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Orgone biophysics is the name that Wilhelm Reich gave to the body of natural scientific work that he established within the broader field of orgonomy. From 1934 on, Reich became increasingly engaged in laboratory science, which developed in tandem with his pioneering work in psychiatry, medicine and the social sciences. Together with orgonomic therapy, research […] Read more

Orgone Biophysics Orgone biophysics is the name that Wilhelm Reich gave to the body of natural scientific work that he established within the broader field of orgonomy. From 1934 on, Reich became increasingly engaged in laboratory science, which developed in tandem with his pioneering work in psychiatry, medicine and the social sciences. Together with orgonomic therapy, research in orgone biophysics has also been a central focus of the Institute for Orgonomic Science. Electrophysiology of Pleasure and Anxiety: Reich’s work in experimental natural science began at the Psychological Institute of the University of Oslo where he conducted pioneering studies of the electrophysiology of pleasure and anxiety in human subjects. Reich’s measurements demonstrated that human emotional life is pulsatory. He found that the subjective emotional experiences of his subjects corresponded to measurable changes in electrical potential at the skin surface. His findings, as described in his book The Bioelectrical Investigation of Sexuality and Anxiety indicate that anxiety is the subjective perception of a measurable energetic contraction, while pleasure is the perception of an energetic expansion. The Bion Experiments: Reich wondered how deeply this basic biological antithesis of expansion and contraction extended in the phylogeny of life. While planning electrophysiological experiments along these lines with protozoa, he began microscopic observations of the development of these organisms in hay infusions. Prolonged study in living preparations led him to doubt the standard account of their origin as developing solely from encysted organisms already present in the hay. He observed that the grass or moss tissue underwent a process of disintegration into microscopic vesicles, which he later termed “bions.” Under certain conditions, membranes were observed to form around heaps of these bions, and in some cases these membrane-enclosed heaps would develop into recognizable amoebae or ciliates. Using some of the most advanced light microscopy equipment of his time, he undertook extensive time-lapse cinemicrophotographic documentation of this developmental process, which he later termed the “natural organization” of protozoa. By 1937 Reich was able to set up his own independent laboratory in Oslo to conduct his biological work. There he and his staff, in conjunction with foreign collaborators, undertook further studies of the formation and development of bions under sterile conditions in which both organic or inorganic materials, such as earth, coal, iron and later sand were allowed to swell in weak potassium chloride solutions. Reich observed the same process of bionous disintegration in these preparations, and that it was furthered by heating in an autoclave, and in the case of coal or sand, by heating to incandescence in a Bunsen burner. Microscopic studies of bions at high magnification demonstrated pulsatory movement, and an extensive series of experiments demonstrated that bions exhibiting a strong electrical charge could usually be successfully cultured on sterile media. Reich presented his findings on bions in his book, The Bion Experiments on the Origin of Life. Bion Research and Cancer: While still in Norway, as part of his bion research, Reich undertook extensive microscopic observations of living cancer tissue. He concluded that tumor formation involves a process of bionous tissue disintegration and reorganization into amoeboid cancer cells similar to the natural organization of protozoa he had previously observed in hay infusions. Reich was also able to isolate a specific pathogenic type of bion that he called the “t-bacillus” from cancer tissue. Reich also integrated insights derived from his clinical work in his studies of cancer. In his own clinical work with cancer patients he frequently noted a characterological resignation and shallow breathing. In this context, he recognized the importance of Otto Warburg’s earlier findings of reduced aerobic respiration in cancer tissue. Reich Blood and Tissue Tests: During his medical research on cancer, Reich developed a series of blood and tissue tests that were employed both for early diagnosis and to follow the patient’s progress during treatment. The three Reich blood tests consist of 1) the microscope test, which measures the rate of bionous disintegration of erythrocytes (red blood cells) in physiological saline, and determines whether or not they disintegrate into blue PA bions or t-bacilli; 2) The autoclave test which assesses the cohesiveness of erythrocytes following sterilization in an autoclave; and 3) the blood culture test, in which an attempt is made to culture t-bacilli in bacteriological broth. Reich also employed the examination of unstained live specimens of sputum or vaginal secretions in order to detect precancerous or cancerous cells. Readers are referred to our bibliography on the subject for more information. The Discovery of Orgone Energy: In 1939, Rei...

Orgone Biophysics | The Institute for Orgonomic Science