Body/energy work in Western/European esoteric traditions?

[morning dew]

A friend of mine on Facebook started a conversation about this and I responded that in my limited experience the bits and pieces I had read were all watered-down Eastern techniques and systems. Is there any kind of equivalent in Western/European esoteric traditions to (kundalini) yoga or Tai Chi or qigong, etc? 

[Nungali]

Not that I know of, exactly.  But 'body/ energy work ', in the west is sort of a different thing. A  lot of modern and 'new Age'  bodywork was started within the context of psychoanalysis with Reich, who was promptly kicked out for touching patents and not sitting behind a desk and going  " Mmmm-hmmmm. "

 

Then there is DD Palmer , if we ant to include chiropractic treatments,   There is the 'hand healing'   'therapeutic touch ' of  Dora Kunz, a Theosophist.  There were 19th century 'magnetic and electrical healers'   , even radio-active products were touted .

 

'Light Therapy' is interesting (but may not have an entire western origin, although it has been used in modern medicine

 

A newborn infant undergoing white-light

phototherapy to treat neonatal jaundice.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_therapy

 

There are a lot more ;

 

"

The US-based National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) distinguishes between health care involving scientifically observable energy, which it calls "Veritable Energy Medicine", and health care methods that invoke physically undetectable or unverifiable "energies", which it calls "Putative Energy Medicine":^[33]

• Types of "veritable energy medicine" include magnet therapy, colorpuncture, and light therapy. Medical techniques involving the use electromagnetic radiation (e.g. radiation therapy or magnetic resonance imaging) are not considered "energy medicine" in the terms of alternative medicine.
• Types of "putative energy medicine" include biofield energy healing therapies where the hands are claimed to direct or modulate "energies" which are believed to effect healing in the patient;^{[34][verification needed]} this includes spiritual healing and psychic healing, Therapeutic touch, Healing Touch, Hands of light, Esoteric healing, Magnetic healing (now a historical term not to be confused with magnet therapy), Qigong healing, Reiki, Pranic healing, Crystal healing, distant healing, intercessory prayer, and similar modalities.^{[35][verification needed][36]} Concepts such as Qi (Chi), Prana, Innate Intelligence, Mana, Pneuma, Vital fluid, Odic force, and Orgone are among the many terms that have been used to describe these putative energy fields.^[35] This category does not include Acupuncture, Ayurvedic medicine, Chiropractic, and other modalities where a physical intervention is used to manipulate a putative energy.

Polarity therapy founded by Randolph Stone is a kind of energy medicine^[37] based on the belief that a person's health is subject to positive and negative charges in their electromagnetic field.^[38] It has been promoted as capable of curing a number of human ailments ranging from muscular tightness to cancer; however, according to the American Cancer Society "available scientific evidence does not support claims that polarity therapy is effective in treating cancer or any other disease".^[

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_medicine#Classification

[oak]

There's plenty of energy work in the Russian martial art Systema which is said has its roots in an ancient tradition.

 

 

[morning dew]

Thanks for the input, everyone.  

 

I'm not sure he's really going to find anything, apart from that Russian Systema (which looked quite brutal with all that standing on their calves haha!). I know he's done kundalini yoga and didn't really get into bagua, but that's about it. I'll drop him a link to this thread and see if he has any other questions.

 

I think the only thing I've come across is runic yoga, but it just looks to me like a thrown-together system: make shapes of the runes with your body. I have to be honest, I don't think it's really going to do that much as opposed to something like qigong.

Edited November 19, 2017 by morning dew

[bax44]

Reichian body/breathwork, radical undoing. Idk if it originated here in the west at all but its extremely enjoyable and potent. Been practicing it for a few years, it appears to be not very well known at this point, but it should be.

[phil]

 

8 minutes ago, bax44 said:

Reichian body/breathwork, radical undoing. Idk if it originated here in the west at all but its extremely enjoyable and potent. Been practicing it for a few years, it appears to be not very well known at this point, but it should be.

Any info/sources for reichian bodywork you would recommend? 

[oak]

 

29 minutes ago, phil said:

 

Any info/sources for reichian bodywork you would recommend? 

Hi Phil. the theory:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetotherapy

also, Alexander Lowen (disciple of Reich) created "Bioenergetic". Lot's to work  with here if you want to:

 

[bax44]

5 minutes ago, oak said:

 

Hi Phil. the theory:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetotherapy

also, Alexander Lowen (disciple of Reich) created "Bioenergetic". Lot's to work  with here if you want to:

 

 

Thats a nice link, theres hundreds of exercises in this "system" that are contained from many sources. Calling it Reich or Lowen or bioenergetics is just a shorthand I suppose but at a certain point it becomes the indivivuals own personal repertoire of exercises. The actual breathing sessions/body work that I engage in is something else entirely than lowen/reich,(at least how its described from decades ago) although obviously it has elements of both.

Edited November 19, 2017 by bax44

[Nungali]

2 hours ago, phil said:

 

Any info/sources for reichian bodywork you would recommend? 

 

 

 

....  on a more serious note ; there was a great 'beginners guide' to  Reich  (or some similar title) informative of the whole dynamic at that time and what supressed it. It was heavily illustrated cartoon style, but informative .  It was good for the whole dynamics and realisations that started it .

 

Apparently, it all started one day when Reich was talking to a patient and noticed the man's shoulder twitched every time he mentioned his father. He asked him about it and the man said he didn't have a shoulder twitch, and why did he bring his father ( twitch ) into it , what has his father ( twitch twitch ) got to do with anything. Reich asked the man if he would mind if he examined his shoulder.  That was his big mistake - he 'crossed the floor' and came out from behind his desk and felt the man's shoulder. (That and eventually associations with the Communist Party led to his excommunication from psychoanalysis in in 1934). The man felt pain and asked Reich what the hell he was doing to him.  He started realising psychological trauma could be stored physically in body memory and create problems.  conversely; manipulation, massage, etc. on effected parts could heal or at least expose the psychological trauma.  He also believed that  the 'unconscious'  and uncontrolled  body movements of proper 'potent orgasm' did a similar thing.

 

Unfortunately after some great work , he built an orgone cannon and started firing it at UFOs that were coming to steal or energy. Things went rapidly downhill from there.

 

Then there was the 'sexual therapy' and 'potent orgasm'  theory ; worth studying.    For a while, there were Socialist Party workers sex clinics, some had a travelling 'therapy centre' with  'professional workers' .  Apparently it increased worker's production and reduced sick leave    

 

"  In The Function of the Orgasm Reich had argued controversially that all neurosis was caused by "the lack of full and repeated sexual satisfaction". When revising the manuscript, he added a chapter on "The Social Significance of Genital Strivings" that represented his first attempt at fusing the ideas of Marx and Freud.

 

"Keen to put theory into praxis, the charismatic Reich founded the Socialist Society for Sex-Counselling and Sex-Research and, with Freud's blessing, opened six free sex clinics in poorer areas of Vienna  He also operated a van as a mobile centre, from which he lectured crowds on "the sexual misery of the masses under capitalism", warning of the dangers of abstinence, the importance of premarital sex, and the corrupting influence of the patriarchal family. The clinics were staffed by other leftwing members of the second generation of psychoanalysts, in thrall to Reich, who distributed sex advice and free contraception, and arranged illegal abortions. Their motto was "Free Sexuality Within an Egalitarian Society".

 

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/may/01/sex-pol-essays-reich-review

 

[Nungali]

2 hours ago, bax44 said:

 

Thats a nice link, theres hundreds of exercises in this "system" that are contained from many sources. Calling it Reich or Lowen or bioenergetics is just a shorthand I suppose but at a certain point it becomes the indivivuals own personal repertoire of exercises. The actual breathing sessions/body work that I engage in is something else entirely than lowen/reich,(at least how its described from decades ago) although obviously it has elements of both.

 

 

Do peeps know who ripped off these whole set of exercises and repackaged and remarked them as a type of new eastern enlightenment  / 'kundalini meditation'  ?  

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

[oak]

6 hours ago, Nungali said:

....  on a more serious note ; there was a great 'beginners guide' to  Reich  (or some similar title) informative of the whole dynamic at that time and what supressed it. It was heavily illustrated cartoon style, but informative .  It was good for the whole dynamics and realisations that started it .

 

Great explanation Nungali,and yes that beginners guide is something worthwile reading. Another thing was the orgone box he developed as a way to cure cancer. He truly believed in his theories and worked on them but unfortunately not at that time nor now can someone  work on an alternative way of curing cancer. After being persecuted by the CIA ( one time he even expeled them at gun point out of his property) he ended up in jail where he died of a heart attack.

 

His book "Listen little man" where he describes his fight as a scientist agaist the system is something really worthwile reading. I would say it's one of my 5 favourite books.

Edited November 20, 2017 by oak
added images

[bax44]

wow I think you guys are totally taking the reich stuff way out of context. Reich may have "started it" but dont get all bogged down in who did what when. It really doesnt matter. All Im trying to get across is the exercises and the breathing are highly effective and worth looking into. Put aside all the psychological and "orgone energy" nonsense, it really doesnt matter at all.

 

Idk enough about Osho to even comment but again, does it really matter? 

 

edit- I realize I may have taken out of context the above posts, Im just saying that analyzing wether reich  was right or wrong or even delving deep into his theories are totally irrelevant to doing these practices, and actually might stop someone from trying them or may in fact get in the way. Nothing personal:)

Edited November 20, 2017 by bax44

[EmeraldHead]

I think it is shroudded in mystery in this part of the world. I know of the case of someone walking through walls, ATR and european Grimoires like Goetia practicant. Also, ATR is well known on the internet for its advanced practicants to have siddhis powerful examples of them. And non grimoire traditions that have combat usable siddhis. You have to get strong yourself and keep looking in the world. It's a bit like in anime, in Yuyu hakusho with the detectives, in one piece with haki pirates of the new world being above devil fruit pirates, hxh with strong nen users, naruto with well.... I dont think the world has a lack of powerful siddarth producing traditions. All the flashy stuff is well hidden from the mundame eye as it should. 

[Nungali]

No .... it isn't  ' a bit like anime '   with detectives and pirates .

 

 

Spoiler

 

 

" The world is going to shit . Now they go around

thinking they can get wisdom from some type of 

hyped up Astro Boy cartoon."

 

" Indeed !  If only they spent their time reading the Wilhelm

Reich comic, they would not be so orgastically sterile ! "

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 20, 2017 by Nungali

[oak]

2 hours ago, bax44 said:

edit- I realize I may have taken out of context the above posts, Im just saying that analyzing wether reich  was right or wrong or even delving deep into his theories are totally irrelevant to doing these practices, and actually might stop someone from trying them or may in fact get in the way. Nothing personal:)

 

I feel exactly the opposite  peace

[Nungali]

19 minutes ago, oak said:

 

I feel exactly the opposite  peace

 

 

I thought we providing info in context of the first post 

[Nungali]

" Reich decided the patients' body language could be more revealing than their words. He observed their tone of voice and the way they moved and concluded that people form a kind of ARMOUR to protect themselves, not only from the blows of the outside world, but also from their own desires and instincts. Most of us desire something, and immediately set out to find ways NOT to get it! Reich saw this process working in the body. Over the years a person builds up this character armour through bodily habits and patterns of physical behaviour ...

 

"  He saw how maternity hospital procedures created the beginnings of armouring in newborn babies: Being violently expelled from a nice warm protective uterus into a much colder place, with too much bright light and hard or rough surfaces, being slapped on the bottom, prodded with various instruments, taken away from Mum and maybe left lonely, hungry and frightened. This process was continued with the imposed inhibitions of childhood and puberty; toilet training, commandments around sexuality - "Don't touch yourself there, that's dirty" etc. etc.

 

"   He evolved something he called Vegetotherapy which recognised that muscular rigidities in the body contain the history of their origin, and began to use touch when working with his patients ...

 

"  I see body armour not as a shell around or all over a person's exterior, but as specific individual muscles in spasm, painful and tight as piano wire, while surrounding or overlaying tissues may be soft or even appear flabby. The work is still cathartic at times. When touch on a particular spot evokes traumatic memories or feelings the client may express them. S/he cries, shouts, kicks, screams, shakes violently, punches nearby cushions --- any or all of these "

 

http://www.catalase.com/bodyarm.htm

 

 

[oak]

Other serious western authors who studied the mind-body connection deeply. all worthwhile reading:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F._Matthias_Alexander

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerda_Alexander

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshé_Feldenkrais

 

Being in my humble opinion, Feldenkrais, the rocket scientist of these three

 

 

[LAOLONG]

32 minutes ago, Nungali said:

" Reich decided the patients' body language could be more revealing than their words. He observed their tone of voice and the way they moved and concluded that people form a kind of ARMOUR to protect themselves, not only from the blows of the outside world, but also from their own desires and instincts. Most of us desire something, and immediately set out to find ways NOT to get it! Reich saw this process working in the body. Over the years a person builds up this character armour through bodily habits and patterns of physical behaviour ...

 

"  He saw how maternity hospital procedures created the beginnings of armouring in newborn babies: Being violently expelled from a nice warm protective uterus into a much colder place, with too much bright light and hard or rough surfaces, being slapped on the bottom, prodded with various instruments, taken away from Mum and maybe left lonely, hungry and frightened. This process was continued with the imposed inhibitions of childhood and puberty; toilet training, commandments around sexuality - "Don't touch yourself there, that's dirty" etc. etc.

 

"   He evolved something he called Vegetotherapy which recognised that muscular rigidities in the body contain the history of their origin, and began to use touch when working with his patients ...

 

"  I see body armour not as a shell around or all over a person's exterior, but as specific individual muscles in spasm, painful and tight as piano wire, while surrounding or overlaying tissues may be soft or even appear flabby. The work is still cathartic at times. When touch on a particular spot evokes traumatic memories or feelings the client may express them. S/he cries, shouts, kicks, screams, shakes violently, punches nearby cushions --- any or all of these "

 

http://www.catalase.com/bodyarm.htm

 

 

 

[bax44]

1 hour ago, oak said:

 

I feel exactly the opposite  peace

 

Thats great. I'm just saying someone *could* read and decide Reich is insane and dismiss the work entirely. Someone who overthinks or analyzes everything could come to this conclusion. But I understand it can go both ways and actually be motivating.

[LAOLONG]

1 hour ago, Nungali said:

" Reich decided the patients' body language could be more revealing than their words. He observed their tone of voice and the way they moved and concluded that people form a kind of ARMOUR to protect themselves, not only from the blows of the outside world, but also from their own desires and instincts. Most of us desire something, and immediately set out to find ways NOT to get it! Reich saw this process working in the body. Over the years a person builds up this character armour through bodily habits and patterns of physical behaviour ...

 

"  He saw how maternity hospital procedures created the beginnings of armouring in newborn babies: Being violently expelled from a nice warm protective uterus into a much colder place, with too much bright light and hard or rough surfaces, being slapped on the bottom, prodded with various instruments, taken away from Mum and maybe left lonely, hungry and frightened. This process was continued with the imposed inhibitions of childhood and puberty; toilet training, commandments around sexuality - "Don't touch yourself there, that's dirty" etc. etc.

 

"   He evolved something he called Vegetotherapy which recognised that muscular rigidities in the body contain the history of their origin, and began to use touch when working with his patients ...

 

"  I see body armour not as a shell around or all over a person's exterior, but as specific individual muscles in spasm, painful and tight as piano wire, while surrounding or overlaying tissues may be soft or even appear flabby. The work is still cathartic at times. When touch on a particular spot evokes traumatic memories or feelings the client may express them. S/he cries, shouts, kicks, screams, shakes violently, punches nearby cushions --- any or all of these "

 

http://www.catalase.com/bodyarm.htm

 

 

Reich was experiment with a natural energy he called Orgone.
He find out that  organic material
And unorganic material put in layers amplified the Orgone energy.
What went wrong was his experiment of the reaction of
Amplified orgone energy with
Radioactive substance.
There was a far reaching effect on the environment of black clouds
And storm in the desert where the experiment took place.
I think in that point the FBI 
Was after him.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orgone

https://books.google.co.il/books?id=sXLANdC4d2QC&pg=PA116&lpg=PA116&dq=reich+black+clouds+desert&source=bl&ots=E9nA0ZQ9xP&sig=yo79g0Db8w8R5TdOWlIvj2dUg_c&hl=iw&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjN0q70j87XAhVJ6xoKHUfACzQQ6AEIbjAQ#v=onepage&q=reich black clouds desert&f=false

Edited November 20, 2017 by SHINTO

[oak]

23 minutes ago, SHINTO said:

Reich was experiment with a natural energy he called Oragon.
He find out that  organic material
And unorganic material put in layers amplified the Oragon energy.
What went wrong was his experiment of the reaction of
Amplified oragon energy with
Radioactive substance.
There was a far reaching effect on the environment of black clouds
And storm in the desert where the experiment took place.
I think in that point the FBI 
Was after him.

 

A more reliable version of the story:

http://www.strangenewengland.com/2015/07/02/the-strange-case-of-wilhelm-reich/

[LAOLONG]

12 minutes ago, oak said:

 

A more reliable version of the story:

http://www.strangenewengland.com/2015/07/02/the-strange-case-of-wilhelm-reich/

https://books.google.co.il/books?id=sXLANdC4d2QC&pg=PA116&lpg=PA116&dq=reich+black+clouds+desert&source=bl&ots=E9nA0ZQ9xP&sig=yo79g0Db8w8R5TdOWlIvj2dUg_c&hl=iw&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjN0q70j87XAhVJ6xoKHUfACzQQ6AEIbjAQ#v=onepage&q=reich black clouds desert&f=false

[oak]

36 minutes ago, oak said:

Amplified oragon energy with
Radioactive substance.
There was a far reaching effect on the environment of black clouds

 

Okay, turned it into its opposite DOR

sorry I was wrong thinking you didn't do your research

twist my arm if you want to 

Edited November 20, 2017 by oak
spelling

[Aetherous]

Yes there are some things that exist which are similar to qigong, and there is also internal development that is Western. I can't say anything else about it, but it exists, and it isn't rehashed Eastern stuff (although everything Western really did come from an area somewhat East).