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His mother had committed
suicide after being found in bed with the man that had been tutoring Wilhelm.
Wilhelm himself, at about the age of twelve, had discovered the two together
and confronted his father with the information to get revenge and to draw
the attention away from the fact he was being punished for using tobacco.
In her humiliation and guilt at being discovered his mother committed suicide
using lye for poisoning. After her death his father couldn't handle the
pressures of life and couldn't take care of himself or his children. He
died shortly after of pneumonia. By the age of sixteen Wilhelm was in charge
of the farm, household, and taking care of his younger brother.
Soon after World War I began,
the Russians invaded the Reich household and seized it, forcing Wilhelm
and his brother to flee their home. After his escape Wilhelm joined the
service. By the end of the war he had become a lieutenant.
After the war he chose to
go to free schooling in Vienna and began to study law, but within two months
he changed his courses and joined the field of medicine. In 1919 Reich
met Sigmund Freud, who developed the techniques of psychoanalysis for the
treatment of psychological and emotional disorders. Reich was soon introduced
to a whole New World of psychology and neurotic disfunctions. He began
sexual education seminars in college to spread his knowledge. He had already
begun working with Freud, sharing theories and proofs. Within three years
of entering college, he had graduated at the top of his class.
In the year 1920, Wilhelm
became a member of the psychoanalytic company and began his exercise of
psychoanalysis within the same year. Two years later he concluded his medical
studies and was promoted to "doctor of medicine". Here he learned
neuro-psychiatry in the Viennese University.
Wilhelm became Sigmund Freud's
most consistent representative. But Freud lost his trust in Wilhelm when
he discovered him applying the libido theory (one posses sexual and aggressive
energy) to a chemical composition. Despite the loss of his mentor's trust
Wilhelm continued and from 1922 on he consistently applied the Freudian
libido theory to the orgasm theory.
Wilhelm's many contributions
to society were more often than not criticized and put down. He was removed
from his contemporaries who felt that he was following the path of his
mentor, Sigmund Freud. His work seemed very inappropriate in this age of
man, where one felt that topics, such as sexual intercourse, were to be
kept hidden and not publicized or studied.
Despite this fact, Wilhelm
continued his practices and investigations. He began to develop new techniques
for the patients that he treated. He found that the common practice of
"mirroring" patients among psychiatrists was useless. He felt
that studying the person's individual physical character explained much
more about their neurotic being. He explored his patients anxieties and
emotions and how they manifested themselves physically. These therapeutic
techniques seemed to benefit the patient.
During the 1920's, Wilhelm
made many attempts to make a persons sexual being more open and to the
public. He would write letters criticizing companies for neglecting the
genital function and would write several articles emphasizing the importance
of individual sexuality. Reich's popularity grew through his seminars and
lectures covering such topics as "character analytic methods".
He started promoting natural childbirth, natural parenting, and the sexual
rights for youths and adults.
Reich wrote and published
the book "The Function of the Orgasm " in 1927,
which contained the inscription: "My teacher Sigmund Freud in deep
worship". Freud was very uncomfortable with this book and thought
that it was too "thick" into the subject itself.
During the 1930's Wilhelm
practiced many experiments that contributed towards biological energy.
He published his discoveries often to the ridicule of other scientists
and psychoanalysts. He later on set up sexual hygiene clinics in Vienna
and Berlin and distributed the information to children and teenagers to
educate them on the subject of sexuality. This caused a great deal of controversy
and began a political fight amongst the teenagers and young Communists.
Because of this political situation, the "International", a publishing
company, refused to publish a psychoanalytic publishing house, where Freud
was to publish Wilhelm's "Character Analysis". This "Character
Analysis" was the most important book of the libido-theory. This writing
was eventually published in 1933.
In 1933, due to the rise
in power of Adolph Hitler and Wilhelm’s Jewish background, he left Germany
and eventually moved to Norway where he had been invited to teach in Oslo.
There he continued his work and teachings of character-analysis. A year
later Wilhelm attended a lecture of A. S. Neill. Following Neill's lecture,
a close friendship between the two began.
The orgasm-reflex was discovered
in 1935. This was the principle item of the sexual economics at the time.
Reich formulated this plainly. He described how mental health depended
on orgasmic potency. "This depends on the amount of experience and
the size of the sexual arousal during intercourse" Wilhelm explains
and goes on to say that mental illness is derived from a disturbance of
natural love ability and the block of biological energy originating with
orgasmic impotence.
This leads Wilhelm to yet
another line of work relating to his basic topic of Orgone energy and biopsychiatry.
This shows that the relationship of energy makes the main problem of the
emotional holding understood and explains the solution to the muscle spasms
to the main object. This release causes an orgasmic-reflex, which runs
as a wave from the head to the genital area. Reich names this process "The
orgasm-formula" because it contains the 4 characteristics: mechanical
stimulation, electric tension, energetic discharge and mechanical relaxation.
In 1937, Wilhelm published
parts of his work in an institute magazine. In the same year there was
a response with a summary and commentary accusing Reich of uncivilized
behavior in regards to his laboratory experiments on the natural creation
of microscopic life. Some thought he was mocking God by creating life in
the lab. Between 1937 and 1938 over 100 articles were published in Osloer
newspapers that tried to massacre Reich's work. Wilhelm came back at them
with support from another side and the situation became gradually embarrassing
in the view of the public.
In August of 1939, the same
year in which Sigmund Freud passes away, Wilhelm left Oslo and traveled
to New York. He never again returned to Europe. Here he became Associate
Professor of Medical Psychology at the New York School for Social Research.
Working out of his home which he purchased in Queens, N.Y. he continued
his experiments that he had begun in Norway.
Soon he developed a metal
box in which he called an Orgone accumulator. This appliance proved that
organic materials suck in Orgone energy and that metals emit it again.
These accumulators were to benefit the people since they treated injuries,
physical disease, and health conditions. He gave lectures of his new finding
and had talks with Albert Einstein. Einstein considered Reich's discovery
as a bomb in physics. Together both men agreed to clarify all debatable
questions experimentally. Reich later betrays his trust in his new companion
after Einstein expresses to him in a derogatory way that he had tried to
impose himself. Wilhelm was very disappointed in the scientific ignorance.
In 1942 Reich bought a 153-acre
piece of land in Rangeley, Maine where he founded the Orgone Institute
designed to encourage the field of study of science and life energy. He
still continued to research further into the Orgone subject and later developed
a new technique of therapy, which he called Orgone therapy. He combined
this style of therapy with the use of his Orgone accumulators. This new
technique rose many questions in therapeutic understanding and many questioned
much of its theories. From Orgone energy to Orgone motors Wilhelm continued
to find more and more uses for the field of Orgonomy.
In the year of 1951 Reich
began an Oranur-Experiment, "Orgone anti Nuclear - (Or A Nur)",
which he started from an idea that Orgone energy could neutralize the dangers
of nuclear energy. He thought this would be a major contribution considering
the strong possibility of the use of nuclear weapons during the Korean
War. He attempted many experiments to prove his theory but by the end,
instead of attacking nuclear energy, the experiment caused nuclear energy
to have disastrous effects on Orgone energy. This combination he called
"Dor", a deadly Orgone radiation. Dor was a very subtle substance
that was caused by having radioactive material mixed in with Orgone energy,
a very active reaction. Wilhelm developed a new appliance that was later
named a cloudbuster. This new appliance created a stir in Dor energy, which
effected the atmosphere in which both Dor and Orgone energy were created
and shared.
In February of 1954 yet another
complaint was filed against Wilhelm Reich's work. The FDA put down his
work for fear of endangering others with his Orgone accumulators and other
practices. Wilhelm responded in a letter addressed to the Judge, conveying
his concerns of the control the FDA had tried to seize over his new scientific
discoveries. Reich refused to appear in court and was not required to at
the time. The FDA's concerns of endangering the people were never proved
in court, and in a mad outrage, the court forced unjust penalties on Wilhelm
Reich and the Reich Foundation and ordered the destruction of many of his
Orgone accumulators. Due to Reich's failure to appear in court or follow
the orders of the court, the penalties continued to worsen and more punishments
were pursued against Wilhelm's work. His discoveries in Orgone energy and
published materials were burned by the FDA and the existence of Orgone
energy was denied but never dis-proved. The court never acknowledged the
existence of Orgone energy or the functioning of the Orgone accumulator.
Because of his failure to
follow the orders of the court he was tried and sentenced to two years
in prison. The Wilhelm Reich Foundation was fined $ 10,000. Reich spent
the last year of his life in the Federal Penitentiary at Lewisburg Pennsylvania.
In 1957 an offer was made to Reich, which would have allowed him to be
released on parole if he agreed never to practice or teach Orgonomy again.
He died before the parole board could make an official offer for Wilhelm
to consider to accept. Although his family requested his work, writings,
and his journals that were continued in jail, the prison offficials never
released them to his family.
Wilhelm's hope was to educate
the children of the future on a subject few dared to discuss. There was
an estate established in his honor called the "Wilhelm Reich Infant
Trust Fund " that is located in Rangeley, Maine, where the domain
of his museum lies.
Wilhelm Reich's continual
contribution to science never received the recognition that it should have.
His work was always for the benefit of the people, but the people never
learned to accept it. His important discoveries were often kept quiet and
never publicized, but his scientific ingenuity was incomparable. He had
made many accomplishments and contributions to a field that he loved so
much, but his name has never be held in the same regard as the great Albert
Einstein or Thomas Edison.
Although Reich died in 1957,
his work did not. A few scientists and individuals around the world still
continue what Wilhelm Reich had started. His battle in sexual politics
gave many the inspirations to speak their mind. If Wilhelm Reich had not
died alone in a solitaire confinement and was allowed to continue his work
throughout the turn of the decades, a new revolution may have overshadowed
the day to day lives civilians live in this turn of the century.
BIBLIOGRAPHY WILHELM REICH
1. Bone, Kim. "Freudian Theory",
"Libido Theory"; last updated 6/12/98;
http://www.se.edu/nursing/Williams/317/317theory/sldO28.htm ; visited 11/4/98
(link not working apr 2000)
2. Ogg, Jamerling. "Wilhelm Reich"
interview (time: 12:15 p. m.) 11/13/98
3. PORE - Jogg. "Public Orgonomic Research
Exchange"; Last Modified: Saturday, January 02, 1999 21:52:49 GMT;
http://www.orgone.org/ visited 1/2/99
4. Radiation from Space Information "Organic/Technology-
Wilhelm Reich" issue #3 http://www.warehouse.net/yippiebean/reich.htm ;
visited 11/4/98
5.Reagan, Gerrard. "Wilhelm Reich,"
Encylopaedia Britannica (copyright: 1985) p. 117
6.Reich, Wilhelm "The Function of the
Orgasm" vol. 1, "The Development of an Orgasm Theory" http://www.geocites.com/Athens/Delphi/5340/orgasm.htm
visited 11/4/98
7. Trettin, Joachim. "Wilhelm Reich and
Orgonomy"; Last Modified: Friday, February 13, 1998 2:17:05 GMT http://orgone.org/IOOeng/historie.htm
; visited 11/4/98
8. "Wilhelm Reich- Orgonomy" http://www.jersey.net/mseeker/reichlink.htm
visited 11/4/98 (link not working on Apr 2000)
BOOKS WRITTEN AND PUBLISHED
BY WILHELM REICH
"THE FUNCTION OF THE ORGASM" 1927
"THE INVASION OF COMPULSORY SEX- MORALITY"
1931
"CHARACTER ANALYSIS" 1933
"THE MASS PSYCHOLOGY OF FASCISM"
1933
"THE SEXUAL REVOLUTION" 1935
"PEOPLE IN TROUBLE" 1936
"LISTEN LITTLE MAN" 1948
"THE CANCER BIOPATHY" 1948
"THE MURDER OF CHRIST" 1951
"CONTACT WITH SPACE" 1957
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