Malú Millerman: Dr. Lowen, can you tell once and for all to all members, trainees and trainers what the real Bioenergetics Analysis is all about?

Lowen: Yes, I can say it in just a few words. Bioenergetics is based on the word: Bio-energetic. This is basically an energetic therapy, not a psychological therapy. We use exercises and all kinds of movements because it is energetic, meaning that we work with an energetic process in the body to both create and to help people develop more energy. Therefore, focusing on bioenergetics is to focus on energy and on breathing because it is only through breathing that we acquire more energy. If you don’t have energy, nothing changes. Energy is needed to change the dynamics. Therefore, to focus on bioenergetics is to focus on energy and on breathing because it is only through more breathing that we obtain more energy. It is also necessary to understand the person’s tensions and his or her limited breathing. This means that, in any case, the most important thing is to breathe and scream because you are not going to scream if you can’t breathe. The blocked scream is a blocked breathing thus, it is most important to breathe, then scream and mobilize the body with vibrations. You do not have to talk too much because talking won’t change anything. The work with the body is done by breathing bioenergetically, by watching the vibrations and by grounding. If don’t have that, it is not Bioenergetics.

Malú: And another thing... So, what is a bioenergetics analyst’s main concern when he is face to face with a client? What is the first step?

Lowen: He needs to look at the client’s body in order to understand how much energy is there, how the energy is working in the client’s body. First, the most important thing is to look at the body and, while looking at the body the most important thing is to look into the client’s eyes and what are you seeing in them – or, understand what you see in his eyes. We say that the eyes are the mirror of the soul then, by looking into the eyes we can see whether they are sad, dead, shinning. And you, as a therapist, must keep your eyes in the client’s body and the client’s eyes.

Malú: It is very connected… So, how do you describe a real Bioenergetics analyst?

Lowen: Well, I’d say that it is that person who has deeply worked with his body and understands tensions as many who have suffered from them. Except that this person is a bona fide Bioenergetics therapist. You need to work with your body as much as you work with your patient’s body, every day.

Malú: Do you do that?

Lowen: Yes, I do.

Malú: It is maintenance in the therapist’s development.

Lowen: Well, the more you work with your body ... Look, if you can’t change your body, you cannot change nobody’s body. First, you need to change yourself and with that you feel better, more alive; you breathe in deeper and you are able to scream. The reason people don’t scream is because their parents shouted at them to be quiet when they were little. When you become quiet when you need to scream, you cannot breathe; you hold your breath.

Malú: Dr. Lowen, I know that you are 90 years old but you look great. I haven’t seen you for about a month...

Lowen: Do I look better?

Malú: Ever better, and now with the sun ... Maybe because it is summer… And I see a lot of energy in your body... Can you tell us how you maintain your level of energy?

Lowen: Well, I work with my body doing the basic Bioenergetics exercises... breathing … I do a lot of the exercises that I describe in my book, breathing over the stool, grounding… and vibrating … and putting my voice out and screaming...

Malú: Then you do not have to create a lot of exercises with your clients ... repeating all the time...

Lowen: Certainly.

Malú: I know that because I work with you and you always repeat the same exercises...

Lowen: Because what we are trying to do is to deepen your breathing. You do not have to do different exercises because this doesn’t change your breathing.

Malú: Then you focus on the breathing... Because the goal is to reach the core of the problem...

Lowen: The core of the problem is to free up your breathing, let it circulate through your entire body … I am going to work with you now and you will see that some exercises are very easy and efficient … Kicking, for instance, is something that one should do regularly.

Malú: And what is the importance of the spoken analysis?

Lowen: One must talk a little about the client’s background.

Malú: In the beginning?

Lowen: Childhood.

Malú: OK, but at the beginning of the therapy?

Lowen: No, the therapy must remain in the present, not the past. When the client arrives you ask about his family, what was his role in the family, to have an idea, but must not go on forever… ... just enough to understand the type of problem.

Malú: No interpretation...

Lowen: Why? Interpreting won’t change anything...

Malú: You don’t have to understand...

Lowen: You need to understand but do not interpret. You understand but you do not analyze. Just understand … You understand better by looking than by talking or analyzing... Looking at the person you are able to understand.. You see how much the person is scared, tense ...

Malú: Nowadays we see a lot of people like this...

Lowen: Terribly tense, not breathing.

Malú: This is my next question. How do you see the importance of Bioenergetics nowadays?

Lowen: It has always been important and today more than ever. The problem is to get a good therapist, a certified therapist. A therapist cannot do anything for his patient if he is not able to do it for himself, that’s an absolute law. He changes, the patient changes. Talking alone won’t change anybody.

Malú: It is not enough to learn Bioenergetics, but also to practice it.

Lowen: Absolutely.

Malú: What is a good life?

Lowen: I don’t talk about a good life. A way to enjoy life is the goal of the therapy.

Malú: And the way you enjoy life is how you achieve happiness?

Lowen: Certainly. This is a religious issue, not a Bioenergetics issue, understand? In religion, a good life is to help others, share problems. This is not Bioenergetics. Bioenergetics does not seek to give you a good life but a healthy life.

Malú: So, would you have a message for all the people there? You know, there will be almost 300 people, trainers and trainees. I don’t know if you already know that in Recife, in Northeastern Brazil, Bioenergetics will be taught as a graduation course at a local university.

Lowen: Well, we need to know if they will be doing body work or will be talking about Bioenergetics. Whether the university will teach or do body work.

Malú: What is the message that you would like to send to everybody...

Lowen: Listen, if you all work with your body and feel it, you will be healthy people, you will have more energy and more pleasure; but, talking is not Bioenergetics. Bioenergetics is working with your body to deepen your breathing and to have more feelings.

Malú: Would you like to elaborate further on how you expect people to do that … because you are the father of this technique… what expectations of continuity do you have?

Lowen: Basically, I would like to say that I am very disappointed with the entire Bioenergetics program because it does not focus on the body or the therapy. The therapist must heal his body first and not simply tell others what it could be… I was disappointed with the entire Bioenergetics program.

Malú: So, it is your expectation that they change...

Lowen: I have no expectations whatsoever. I hope that they change, but I did not see it… it is difficult to change.

Malú: But there are so many trainees, students interested in learning how to practice Bioenergetics … Maybe they are working with their own body nowadays … and they are stronger … the Bioenergetics of the future …

Lowen: Certainly.

Malú: Anything else?

Lowen: I will just say this: Pay attention to your breathing and this will be good work. When they take things like this to people, they don’t teach how to do it … that is the problem … How are you?

Malu: (Sorry but now it is my turn, time for my session... with many screams, for sure...)

Note: Dear colleagues,

I want to make it clear that I had no intention of formally interviewing Dr. Lowen. I just used the opportunity to ask a few simple questions and I am sure many of you already knew the answers but I was thinking about the others, those who never had the opportunity of asking him in person.

These are very simple questions but, after all, all Bioenergetics is very simple; it is just a matter of breathing…

Malu