WILHELM REICH

Theory of Orgone Energy

Reich developed his theory of orgone energy over several years and expanded it throughout his lifetime. His theory was the result of experiences with his neurotic patients and his biological experiments, which he felt provided concrete evidence for the existence of orgone.

Orgone energy can be thought of as organic or "life-energy." Reich first observed this energy while studying the bioelectric nature of pleasure and anxiety. Using a galvanometer, he discovered that in pleasurable situations skin has a charge, while in displeaurable ones it does not. He initially called this phenomenon "bioelectric energy."

Later, while attempting to research the origin of life, Reich discovered what he termed bions. These globules of energy seemed to give off a certain radiation, such that when objects were left near the cultures containing bions, those objects became highly charged. Reich later observed that this radiation was the same energy he had observed in his skin conductance experiments, and that indeed, this energy surrounded all living things and was free in the atmosphere. He renamed this energy "orgone."

After conducting an experiment in which Reich believed he had succeeded in developing protozoa from bions, he began to investigate the formation of cancer cells. He believed that cancer cells formed in the same way, and supposedly produced a motion picture in which cancer cells did indeed develop from the breakdown of living tissue. Reich felt certain that this "biopathy" was the result of sexual repression.

Continuing his cancer research, Reich developed the orgone accumulator (ORAC), which was intended to produce a concentration of orgone energy. The device itself was simply a large box constructed by alternating layers of metal (preferably iron) and organic material, often wood. He experimented with the ORAC by keeping both healthy mice and mice with cancer in the accumulator and comparing their lifespans with control mice which were not kept in the ORAC. Reich found that even the mice with cancer lived longer than the controls who had not been kept in the ORAC.

Reich continued his accumulator experiments, moving on to work with humans. He found that the ORAC helped cure a variety of ailments. These ailments were assumed to be due to a lack of energy within the organism which the ORAC replaced. Subjects who already had high levels of orgone energy were not able to tolerate the accumulator.

Believing that orgone energy might be used to combat nuclear radiation, Reich undertook what would be called "The Oranur Experiment." As part of the procedure, 1 mg. of radium in a lead container was repeatedly placed in a 20-fold accumulator in a metal-lined room. The results of this experiment were disastrous: the mice died and the laboratory had to be evacuated.

The Oranur Experiment led to Reich's discovery of what he termed "deadly orgone" (DOR), which was supposedly the result of the interaction between nuclear radiation and orgone energy. DOR has been described as a toxic, black, lusterless substance which carries a high charge and is attracted to water and oxygen.

In order to combat DOR, Reich developed the cloudbuster, an instrument consisting of five hollow pipes grounded in water. Reich believed that this "cloudbuster" was able to draw DOR out of the atmosphere and into the water. He later modified this device for use on humans. The modified instrument, the medical DOR-buster, was intended to moved energy which was blocked by muscular contractions (see "character armor" in the glossary) in order to release the energy and pent-up emotions from his patients.

Reich became increasingly concerned about what he believed to be an increase of DOR in the atmosphere coming from outer space. After several UFO sightings, Reich became convinced that space ships were responsible. He felt it was his responsibility to combat these DOR-producing space invasions with the use of cloudbusters, fearing that the excess DOR was causing the increase in the development of desert conditions in the United States.

A majority of the information on this page was distilled from Baker, 1968.