Back To Basics in Core Energetics ©
by Pam Chubbuck, Ph.D.
Body.
Emotions.
Mind.
Spirit.
Integrated.
Connected.
Basic.
I am, among other things, a Certified Core Energetics Practitioner, CCEP, and a Certified Bioenergetic Therapist, *CBT, so when I started seeing e-mails a few years ago, from my psychotherapy network group saying, “looking for a CBT”, I thought, Wow! Bioenergetics is making it to the mainstream?! No such luck – they were actually asking about a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist, (the other CBT). Cognitive therapy is the current in-vogue-again therapy. Yes, we have therapies that go in and out of favor every 20 years or so. And the biggest trendy-online-counseling-psychology-rubber-stamp-em graduate programs are big into Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. It's practically all they teach. Many don't even allow their professors to ask “personal” questions of their students. I was approached by one of those schools to teach Human Sexuality and then told I could not ask students about anything personal. What?! How can students become therapists who are able to assist human beings - who have personal issues, if they can not talk about and reveal their own issues in a training setting? In Core Energetic Training, in addition to sexuality being a part of every training day, (as it is in life) in the 4th year we spend an entire 5 days focusing on personal sexual issues. I asked, but these in-charge professors had never heard of Wilhelm Reich. Sad. Training good therapists is a passion of mine as is the topic of Human Sexuality.
– One Important Basic –
Therapists, Do Your Own Work!
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Now back to basic Core Energetics.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, working only with the mind – mainly with the ego – the mask - does not heal and never has. It can help. But mainly it glosses over. It is a therapy of the mask. We are spirit living in a body. John Pierrakos taught that Core Energetics must be and is therapy of the heart. The heart of the therapist must be open to the heart of the client. Both speaking their truth. And...Core Energetics is body oriented. All the information we need to heal is located in the body we have *now. 
It's Simple Really. Body, Emotions and Spirit are the important three legs of the metaphoric Core Energetics stool. Funny that I use that metaphor because as you probably know, Bioenergetics has the stool, Core Energetics, the roller.
We often need to reconsider basics and get back to the basics of body, body, body! This while paying attention to the character structure (body) and character defenses ( personality/mask which expresses through the body), assisting in emotional release, (expressed and felt through the body - that probably will get loud and at times frightening) and teaching spiritual principles, all while assisting the persons Core/ High Self to emerge (through the vehicle of the body). Oh, did I say that all this comes through the body?
John Pierrakos & Alexander Lowen knew the value of working with the basics in Bioenergetics as they developed their work. Years later John was concerned, and he discussed with me, that some Core Energetically trained therapists, often watered down the power of Core Energetic work with other techniques and ego based psychology. To help focus on basics, over 20 years ago, I assisted John in adding the study of anatomy as a required piece for Core Energetics students and we put into place, in our International Core Energetics training programs, the emphasis of basic, bottom line, what's really important, information as listed above.
I have taught Core Energetics to graduate level professionals for over 25 years and I have seen that basic Core principles need to be stressed to Core Energetics students over and over during their four or five year training. Review of the first year teaching information continues to be essential throughout the training and later in supervision.
When w orking with clients, repeating and gently stressing the basics, is also vitally important. Move, breathe, vocalize, pray, emote.
Work the 3 stages of Core Energetics Basics. Penetrate the mask, Express the Lower self, Open to the Core. By doing so clients automatically emerge with the 4th step which is finding their hearts desire - their Life Work. It works.
Character Analysis Basics
Character analysis basics must be thoroughly learned and used for the therapist to best assist.
Character structure is about the body's defenses to pain and suffering.
These defenses saved us as children and now these same defenses keep us from having what we truly desire. Love, joy, pleasure.
The 5 character structures, Schizoid, Oral, Masochistic, Rigid and Psychopathic defenses are basic foundations of the work of Core Energetics and Bioenergetics and their positive and destructive nature must be learned so thoroughly that the therapist doesn't have to think and uses this information automatically in the therapy practice. Working at it's best, this knowledge eventually comes naturally to the process.
Mask, Lower Self, Higher Self Basics
Basic Principles in Core Energetics and The Pathwork teach the ever so important concept of Mask, Lower Self, and Higher Self. I have added Lower Self Saboteur to this mix as it makes it easier for clients to use and understand. We also work with the powerful concepts of Negative Beliefs. 
Neuro Anatomy – Neuro Psychology: the New Basics.
We do have some fascinating information now that we did not have access to 45 years ago, when John was developing Core Energetics. Brain research is making it possible to better explain what Core Energetics has been doing all along.
The basics. What do we need to know about (2)“the brain” to be competent therapists?
From lowest to highest function the brain is composed of: The brain stem, sometimes called the reptilian brain, which is in charge of survival, knows fight, flight or freeze; the mid brain or mammalian brain, which is in charge of our emotional state; the cortex, in charge of learning and problem solving; and the neo-cortex thought to be connected to expanded states of consciousness, spiritual feelings and actions.
Human beings go through a growth process where their higher functioning centers are slowly awakened. Infants are all about survival and then the emotions connected to them. Where is my mommy? If she is not here I will die. That can be so painful that babies dissociate to save themselves.
When a person is in a state of terror, and survival is all that matters. With current cultural birth practices in the US and Western cultures, many of us have underlying terror to transform. The only way to soothe that state is to create safety. Consistent love and contact = safety to the infant. In Emotional states we must create continued physical and emotional connection to soothe the mid brain fears. The Cortex requires teaching problem solving techniques, Pre-frontal lobes must be nurtured by teaching ways to expand by meditation, song, poetry,dance, art and prayer.
I now add basic psycho-neurological information in classes, workshops and in explaining the work in initial sessions with clients, and later as needed.
Below I have listed some of the people who are major contributors to the use of this brain research to psychotherapy and mental health, and links to information about their work.
Many Therapists Abandon the Body!
 We already know that the majority of therapists do not have an inkling about working with the body.
But shockingly, I have observed many Core Energetic trained practitioners abandon the body and the strong emotional work as time goes by. Usually it is because they do not continue with their own body/emotion work so lose touch with their deeper selves. Many times they complain that their work space limits them – that they can't make noise where they work. But this is a masky excuse because if they really wanted to they would create a work space conducive to doing Core Energetics.
So come on Therapists, do your own work so that you may best help your clients do theirs. Get back to the basics and be inspired by the amazing results. Besides, life is an ongoing evolutionary process...an adventure!
Clients, embrace the work of the body and don't allow your fears stop you! And if your therapist does not work with your body, insist that s/he does. Or - find another therapist.
Core Energetics is a powerful healing modality because it uses all the basic parts of the human being in process. It is integrative therapy/healing at it's most basic best.
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David Berceli, PhD, 
