2025 Summer Conference

This conference focuses on a pivotal dimension of the work of Wilhelm Reich: the idea that a newborn’s earliest contact with caregivers lays the groundwork for future psychological well-being—or, conversely, for potential disturbances. Drawing on extensive clinical experience, Reich emphasized the importance of self-regulation and open emotional and physical expression in infancy and early childhood for preventing the development of character armor, chronic muscular tension and inhibited emotional expression that lay at the core of most neurotic behavior.

His insight laid important groundwork that anticipates the development of attachment theory, echoing many of the field’s key concerns. John Bowlby and subsequent researchers developed core concepts important to Reich related to early emotional experiences and responsive caregiving with empirical data and further theoretical and clinical contributions. Although Bowlby does not refer to Reich in his own writing, there are clear parallels and points of convergence in their understanding of psychosocial development and emotional regulation. The central question this conference will explore is whether the energetic processes Reich described could fill gaps in contemporary understandings of attachment, ultimately offering a deeper perspective on bonding, trauma, and well-being.

Our panel of speakers includes distinguished experts, scholars, authors, and therapists with diverse backgrounds in the work of Wilhelm Reich, John Bowlby, and attachment theory, and we hope to foster a lively interchange of ideas.