American College of Orgonomy

Room for Happiness, a documentary about the modern face of medical orgone therapy, is set for a splashy debut this fall in Manhattan.

The film, produced by renowned filmmaker Dick Young, profiles several adults and children as they undergo the mind-body therapy developed by Wilhelm Reich more than half a century ago. The accounts of the patients are startlingly personal and moving as the filmmaker goes inside the treatment rooms of five medical orgonomists for a glimpse at the unconventional therapy as well as the depth of human character.

“It’s a real coup,” says ACO Director of Development Richard Robson. The ACO has been somewhat closeted for a good deal of time, he says. “What we’re attempting to do with this function is to have it be sort of a coming out party.” Getting Focused

From conception to completion, the film has been a major project of the College for the past several years. From the start, the College thought the medium of film would be a marvelous way to enable a large audience to gain an understanding of medical orgone therapy and to learn how it differs from other therapeutic interventions. The College also recognized that, to have real impact, the film would have to be genuinely engaging.

“For the film committee as a whole, it was difficult to decide what we wanted to present in the film,” says Richard Schwartzman, D.O., chairman of the film committee. “Dick Young said early on, you guys are going to want to put too much in. He asked us what the most important points were that we wanted to get across.”

Dr. Schwartzman says that it was hard for the film committee to trim down the content of the film and it’s message. “There is so much to say about the development of the therapy, the theoretical background of the therapy, the correct application of the treatment, and the effects of therapy. There are so many aspects to therapy that needed to be put into perspective to present a balanced picture. Juggling all that around was hard to do to make the film flow and yet be concise and focused.” Time for Input

Once Mr. Young had shot the initial footage and crafted a first version of the film, the College wanted to make certain both of its goal of education was being accomplished. The “rough cut” was shown to a number of individuals and groups who gave their feedback. As part of this process, a focus group was held at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. The group was comprised of several college students and two high school seniors who had never heard of Wilhelm Reich or medical orgone therapy. The students viewed the film, then filled out a detailed questionnaire and participated in a roundtable discussion.

“Even in that forum it was exciting to see how the young people responded to the film. After viewing it, the students were able to explain who Wilhelm Reich was and to state the major elements of the therapy,” says Dr. Schwartzman who attended the Atlanta focus group.

Still, it was clear important questions had to be addressed like why patients were partially clothed and how they got to the point of screaming on the therapy couch. As expected, everyone who saw the early version of the film gave many differing ideas about what worked and what didn’t. The ACO film committee worked diligently to sort through the critiques and to make final decisions. One of those decisions was the addition of an on-screen narrator. Because there were so many new ideas presented in the film, a narrator could help explain the concepts.

At first the film committee wondered if someone from the ACO could serve as narrator. Ultimately, however, a professional actor was engaged. Although the narrator is only on screen for short time, having a professional in the role gives the film a polished touch. Last Stretch

The final stage of the process was the “on-line editing.” During this phase the film was examined practically frame by frame and all of the small details were attended to. Dr. Schwartzman was in an editing studio in Manhattan morning and night with Mr.Young, hammering out the fine points. “We went through adjusting color, volume, fade-ins, fade-outs—there was just so much to do.”

For now, those eager to see the film will have to attend the October 19, 2002 premiere, as the film isn’t yet available for general distribution. Ultimately, the ACO anticipates a wide audience, from the adolescent to the older adult. To that end, the film will be submitted for broadcast on network and cable television. The ACO also plans to show the film in a variety of settings, such as at high schools, universities, medical schools and community groups. Ideally the film will be part of a larger program where a medical orgone therapist will be on hand to answer questions.