Armoring
Elsworth Baker, M.D.
Excerpted from Man in the Trap
The American College of Orgonomy

The depth of the layer on which one is working is recognized by the extent to which the organism is involved in the response (emotion) and the ability of the patient to function. If the first four segments are free one is always working at a deep layer. Every warded-off impulse also serves the function of warding off a more deeply repressed impulse. Blocking of the outward flow of energy by contraction from the surface (armoring) leads to frustration. This results in a forceful push of energy from within because of increased pressure and autonomic excitation, thus producing rage. Rage is a forceful push of energy occurring when the natural soft flow is blocked. If energy instead of pushing out is withdrawn, weakness of the part results. An organism may, after a long time, cease building up energy when outlet is blocked and then it rapidly becomes weakened. This occurs particularly in severe depressions and is known as shrinking.

Where anxiety is felt, it means that there is an inefficient contraction (armoring) against the outward push of energy and it signifies an unstable equilibrium. This state is deliberately produced during therapy in breaking down armoring. A patient gets well by standing or facing his anxiety. Anxiety occurs only where there is movement; that is, during the process of expansion or contraction. When contraction is complete and effective, anxiety ceases. An affect block (Footnote 39) represents a successful armoring or contraction.

Adiposity
Excessive fat can be looked upon as a form of armoring. The fat soaks up energy (1 gm. fat equals 9 calories as compared to 1 gm. protein equals 4 calories) and also acts as a protection against stimuli. It interferes greatly with therapy. Behind it is a great deal of anxiety.

Guilt
Guilt is frequently a serious problem to overcome and has not been easy to understand from a bioenergetic viewpoint. We know of course that behind it is rage. Konia, in a personal discussion, has offered a possible explanation in that the energy carrying out the impulse remains stuck in the muscles short of completion. Excitation of this energy revives the feeling of guilt. For example, suppose a child is caught masturbating and commanded to stop immediately because it is felt he is doing something bad. The energy behind this pleasurable experience is frozen in the muscles participating. Anything reviving a repetition of the act will reawaken the "verboten" and the guilt. Pressure is built up producing rage at the frustration. To overcome the guilt the muscles involved must be mobilized, expressing the rage, and the situation discussed, allowing a new guilt-free evaluation of the act.

Anorgonia
Anorgonia appears to be a condition alternate to that of armoring, and is a reaction by the organism to very emotionally charged situations. Perhaps it would be better to say that armoring produces an immobilization by muscular contraction, while in anorgonia it occurs through immobilization of the plasma system. Whether energy is actually withdrawn from the area, or merely lacks excitation, or receives too strong an excitation from the vegetative system is not clear. I believe that, in most cases at least, the last is the case and that it may result in paralysis of the vegetative system as well as of the tissue plasma generally.

When very vigorous excitations which travel fully to the genital (natural pleasure impulses) meet and conflict with disruptions of the orgasm reflex that are equally strong, anorgonia follows. The organism responds to the conflict with a block in plasma motility to control the strong, unfamiliar plasma excitation. (Footnote 40) The block is shown in weakness, falling anxiety, failing equilibrium, or collapsing. It is as if the expansion were to start and be unable to follow its natural course-as if the impulse itself were suddenly extinguished, and with that came loss of contact with the affected part.

Anorgonia may be a chronic condition from a gradual plasmatic shrinking. That is what occurs in cancer (Footnote 41) there is resignation, and also in depression; the result is a gradual lowering of the organismic energy level. It may also be an acute condition; an example is the falling anxiety which is a frequent complaint of orgasm anxiety.

In any case, an anorgonia condition in an adult can be traced to a childhood need to repress pleasure, that is, to stop expansion. Possibly the infantile prerequisites for the condition were met when a strong desire for physical contact was left ungratified. In most cases, anorgonia is not severe and can be overcome without too much difficulty. At other times, especially in cancer, it may be an extremely grave symptom.

Although in many cases of anorgonia there is undoubtedly a withdrawal of energy from the part affected, the basic mechanism seems to be that too strong an excitation produces paralysis of the plasma system.

Much still needs to be learned about anorgonia, but I have the impression that it is primarily a muscular problem. People suffering from this condition have struck me as consisting largely of internal organs and skin. That is, the muscles seem to be passive or unable to anticipate an emotional of energy to the genital. Whether the organism cannot stand the flow of energy in the muscles themselves or whether this passivity allows too great a flow to the skin is not clear. In any case, the result is a severe vegetative contraction with resulting weakness, coldness, and collapse. In principle at least, the condition seems to be an inability to tolerate aggression; since where the organism can tolerate aggression but cannot express it, armoring occurs.

One severe case of anorgonia occurred after intense feelings of hate followed by genital excitation. The area affected extended from the legs to the chest. The patient responded quickly when I had her dance to a record she was fond of. My rationale was that it would(I be beneficial to encourage excited energy to flow into the muscular system. Almost any activity that was safe, easily available and usually enjoyed by the individual concerned would likely have had the same effect.

Footnotes

1. Wilhelm Reich, Cosmic Superimposition (New York, Orgone Institute Press, 1951), P.117.

2. Cf. Wilhelm Reich, The Murder of Christ (New York, Orgone Institute Press, 1953), p.11.

3. The Holy Bible, King James Version.

4. Gerhard von Rad, Genesis, A Commentary, translated by John H. Marks, (Philadelphia, The Westminster Press, 1961), pp.77,79,87.

5. Marshall B. Davidson, ed., Lost Worlds (New York, American Publishing Co., 1962), p.8.

6. Whether patriarchy may be a result of armoring, we do find that whenever there is patriarchy there are neuroses and crime. This is true even in tribes where only the chief's family follows patriarchial principles and restricts sex. Only his family has neuroses and not the rest of the tribe.

7. It has been suggested that this may have been done because wives and daughters were valuable property in bartering. Probably, however, it was more to ensure that only his offspring inherited his property. By this means he would attain a measure of immortality for himself. "Thou shalt surely die" was a deep and persistent fear.

8. Merging with the cosmos" implies complete surrender to one's bodily sensations as though nature were simply flowing through unimpeded.

9. Anthropologists prefer to use the terms "patrilineal" and "matrilineal" since there are so many variations of both. Some of the former are quite sex affirmative and, thus, unlike the typical patriarchal system. They seem to be very primitive patrilineal societies.

10. In the Trobriand Islands, the wife goes to the husband's tribe, but the other factors remain constant, and the sons at puberty return to the mother's tribe. The father assumes care of the children only while they are very young. He is recognized only as the mother's husband, not as a father.

11. The Australian Bushmen and Trobriand Islanders are examples.

12. One wonders how much the origin of sexual repression (and thus of armoring) may have been related to men's awareness that they are responsible for the children.

13. Again, one can argue in favor of the reverse; i.e. the primitives have not yet become introspective and so have not developed a thirst for knowledge. The epistemological curiosity as to how we perceive that we perceive may be the basis both for armoring and for the thirst for knowledge.

14. Reich has suggested the human brain may have become so large and complex that it is more or less autonomous and acts as a parasite draining energy from the body.

15. It may be noted that the devil, who denotes desires of the flesh, is down in the nether regions - past the pelvis.

16. The terror of living is particularly met when all armor is removed and the organism is faced with complete surrender in the orgasm reflex.

17. Malinowski found the Trobriand islanders did not develop an Oedipus complex.

18. Identification occurs where the frustrating parent was also loved. This leads to taking over certain character traits of this parent, specifically those which are directed against the impulse in question.

19. E.g., fear of sex changed to fear of disease.

20. We swallow prohibitions as some primitives eat the animals they fear to eat the animals before they are eaten.

21. Character Analysis, op.cit.,p.150.

22. Compare this case history with Wilhelm Reich, "A Case History," in The Function of the Orgasm (New York, Orgone Institute Press, 1942), pp.276-292.

23 This is incomplete. Actually anxiety is produced only where there is contraction against expansion.

24 The diaphragm area is where the sympathetic ganglia are located, and as previously explained, breathing in is a contraction from the standpoint of the total organism although it actually expands that area.

25 Reich discusses these extensively in Character Analysis and The Function of the Orgasm.

26 See "The Layering of the Armor," p.61.

27. A field reaction is exemplified by what sensation we feel of someone's presence though we cannot see him, or by the awareness we have when we are near a wall or other obstacle in the dark. The blind become particularly alive to field reactions.

28. Here as in all cases one must never overlook the possibility of organic disease.

29. By Dr. Gerald Stechler of Boston University Medical School, who postulates its existence.

30. William Goldfarb, Childhood Schizophrenia (Boston, Harvard University Press, 1961).

31. G.N. Getmen, How to Develop Your Child's Intelligence, (Luverne, Minnesota, 1962).

32. Robert J. Doman et al, the Doman-Delacato Institute for the Achievement of Human Potential, Philadelphia.

33. Gerald Oster, "Moire Patterns and Visual Hallucinations," from mss. of lecture given at Research Center for Mental Health, New York University, (Washington Square college), Dec. 18, 1964.

34. Personal communication to the author.

35. Recently a technique for utilizing sound in therapy has been developed by Dr. Goldenberg. It seems to be of importance in some cases.

36. Energy charge can usually by estimated by the appearance of the individual, color of the skin, and ability for sustained effort. However, accurate estimation is made by examination of the red blood cells. The higher the charge, the fuller are the cells, the redder their color, and more extensive their energy fields.

37. The higher apes as experimental animals apparently do laugh and play tricks. These, however, are not living in the natural state and are subjected to human conditioning.

38. See "Stasis," p. 104.

39. See "Anal Character Types," especially the compulsive character, p.124.

40. Plasma excitation comes from the vegetative system as a nerve impulse. The nerve impulse produces a movement of the plasma which is seen as a wavelike motion, but if the excitation is too strong paralysis may occur instead. Movement of the plasma is perceived as sensation or emotion.

41. Cf. Wilhelm Reich, The Cancer Biopathy, (New York, Orgone Institute Press, 1948).

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