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Man in the Trap

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Elsworth Baker takes the most important aspects of Wilhelm Reich's research and explains them in simple laymen's terms. Reich's profound research into human behavior, from infancy through adulthood, is told in a way by Dr. Baker, so that an ordinary person can understand the finding of Dr. Reich's research on topics like the function of the orgasm, the biophysical makeup of political man, and the healing of humanity of illnessess ( from cancer to war ) using the principals of bioenergetics.

A must read for every mental health expert. This book is a concise, clear and objective presentation of the work of W. Reich. Dr. Baker has given an invaluable contribution in presenting, organizing and clarifying a field of knowledge that is neglected by classical medicine. He also has given an unprecedented gift to mankind in its struggle for happiness. In my opinion this is one of the few works that can help psychiatry to extricate itself from the biochemical quagmire in which is drawning.

This book is an exploration of the unique mind-body therapy pioneered by Wilhelm Reich, M.D. The therapy, termed "medical orgone therapy," is practiced today by psychiatrists who have gone on to train in this unique approach to emotional health. Although the book is written with the serious student in mind (medical doctor, psychologist) it is also appropriate for a general audience. Anyone who is interested in improving their emotional health, naturally, should learn about this therapy. Man In the Trap is a good introduction to the treatment.

Although this book does summarize many of Reich's teachings on his theory on pathology and treatment using Orgone Therapy, it also distorts much of Reich's philosophy for Baker's own agenda. So much so that I would not recommend this book for new readers interested in Reich's ideas and therapeutic approach. To truly understand Reich, it is essential that one reads Reich's own writings. Once one has a grasp on Reich's overarching theory and its clinical applications, than one is in a better position to critically read Baker's book and take it for what it is.

Elsworth Baker's Man in the Trap is a great book for those who want to learn more about what makes people tick.

What I like best about this book is Baker's special gift for describing scientific topics, with all the detail and accuracy that any expert could desire, but still in a way that any intelligent layperson can enjoy and understand completely and easily.

Baker shows how our emotional functioning is based on the same natural laws that govern all living things (some books on this subject explain humans by starting with the behavior of the higher apes, Baker starts with the ameba). He then goes through the stages of human psychosexual development, describes the different healthy and neurotic character types, and has a very moving chapter on how parents and society can support the emotional health of infants and children.

I am relatively new to Wilhelm Reich and Orgone therapy and my therapist recommended this book to answer some of my questions.

Provided one is sufficiently interested in the subject, I think this can be a very stimulating read. It gave me that special "thrill" which comes from new and/or forbidden knowledge and his case studies are pretty gripping. I found myself rooting for his patients, hoping they would achieve the blessed state of "Orgastic Potency".

I'm sure that if one is really curious about the discipline, it would be best to read books by Reich himself. But there are so many of them, and I'm not sure I'd even know where to begin. This book, then is a great introduction, a sort of "Orgone Therapy for Dummies".

That said, when Baker turns his attention to political analyses, things get a bit muddled and that chapter could be potentially offensive to some readers. Because of this chapter, I was under the impression for awhile that the entire discipline had an inherent rightward slant. This is not necessarily true, and though I disagree with many of Baker's ideas here, even this section contains a (to me) relevant criticism of the sort of liberal academic "type", pedantic, pretentious and dangerously cut off from reality and his or her own body.

A good companion to this book (if you can find it) is "Emotional Armoring: an Introduction to Psychiatric Orgone Therapy" by the more liberal Dr. Morton Herskowitz. Not only is his tone refreshing, but he adds quite a few interesting ideas which are absent in the Baker book. Taken together these books provide a wonderful introduction and have helped me tremendously in gaining some understanding of the discipline.