An Object Relations Perspective on Bioenergetics and Pre-Oedipal Transferences

Abstract

Alexander Lowen’s views on oedipal transference were formed within the intellectual framework of Freudian and Reichian drive theory and ego psychology. Lowen did not favor analytic work with transference and believed that countertransference indicated that the therapy was «faulted”. This article critically examines his classical approach and offers a re-examination of pre-oedipal transference phenomena in a way that both honors Lowen’s unique insights into the transformative power of Bioenergetic Analysis, and at the same time offers a Kleinian/Bionian object relations understanding of pre-oedipal transference that can be incorporated into modern Bioenergetic Analysis. An extended case example illustrates the effective integration of object relations theory and bioenergetic practice. The concluding discussion provides a rationale for introducing an object relations approach into Bioenergetic Analysis.