CHINESE MEDICINE & REICHIAN THEORY

 

 

This section of the website gives an outline of my MSc dissertation which was accepted by the Northern College of Acupuncture and University of Wales in May 2002. The paper was expanded slightly and published as an academic book by the German publishers LAP, see Amazon link here. It was also published in abbreviated form by the European Journal of Oriental Medicine. See here for synopsis https://chinese-medicine.co.uk/the-college/msc-dissertations/tcm-reichian-theory

The paper explored the common ground and the differences between the theories of Chinese medicine and Wilhelm Reich (1897-1957). Reich was an Austrian psychoanalyst who studied biological energy functions. Many previously undocumented parallels and differences were found between the theories. A double blind, placebo-controlled experimental study (N = 72) was also conducted.

The experimental study investigated whether effects are produced when a Reich orgone type device reported to collect life-energy by Reich's theory, is attached via a connecting wire to an acupuncture point. Reich describes this life-force as orgone. The concept of orgone is similar in its definition to that of qi in Chinese medicine.

The study found an objective effect by an orgone-type device on the acupuncture process with a Confidence Interval of P < 0.03. Dozens of new theoretical parallels were also found between the two theories.

 

The study used a specially constructed orgone accumulating device or ORAC for use with acupuncture points. Kevin Gleave and Leon Southgate developed the box (with a little input from Bill West). In the study this box was compared to a placebo device with a double blind protocol.

 

 

A negative-orgone or DOR extracting box has also been developed for use with acupuncture (acupuncture DOR-buster)

Seperately to the study detailed above, Kevin Gleave did clinical work in community projects with the devices in England, Africa and Australia.