What do our bodies reveal about our deepest thoughts?

The body shines light on the lives of
Andy Warhol, Pete Doherty, Simon Cowell,
Ricky Gervais, Tiger Woods, and Princess Diana

A few examples of individuals in public life who illustrate specific character types (see right-hand sidebar). The names these type are commonly called by are surely dispiriting (blame Freud) and the seminar will use more respectful alternatives. But we keep them here for simplicity. These same names can also refer to severe pathology or to sexual deviance. It’s important to know  that in our context they refer to perfectly normal feelings of perfectly normal people including you and me.

With his art that had no feeling ... and movies that lasted 20 hours ... nothing that had any obvious connection … and all coming from a unique place that only he could see ... Andy Warhol was a schizoid character. If he could acknowledge his buried terror, it would transform into a profound trust of life.

Tall, thin and reedy, with baby-faced looks, Pete Doherty is a classic oral. Many people have tried to help him but, self-absorbed, he keeps on collapsing. Once he recognises his needs and takes responsibility for them, his sensitivity gains roots and becomes available as his gift.

With her voice disconnected from her body and from her fear, Amy Winehouse also appears to have schizoid patterns, as well as oral ones. Again, these resolve into trust and sensitivity.

Dominating, with no trace of empathy, his criticisms made more wounding because backed up by excellent judgement, Simon Cowell is a typical dominating psychopath. But when he recognises his need to be on top, and allows vulnerability, heart-feeling becomes part of this and transforms him into a true leader with penetrating clarity.

Tiger Woods has no such faults. In fact, no faults at all, he’s perfect – too perfect, driven to achieve, and always appropriate and grounded. He is a rigid type. When he becomes less driven, he still keeps his feet on the ground no matter what, but his natural childlike spontaneity reveals a great warmth and lovingness in him.

Positively in love with embarrassment and humiliation, Ricky Gervais is a masochist. (This word has here no sexual connotation.) When he recognises the feelings of shame he carries, and the anger they cause in him, his humour will change and his creativity will overflow with happiness, fun, and enjoyment.

Both needy and the centre of attention, Princess Diana showed strongly hysterical patterns, combined with an oral neediness. The hysterical thrust to push herself forward and get attention covers an anger, and when that is acknowledged, the outward push is transformed into an outpouring of love, warmth and affection.

What are Lowen’s body types?

When there is stress around a particular issue of childhood, the emotional tension actually changes the shape of the growing body. Of course a person who is genetically slim or large will always grow up slim or large; what the emotional tensions produce is an imbalance in the proportions of the body.
The names these stages are commonly called by are surely dispiriting (blame Freud) and the seminar will use more respectful alternatives. But we keep them here for simplicity. These same names can also refer to severe pathology or to sexual deviance. It’s important to know  that in our context they refer to perfectly normal feelings of perfectly normal people including you and me.
There is a lot of factual information on the internet if you Google “schizoid oral masochistic hysterical.” Here, noting that few people are one clear type, and ignoring sub-types, is a quick simplified summary:
Schizoid - extreme fear, parents dangerous. Body thin and disjointed.
Oral – needs not met, parents un-nourishing. Body thin and reedy.
Psychopathic – parents manipulative, powerful shoulders with small hips.
Masochistic – parents suppressive, body is squat, vertically compressed.
Rigid (phallic / hysterical) – parent of the opposite sex rejected. Body of both well developed, but rigid have a drive to achieve, hysterical a drive to be the centre of attention.

Barbara Brennan, author of “Hands of Light” has a summary of typical past lives which the different types report. Imagine the ancient world at  its most  extreme: the schizoid person was tortured; the oral starved to death. The masochistic person lived a life without freedom, for example as a monk or nun, and the psychopath was a warrior for the great cause but suffered betrayal. The rigid/phallic person was the administrator striving and straining to keep the whole thing together calmly and level-headedly. To Brennan’s vignette we could add that the rigid/hysteric was the entertainer everyone so desperately needed!