one thing i love about core energetics is that it takes a non-pathological approach to the struggles we endure. depression, anxiety, frustrations, grief, unrelenting patterns that create suffering in our lives—underneath all of these is an innocent impulse to protect our tender essence and move towards what we long for.

it may not always be apparent why we suffer in the ways we do or how we are constricting the flow of our own life energy, but rest assured there are good reasons for how and why we do this.  

core energetics explores the intersection of body, mind, and spirit using embodiment practices to bring consciousness to the movement and constrictions of energy in the different levels of our being.

quotes about core

“Core Energetics has entirely reshaped me. Humbling and potent, this work has stripped away who I thought I should be, and has helped me discover, accept and express who I really am. It's brought me to life. For me, it's the most direct pathway to move through pain and projection, let go of my armor, unwind my habitual patterns, and step toward whatever life brings with courage and an open heart.” -EM

“Core Energetics has been transformational for me and I don't use the word transformational lightly. Core Energetics brings my body, energy, and soul into my growth experience in ways that completely trump my mind. I have learned that I can maintain my ground in the presence of big emotion, mine and others. This has translated into a deep and steady sense of ease - something I've longed for for years, and that years of talk therapy didn't help me find. It has been deeply healing and totally worth the (many) moments of fear and vulnerability.” -SP

“I've done talk therapy for over ten years, but there is something that Core gives me that is unique. As a soft-spoken poet/writer/painter, I've felt less than my real self most of my life-- wearing my idealized-self mask so well and unknowingly. Now I can stand tall and calm in the face of emotions displayed by people right in front of me, whether breaking down with grief or anger--or exploding with joy. Practicing repeatedly in a group, expressing my full spectrum of emotions, and being seen, accepted, and loved for me, all of me, has saved my life. That is, I am now more alive than I have ever been”. -JC

“Core Energetics, through its evocative movement exercises, helped me to discover and express a deep power and  a deep love that I was holding tight inside for years.  It brought me to a place of wholeness and aliveness that I'd never felt.  The Pathwork model has also been extremely useful in helping me discern whether it is my ‘mask’ or ‘higher self’ being expressed, bringing me to more clarity, authenticity, and centeredness.” -BH

“Core Energetics is easily the most challenging, difficult yet transformative and rewarding personal development work I've ever done. The approach helped me touch into, as well as heal, parts of myself that other means (e.g. traditional talk therapy) just couldn't get to. It's left me with a much more solid foundation on which to continue building my life.” -GF

core energetics can help people who

  • are struggling in their personal relationships

  • have difficulty setting boundaries

  • experience anxiety on a daily or weekly basis

  • have a history of trauma

  • have a history of addiction

  • are in a period of transition

  • struggle with depression or self-worth issues

  • sometimes feel they have no direction in life

  • long for a greater sense of aliveness

and it will work best if

  • you desire a greater connection to yourself

  • you’re willing to go to unexpected places in yourself

  • you’re committed to active participation in your healing process

a short history of core energetics

core energetics evolved directly out of the work of the psychoanalyst wilhelm reich—the first western psychiatrist credited with realizing that people’s bodies actually alter and “armor” themselves in response to emotional trauma during development. reich viewed people as unified, holistic body-mind energy systems, and spent much of his career studying the nature of the life force.

dr. john c. pierrakos was a student of reich’s, who took reich’s theories and practices a step further by working with dr. alexander lowen to develop bioenergetics. bioenergetics connected the body and mind in therapeutic practices to holistically overcome emotional problems.

after meeting his future wife, eva broch, and being exposed to her writings— a body of practical spiritual wisdom now known as the pathwork— pierrakos developed core energetics. core energetics combines the spiritual underpinnings of the pathwork with the body and energy work found in bioenergetics.

core energetics as a therapeutic philosophy has evolved to also include

  • the therapeutic foundations of relational, emotion-focused, body oriented psychotherapy

  • developmental theories of bonding and attachment

  • the most up-to-date research on trauma-informed therapy