Orgone is a type of vital energy believed to exist in the atmosphere and within living organisms. The concept was originally developed by Austrian psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich in the 1930s and 1940s. According to Reich, orgone was a massless, omnipresent substance that could be detected and manipulated. He believed that it was the primordial energy of life, and that it could be stored and harnessed to promote physical and psychological health. Although orgone energy has not been scientifically proven, it has been the subject of much research and speculation.
Reich first proposed the concept of orgone in his book, The Function of the Orgasm. In it, he described orgone as a “cosmic life energy” capable of “penetrating all matter, living and nonliving.” He argued that it could be used to treat physical and psychological disorders, such as cancer, depression, and schizophrenia. Reich also developed a range of devices he claimed could capture, store, and manipulate orgone energy, such as the orgone accumulator.
Despite his groundbreaking work, Reich’s ideas were generally considered to be pseudoscientific. His research was eventually dismissed by the scientific community, and he was even charged with fraud by the US Food and Drug Administration in the 1950s. Since then, orgone therapy has largely been relegated to the realm of alternative medicine.
Although scientific evidence for orgone is lacking, some researchers have used it as a model for understanding the physical and psychological effects of energy. For example, one study found that people who used orgone accumulators reported feeling more energized and relaxed. Similarly, another study suggested that orgone could be used to reduce stress and anxiety.
In conclusion, orgone is a controversial concept that has yet to be accepted by the scientific community. Nevertheless, it has generated a great deal of interest in the potential of energy-based therapies. Further research is needed to determine whether or not its effects are real.
References
Kane, J. (1968). The Function of the Orgasm: Discovery of the Orgone. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
McGee, C. (2017). Pseudoscience: The Conspiracy Against Science. Massachusetts: MIT Press.
Reich, W. (1961). The Cancer Biopathy. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
Shan, B. & Chen, G. (2008). The efficacy of orgone accumulator in reducing stress and anxiety. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 14(10), 1165-1170.
Somov, P. (2011). Energy Tapping for Trauma: Rapid Relief from Post-Traumatic Stress Using Energy Psychology. Oakland: New Harbinger Publications.