American College of Orgonomy
Encyclopedia
The American College of Orgonomy (A.C.O.) was formed as a nonprofit institution by Dr. Elsworth F. Baker in 1968. The purpose of the College is to advance the scientific work in the science of orgonomy, originally developed by Dr. Wilhelm Reich
.
The A.C.O. trains therapists and offers courses in the field of social orgonomy for teacher
s, social workers, as well as other fields of interest. Standards in the field of orgonomy are created and maintained by the college as well.
Wilhelm Reich
was a prominent, though intensely controversial, psychiatrist from the circle around Sigmund Freud
in Vienna
. He fell from grace with Freud when he claimed a criterion for psychical health ("orgastic potency") and advanced psychoanalysis to "character analysis". Finally, in 1934, Freud engineered Reich's expulsion from the International Psychoanalytical Association
. Reich advanced from character analysis to vegetotherapy
, the prototype of later body psychotherapy
. Simultaneously Reich did some experimentation into the "electrical function of sexuality and anxiety" and the origin of life. In 1940 he announced the discovery of orgone
energy, the basis of orgonomy, which many members of mainstream psychiatry and the scientific community at large insist must be labeled as pseudo-science, with Henry Bauer
accusing the college of perpetuating Reich's "latter-day megalomania". The interdisciplinary field of orgonomic studies encompasses several established disciplines, including biological
, social, and environmental
sciences.
Reich's theory was quickly discredited and dismissed. The current consensus of the scientific community is that orgone theory is pseudoscience
.
Baker was a student and co-worker of Reich in the United States. In her book, Orgone and You, Reich’s assistant, Lois Wyvell, explains how Reich asked Baker to carry the science of orgonomy forward in 1949. Baker’s response to this challenge was to form the A.C.O. and to publish the Journal of Orgonomy in 1967 – a scientific publication devoted to advancing orgone science. The A.C.O. continues to publish the journal semiannually. Baker also wrote a major textbook on orgone therapy, Man In the Trap — wherein the word "orgone" does not appear.
The American College of Orgonomy is based in Princeton
, NJ
. They offer a major orgonomic conference every fall, and hold regional talks on various scientific topics. Members of the college teach related college courses and also present laboratory courses.
by Orson Bean
and recently also Wilhelm Reich and Orgonomy by Ola Raknes
. The A.C.O. has also produced films about orgonomy, most notably, Room For Happiness - an introduction to orgonomic therapy.
Wilhelm Reich
Wilhelm Reich was an Austrian-American psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, known as one of the most radical figures in the history of psychiatry...
.
The A.C.O. trains therapists and offers courses in the field of social orgonomy for teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
s, social workers, as well as other fields of interest. Standards in the field of orgonomy are created and maintained by the college as well.
Wilhelm Reich
Wilhelm Reich
Wilhelm Reich was an Austrian-American psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, known as one of the most radical figures in the history of psychiatry...
was a prominent, though intensely controversial, psychiatrist from the circle around Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. He fell from grace with Freud when he claimed a criterion for psychical health ("orgastic potency") and advanced psychoanalysis to "character analysis". Finally, in 1934, Freud engineered Reich's expulsion from the International Psychoanalytical Association
International Psychoanalytical Association
The International Psychoanalytical Association is an association including 12,000 psychoanalysts as members and works with 70 constituent organizations. It was founded in 1910 by Sigmund Freud, on an idea proposed by Sándor Ferenczi...
. Reich advanced from character analysis to vegetotherapy
Vegetotherapy
Vegetotherapy is a form of Reichian psychotherapy that involves the physical manifestations of emotions. The basic and founding text of vegetotherapy is Wilhelm Reich's Psychischer Kontakt und vegetative Stroemung , later included in the enlarged edition of Reich's Character Analysis .- Practice...
, the prototype of later body psychotherapy
Body Psychotherapy
Body psychotherapy, also referred to as body-oriented psychotherapy and somatic psychology, is a significant branch of psychotherapy, with origins in the work of Pierre Janet, Sigmund Freud and particularly Wilhelm Reich....
. Simultaneously Reich did some experimentation into the "electrical function of sexuality and anxiety" and the origin of life. In 1940 he announced the discovery of orgone
Orgone
Orgone energy is a theory originally proposed in the 1930s by Wilhelm Reich. Reich, originally part of Sigmund Freud's Vienna circle, extrapolated the Freudian concept of libido first as a biophysical and later as a universal life force...
energy, the basis of orgonomy, which many members of mainstream psychiatry and the scientific community at large insist must be labeled as pseudo-science, with Henry Bauer
Henry Bauer
Henry H. Bauer is an emeritus professor of chemistry and science studies at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University . He is the author of several books and articles on such topics as the Loch Ness Monster and Immanuel Velikovsky, and is an AIDS denialist...
accusing the college of perpetuating Reich's "latter-day megalomania". The interdisciplinary field of orgonomic studies encompasses several established disciplines, including biological
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, social, and environmental
Environmental science
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical and biological sciences, to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems...
sciences.
Reich's theory was quickly discredited and dismissed. The current consensus of the scientific community is that orgone theory is pseudoscience
Pseudoscience
Pseudoscience is a claim, belief, or practice which is presented as scientific, but which does not adhere to a valid scientific method, lacks supporting evidence or plausibility, cannot be reliably tested, or otherwise lacks scientific status...
.
Baker was a student and co-worker of Reich in the United States. In her book, Orgone and You, Reich’s assistant, Lois Wyvell, explains how Reich asked Baker to carry the science of orgonomy forward in 1949. Baker’s response to this challenge was to form the A.C.O. and to publish the Journal of Orgonomy in 1967 – a scientific publication devoted to advancing orgone science. The A.C.O. continues to publish the journal semiannually. Baker also wrote a major textbook on orgone therapy, Man In the Trap — wherein the word "orgone" does not appear.
The American College of Orgonomy is based in Princeton
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
, NJ
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. They offer a major orgonomic conference every fall, and hold regional talks on various scientific topics. Members of the college teach related college courses and also present laboratory courses.
Training Programs
The College conducts a postgraduate medical orgonomy training program for qualified physicians and psychiatrists. Physicians who meet preset requirements can receive instruction in becoming orgone therapists. There are also courses offered for those interested in "social orgonomy".Publications
Besides the Journal of Orgonomy, the A.C.O. publishes books of orgonomic interest including Baker’s Man In the Trap, Me and the OrgoneMe and the Orgone
Me and the Orgone – The True Story of One Man's Sexual Awakening is an autobiographical account written by American actor and award-winning director Orson Bean about his life-changing experience with the controversial orgone therapy developed by Austrian psychiatrist Wilhelm Reich.The book...
by Orson Bean
Orson Bean
Orson Bean is an American film, television, and Broadway actor. He appeared frequently on televised game shows in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, including being a long-time panelist on the television game show To Tell the Truth....
and recently also Wilhelm Reich and Orgonomy by Ola Raknes
Ola Raknes
Ola Raknes was a Norwegian psychologist, philologist and non-fiction writer. Born in Bergen, Norway, he was internationally known as a psychoanalyst in the Reichian tradition...
. The A.C.O. has also produced films about orgonomy, most notably, Room For Happiness - an introduction to orgonomic therapy.