The Theory of Gentle Bio-Energetics

The theory of Gentle Bio-Energetics is very simple and can be taught in two to three hour lectures. However, one should not equate its simplicity with lack of profoundness as the theory can be amplified in many ways and the art of applying the theory is a lifetime endeavor.

At our center or core is a life energy that pulsates, expanding and contracting, a characteristic of all living things.  We experience this life energy through the flow of emotions and sensations. Emotion is not an idea but an expression of energy, something moves.  Our need to love and be loved is part of the pulsation of the energy. However, from conception to the present we experience traumas that affect the flow of our life energy. As a result of the trauma, we develop armor, usually unconscious, to protect ourselves.  The armor is for the purpose of surviving but also shuts down the flow of our life energy. Armoring can be in the form of verbal defenses, bodily defenses, or energetic defenses. The purpose is to prevent the experience from happening again or if it does to avoid experiencing the pain or emotions. However, this decision to armor ourselves prevents us from experiencing the full joy of life now. The process of moving from the free flow of life energy through trauma to armoring is a developmental process, explaining how we got to be who we are right now.

The goal of Gentle Bio-Energetics education and therapy is to enable individuals identify his/her armoring mechanisms, heal any underlying conscious or unconscious memories and restore the natural flow of life energy. Eva Reich often refers to the phrase "glow and flow" meaning that the life energy glowing in the center of our being is free to flow expanding beyond our being into our energetic field.  The process might involve talking or gentle touch to restore the energetic flow resulting in new energy for life, emotional health, healing the memories, and integrating the work into our present life experiences. The process of understanding and melting armor, healing underlying memories and restoring the natural energetic flow is a healing process.



Gentle Bio‑Energetics involves working with all aspects of the individual ;cognitive, physical, emotional and spiritual.  It is not just a body therapy. However, there are special areas that the therapy addresses where the memory may be maintained in our bodies including pre-verbal trauma, unconscious states, and trance states. The traumatic or even joyous experiences of these times may have been repressed or lost to us because of the pain or the lack of permission from others. Now from within ourselves we continue the repression stopping the experiencing of the fullness of life. Through the Gentle Bio-Energetics  process of touching we will be enabled to get back to the earliest and deepest memories stored in the cells and body tissues.

Gentle Bio-Energetics is like an umbrella under which can be many healing and educational options provided they accept the basic principles of Gentle Bio-Energetics, honor self regulation, and are gentle in the process. Note that the therapist and client share equal roles. There is an element of education as well as therapy. The aim of Gentle Bio-Energetics is to restore the natural flow of life energy by:  [1] applying techniques immediately when a trauma happens to avoid having to do therapy many years later; or [2] helping individuals sometime later recover and heal memories of trauma held in the body for years.

For further information on the theory of Gentle Bio-Energetics, please contact the Institute.

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Life Energy

At our center, our core, is life energy. It pulsates, expanding and contracting -- a normal, healthy characteristic of all living things. We experience the flow of our life energy through our emotions and sensations. Joy and anger are experiences of expansion, while sadness, fear, and pain are experiences of contraction. The need to give and receive love is part of the pulsation of core energy .

Trauma

From Conception on, we experience traumas that may modify our life energy flow. Examples of traumas include: problems at conception (being wanted or unwanted), in the womb(parents' emotional state illness), or at birth (difficult birth, anesthesia, caesarean birth, separation from mother after birth), Sexual, physical, emotional, or spiritual abuse; operations, illness, and injury; drug or alcohol abuse; deaths and other grief situations. It is important to understand that trauma is unique to each individual.  What one person my experience as trauma may not be traumatic for another.

Armor

As a result of experiencing trauma, an individual might develop armor, to prevent painful events or emotions from recurring. Armor is the sum of all the ways we protect ourselves in life. When we were children, we sometimes instinctively decided to armor in order to survive. However, the armor also inhibits the flow of life energy. Armor and trauma are connected, and the memory of trauma is maintained in the body. Armor may manifest itself in repetitive life patterns, ill health, painful or tight muscles, lack of life energy, or emotional distress. Some traumas, such as surgeries later in life, do not result in armor but may still shut down energetic flow.