The Voice of the Body
Alexander Lowen
The Voice of the Body traces the development of the life changing concepts of Biognergetic Analysis. In · Stress and a Bioenergetic View· Lowen outlines a theory of illness applicable to what has conventionally been seen as either physical or mental diseases, demonstrating the inadequacies of a mind-body dualism. · The Rhythm of Life· explores pleasure in relationship to the body. In · Breathing, Movement and Feeling,· Lowen takes this notion of rhythm further through focusing on breathing and movement. · New Developments in Bioenergetic Therapy· emphasizes how self-expression is fundamentally movement. In · Thinking and the Bioenergetic Analysis of Thought,· Lowen explores the role of thought in relationship to emotions, including its adaptive function and its capacity for being distorted as a defense mechanism. · Sex and Personality· presents a view of sexuality related to human evolution that ultimately is essential in overcoming the sense of isolation and loneliness incumbent with individuation. In · The Will to Live and the Wish to Die,· Lowen theorizes how both concepts can pose resistances prohibiting fulfillment in life. Lowen develops the theme of life and death struggles further in · the face of Unreality and Self-Expression vs. Survival.· In · Aggression and Violence in the Individual,· Lowen explores distinctions between aggression and both violence and cruelty. Finally, · Psychopathic Behavior and the Psychopathic Personality· theorizes about the role of power and control in relationship to empty, frustrating and self-defeating lifestyles.
About the author
Alexander Lowen
Alexander Lowen (1910–2008) was an American physician and psychotherapist. The story of his life is a story of how he honored the body and healed his mind-body split. It is also the story of how, along the way, he helped mankind.
During his lifetime, Lowen earned four college degrees: his Bachelor of Science; his Bachelor of Law (L.L.B); his Doctor of Sciences of Law (J.S.D.); and his medical Degree (M.D.). He developed Wilhelm Reich’s beliefs into Bioenergetic Analysis and created a large and viable organization, the International Institute for Bioenergetic Analysis (IIBA) to sustain and promote his therapeutic approach. The IIBA now has over 1500 members and 54 training institutes worldwide. Bioenergetic Analysis is now practiced not only in the United States, but also in Canada, Europe, Latin America, Israel, New Zealand, Australia, Japan and other countries.
Dr. Lowen has authored 14 books (translated to as many as eight different languages, collectively) as well as numerous articles and other professional publications. He also has presented his ideas in untold numbers of interviews, on video and audio tapes, and lectures worldwide. The establishment of the Journal for Bioenergetic Analysis gave him much satisfaction since it provides an ongoing forum for examining and furthering the ideas he pioneered. When asked during an interview in 2004 what has given him the most meaning in life, he responds without hesitation, feeling the pleasure and life of the body.
(Goodreads.com)