning and genuine
personal growth.
[1] Quoted in Miller, J. The Body in Question
(New York: Random House, 1978), p. 157.
[2] Lowen, A. Bioenergetics
(New York: Penguin Books, 1975), p. 46.
[3] See Lawson, J. "Breathing and
Armor" and
"The Force of
Life." Both articles are available at www.reichian.com.
[4] Todd, M. The Thinking Body
(Paul B. Hoeber Inc., 1937), unabridged republication by Dance
Horizons, New York, p. 233.
[5] See, Reich, W. The
Function of the Orgasm, trans.
T. Wolfe (New York: Orgone Institute Press, 1948), especially Ch. VIII,
"The Orgasm Reflex and the Technique of Character-Analytic
Vegetotherapy."
[6] Todd, p. 250.
[7] Tortora, G. and
Anagnostakos, N. Principles
of Anatomy and Physiology
(New York: Harper & Row, 1981), p 703.
[8] Jaynes, J. The Origin of
Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind (Boston:
Houghton Mifflin Company, 1976), p. 51.
[9] Todd, p. 10.
[10] Rolf, I. Rolfing: The
Integration of Human Structures (New York: Harper & Row,
1977), p. 110.
[11] Rolf, p. 222.
[12] Rolf, p. 153.
[13] Rolf, p. 30.
[14] Todd, p. 230.
[15] Rolf, p. 198.
[16] Tortora and
Anagnostakos, p. 294.
[17] See Lowen, A. Fear of Life
(New
York: Collier Books, 1980).
[18] Selye, H. The Stress of Life
(New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1956), p. 209. (Selye's italics)
[19] Lowen, A. Stress and Illness: A
Bioenergetic View (New York: The International Institute for
Bioenergetic Analysis, 1980), p. 20.
[20] Starling, E. Principles of
Human Physiology, Fifth Edition (Philadelphia: Lea &
Febiger, 1930), p. 14.
[21] Starling, P. 15.
[22] The words "anxiety" (L. angere:
"to choke") "anguish" (L. angustia:
"tightness")) and "anger"
(L. angustus:
"narrow") are etymologically related. This is understandable,
since
these states are related on an emotional level and are expressed in
specific shapes and forms of movement of energy in the body and
personality.
[23] See Reich, W. "The Basic Antithesis of
Vegetative Life
functions" in The Impulsive
Character and Other Writings, trans. B. Koopman (New York: New
American Library, 1974).
[24] See Reich, W. The
Cancer Biopathy, trans.
A. White (New
York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1973), pp. 290-292.
[25] Schrödinger, E. Mind and Matter (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
1959), p. 45.
[26] Reich, "The Basic Antithesis of Vegetative Life Functions" in The Impulsive Character
and Other Writings.
[27] Reich, The Cancer Biopathy,
pp. 167-168.
[28] Reich, W. Character Analysis
3rd edition, trans. T. Wolfe (Orgone Institute Press,
1949), p. 360. (Reich's
italics)
[29] Reich, Character Analysis,
p. 360. (Reich's italics)
[30] See Reich, Character Analysis (Chapter
XIV: "Psychic
Contact and Vegetative Current").
[31] Starling, p. 93.
[32] "Colloids may involve
solids, liquids, or gases. Cigarette smoke
is a
colloid of solid dispersed in air. Ordinary milk is a colloid
involving a liquid dispersed in another liquid, in this case, fat
globules dispersed through an aqueous solution." Keeton, W. Biological Science (New York: W.W.
Norton & Company Inc., 1972), p. 49.
[33] Starling, p. 113.
[34] Reich, W. "The Orgasm
as an Electrophysiological Discharge" in The Impulsive Character and Other
Writings, p. 134. (Reich's italics)
For further discussion of this subject, see
Lawson, J. "Love and Sexuality in Human Functioning," available at www.reichian.com.
[35] Reich, The
Cancer Biopathy, p. 90.
[36] What distinguishes Reich's position concerning the existence of a
specific biological energy is not his assertion that such an energy
exists, but his insistence that such an energy can be scientifically
demonstrated. In Reich's words, "Orgone
is a visible, measurable, and applicable energy of a cosmic nature.
Such concepts as 'id,' 'entelechy,' or 'élan vital,' on the
other
hand, are only inklings of
the existence of such an energy."
Character Analysis, p. 304 n. (Reich's italics) A discussion of
some of Reich's views in this regard can be found in Mann, E. Orgone, Reich & Eros: Wilhelm Reich's
Theory of Life Energy (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1973).
[37] See, especially, Reich, The
Cancer Biopathy.
[38] Lowen, Bioenergetics, p.
196.
[39] For the assertion that
"all life is energy," see Energy: The Fuel of Life, compiled by the editors of the Encyclopædia
Britannica (New York:
Bantam Books, 1979), p. 262.
* For
an expanded version of this section, see Lawson, J.
"Awareness and Energy," available at
the 'Articles' page at www.reichian.com.
Back to
Top
