The Voice of the Body

The Voice of the Body traces the development of the life changing concepts of Biognergetic Analysis. In �Stress and Illness: 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. �Self-Expression: New Developments in Bioenergetic Therapy� emphasizes how self-expression is fundamentally movement. In �Thinking and Feeling: 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 �Horror: 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.