Healing the Heart: Reich and Bion

In his early influential (but controversial) book on the development and treatment of human character disorders, Wilhelm Reich described encrusted attitudes that functioned as an “armor.” Reich was to bring together mind and body when he proposed that this armor was physically manifest in chronic muscular spasms. Reich believed that it was possible to dissolve the armor. This in turn, would help the therapist and client to achieve a major goal of psychoanalysis: bringing back the memory of the childhood repression that had caused blockage in the first place. While Reich brought in the physical dimension of human misery, he made use of traditional psychoanalytic techniques, when seeking to identify and release the energy trapped in the patient’s body—and causes the rigidity of physical structure and spasms of the patient’s muscles. He focused on the patient’s neurotic symptomatology—particularly defensive routines (such as regression, denial, and projection).

At the heart of the matter was the blocked flow of energy caused by the pervasive anxiety that existed in the patient’s life. Much as Robert Sapolsky would note in recent years, the patient’s body was frozen in place with the potential attack of imagined lions. From this perspective, one can see the psycho-physical treatment being most effectively engaged when it attends to the anxiety associated with the character armor. Given this perspective, we brought in another member of our treatment team, Wilfred Bion (1995). He introduces the process of metabolism as a way of transforming the anxiety into a constructive form of energy that helps to liberate and complement the other forms of energy that are locked in the patients’ armament. For Bion, it is not just a matter of opening access to the Tin Man’s heart. He also believes that a healthy, accessible heart helps to convert frozen energy into active, mobilizing energy.

For Bion it is a matter first of healing the heart. Then comes the release of our Tin Man from his armor and his joining of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and Toto in their journey to Oz. However, before they begin the journey there is a bit more mending to do of our Tin Man. We ask Reich and Feldenkrais to stay with us and join the treatment team—so that the mobilization and healing are sustained—given that our characters of Oz are going to encounter many other challenges and trials that require both courage (despite anxiety) and force (making use of the converted energy). We consider treatment options in our second essay.
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