Why consider RADIX rather than an alternative personal growth method? The reasons why RADIX clients choose RADIX work are diverse and individual.  Some RADIX clients for example are drawn to RADIX work because they are profoundly convinced that their words and their just talking about their issues lead nowhere.  They feel themselves dissociated from the deeper experience of their feelings, their body, their aliveness that they sense is possible.  They understand that a purely verbal approach to personal growth work cannot induce the depth of change that they seek. 

Other clients are all too immersed in their feelings.  They are swamped by feelings that seem ever changing, never allowing them an enduring sense of self.  They seek clearer personal boundaries, and a grounded, solid sense of self.  While verbal work can help somewhat, ultimately the experience of self is rooted in the experience of the body. 

Whichever the individual reason that a client seeks to change, each person is served by RADIX's comprehensive approach to psychological growth.  RADIX integrates a whole-person approach to psychological development that works with body, feeling, and mind.  This allows a depth of change that extends beyond word and thought to include changed feelings and changed body awareness and structure, resulting in greater aliveness and personal fulfillment.

Why does RADIX focus on the body? The mind and body are a unity.  Each is reflected in the other.  Reich determined moreover that you cannot effect lasting change in your psychology without also having made lasting changes in the body.  Why?  Because the experience of emotion derives from the flow of a subtle biophysical energy (orgone, qi, prana) through the body.  "Stuck" feelings of fear, pain, or anger, complexes, character defenses, repressions, and other issues are held in the chronic tensions of your body.  These tensions distort the flow of your biophysical energy. 

Why does RADIX focus also on feelings? RADIX differs significantly from verbal therapies in that should feelings be "up" to be worked, the work will often lead to an experience of the feelings, not just conversation about them.  So, often sessions will work with feelings such as fear, pain, anger, and longing, and this may involve crying, yelling, etc.  Why this focus on feeling feelings, rather than just verbalizing them?  Because in the feeling of feelings, the biophysical energy locked in the body's chronic tensions can become released.  And though hard to describe, it is important to understand that the experience of our feelings for what they really are, leads to their transformation.  And so usually the result of feeling your difficult feelings is that end of session you experience a genuine feeling of relief and well-being.   

What's this "orgone", this "biophysical" energy that you mention? One of Wilhelm Reich's most significant discoveries was the existence in the body of subtle, non-tangible biological energy.  Reich named the energy, "orgone."  In fact, this energy previously had been known to the West as Mesmer's animal magnetism and Reichenbach's odyllic force.  Moreover this subtle energy had been known for millennia to cultures throughout the world.  For example, Asian philosophies and contemplative practices refer to this subtle biophysical energy as chi (qi, ki), prana, or kundalini.  It is the basis of energy practices such as acupuncture, tai c'hi, qigong.

In fact, what Reich did was to rediscover the orgone biophysical energy within the context of contemporary Western science, and to subject that energy to the most vigorous and diverse scientific research that had yet to be conducted.  Most importantly to RADIX, Reich also enumerated many of the relations of orgone to psychological well-being and healthy functioning.  In so doing, his research served to source the somatic psychologies of our era.  Additionally, the study of subtle biophysical energy now is a now somewhat accepted area of scientific inquiry.

Is orgone for real?  As any student of qigong, tai c'hi or Radix will emphatically tell you - yes!  It is not a matter of conjecture, but of actual personal experience.  For example, in a Radix session, as the orgone is cultivated or charged, one sometimes can feel it streaming through the body.  The actor, Orson Bean, gives a humorous and vivid account of his experience of orgone as the result of his own Reichian therapy in his book, Orgone and Me.  

Is RADIX what is now referred to as "energy psychology"? No.  The new term, "energy psychology" refers to techniques such as Emotional Freedom Therapy, which work with the orgone/qi biophysical energy of the body by, for example, tapping acupuncture points with one's fingers.  There is no similarity to the practice of neo-Reichian psychology such as Radix or bioenergetics.  While I think that "energy psychology" may bring relief to the distress of acutely felt emotions, I believe that such relief has little, if any impact, upon the changing of the psychological conditions that caused such distress.  "Energy psychology" as such currently offers no comprehensive theory concerning the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of the differing character structures that are responsible for the symptoms of psychological distress that it would alleviate.

What about feelings of love, trust, pleasure, fulfillment, and joy? Yes, in RADIX these more pleasant feelings also are worked with.  During a session, it is not unusual for you to experience pleasure and joy.  Moreover in RADIX work your capacity for love, trust, pleasure, fulfillment, and joy tend to increase as you persist in the work.  Why?  Because the same the parts of the anatomy involved with feelings of anger, fear, pain, and longing are used to experience love, trust, pleasure, and fulfillment.  As these parts of the anatomy become less chronically tense, they are increasingly able to tolerate the excitation of the more pleasant feelings. 

I'm already overwhelmed by my feelings.  Can RADIX do anything for me? Definitely, yes.  Whereas some persons need to discover and integrate their feelings, others are swamped and flooded by their already too intense feelings.  For these persons, the direction of RADIX work is towards strengthening the sense of self, defining and strengthening boundaries, learning to contain feelings, enhancing body/mind integration, and developing a greater sense of being grounded.  Sensitivity to this very common problem is one of the features of RADIX work that distinguishes it from other Reichian and neo-Reichian practices.  

Is Radix work physically demanding? No.  The old styles of Reichian work can indeed be intrusive and demanding, given the practitioner's possibly forceful manipulations of the body's muscles.  But later generations of neo-Reichian work, especially Radix, have tended to become much softer in their approach to working with the body.  Keep in mind that neo-Reichian schools such as RADIX, Bioenergetics, and Core Energetics have been around for almost 40 years.  During that time, their theories have evolved significantly from Reich's old-school of orgonomy therapy.  Furthermore, the RADIX experience draws not only upon traditional Reichian methods, but also since its inception, it has borrowed techniques from a variety of schools of humanistic psychology.  Additionally, the evolution of RADIX theory over the past 40 years has lead to especially "soft" and yet effective methods of working with persons.  

How do I get started? You can get started with Radix work by arranging with me for a free, initial half-hour consultation.  During this time, you will have the opportunity to meet and talk with me, and to better understand how possibly Radix may help you on your path to enhanced psychological well-being and personal growth.  To arrange for your complimentary consultation, please contact me either by telephone or by email.