Reichian Segmental Armouring

Why the human is like an earthworm

Reich’s Seven Rings of Armour

Wilhelm Reich first unveiled his idea of muscular armouring in his book, Character Analysis, originally published in 1933. Chapter 14 of the book contained a section entitled “The Segmental Arrangement of the Armour.” Here Reich explains his notion of there existing seven specific rings, or segments, that run naturally around the body, and that need to be freed both of any armouring, and of any unhealthy binding between each other.

In energetic terms, Reich conceived the human body as being similar to that of an earthworm. The worm has many segmental rings that run laterally around its body. For the worm to move forwards, it needs to fluidly shift its body, ring by ring, in the direction it wants to go. If any of the rings, or the areas between the rings, are excessively rigid, it will be unable to move.

Reich envisioned our body, on an energetic level, to be the same. In order for our energy and emotions to freely move up and down our body, each of these rings must be both free of armour and free of any unnatural binding to the ring above or below it.

Let’s take a look at Reich’s original seven rings

Reich labelled the seven rings thus:

• Ocular - surrounding the eyes

• Oral - surrounding the mouth

• Cervical - surrounding the throat

• Chest - surrounding the chest

• Diaphragmatic - surrounding the diaphragm

• Abdominal - surrounding the belly

• Pelvic - surrounding the pelvis but including the whole lower body

The therapeutic techniques that Reich developed were intended to free up each ring of armour and to likewise remove any unhealthy binding to those rings adjacent to it.

To give an example of what we’re talking about here, we might consider someone who cannot move their eyes without creating tension around their mouth. Or someone whose diaphragm is totally rigid. 

In the first such case, there is a level of unhealthy coupling between adjacent rings. In the second, it is the ring itself which is not fluid and is armoured. Working on the body to allow the eyes to move independently of the muscles around the mouth, or to allow the diaphragm to move freely, would be a very liberating experience for the individual. They would find that they had both more physical and psychological fluidity. They would experience more energy and positivity in their life too.

Reich furthermore believed that there was a specific order that these rings of armour should be worked - from the head down to the pelvis. He asserted that, before you could work on, say, the cervical or diaphragmatic ring, you had to have worked on the rings around the head, or the therapy simply would not work.

Although the fields of muscular armouring and Reichian Therapy have not yet been so extensively explored, nevertheless, since Reich’s time two significant changes in Reich’s perspective have taken hold. 

Firstly, the notion that the rings are only seven in number is no longer widely accepted. Many therapists, myself included, absolutely recognise the presence of a ring around the forehead, above the Ocular ring. Some also regard the legs and feet as functionally separate from the pelvis. 

The second aspect of Reich’s original work that has changed relates to his notion of how the segments of armour need to be worked. 

Reich was adamant that rings need to be worked from the Ocular towards the Pelvic, and that if this was not done, then the therapy wouldn’t work. Personally, I have some sympathy for this view but I also find it over the top. Getting the pelvis of someone who is very “in the mind” moving spontaneously is still of value. It still creates useful change, regardless of whether the rings around the eyes, mouth or throat have been worked on already. The same can certainly be said of the abdominal ring.

Not Just Armour!

Reich practised in the era of the Rigid! He worked primarily with people from the upper middle classes during the thirties and forties - successful people from northern Europe and the United States. These guys were all about rigidity. They held themselves stiffly upright to maintain standards in a world that would be otherwise very chaotic. Thus his work became a lot about armouring - unnatural rigidity in the body. 

Yet, armouring is actually only one half of the story and in some ways, the lesser of two issues. In contrast to developing rigid muscular holding patterns, many people do the opposite - their consciousness simply leaves certain areas of the fascia and musculature. These become unnaturally floppy and unresponsive. 

So we have three ways that our fascia and musculature can be:

• Rigid

• Toned

• Flaccid

We are aiming for the middle one - toned. This is the healthy state. However, Reich’s map of seven segments of armour still applies. The techniques that we use to treat armouring and unnatural binding between rings can also be used to treat flaccidity.

The Techniques

Reich’s actual physical techniques to release the negative effects of armouring have been somewhat shrouded in secrecy since the time of their development. Though these days, you will find at least two books that extensively detail them. 

To learn the techniques, you needed to be trained by Reich’s school in Maine, USA and you needed to already be qualified as a medical doctor. You were not allowed to publish details of the techniques, presumably because they were considered to be highly evocative and Reich was concerned that unprepared people might practise them.

Reich’s techniques can be broadly placed into two categories - breath techniques and muscle-tensing techniques. The breath techniques consist of different ways of breathing in and out. The muscle-tensing techniques consist of ways that you can tense the muscles around each specific segment of armour such that it can be released. Usually a breath technique is combined with a muscle-tensing technique to create the maximum release. 

I will give one example. Lie down on a mat in the Reichian Working Position (RWP), that of the woman in the picture above but with your hands resting by your sides. Do not use a cushion for your head. Begin by breathing fairly slowly and evenly, taking about three seconds to inhale and the same length of time to exhale. Try to engage your abs when you breathe, along with other muscle groups. Leave no gap between the inhale and exhale, and vice versa. Breathe consciously like this for about one minute with eyes closed. When ready, begin the following practice. Keeping the rhythm and depth of your breathing the same as before, as you inhale, open your eyes as wide as you can and hold them like that until you begin your exhale. As you exhale, close them as tightly as you can. Continue in this manner for five minutes and then return to simply breathing for a further two to complete.

If you’d like to learn more of these techniques, check out the first two books listed below. Both have Reich’s armour-release techniques extensively catalogued, though my one also gives details about releasing the forehead ring and other areas. 

Read more

Reichian Breathwork by Devaraj Sandberg

Reichian Home Book by Jack Willis

New Wings for Daedalus by Israel Francis Regardie