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AHP PERSPECTIVE April/May 2001 Table of Contents

The Journey of John Pierrakos
1921–2001

— Siegmar Gerken

John Pierrakos and Siegmar Gerken at Trimurti, in the South of France, where they gave a workshop every summer for 18 years

Meeting John
It was 1981. For some time I had wanted to meet John C. Pierrakos, M.D. I knew that he had worked with Wilhelm Reich, and co-founded Biogenergetics with Alexander Lowen, M.D. With that, I knew he was a pillar of body-psychotherapy, which body-oriented, psychodynamic therapists built on. But what distinguished him was his courage to speak as a scientifically trained physician about auras and energy fields, as early as the 1950s and ’60s.
All these were also my fields of interest, and I felt enthusiastic when I heard he was giving a workshop near Munich. Since I could not arrange to participate in the workshop, I at least wanted to meet him, to encourage him to write a book on body-psychotherapy and energy fields. Since there was a lack of good books on these topics at that time, I had founded a small publishing house, aside from my therapeutic practice.
During a short break at the workshop, John came out of the group room. Dynamic, warm-hearted, but in a hurry, he briefly greeted me and told me: "Please write down what you want and what you envision and we’ll talk about it at lunch time." I sat down and designed an outline for a book that, with more experience, I would have liked to write myself. The title should be: Body-Psychology-Spirituality, with the subtitle: the Energy Fields and Their Integration into Therapy.
At the lunch break, the usually open face of Pierrakos showed signs of skepticism: "Who wrote this outline?" After I told him I had just written it in the hour I waited for him, he took my hand, beamed joyfully into my eyes and said, "That is exactly the book I am working on!"
We filled the break with an intense exchange about God and the world, and laughed, astonished at our similar thoughts, possibilities, and visions. On his way back to the group room, John turned around, came back, gave me a warm and loving hug, and said "I want you to publish my book, and I invite you to participate in my first training in Europe!" Thus began my apprenticeship and a growing friendship with the man who deeply looked into the process of our being, and untiringly helped others clarify their life processes.
John and I embarked on a journey which was not defined just by a teacher/student relationship. We cherished an alive exchange on many topics. We discussed and experimented with the implementation of Wilhelm Reich’s theories in orgone experiments and weather research and with Kirlian diagnostics. We met leading scientists who studied subtle energy fields, and we were invited to international conventions. In all this we felt connected by our curiosity for life.

John’s Journey
His burning interest to learn more about the impulses of life led John C. Pierrakos, in 1954-55, to Wilhelm Reich, M.D. As a psychiatrist, John had been fascinated by Reich’s new research and his new biology of man, introducing the aspects of life energy and how these energies form everything in existence. The resulting questions were: "What is this form-giving energy? What is the core pulsation of life, and how does it manifest in each human being?"
As part of an answer, Pierrakos co-developed Bioenergetics with Alexander Lowen, M.D. In addition to Wilhelm Reich’s concepts—such as pulsation as the natural alive state, bodily and character armoring as an interference with that life puslation causing physical illness and neurosis, emotion defined as the movement of physical energy, and the existence of a primary life energy in the body, in all living things, and in the cosmos—they introduced the element of grounding and the will for existence. They expanded the biological approach and accentuated the human consciousness as the form-giving force of psychosomatic appearances. In the therapeutic work, John faced energy phenomena and other moments for which he, at that time, had no explanation. He became aware that a human being represents a far greater existence than the biological and psychological self. The terms id, ego, and superego could not encompass these expanded states.
In spite of the growing recognition and worldwide expansion of Bioenergetics, a discontent developed in Pierrakos. He became aware that the real essence of existence was not touched upon in most present therapies and that they lacked a clear intention in the therapist to reach the essence. Clients felt better with body-oriented psychotherapy, but they also mentioned that they now meditated, practiced yoga, or were generally more receptive for religious or spiritual activities. This confirmed Pierrakos’ findings that the client improved with conscious, energy-psychodynamic work—but it still did not necessarily lead a person to true fulfillment.
When he found the Path Lectures by Eva Broch in 1967, he recognized the unity of body, psychology, and spirituality. At the height of his therapeutic career, Pierrakos decided to follow his Truth. Eva’s Path Lectures offered encompassing concepts, and his experience as a body and energy-oriented psychiatrist created a basis to implement the Path concepts into practice.
Eva and John felt the fascination for existence and also for each other. They married, and led their work into the Center For the New Man. It was one of the first centers in the world to unify body-oriented psychotherapy and spirituality, offering Western people an authentic approach to explore the deeper truth and knowledge about oneself.
After Eva’s death in 1979, John directed his energy again to train therapists. With the concepts of The Path and the dynamics of Bioenergetics, he formed Core Energetics. Core Energetics does not understand itself as a parallel to therapy and meditation nor as new technique. It describes, defines, and teaches the growing capacity of the therapist to recognize and work toward the essence in oneself and the other.
The expanded consciousness of one’s own truth inspires and supports the patient/seeker to explore the Higher Self and walk the path of love in a greater independence of one’s own restrictions. John C. Pierrakos, until nearly 80, was still traveling on all continents to sow these seeds of love. I feel more than honored that this man was my teacher, colleague, and friend. I will continue on the path that we expanded.
SIEGMAR GERKEN, Ph.D., is founder and Director of the Institute of Core Energetics West in Mendocino, Calif-ornia, and the Core Energetic Institute & European Trainings in Wessobrunn, Germany. After being involved in different trainings and processes in Humanistic Psychology since 1972, Siegmar began training with John C. Pierrakos in 1981. He teaches and trains therapists worldwide.

AHP PERSPECTIVE Apr/May 2001 Table of Contents

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