Muscular shell: concept, relaxation exercises and the theory of Wilhelm Reich

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

This man sincerely believed in Marxism, but was expelled from the Communist Party. He was a talented psychotherapist, but he was expelled from the association of psychoanalysts. The scientist devoted his whole life to making people happy, but the theory he developed is still considered "pseudo-science". Disregarding the laws of physics, the mad doctor spoke of the existence of universal energy bound in human bodies by a muscular shell. Wilhelm Reich died for his rebellious ideas, never getting the credit he deserved.

Theoretical foundations

All people are born free individuals, open to love and creativity. However, parents and society teach them to act according to the rules, to restrain their feelings, to react to situations in a standard way. This is how a character is formed, consisting of habitual values, attitudes, ways of behaving.

B. Reich, a student of the great Z. Freud, drew attention to the connection characteristic ofpeople postures, movements, gestures and psychological problems they have. He suggested that unwanted emotions repressed in the process of education (fear, anger, sexual desire) are the cause of chronic muscle clamps. The muscular shell, according to Reich, is emotions blocked in the body. Thus, a person is protected from the outside world, forcing unacceptable feelings out of consciousness. But at the same time, he loses touch with his "I", ceases to experience the pleasure of life.

Segments of the muscular shell

Wilhelm Reich identified seven basic bodily blocks in the human body:

1. Eyes. The clamp is expressed in an "empty" look, immobility of the forehead, problems with vision. The presence of a block indicates a fear to openly look at what is happening. Often a person is afraid to look into their past or future.
2. Mouth and jaws. They are either too tight or too loose. Anger, screaming, crying, and the ability to enjoy kissing are suppressed in this area.
3. Neck. If this segment is clamped, the person cannot express himself. Here screams, screams, sobs are extinguished.
4. Chest. Clamps in the chest, shoulders, shoulder blades, arms fetter not only breathing, but also all kinds of emotions: passion, anger, laughter, sadness, fear.
5. Aperture. The presence of a shell is indicated by the forward curvature of the spine. When such a person lies down, there is a large gap between his back and the couch. Breathing out is harder for him than breathing in. Muscle block binds the strongest anger.
6. Belly. Tension of the muscles of the lower back indicates fear of a sudden attack. The protective shell on the sides dampens hostility towards other people, anger.
7. Taz. The more it is pulled back, the stronger the block. Sexuality, pleasure, coquetry and anger are suppressed here.

Orgone Energy

Freud spoke about the presence of a person's "libido" (sexual energy). W. Reich went further. He explored the orgone, or universal life energy, which circulates throughout the universe, as well as within the human being from the crown of the head to the heels and vice versa. However, the presence of muscle clamps blocks its free flow, leads to psychological problems (aggression, fears, shyness, feelings of loneliness, sexual perversions, etc.), spasms of blood vessels and various physical diseases.

If you remove the muscular shell, the person is healed. His life changes completely:

• There is reconciliation with oneself, illnesses go away, insincere relationships are torn.
• A person finds something to his liking, enjoys his work, begins to engage in creativity.
• There is a desire to create a full-fledged family relationship with a loved one.
• All emotions and sensations, including orgasm, become bright, heartfelt, open.

How to relax the muscle shell?

Reich explored two ways of healing a person. He suggested that you can get rid of ailments by directing energy from the outside world into the patient's body. To this end, in the 1950scentury, he created the orgone accumulator. This device was tested in the USA and cured the most serious diseases (asthma, oncology, epilepsy). However, its effect was attributed to the placebo effect. The scientist was sent to prison, where he died at the age of 60. The invention, along with notes and drawings, was destroyed.

The second way was to work with the patient's muscular shell, which involves the gradual relaxation of all seven blocks. It included the following steps:

1. Direct effect on body clamps through massage, deep breathing, sounds, expression of constrained emotions (crying, growling, beating toys, tearing paper).
2. Psychoanalysis. After removing the block, feelings come out, people remember traumatic events from childhood. They need to be de alt with in order to feel absolutely happy and free again.
3. Independent work of the patient. Muscle spasms may return, so yoga, qigong, dance therapy, regular relaxation, holotropic breathing, or other body practices are recommended.

Removing the eye block

Let's talk about how to put into practice Wilhelm Reich's theory of the muscular shell. The exercises proposed by him should be performed slowly, in a relaxed state. You should start with even breathing and self-hypnosis: "I am calm. I boldly look into the future and open up to change. I like my new sensations."

First, the eye muscle block is removed. Exercises are performed within a month. You need to sit down, put your feet ongender without crossing them. The complex is being developed gradually. You must:

• Close your eyes tightly, gently massage your eyelids and the skin around them, relax. Again close your eyes until it hurts for 5 seconds, goggle your eyes (also for 5 seconds). Do this 3-4 times.
• Smoothly move your gaze to the left, then to the right and again to the left (10 times).
• Look up, down to the limit and up again (10 times).
• Rotate the pupils in a circle 10 times in different directions.
• Repeat the very first exercise.
• Close your eyes, relax and sit like this for 5 minutes, observing the sensations that arise.

Working with the jaw segment

Reich at this stage used a role play with a partner. One person portrayed the owner, and the other - the dog. They pulled a waffle towel rolled into a bundle. The "owner" held it in his hands. The patient, who got the role of a dog, got on all fours, clung to the towel with his teeth, growled loudly. Then there was a role reversal.

However, there are other ways to remove Reich's muscular shell. The exercises below can be done without a partner:

• Imitate strong crying.
• Pull your lips in over your teeth to make a mumbling mouth. Read the poem in this position.
• Blow tight lips to blow kisses to objects around you.
• Alternate between biting, smiling, sucking, and disgust on your face.

Very useful exercise "Traveling language". ATfor 10-15 minutes, a person slowly feels his cheeks, sky, throat, every tooth, lips and everything he can reach with his tongue. At the same time, sounds are spontaneously born, the jaw relaxes.

Removing the throat clamp

Reich considered the neck the most vulnerable part of the body, direct impact on which is unacceptable. To remove the blocks, he used very gentle, although sometimes provocative exercises. The muscle shell was removed when performing the following complex:

• Vomiting movements. When doing them, you need to be completely liberated and get rid of constraint.
• Loud scream. If the sound insulation is poor, you can hiss, imitating a snake.
• Tongue sticking out. You need to squat down and stretch your tongue as far as possible as you exhale along with the sound.
• "Balloon". Relax your neck and let your head dangle freely. Imagine that she is a balloon on which a light breeze blows.

Thoracic segment

Reich often asked his patients to imagine a certain situation when working with the muscle shell. How to relax and remove the clamps in the thoracic region? The therapist advised you to imagine that your life is in danger. It was necessary to imagine yourself as a hero of an action movie and depict a fight with your hands: beat, scratch, tear, choke, pull an imaginary opponent.

Another effective exercise is wall pushing. Press it with your palms with all your might, as if it is approaching you and is about to crush you. When the voltage reaches the limit, reset it immediately orgradually.

Complete breathing will also help to cope with muscle clamps. It should be practiced while lying across the sofa. At the same time, the legs are on the floor, the buttocks hang a little, and the hands are behind the head. A roller is placed under the lower back to open the chest. The exercise is performed for 30 minutes. Uncontrollable laughter or tears indicate that emotions are gradually being released.

Relaxing the diaphragm

You can start working with this segment when the previous blocks are removed. The muscle shell is removed using the following exercises:

• Belly breathing. A person lies on his back and breathes calmly, imagining that the air is alive and runs through the nooks and crannies of his body. Then you need to do a slow exhalation, drawing in the stomach to the limit. When it is reached, we try to exhale a little more, and a little more. We hold our breath and take in air just as slowly, expanding the stomach to the limit and even more.
• "Cobra". Lie down on your stomach. As you exhale, raise your torso, tilt your head back. Then return to the starting position.
• Tilts to the legs. The man lies on his back. As he exhales, he rises, grabs his feet with his hands and tries to press his stomach to his hips, holding his breath.

Each of the exercises is performed 10 times.

Remove the abdominal clamp

If the remaining segments of the muscle shell are worked out, the block on the stomach is removed quickly. For this apply:

• Itchy. The person lies on the floor and relaxes. He can't move his armsor feet. Partner tickles him from armpits to thighs.
• Belly and side kicks against other objects.
• Bending back from a standing position. You can rest your hands on the lower back.
• "Kitty". Standing on all fours, round your back and bend it gracefully at the waist, imitating a graceful animal.

Working with the pelvic segment

To completely get rid of the muscle shell, you should perform a set of the following exercises:

• Kick like a mad horse.
• Lie on your back, bend your knees. To rhythmic music, quickly and often hit the floor with your pelvis for 5 minutes.
• Stand up, put one hand behind your head, put the other on your lower abdomen. Perform obscene hip movements to the music.
• Spread your legs wide. Shift weight from left foot to right foot and back.

Working sequentially on the blocks, do exercises to relax the whole body. These include:

• Free dance. Turn on the music you like and improvise.
• "Ride". You need 1.5-2 meters of free space. Relax by lying face down on the floor. Feel your body. Then begin to slowly roll over from side to side, onto your back and stomach, trying to touch the floor with every part of your body.

Muscular shell cannot be removed without effort, but the work is worth it. Together with it, stresses, neuroses, psychosomatic diseases, and depressions leave a person’s life. He becomes freegets rid of stereotyped reactions and aspirations imposed by society, begins to live in peace with himself and the surrounding reality.