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engaging_ with the intensity of life
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�zvzng
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An introduction to

Radix®
body ... centred personal
growth work

Narelle McKenzie
1acqui Showell
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Radix is not:
Reiki, pendulum swinging, a type of pine or a brand of bath salts!

Radix is:
a powerful personal development process or body

psychotherapy which promotes change, growth and healing.

The word �radix, means:

root or source. It is the energy flow that underlies body, mind

and spirit. Radix teachers or therapists work with this energy

to free you from old habits which have become locked in the

body.

This booklet is for:

•
people doing Radix work or considering starting Radix

work, who want a conceptual understanding of the

approach

•
anyone wanting to refer clients to Radix

•
those who are simply curious about Radix work and what

it involves.
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Living !7ully
An introduction to Radix®
body-centred personal growth work

Narel/e McKenzie Jacqui Showell

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Written anJ puhlisheJ hy Nan·lle McKenzie ami Jacqui Showell.

PO Box 232 Daw Park SA 5041

Copyright© 1998 Narelle McKenzie ami Jacqui Showell.

ISBN 0-646-36291-7

EJiteJ hy Pam MaitlanJ.

' CENT����.!
PrinteJ hy:
mon·lhiJH ink.,, P"f'<"..

60 Pulteney Street AJelaide SA 5000

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What does the Radix logo mean?

The two arrows represent energy and spirit, objective and subjective,
action and consciousness. It is the radix or life force which gives rise
to these and is the bridge between them.
Radix® and its logo are fully registered trademarks of the Radix
Institute and are protected by law from being used in any way other
than that allowed by the Radix Institute.
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Acknowledgements
old
This
G the
booklet developed from a meeting of the Adelaide members of
Australian Radix Teachers Association (ARTA). That
association has contributed to funding its publication.
Support, ideas and encouragement from all its members have been
crucial to its creation. We especially want to acknowledge their trust
that we would write something they would value.
We also wish to thank the clients and trainees with whom we have
worked over the last 1 7 years. Their unique personalities have shown
us the strengths and shortcomings of Radix work, and in doing so
have helped us value and develop this approach to personal growth.
Many have inspired and taught us. Others' persistent requests for
something to read about Radix have compelled us to face this
challenging task.
We are very grateful to Dr. Charles Kelley Ph.D, the founder of
Radix, for his dedication to the exploration of the life force and his
creativity in developing this approach. Without him Radix work and
this booklet about it would not exist. We also wish to acknowledge
the teaching, training and support that we have received from many
other people in the USA. In particular we want to mention Ron
Andes, Dale Cummings, Joel Isaacs, Mark Ludwig, Renan Suhl, Bill
Thrash, and Elaine Wa�burton.
Our editor Pam Maitland has given us valuable guidance and
direction. We appreciate her insight, talents, hard work and
willingness to engage with us continuously during the editing process.
Lastly we want to thank our families Rob and Adam, and Scott and
Mia. They offered enthusiasm and encouragement especially when
our dedication to the task wavered.
Throughout the booklet we give examples taken from cases in our
practices. Names and other identifying characteristics have, of
course, been changed to preserve anonymity.

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Preface
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this booklet we describe the key concepts and techniques of Radix
work and the most common issues addressed by this approach. We
have written it to give you a greater understanding of the mystery of
Radix work.
In writing it, we have become aware of our own personalities and life
values which our Radix work helped us clarify and appreciate. With
any particular Radix teacher, there will be more of an emphasis on
some aspects of the work mentioned here than on others. Similarly,
some Radix teachers may choose to work with any of the therapeutic
issues discussed here whilst others may prefer to refer you on for
particular issues to someone more specialised.
Radix work is very process oriented. We address issues in sessions as
they arise. As a client of Radix, don't be concerned if everything
discussed here is not addressed in your sessions.
Narelle McKenzie and ]acqui Showell

About the authors

Narelle McKenzie and Jacqui Showell are certified Radix teachers
who completed training with the Radix Institute in the United States
in 1982. In 1987 they were invited to become trainers, and
established the Australian Radix Training Centre.
Jacqui's background is in physiotherapy whilst Narelle is a registered
psychologist. Both have Radix practices in Adelaide.

vii
 P l aza
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G ld
oAcknowledgements vi

Preface vii

Introduction 1
The aims of Radix work 2
Assumptions about healing 3
About some terms used 3

W hat is Radix? Key concepts of Radix 5

The history of Radix 5
The radix 6
Pulsation of the radix 7
What if the pulsation is blocked?

Body segments 8
Centering and grounding 9
Boundaries 10
Containment 12

How is Radix done? Therapeutic tools 14

The role of the therapist 15
Verbal work 15
The breath 16
Vision 16
Being present and in contact, Seeing and being seen, The eyes and
emotion

Sound 18
Touch 19
Movement 20

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_and emotions
Why do Radix? Benefits and perspectives of Radix
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22

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Radix
Surrender versus containment, Good or bad emotions, Anger,
22

Catharsis: When is it useful?, Regression

Trauma and abuse 29

Memories, Empowerment, Touch

Physical health 32
Alive and aware, Bodily abuse, Muscle.� and soft tissues, Visceral
organs (the gut), Breathing, Di.�ease

Self�esteem 34
Sexual issues 35
Surrender, Segmental congruence, Head, ryeart and pelvis,
Sexuality as an experience rather than as an action

Ra�ix and relationships 37

Radix, spirituality and the purpose of life 40

How can you do Radix work? 42

Training undertaken by Radix practitioners 43
��� e

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Introduction
old psychotherapy
When
Gwork,
describing Radix, it is difficult to know whether to call it body
or personal growth work. In a sense it is all
three. Perhaps it can best be seen as a bridge between the physical,
the psychological and the spiritual - a way of linking body, mind and
spirit.
A client reflected the depth of Radix work when they described it as
'an adventure in feeling, an expansion of awareness and a leap into
self,acceptance'.
A doctor may refer someone to Radix work because of problems like
back pain, hoping that as emotional issues ,are addressed, the patient
will let go of bodily tensions and experience less musculoskeletal
pain. Or they might sense a relationship between other
kinds of physical symptoms and their patient's
emotional and psychological wellbeing. . grow zn
Someone else may be referred by a acceptance and
psychologist because they are out of touch
with their feelings, or are overwhelmed by
delight in who
them - and as a result experience bodily, you are...
behavioural or thinking problems.
Others choose to do Radix work because they want to discover more
about themselves and to grow in acceptance and delight in who they
are. They want to deepen contact with themselves and their world.
In the first example, the presenting issue is physically based, in the
second the emphasis is psychological and in the third it is self,
discovery. However, because of the close relationship between the
body, mind and emotions, the benefits may expand into all these
areas, whatever the initial purpose.

Robert, a middle-aged man, referred himself to Radix because he hoped it

would enable him to feel better about himself, and help him relate to
women without the fear that they would come to 'own' him. He also

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mentioned that he had suffered with quite severe back pain for years, and

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that doctors and physiotherapy had not really helped.As he contacted some
deep rage and pain related to his childhood, he started to see and
understand the connections between his fear of being possessed by women
and his childhood relationship with his overbearing mother. When he
worked through this, he developed compassion for himself and learned to
separate his emotional responses to his mother from those to other
women. His back improved dramatically as the tension holding his anger
and pain was surrendered. Over time, he also started to take his own
passions more seriously (his love of being in the bush for instance) and to
be able to 'take in' powerful experiences of the world being a safe place
where he could find love rather than exploitation.
Although Robert began doing Radix work for emotional and
psychological reasons, the growth he experienced in the physical and
spiritual planes was equally significant.

The aims of Radix work

Enabling people to experience themselves fully is a major aim of
Radix work, along with developing their choices as to how they
express this aliveness in the world.
Achieving this means restoring the rhythmic flow of the life force or
'radix' throughout the body - hoth on its inward movement,
enhancing self�contact, and on its outward
Radix work movement, enhancing contact with the
environment and others. It also means assisting
changes old the client to become conscious of the many ways
unconsczous in which they facilitate or inhibit the flow. Only
with this consdousness can they make the
patterns. choices as to how to experience their aliveness in
the world.
Freeing the life force develops your ability to think, feel and act and
all three areas are considered important in Radix work. However, in
our society and culture, emotions have often heen valued less than

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thinking or achieving; the primary goal of Radix work then often

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hecomes focused on emotions, assisting clients to regain their
emotional aliveness. Deep pain, fear and anger may
he contacted in this process and, as they are,
plans and j oy, love, trust, and spiritual awareness all
have more space to grow.
decisions can be
Another important goal of Radix is the
made from the head integration of thinking, feeling and
and the heart . . hehaviour. Then plans and decisions can
he made from the head and the heart, wants
and needs can hecome clearer, and relationships
and lifestyles more satisfying. The ahility tn·experience emotions can
he regained - along with the choice to contain them or surrender to
them appropriately.

Assumptions about healing

Underpinning all Radix practice is the helief that the client has the
inner resources to heal themselves. They simply need guidance and
support to achieve this.
One of the most critical ingredients for this healing is our ahility to
fully connect with our hodily experiences, as the hody is the
emhodiment of our consciousness. The physical, emotional and
mental are all expressions of the same life force.
As Radix teachers, we also consider touch to he essential for healing
and growth. One of the most effective ways to connect with the hody
is through touch.

About some terms used

In this hooklet we have chosen to freely interchange the titles 'Radix
teacher' 'therapist' and 'practitioner'; and to use the term 'client'
rather than 'student', the term traditionally used in Radix.
Where did these terms come from? Radix work started in the early
1970s when 'therapy' was a word used to suggest healing from an
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illness. Dr Charles Kelley, its founder, preferred to think of Radix as

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an educational process rather than as therapy. He felt that calling
practitioners Radix 'teachers' rather than 'therapists' would empower
clients, and enable them to see that they could learn to heal
themselves - with assistance and guidance. Likewise he felt that
calling clients 'students' highlighted the fact that people can learn
new ways of dealing with their lives, and are not ill or damaged.
While Kelley's original thinking still forms the basis of Radix, the
method has now been developed further, and as the power of the
approach is recognised, Radix teachers often find themselves doing
work that would generally be considered therapy.
Throughout the booklet, 'Radix' with a capital R is used to refer to
the therapeutic method, while 'radix' in lower case, refers to the life
energy that flows through the body (as discussed on page 6).

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What is Radix? Key concepts of Radix

G ld history of Radix
oThe
The Radix approach is rooted in the work of the psychiatrist,
Wilhelm Reich. During the first half of this century Reich discovered
relationships between body processes and emotional functioning that
proved to he highly influential for the holistic movement that
followed. He proposed that the body and mind are really one, and put
forward the idea that the body is a 'frozen' history of our life
experiences. He argued that 'the body doesn't lie' and saw it as a
direct mute to unconscious material.
One of Reich's important concepts was that the 'life force' or what he
�
called 'orgone energy' flows through the body . and that this flow may be
blocked or limited in various places. This blocking impedes our full
emotional experience and our ability to think clearly, as
well as the mobility and health of our bodies .
. . . 'the body
' l' ' In the 1970s, Dr. Charles Kelley developed this
doesn t ze . . . concept of the life force, which is basic to Radix
work. Kelley renamed this energy the 'radix'
(meaning root or source) and much of his work focused on the effects
of the rhythm or 'pulsation' of the radix flow, contributing
significantly to our understanding of emotional experience and
expression.
Kelley's work as an experimental psychologist enabled him to bring
new insights to the theory and practice of Radix. As a psychologist he
specialised in vision and taught the Bates method of vision
improvement without glasses. He conducted research into the
relationship between emotion and vision while working as Director
of Applied Vision Research and Assistant Professor in the
Department of Psychology at North Carolina State University. From
that work he concluded that it is crucial that we are connected to and
'alive' in our eyes; that this visual aliveness is central to our
consciousness and wellbeing.

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Kelley was also determined to empower people by focusing on health,
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not illness. Working with the life force or radix means focusing on
this source of health and vitality.
Since Kelley founded Radix in the early 1970s, Radix teachers have
continued to develop the concept of pulsation of the life force, and
have expanded its application to such therapeutic issues as
dissociation, trauma, abuse, emotional
containment, interpersonal relationships and The 'radix'
the role of physical boundaries in all of
these. is the life energy
The radix uniting bod y, mind
The 'radix' is the life energy that flows and spirit.
through the body longitudinally, uniting body,
mind and spirit, and being experienced as thinking,
feeling and action. This radix is the aliveness with which we were
born or at least conceived. However, if the society in which we
developed did not support this aliveness we learned to limit its flow;
we may have tensed muscles (creating muscular 'armour'), limited our
breathing or channelled much of our energy to our head or gut.
A child who learns that crying, for instance, is threatening or
unacceptable will learn to tighten muscles to stop it - muscles in the
jaw, throat, and diaphragm, for example. Eventually this response
becomes habitual and unconscious. The defence against crying is now
embodied.
Or, if an infant is subjected to situations that evoke fear and there is
no one to help them express and deal with it, they may learn to
withdraw their energy deep inside so as not to experience this feeling
which is threatening to overwhelm them. They gain safety in the
moment at the cost of feeling fully present in the world when that
threat is over. The fear is, in a sense, now locked in the body. As the
infant grows to an adult, this may express itself inappropriately. For
example, a job interview may evoke intense panic.

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In each of these examples the child does what is best at the time for

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their emotional, and perhaps physical survival, but if these responses
become habitual and unconscious, some of their aliveness or radix
becomes trapped. In freeing this energy, Radix work enables clients to
change their old unconscious patterns.

Pulsation of the radix

The flow of the radix has two 'strokes': the 'instroke', which relates to
our contact with ourself; and the 'outstroke', which relates to our
contact with the world around us. This pulsation or rhythm of the
flow is what is worked with in Radix sessions. The aim is to enhance
and balance the two strokes of this energy flow so that we can have
both deep contact with our inner being, our emotions, dreams,
fantasies, visions and spirit - through the instroke; and have a way of
expressing these in the world - via the outstroke.
Some people block the flow of their radix predominantly on the
instroke, some on the outstroke and some limit both.
'Flow' is an important word here. If our life energy flows in, there will
eventually he an outflow. For example, if we take in enough nurturing
and love, those qualities will also flow out of us into the world. And,
if our life force connects out with others, then we can then take in
excitement, satisfaction and trust in life.
On the other hand, if we have to pull in - if, for example, we have
had to withdraw our energy to protect ourselves against abuse - there
will also he a contraction against the flow out into the world. The
radix gets stuck on the instroke and doesn't tum around and flow out.
This may lead to someone experiencing isolation and pmblems with
self,expression.
Or, if our way of surviving has been to push out into the world to
achieve, to force ourselves to give love, there will not he an easy flow
hack to the centre. We lose touch with ourselves and with our true
feelings and desires.

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W hat if the pulsation is blocked?

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When the pulsation is blocked, your thinking, feeling or behaviour
may be affected.
If your thinking is affected, you may find yourself unable to
concentrate or to think clearly, or that you become obsessed with
something and unable to let it go. Emotionally, you might become
aware of blocking if a very sad event occurs and, no matter how much
you want to cry, you can't. Behaviourally, you may want to assert
yourself, but find that your voice is too weak or that your limbs have
gone limp; despite your best intentions your body cannot support you
with an outward flow of energy into your throat or legs.

Body segments
Radix theory divides the body into seven functionally discrete
segments. These are: eye (ocular); mouth and jaw (oral);
neck and throat (cervical); chest (thoracic);
diaphragmatic; abdominal; and pelvic segments.
the mouth We say that they are functionally discrete
ma y be s miling because each, independently from the other
segments, can block an emotion, thought or
while the e yes action. For example, the mouth may be smiling
look 'dead'. while, the eyes look 'dead'. Here the mouth is
expressing pleasure whilst the eyes are blocking any
emotional expression.
This contributes to the complexity of our experiences, as we often
have many different emotional responses to a situation. Moment by
moment it can also result in confusion or ambivalence as we don't
know which response to trust. And, if a person has different segments
responding to events in contradictory ways they may find it difficult
to he congruent in their responses. And those around them will be
receiving conflicting messages.
When enhancing or balancing the flow of the radix in the body, the
Radix teacher works, therefore, to develop congruence across the

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segments. This takes time and may mean that some sessions are spent

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doing important loosening and energising to facilitate this.

David, who is a young architea, exempli�es the importance of congruence

between segments. He felt scared and powerless in his job which carried
with it a lot of responsibility. He said he was 'confused'. And indeed, while
his eyes looked fearful, other segments showed another emotion at work:
his mouth was pulled into a grimace and his chest was inflated. Some time
into his Radix work, he was able to project with his eyes, loosen his jaw and
exhale deeply. He began to feel quite angry about some long-term conflicts
at work. In fact he felt furious! As congruence between his eye, mouth and

jaw, and chest segments was achieved, he became clear about what he was
feeling. and what he needed to do about it H� was then able to go back
to work and approach the people contributing to his difficulties.
Centering and grounding
To achieve this congruence across the segments, the flow of the radix
needs to be both 'centred' and 'grounded'. What do we mean by these
terms? What does it mean if we are not centred or grounded?
There are times when we live easily in the world and are very
connected to our outer body but have little or no sense of our inner
life. We may have a strong sense of our physical boundaries and feel
safe in the world, but experience difficulty with intimacy. Our eyes
may be quite projective, our chests high and our legs firmly planted
on the ground. What is missing is our ability to centre; to connect with
the centre of ourselves. We are stuck on the outstroke and have
difficulty surrendering to the instroke of the radix.

Beth was a popular and successful woman, who when alone and
unoccupied, had a strong sense of emptiness. She lived successfully in the
world but had little access to her inner life. Though quite grounded she had
little sense of a centre.
If we are not grounded, by contrast, we may have a strong connection
to our inner world hut struggle to accept the outer world as it is.

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Rather than deal with reality we withdraw. This time we are stuck on

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the instroke. We may find that our hands and feet feel cold and that
there is a sense of having 'lost a grip' on life. There will be little
awareness or energy in our skin or muscles. We are centred , but not
grounded.
We need to bring our energy, consciousness and life force out to the
periphery of our bodies, particularly into our legs, feet, arms, hands
and eyes. These are the parts of our body that help us contact the
physical world; that ground us. To be grounded then is to be
connected with the ground and the world around us.

Greg, a young university graduate, had always enjoyed solitude. He had

involved himself in various spiritual practices, which helped him have a rich
connection with his own inner world. However, when it came to getting a
job or even relating to friends who were not as spiritually involved, he felt
alternately inadequate and superior. This left him unemployed and alone,
although one of the things he craved was a sense of community. Looking
at him one had the impression that his feet barely touched the ground and
that his head was 'in the heavens'. Greg was more centred than grounded.
Depending on our circumstances and life history, some of us find it
easier to centre than to ground, and vice versa, while others manage
both a little - never fully experiencing either. To fully experience and
express our inherent aliveness we need to develop the capacity for
h<>th.

Boundaries
How much we can express ourselves and participate in the world in a
fulfilling way is also affected by our sense of a 'boundary' between us
and the rest of the world, including the people around us. Although
there are times when we want to merge with others - in intimate
sexual encounters, for example - for most of our daily living it is
important that we do have a boundary of some kind. To have a sense
< >f where we end and another starts. This can be emotionally,
physically, psychologically or spiritually.

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Mary was a young client in her twenties who came to therapy because

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she found it hard to know what she felt and what she wanted. When she
was young, her mother, Elizabeth, was very loving but she always expected
Mary to have the same response to situations as she did. When Elizabeth
felt cold, she assumed that Mary also needed to wear a jacket When
something saddened or overwhelmed her, Mary was expected to feel
saddened and overwhelmed as well. So, from an early age Mary learned to
disregard the responses of her own body, and to assume that her responses
should be the same as others'.
Early Radix sessions focused on her learning to recognise the signals her
body was giving her and what they meant, and to feel okay when those
responses were different from her therapist's. As Mary learned to respea
and value her own experience, she was able to develop a separate identity.
A hahy's experiences of pleasure and satisfaction help to create
houndaries. If they often experience warmth and pleasure, their
energy will flow out from the core or centre towards the periphery of
their hody - towards those good experiences.
But if hasic needs are not met, or if the hahy's contact with others is
painful, ahusive or ahsent, energy will not flow out hut instead remain
pooled at the core. This means that as the person develops there will
not he so much energy or awareness in the outer parts of the hody,
(the muscles, skin and eyes) which is essential in order for them to
experience their hody's houndaries. Without that awareness they may
feel invaded hy touch or closeness, or even threatened hy someone
just heing near them. They may experience having no protection
around their core feelings; or the sense that they ahsorh others'
emotions, lacking a clear sense of what is their feeling and what is
an(lther's.
Radix work huilds houndaries hy restoring the pulsation of energy to
the outer parts of the hody. Through the work clients learn to
experience themselves living in their hodies and hecome more
conscious of the houndary hetween self and other.

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One of the issues that motivated jeannie, a woman in her early forties, to
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do Radix work was that she felt fearful of many of the situations that she

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encountered. She described her body as feeling 'like a balloon on a string.'
The balloon was her head. Although she was not a small woman, her
experience of her body was that it was quite insubstantial. She felt as
though she had no boundaries and that people could invade her, and as if
she had no power. As a child, jeannie had suffered physical and emotional
abuse. To make herself safe, she had responded by withdrawing her energy
deep inside herself. As a consequence her muscles were soft and her skin
was pale and somewhat lifeless.
During her sessions jeannie learned to be attuned to her body, while between
sessions she built her muscles through walking and swimming. As she did
so, jeannie began to feel more powerful and more protected; and to feel
that others could not invade her. She also began to delight in sensations
she had not felt before, such as the cool water on her skin as she swam.
Containment
Sometimes it is appropriate to express our feelings but at other times
we need to contain them. When we contain feelings, we
acknowledge the experience but choose not to act on or express our
feelings. This is a conscious process, in contrast to repression, which
is unconscious.
For example, on the first day of a new job, your boss may do
something that angers you. You are aware of your back tightening and
your face flushing. Consciously, you choose not to express this anger.
When you leave work, you may talk about it with a friend, go for a
run or hit a squash ball. Choosing not to express the anger at work is
containment. If, on the other hand, you have learned to deny anger,
you won't notice your flushed face or your tense back. You may
repress this anger so well that your body doesn't even give you these
clues. You are (unconsciously) repressing anger and as a consequence,
you may feel inadequate or even decide to quit the job.
The body is literally a container for feelings and sensations and it is only

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when we have a strong sense of living within a lxldy that we can both

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experience ourselves fully and have the choice of expressing or containing
our experience. When you are attuned to your lxldy, you are more easily
ahle to identify your experience. You also can use your lxldy to help you
contain your feelings. For example, you can consciously tighten your jaw
and hold your hreath.
Some people need to develop more awareness of their lxldy as a physical
vessel for feelings. As they do so they feel less overwhelmed hy their
emotions, less frightened that they will he hlown away hy their own or
others' feelings.

jane felt very out of control of her life; as though �e was simply buffeted from
one emotion to another. One of the things she wanted from Radix work was to

feel more in control ofher life and ofher feelings. In her �rst session, it was noted
that while she had a strong awareness ofher gut, which was often tight and sore,
there was very little energy in her arms or legs. The focus in her early sessions
was on building her energetic connection wnh her arms and legs, and wnh her

muscles and skin. As this developed she started to have a sense of her body as
a container that could hold her experiences and to be less afraid of them
overwhelming her. This meant that she could start to acknowledge some of the
fear and pain that she had repressed over her f(e, no longer having to run from
those feelings.

Other people, hy contrast, are overly contained and need to learn how to
surrender their houndaries, to develop a more flexihle container, so that
intimacy hecomes possihle when they desire it.

Lucy, whose body was strong, compact and wiry, came to Radix wnh the
statement 'nothing touches me'. She needed to learn to express her feelings and
allow those of others in through her rigid boundary.
From all of the ahove it can he seen that the Radix approach is energy­
centred. It works directly with the tlow of life ener&-ry, the radix, helping to
restore its pulsation - and the halance between the inner and the outer.

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e n _us has different past experiences and, therefore, different
How is Radix done? Therapeutic tools

Gold
Each of
strengths and wounds. Omsequently, we have each learned to limit our
radix flow in different ways and to concentrate our life force or charge
in different parts of our bodies. No two body structures are alike.
Someone who needed to use thinking as a strategy for living when very
young may now tend to 'live in their head'. Such a person, who may
have a good ability to think, or he troubled by obsessive thought
processes, has their energy directed to their head at the expense of
having energy in their legs, which would enable them to feel more
grounded. They may suffer from headaches. Someone else may have
created safety by pulling their energy deep inside (perhaps resulting in
an irritable gut); while that strategy protected them at a time of threat,
it will also have stopped them from being able to relate fully with the
world around them since then. Another individual may have learned
to achieve at all costs by directing lots of energy out into the pans of
the body that do and think - the muscles and head. As a consequence,
they may have lost some contact with the richness
of their inner life, and may have a hack that
The Radix process is tense and aching as it supports all of this
hard work.
teaches each person
It is easy to see that though the aim in
a deep respect J.{.or working with each of these people may be
�

their being. similar - that is to get a flow of radix through

the whole body�mind and to enable them to reclaim
parts of themselves that have been lost - the tools and the way they are
used will he unique to each client and each session.
In Radix sessions we focus on breath, sound, movement, touch, vision,
and of course verbal work, in different combinations. The concept that
the body and mind are united by the life force or 'radix' guides the way
we work with each of these. The practitioner is always observing and
working with the redistribution of that energetic charge - and helping

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the client to become more conscious of and engaged with this process.

o l
The d of the therapist
role
GBased on an attitude of openness and acceptance, the therapist's
relationship with the client is central to every Radix session. The
therapist will assist you to connect with your experiences as fully as
possible and they will encourage you to have a non,judgmental
attitude towards hoth the experiences and your response to them.
After all, any defences in your hody, thinking or
behaviour helped you to survive your childhood
. . . an attitude
and were important and necessary at that
time. of openness and
Indeed a first step in Radix work is to help t he acceptance .
client become more conscious of their defences
and the purposes they serve. They are then in a better
position to make choices about when to continue using them and
when to replace them with new ways of being in the world. A Radix
teacher may help someone ponder 'I wonder what that tension does
for me,' or 'isn't it interesting that I have this way of thinking about
pain'. This results in a deeper awareness and acceptance of self.
Similarly, new ways of heing and expressing can be explored - for
instance, 'I wonder how I would experience the world differently if I
breathed into my belly'.
In being ahle to observe and reflect without judgement on old habits,
and to help develop new options for thinking, feeling and behaving,
the Radix therapist becomes a valuable resource. The Radix process
teaches each person a deep respect for their being.

Verbal work
Words are used to help clients share and make sense of their
experiences. In some sessions the client may spend a large part of the
time talking, in others less. Of course this sharing is part of what
develops and builds a relationship with the therapist. The Radix
therapist, even when apparently engaged in verbal work, will still he

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using pulsation as an assessment tool. They will be asking themselves

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'Is this talking enhancing or impeding the client's sense of their inner
self or their contact with me?'

The breath
This is a key to change as it is one of the sources of our energy. Our
breath is controlled by both the autonomic and the voluntary
nervous systems. This means that although our natural breathing
pattern is involuntary we can intentionally change it. Enhancing the
breath pulsation often gives the individual much more energy to deal
with their life. In someone with low energy, someone with depression
for example, sometimes simply opening up to a fuller respiration may
in itself have dramatic results.
In Radix work you become aware of how you use the rhythm and flow
of your breath to maintain old habitual ways of functioning; and of
how, by changing this, new ways of being can be experienced.

Vision
Being present and in contact
A distinguishing feature of Radix work is the emphasis on what is
happening with the eyes. For many years in therapy circles, making
eye contact has been considered important for successful
communication. However, we can all recall experiences in which we
may have looked at som:-� one but not really have been present and in
contact as we did so, or times when someone else
looked at us in this way; you might have felt
like saying, 'Hello, is there anyone in there?'! 'Hello, is there
When we are truly present and in contact, anyone in there?'
our life force flows. If we are feeling peaceful,
our breath is flowing. If we are angry, our energy will be
pulsing through us. We are aware of what we are experiencing in our
body. For example, our feet are warm or cold, our belly is relaxed or
tight. We are also conscious of our environment - that the sun is
shining brightly, she has an angry face, he has a delicious smile and

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the vase in that picture is glowing. Our thoughts, feelings and

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awareness are focused on what is happening in the moment, not on
the past or the future. Consciousness easily shifts between what is
going on within us and around us. We are present to ourselves and in
contact with what is happening in our surroundings.
When we are present we are connected with our eyes. That
connection or lack of it is apparent to Radix teachers who are trained
to identify this quality of being present. In sessions, your teacher
helps you recognise the subtle ways you avoid it. This develops an
aliveness in your visual contact, and helps you become more aware of
how you are affected by your inner world and the world around you.

Seeing and being seen

In terms of the radix or energy pulsation, seeing involves an outward
flow from the eyes, while being seen entails an inflow. So, our eyes
can 'look out' and they can 'let in'. Sometimes when people complain
about not being seen they are unconsciously contributing to that.
Radix work brings these dynamics to conscious awareness, thereby
increasing our choices.

Julie was a 35-year-old successful and attractive business woman. For many
years she had steered clear of intimate relationships, complaining that men
never really saw her beyond her physical attributes. As her Radix work
progressed, it became obvious that whenever she began to experience
strong responses to anything, her eyes would glaze over and her face
become less alive. In the past, when she had shown what she felt, she was
often ridiculed as being too sensitive - and she was still protecting herself
now by holding back the flow of energy in her eyes and shutting down the
expression in her face. She was working hard to prevent herself from being
seen, albeit mostly at an unconscious level.
What Julie learned and experienced was that seeing and being seen are
both active processes. She became aware of how her eyes contributed to
her not being seen and relearned how to soften them when she did want
to be seen. With practice this will become automatic.

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The eyes and emotion

old
As well as seeing and communicating, our eyes are used in emotional
G expression. As mentioned earlier, Kelley, the founder of Radix,
explored this relationship extensively, incorporating his insights into
the Radix approach, so that learning to observe and reflect on the
expression in the eyes is an important part of Radix training.
Sometimes the expression in the eyes becomes stuck and inflexible.
When this happens it doesn't only affect what we communicate to
other people; if we habitually close off from expressing our feelings
through our eyes, we eventually no longer even know what our
feelings are. Through Radix work that focuses on the eyes, people
often regain a fuller emotional experience.

Tony came into a session wanting to talk about his anger. But his eyes did
not show anger. They looked tight, still and lifeless. As he talked about how
angry he was, his Radix teacher kept encouraging him to move his eyes in
ways that loosened and enlivened them. He became aware of tears
forming. Gradually he began to cry. He wanted to tighten against it, deaden
his eyes and shout noisily, but the more he was encouraged to experience
and soften his eyes, the more he realised that he was deeply sad, not angry.
He just sobbed. Later in the session he identified a life-long pattern of
yelling angrily when he really felt sad. Of course he had then elicited
defensiveness from those around him rather than the support and
·

empathy that he needed.

Sound
Making sound is an integral part of Radix work as well. Sound with
words, hut also sound without words. Many clients come to this work
with strong taboos about making sound, so often time is spent just
playing with this. Others get stuck on always being loud and never
soft and gentle; or on whispering and never shouting. It is easy to see
how blocking any kind of sound, whether it he gentle and soft, or
loud and strong, can impede the flow of the life force, especially in
the throat.

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Touch
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We all know that some physical touch (cuddles, hugs, being held or
perhaps massaged) is important for our wellbeing as adults. In
childhood this was even more so. Children thrive emotionally in an
environment where there is loving, caring, non�invasive touch.
People who have not experienced this often have difficulties with
intimacy, with touch and with experiencing their bodily boundaries.
Radix work may involve touch, which is non�invasive and safe. It
may he used for massaging tension, for instance. Or you may be asked
to push your hands against the hands of the therapist when working
to develop boundaries. Or touching may he used to bring awareness
to some part of your body. ?

Even awareness that touching is a possibility may give material to

work with - around, for example, what happened in your family of
origin, including the attitudes, beliefs and feelings to do with touch.
There may he a fear of touch combined with a longing for it. For some
clients it is a major step in their work to touch their own bodies.

For example, joan, who had been on a polio frame, received little caring
touch as a child. Touch for her later came in the form of sexual abuse. In
a therapy session, she reported that her skin felt dead, and that she was
also disgusted by her body. Little by little she began stroking her hands, and
over time her arms. She began to even enjoy the touch and slowly her love
of her body grew. Her skin felt more alive to her.
Always, in a Radix session, the most important thing is that the
client can stay fully present. When touch is an issue for someone,
they may allow it hut at the same time 'dissociate' or disconnect from
themselves. Radix practitioners learn to pick up subtle changes in the
body indicating this, which helps them use touch effectively, non�
invasively and safely.

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Movement
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During a session you may be asked to move in a particular way to
enhance the flow of the radix: for example, as you lie on the mat, you
may be invited to stretch your arms, run with your legs and feet, hit
with your fists, or grimace. The purpose of these movements is not to
push you into experiencing or expressing a particular emotion.
Rather it is to loosen tension that is impeding the flow of the radix,
to build a charge of energy in a part of your body that needs it, or
sometimes just to balance out the energy and its flow. As this
happens, the movement may become more spontaneous and
emotionally expressive. Of course, although the purpose of the
movement is not to make you feel, when your body is loose and die
energy is flowing, it is possible that feelings will arise.

Ben always seemed to have the weight of the world on him. His body was
quite compact and almost compressed looking. He often arrived with a
puzzled looking frown. He usually came in to sessions with some pressing
problem in his life. One such time, his therapist encouraged him to lie on
the mattress and move his limbs and his head. At �rst he felt a little
embarrassed, but gradually began to move. He began to enjoy the
movements, stretching his limbs, rolling his head and moving the muscles in
his face. He started to �ile and then quickly braced against it. As his
therapist noticed that he �s trying to look serious, she pointed this out to
him suggesting that maybe he was allowed to enjoy himself. He began to
surrender to the smile and then to laughter which eventually shook his
whole body. When it subsided, he lay quietly with a gentle smile on his face.
He was aware of pleasure through his body and remarked that he felt so
glad to be who he was and that maybe he needn't worry so much.
Someone else who has a lot of tension in their shoulders and neck
may be invited to hit with their arms to loosen this tighmess.
Another client who has little sense of their legs may be encouraged
to run or gently push with their legs so that this contact can be
developed.

20
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As these movem�ents ocq1r, the flow of the radix in the body alters.

en _
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This can result in someone connecting with emotions, or old

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memories or sensations. When this happens the Radix teacher will
work with these, facilitating the experience and expression.

; .. .

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Why do Radix? Benefits and perspectives of
ld
GoRadix
People do Radix work for a variety of reasons. In the first session
clients will often discuss areas of concern: problems may relate, for
instance, to self,esteem, chronic tension, sexuality, or any one of a
hundred other matters. The Radix practitioner acknowledges any
concerns, and looks for the relationship between these issues and
what is happening on an energy level, in the body.
Radix work is not primarily prohlem,oriented. Kelley founded Radix
as personal growth work to develop our aliveness and to facilitate
surrender to our life flow and this remains a fundamental passion of
Radix practitioners today. But as we work with energy, pulsation, self,
awareness and the other key concepts discussed earlier, clients find
that gains are made in their areas of concern even though we are not
working directly with them.
The following are illustrations of how Radix is applied. N ot all issues
addressed in Radix work are described. And the particular approach
used will, of course, vary from client to client.

Radix and emotions

In an ideal world we would each have grown up in families in which
all our emotional experiences were valued, mirrored, and understood.
Unfortunately, such a world doesn't exist! As a result we all have
some difficulty with emotions. Some people are so overwhelmed hy
and immersed in their emotions that they find it difficult to think
clearly or to act with objectivity. Some find themselves often
overreacting to situations. Then there are people who find it difficult
to even identify what they are feeling.
In some families, certain emotions are considered unacceptahle and
children grow up with prohibitions like 'Don't you ever he angry with
me! '; or 'Stop crying and get on with it! '. In other families, the person
who is most emotionally demanding or withdrawing reigns

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tyrannically over the rest of the household. In some households, a
strong expression of feelings, like 'I feel so frightened I want to curl up
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in a ball and die,' is taken too literally by family members. These
words may just be an expression of the strength of the emotional
experience rather than a statement of what action is intended.
Confusion between action and feeling can
result in the expression of feelings carrying There are peo p le
far too much weight in a family. This over� . . . .
reaction to feeling statements may in the who f tn d t
l difftcu lt
long term, inhibit the expression of any to i dentif y what
feeling. .
the y are fee bng.
I n each of these situations, emotions are
dominating people's lives whether they want them
to or not, and in most cases this is happening unconsciously and is
therefore out of their control. And unfortunately, such attitudes to our
emotions and ways of expressing or repressing them that we learn in
childhood usually determine how we express ourselves as adults.
In Radix work y_ou learn how to experience the body as a safe
'container', and blocks to the flow l)f your life force are identified and
worked with to increase your awareness of how you block emotions.
You can then experience emotions that have been locked away for any
of the above reasons, consciously re�examine your beliefs about them
and make choices about which to express and when. As a consequence,
emotions cease to dominate your life and you can more adequately take
responsibility for your actions.
The energy used to block, contain or overreact can then be channelled
into more creative pursuits, and your awareness is freed to tune into the
subtle feeling levels associated with intuition and inner wisdom.
In Radix work you are not taught what to feel and judgements are not
made about the value of particular feelings. Radix does not aim to
break down all blocks to feelings and the past is explored only in so far
as it affects the present.

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Surrender versus containment

oldyou are experiencing right now. This may he how well defended
In Radix sessions, initially, you are encouraged to surrender fully to
Gyou
what
are feeling, how sad or excited you are or even how much your
energy is focused in your head. As you deepen into these experiences
you may connect with an underlying emotion. In your session you are
likely to be encouraged to express this feeling. In doing so you can
learn many different things about yourself. Firstly; you develop more
awareness of how you block and release emotions. Secondly, you find
that your deep sobbing or roars of laughter don't cause an earthquake
or destroy your relationship with your teacher. In real life, on the
other hand, while it is just as important to know what you are feeling,
it may not always be appropriate to express it. Laughing hysterically
may not be well received at a funeral, nor might you want to soh
deeply at a football match! Radix work teaches you both how to
surrender to (to be alive to and aware of) your feelings and how, when
necessary, to contain your emotions.

Good or bad emotions

Often in our society, emotions are labelled as good or had: love is
good, anger is had. But if we see all of our emotional experience as
being part of our life energy we cannot
see feelings as being _, positive or All emotions are
negative. All emotions are just part
of who we are at that moment. just part of who we are
Kelley developed the understanding, at that moment.
now part of Radix theory, that emotions
are paired, according to the direction of the energetic flow and the
parts of the body involved, with anger and love, fear and trust, and
pain and pleasure being the main pairs. For example, in expressing
both anger and love, the energetic flow is outward and the chest and
jaw are involved. You cannot love fully if there is anger held in the
body. The extent to which you trust the world and the people in it is
related to the extent to which you acknowledge and express your fear.

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Similarly, if you block pain you also block your capacity for pleasure.

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Hence there is no such thing as a good or bad emotion. Blocking any

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emotion blocks the flow and expression of the life force.
When some people start to do Radix, they feel and express their
feelings simultaneously. It may only be by its
spontaneous expression that they know they feel . . anger lS a
•

it. It can be very liberating to feel and express a

feeling such as fear for the first time. Gradually, valuable liJfe
as the work progresses, people awaken to body process .
cues about their feelings and know what they feel
before it is expressed. Choice about if, when and how they
express it develops.
As body awareness develops, another person may become aware of a
feeling and not know, initially, how to express it. But as the work
progresses they will begin to feel able to allow their tears, yells or
belly laughs.

Anger
One of the most challenging emotions for most people is anger.
Anger is emotional energy mobilised in the body as a response to
hurt, threat, violation or frustration. People sometimes say they wish
they could simply get rid of their anger, but its function is to provide
us with vital boosts of physical and emotional energy when we are
most in need of either protection or healing , it is a valuable life
process.
Unfortunately, in our society few of us have had good examples of
how to express anger effectively. Parents often find it the most
difficult feeling to deal with in their children, as it is louder and more
invasive than other feelings. Often it has been distorted for
generations - into violence, blaming, criticism, martyrdom, abuse or
depression.
When anger is felt, acknowledged and owned it is less likely to be
expressed inappropriately and to cause unnecessary pain.

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Some people experience their anger as being like a volcano or a

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pressure cooker about to explode. This is because anger from earlier
in their lives, which has not been expressed or heard adequately, is
being triggered hy current situations. For these people strong
discharges of anger may be part of their Radix work; it is as though
the pressure cooker is releasing. This may he accompanied hy a deep
sense of relief but it is really only the beginning of their anger work.
Now they need to learn to experience their body as a 'container'
which can hold the anger, and to find ways to express it appropriately
in their everyday lives. A key to achieving this through Radix is in
the eyes. Expression of anger in Radix work is only encouraged to the
extent that the person can maintain good eye contact with the
therapist in the present moment of the session, even if the feeling
expressed relates to the past.

Geoff came to Radix sessions wanting to work on his anger. He had done
a considerable amount of personal growth work and had made a lot of
progress. He had no problem making loud sounds and could scream and
yell quite comfortably. His body movements were fluid and flexible. To look
at him in action, it appeared that he was expressing his anger very fully
and yet he never felt a sense of release. As his therapist observed his
process more closely, it became apparent that he was pushing himself to
express anger according to a pre-existing formula. He seldom inhaled and
'
his eyes were glazed over. ·

Geoff was encouraged to imagine that all his anger was in one small part
of his body. He chose his left hand. He was then helped to establish a
particular rhythm of breathing and to coordinate this with pushing into the
mat with his left hand and of expressing his anger out through his eyes.
Initially, he found this task very difficult: it brought up old memories and
taboos about being angry. Although the anger was much more contained
with this task than in his initial tantrum, being connected in his eyes made
it far more confronting and effective for him.

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e n _work, catharsis is not seen as beneficial in itself. It can
Catharsis: When is it useful?

G ld a temporary sense of relief, but it is only of value long term,

In Radix
ocreate
when the body loosens and lets go of habitual rigidities - enabling the
life force to flow and new awareness to be gained.

Susan, a thirty-year-old mother of four, felt overwhelmed by all the demands

of her family life and reported that she was constantly tearful. In her Radix
sessions, her teacher noticed that when she cried, while tears flowed from
her eyes, her jaw and chest were still held rigidly.As her sessions progressed
and these tensions softened she cried with her whole body. She realised
that this was the �rst time she had allowed herself to fully experience how
overwhelmed she felt To her surprise she found
that after this session she felt less
. . crying deeply overwhelmed by her family and
ave Susan more control was no longer tearful all the
time.
nd energy in her life .
.

Crying deeply gave Susan more

control and energy in her life. A
large part of her energy was no longer being used to repress her
sadness.
Catharsis without connection does not help us deal with our feelings.
For change to occur, we need to be connected with ourselves and the
present moment. When we allow emotional expression through our
eyes, we connect strongly with our experience in the moment and
can integrate this emotion into our lives.
Earlier in his life, before he ever tried Radix, Tom had done some cathartic
therapy and had 'flipped out' to the extent that he was hospitalised briefly.
When he came to Radix, his teacher noted that his body had a pronounced
pattern of holding tension that suggested a strong anger process. Tom was
terr�ed to feel any anger, as it had been during an angry session, in his
former therapy, that he had begun to feel out of control. In his Radix work,
as his body softened, he was encouraged to allow the awareness and

27
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expression of his rage through his eyes. He reported that he left sessions

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feeling grounded and in control. This reduced his fear of expressing anger
and enabled him to learn to express it appropriately in other areas of his
life.
What is happening in the eyes is critical in Radix. Paying attention
to that, meant that as Tom expressed his anger, he could be fully
present with himself and in contact with his therapist. In this way
Radix transformed his experience of anger.

Regression
The ultimate aim of Radix is always to have the person living fully in
the present, bringing to it whatever learning there may be from the
past. But while Radix doesn't specifically aim to achieve regression, it
does often occur in sessions. Like catharsis, regression, in itself, is
neither valued nor negated in a Radix session. What is of interest is
how any regression relates to the client's current life situation. In fact,
it is only when clients can discriminate and experience being present
in the moment with their therapist, as opposed to being locked into
old memories, that they begin to be safe enough to feel and integrate
old feelings.

Amy, now forty years old, had been sexually abused as a child. She had
chronic pain in her lower back and little awareness and aliveness in her
legs. Her back tension hacJ helped her to function as a child by cutting off
awareness of her pelvis and of the abuse she sustained. But, without a
sense of her legs - which could enable her to stand her ground, or kick or
run -Amy felt powerless in the world. Initially, much of her Radix work was
aimed at getting more energy and awareness in her legs. This made her feel
much more powerful and enabled her to gradually trust herself and her
therapist more.

She was then encouraged to surrender some of the tension from her spinal
muscles and as this occurred she got in touch with severe pain related to
the abuse. She was encouraged to look around the room and affirm where

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she was, to see the therapist, to hold on to her, and to feel the strength of

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her own adult body. She sobbed deeply as she felt enormous waves of
sadness and compassion for that smal( child who was abused.
Simultaneously, she experienced the power and control of her life that she
now had as an adult
Trauma and abuse
Pain, anger and fear are natural responses to trauma to any aspect of
a person - physical, emotional, intellectual, sexual or spiritual. If
these feelings cannot he dealt with at the time, the effects of that
trauma will he held in the body (and, therefore, in the unconscious)
and will continue to influence the person's behaviour, feelings and
thinking. '
�

If the assault was bodily, it is obvious that at sotne stage of healing the
body needs to he addressed. But even if the body was not directly
traumatised, if the hurt or abuse was emotional, intellectual or
spiritual, the body will still have been affected by the
trauma as it had to 'hold' the feelings that the
trauma evoked. If there was no one to share the At some stage
experience with, and if it would have been
overwhelming to experience the feelings
of healing the
alone, there is likely to be residual tension in body needs to
the body blocking these and other feelings from
awareness. The trauma has become, in a sense,
be addressed.
embodied. Until these associated bodily responses are
made conscious and addressed, they will influence reactions to life
situations.
Childhood abuse often involves trauma at a number of levels:
physical, emotional, spiritual and or sexual. There is also often a veto
on expressing what has happened or the related feelings.
Radix work addresses feelings associated with trauma by working
through the body and releasing the tensions created to repress the
feelings.

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en _often emerge as these tensions release. Sometimes these are
old
Memories
G visual, or they may be kinaesthetic (relating to body sensations), auditory
(hearing), or olfactory (smell).
With any of these, the client will be encouraged to connect to the
experience, tuning into the feelings that may arise. Some clients have
lots of these memories, while others have few, if any. In Radix work it is
neither better nor worse to have such memories. What is valued is the
client's experience in whatever shape it occurs. Similarly, whether the
memories are 'true or false' is of little concern in Radix work. Rather the
meaning and significance of the experience for that particular client is
explored. In Radix work we do not search for memories; we are more
interested in helping the body surrender to and then move through the
experience thus restoring its vitality.

An older helping professional, Marjorie, came for Radix work after considerable
therapy. She had worked with people who had suffered sexual abuse, and had
noticed that some of her actions, dreams, and attitudes to her body were similar
to theirs. Although she knew that it had been difficult being the child of a
depressed mother and an alcoholic father, she couldn't actually remember
much of her childhood. Her parents, and most of the people that she had
known as a child were now dead. Marjorie had a near obsession with �nding
out whether she had suffered abuse. Her energy was largely concentrated in
her head where she was trying so hard to 'solve the problem'. When she was
able to connect strongly with her chest and belly, she experienced severe pain
throughout her body and sobbed deeply.

Although the pain in her body could have been construed as relating to
childhood physical or sexual abuse, whether or not that had occurred no longer
seemed of paramount importtJnce to Marjorie. She experienced the feelings
themselves as being valid enough for her to accept that she had felt very, very
hurt and sad at some time in her life.With this acceptance came a relinquishing
of having to know the details of her childhood. She no longer had to justifY her
inner sadness. She could feel it, value it, accept it and move on from it

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Empowerment

old
Trauma often results in the life energy being withdrawn deep into the
G body (perhaps into the gut) away from the source of hurt. This
energetic withdrawal can lead to a sense of powerlessness. Bringing
energy out to the muscles and skin through Radix work can transform
people's experience into one of empowerment, groundedness, and
more adequate boundaries.

john was a young professional who started therapy because of difficulty

relating to people in positions of authority. When presenting his ideas to a
superior, he would literally lose the sense of power in his body and feel faint
He knew that he was intelligent and creative but that didn't seem to help.
John's body was pale and his muscles soft. though his face and head were
more energetically charged. His legs were quite undeveloped in terms of
muscle definition, and looked almost childlike. He had grown up with a
physically punitive father and an extremely critical mother. During his
sessions he had memories of wanting to disappear or become invisible
because of fear that he would be physically or emotionally hurt if he made
a mistake. This chronic pattern of energy withdrawal could be seen in his
body structure.

Over time, through Radix sessions,john learned to be much more powerfully

aware of his body and reported experiencing his legs 'standing ground'.
Gradually, he developed the ability to be fully present with his boss, without
fear. Although he had already known of his strengths and talents at work, it
wasn't until his body supported them that john could really own his power.

Touch
Especially when the body has been involved in any trauma, the caring,
non,invasive touch that is part of Radix is an important component
of healing. Many clients have said that without touch, they do not
know if they could have reached the same degree of acceptance and
love. For some, touch has taught them what caring for their bodies
means.

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e n _aware
Physical health

old
Alive and
G Our body is healthiest when the life energy can flow freely through
it. Then, each of our organs is fully alive and vital. We are aware of
our bodies and of living in them and when we have that awareness,
we know what we feel. If I am sad I know it because of what it feels
like in my body; perhaps particularly in my eyes, mouth, throat or
heart. If I feel angry, I may feel flushed and warm, and notice my jaw,
back or some other part of my body telling me that I am angry.
With Radix work we also gain more consciousness of the wonderful
sense of wellbeing that can come from really ht>ing in our bodies - as
we experience the gentle rain or wind on it, the warm touch of a
friend or lover, the delicious cold of a swim, the feel of a favourite
fabric . . . and the sense of grounding and strength our body gives us.

Bodily abuse
When there is love and respect for one's body it is harder to do things
that harm it. It is harder to abuse our bodies with drugs or alcohol for
instance, or to over,eat or starve ourselves, if we really connect with
the effects. To their surprise, as body awareness grows, Radix clients
often report feeling the effects of cigarettes, alcohol or eating
.
unhealthily much more acutely. They may feel the impact in terms of
being more tired or hea�y and lethargic, or they may he more likely
to notice any restriction in their breathing. This often helps them to
change their habits, or at least enables them to he more conscious of
the choices they are making.

Muscles and soft tissues

We can begin to regain some of the health, grace and vitality we were
horn with by learning how to relax the muscles that are blocking the
flow of energy, awareness and emotional expression.
If our muscles are habitually contracted to help us avoid feeling too
much, we are liable as adults or even as children to have aches in our

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muscles and joints. Over the years a rigidity may set in, so that we can

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no longer move as easily as we otherwise would.

Visceral organs (the gut)

If our charge is pulled deep inside, away from a threatening
environment, it accumulates in the viscera. We all know the feeling
of tension in our belly when we are anxious. If this withdrawal of
energy becomes chronic, our life force stops flowing, our organs are
weakened by the strain, and our energy stagnates like water in a still
pond. Greater susceptibility to visceral problems and disease may be
the end result.
Through helping to redistribute our energy to the periphery of the
body and to develop a full healthy flow of energy, Radix gives a
greater chance of good health.

Breathing
Breathing supplies energy for full living and for healing.
Unfortunately, one of the foremost ways we reduce our awareness of
our feelings is through limiting our breath. One
way of doing this is to limit it to our upper
chest, or to have diaphragmatic
Breathing supplies
movement and little chest movement. energy for full living
Alternatively we may control the out�
breath, often to reduce the expression and
and for healing.
awareness of anger; or the depth of our
inhalation, to block our fear or anxiety. In some people, both the
inhalation (instroke) and exhalation (outstroke) may be restricted
severely, especially if there is a lot of repressed emotional pain. Any
breathing pattern that reduces the amount of oxygen going to the
tissues reduces our vitality; it means we are blocking our life energy.
Radix work helps restore this flow.

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Disease
There e n _many factors involved in disease. It is now generally
old that repressing emotions affects the hody and makes it more
are
Gaccepted
susceptible to disease. This is hecause limiting our emotional
experience and expression involves hlocking the flow of our life force,
which becomes stagnant. Expressing our feelings and allowing a fuller
flow of our life energy is thus an important factor in the healing and
prevention of disease.

Self..esteem
Radix clients will notice changes in their self-esteem as their work
progresses even if this issue is not directly addressed in their sessions.
Good self-esteem rests on our relationship with ourselves. If our
aliveness and contact with our inner self is limited,
and our energy is mostly directed towards
others, our self-esteem may largely res r on G ood self-esteem
what we do, what we achieve or what others
think of us. A change in any of these areas rests on our
- for example, loss of a job or a relationship, relationship with
loss of the income that sustains our external
appearance through nice clothes and ourselves .
possessions, or even loss of good looks caused hy
ageing - can then lead _.to a sense of worthlessness or even severe
depression. The lack of internal contact makes it hard to connect
deeply with the feelings of loss, to express them and then to move on.
Initially, Radix work in this area r eaches people to 'centre', to
develop a deep connection with their inner self. As this is
estahlished, a sense of their richness emerges. It is really through this
that self-esteem grows.
For when we can accept who we are and stop judging aspects of
ourselves harshly and keeping them closeted away, we can move our
energy out to others and enter the world positively and with
confidence. This in turn leads to positive feedhack which, most

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importantly, if we are able to let it in, enables us to feel proud of our

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achievements and happy in our relationships; it can also help us to
modify some of our limiting ideas about ourselves. These external
events no longer, however, form the core of our self,esteem.

Although her many friends told her that she was smart, successful and
popular, Kaye felt unworthy of their friendship. She thought that they could
not like her if they really knew her. After some months of Radix work, and
of her teacher helping her to develop a deeper connection with herselfand
to accept her feelings, she attended a workshop. Working with the Radix
therapist within the support of the group, she became aware of deep anger
which she expressed spontaneously. She noticed, to her amazement, that
the group members responded positively and affitmed her right to be angry
- rather than rejecting her as she expected.

Kaye had always hidden parts of herself and presented to people only what
she thought they (her parents initially) wanted to see. To do this she had
always had to be outgoing and responsive to others rather than being able
to focus, at times on herself. She had lost touch with who she really was,
and as she discovered that person, she liked her - anger and all!
Sexual issues
Radix work focuses on awareness, feeling and aliveness, all of which
are necessary for fulfilling sexual experiences.
Because Radix works to free the life force, in a sense it is always
working with enhancing our sexuality. Whilst discussing sexual issues
with you, your Radix teacher will also be
. . one of the looking at how the energy is blocked;
how those issues relate to your
expressions of our pulsation and bodily aliveness.
life energy. . . It is obvious that our past history and
life experiences relating to sexuality influence
how comfortable we are with it. But sexuality can he seen as just
one of the expressions of our life energy and the repression of any

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feelings can prevent our life force from flowing fully. So, if we push

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down our anger, pain, sadness or fear, we are also controlling our
pleasure, love, trust - and natural spontaneous sexual expression.

Surrender
You are encouraged in Radix sessions to surrender to your experience.
Giving up control can be frightening, especially for people who have
needed to maintain control to survive. But gradually, over time, trust
in the life force and in your body develops. You can begin to enjoy
the pulsations of energy that are part of Radix, which may become
more involuntary and spontaneous. Clients take away this learning
and may then come to feel more at ease with the involuntary
movements and sounds in sexual expression.

Segmental congruence
As the body becomes less armoured, the capacity for more complete
surrender · to sexual experience is increased. The life energy flows
more freely through the seven segments of the body. This can give
rise to a deeper and more complete orgasm involving the whole body.

Head, heart and pelvis

Some of us find ourselves feeling sexually attracted to people but not
feeling loving towards ·them. Others find that when we open our
heart to someone we no longer feel turned on by them. Development
of the connection between head, heart and pelvis is an important
focus in Radix work, linking love and intimacy with sex. The sexual
experience can become more tender and heart,felt. For some people
intimacy is more frightening than sex, as deep intimacy requires us to
he at our most vulnerable.

Charles, an attractive 30-year-old body builder found little difficulty in

�nding sexual partners. He felt very comfortable with his sexuality and
proud of his ability to satisfY his lovers. But recently he met someone who
touched his heart To his surprise he found himself losing interest in sex and
becoming less con�dent about his sexual performance. In his Radix

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sessions, Charles noticed that when his chest felt alive, he deadened his

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pelvis. On the other hand, when his life force was focused in his muscles
and genitals, it was difficult for him to connect deeply with his partner and
with his own emotional needs. As he developed a flow of energy through his
whole body, while it wasn't easy, he did gradually begin to connect with his
heart and his other needs as well as his sexuality.

Sexuality as an experience rather than as an action

Sexual feelings are like any other feelings. If you are an alive person
you are going to feel sexual, angry, joyful, sad, fearful and happy. With
sexuality as with other feelings, there is a choice as to whether or how
you express it. Some people squash down the feeling rather than
acknowledge this choice - but in doing so they limit their aliveness
in aU aspects of their life. Through Radix work,
clients learn to enjoy their sexual feelings and
sensations, keeping the life force flowing.
Our greatest
Such feelings become safe to experience challenge is to
as they learn how to contain them in
their body.
maintain a sense of
Radix and relationships
self while
From the moment of birth we are thrown wholeheartedly
into relationships and from that time on
engaging with
we all struggle to achieve fulfilling
connections with people. Our greatest others .
challenge is to maintain a sense of self while
wholeheartedly engaging with others.

Many of us have learnt that to be loved we had to sacrifice our own

desires and ways of being. Others have experienced rejection or
humiliation when they have lovingly reached out.

As a consequence, by the time we become adults we may be so

focused on our own unmet needs and their expression that we are
unable to really see and respond to another. Alternatively we may
completely abandon ourselves, in order to meet the other's needs.

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In individual sessions, the starting emphasis in Radix is on getting to

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know and accept yourself and from this place to come out into the
world tn meet others. As you hecome more aware of your natural
rhythms and needs and are ahle to sustain this in the presence of
others, you can relate to them without losing yourself in the
relationship.
In Radix couple sessions and in groups, we focus on how you can stay
connected with your own aliveness and relate to the aliveness of others,
in a way that is mutually enjoyahle.
We come to relationships having learned ways of getting our needs met
in our families. These patterns have heen emhodied, and so are
perpetuated hy the tensions in our hody. But rhey do not necessarily
work with our partner. A vignette of a session with Anne and Ted may
help clarify how working with the hody can shift the dynamics of a
relationship.

As she grew up,Anne learned that only ifshe expressed her feelings loudly and
with little control would anyone respond; she developed little ability to contain
them. In Ted's family, on the other hand, any show of feelings was punished, so
he learned to not show or even feel anything. Emotional displays scared him.
He felt overwhelmed by Anne's way of expressing herself, and would react by
retreating even deeper into himself. In desperation, Anne would escalate her
display in an attempt to get some response. By this stage she wouldn't care
what she did, just as long as Ted showed he felt something!

Looking for what, in Anne's and Ted's bodies, supported these patterns it was
observed that Anne was ungrounded and that she was not centred in her body.
Ted had a strong, compressed body struaure which held everything inside. But
what was particularly noticeable about him was his rigidly set jaw and quite
immobile face.

The Radix teacher asked Anne to do a simple but powerful posture to ground
and centre her. Then she got Ted to breathe and mobilise his face, moving his
jaw, lips and eyebrows, so that there was more possibility ofAnne seeing some

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expression in it When Anne told Ted in a less excitable way how hun she felt

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that he seemed not to care, Ted's jaw trembled. Anne was encouraged to use
her body in ways she had learned in individual sessions to contain her feelings,
while Ted took all the time he needed to speak, which he did with tears. This
was the beginning of understanding and of changing old patterns for Anne and
Ted.
What sometimes stops this understanding and change from
happening is an unconscious desire to convince others that your way
of relating is the best and only way. Usually such an attitude arises
because your way has been not acknowledged or has been judged as
being unacceptable in some respect. When you experience yourself
being seen, heard and accepted in a session, this hunger for love
begins to he satisfied and you can become more loving. With time
you develop an openness to difference in others and to taking
responsibility for difficulties that may arise in your relationships.

Iris grew up in a family where her mother erupted unpredictably with

violent emotions and was so consumed with her own difficulties that she
could never properly see Iris or acknowledge her experiences. Nor could Iris
get suppon from her father, who was weak and absent

Through her Radix sessions, Iris was able to become more accepting of her
needs and emotions. In her family life she noticed herselfcalmly holding her
ground with her husband and being able to entertain the idea that he
might have a different perspective. Previously, when differences arose, she
had erupted like her mother.
To make significant changes in your current relationships, in your
sessions you sometimes have to explore past relationships, especially
those in your family of origin. This helps you have insight into how
those relationships are still affecting your life today. Often we can
understand with our intellect why people responded the way they did,
but until we release the emotions associated with those events we are
not truly freed of their effects.

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spirituality and the purpose of life
Radix,
Radix e n _ is not about making you happy. Rather it is about
old
work
Gdowns.
experiencing and engaging with the intensity of life. The ups and the
The rhythm of life. Experiencing life more intensely may
mean feeling how satisfying and rewarding things are like your job,
relationship and lifestyle. Conversely, it could mean connecting with
the despair, boredom or lack of satisfaction in any of these areas. So
doing Radix is not a guarantee that you will solve all your problems.
The work at first, may highlight what are the problems. Similarly
once you have begun the journey of personal growth you can't turn
back the clock. It becomes harder to give up your aliveness for a
relationship, job or lifestyle. Some clients do choose to do this but the
choice they are making is much more a conscious one.
In this sense, becoming more alive may mean
facing some difficult decisions about y�mr . . .a Radix
life. I t entails risks and demands
commitment. session can be a
Consequently, underlying all of the reast)ns meeting with one's
people do Radix work is a desire or yearning
spiritual self.
to grow and experience life more fully and to
develop a more harmonious relationship with self
and others. Even when clients come with a serious problem or a crisis
in their life, they are reaching out for help helieving somewhere within
them that growth is possible. In essence, this is an expression of their
spiritual nature.

Regardless of why you are doing Radix work, your Radix teacher will
always be encouraging you to surrender to what you are experiencing,
whether it be a tense neck, helly laughter, a desire to withdraw and
protect, or simply a feeling of unbounded joy. Surrendering is not easy.
It requires a deep faith and trust in yourself and your life force as what
you discover often doesn't, at first glimpse, match your concept of who
you should be.

However, when you are able to surrender, you experience a deep

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connection with self. Over time, this develops into a genuine love and

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acceptance of who you really are and of your uniqueness. From this
place it becomes easier to see and accept others. Love and forgiveness
begin to flow spontaneously rather than he a struggle. As you surrender
tensions relating to the past, and release the energy maintaining old
wounds and resentments, you can live more in the present moment.
Forgiveness of self and others becomes a whole body experience.
As a Radix client, as the flow of your pulsation develops and deepens
over time, you learn to take in and experience the world and those
around you more fully with all of the associated joys, pleasures and
sorrows. And as your life force flows outward more fully, your ability
to act appropriately in the world, and to give- love can grow.
When we can deeply surrender to the life force flowing through us in
the present moment, we feel our feet touching the earth-, our face in
the air and we can see the bright yellow lichen on the tree. We feel
alive and connected with ourselves and with everything and
everyone around us. We can have a sense that our life energy or radix
is connected to a larger life energy of the world.
Having experienced deep surrender, some clients even report a
stronger sense of connection to a bigger universe and a desire to
develop this. Reich called this 'cosmic longing'. In this sense, a Radix
session can he a meeting with one's spiritual self.

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How can you do Radix work?

Gold a number of possibilities:

There are
• Individual sessions taken regularly are the foundation of the
work. The one,to-one relationship provides a supportive setting
in which you learn to surrender to deep contact with yourself
and to the expression of your aliveness.
• Workshops, usually of 1-3 days duration, are available as an
adjunct to individual sessions or as an introduction to Radix
work.
• Ongoing groups can provide the opportunity to work regularly
with a supportive group of people.
• I ntroductory evenings are available from time to time for the
general public and for professional and educational
organisations.
• For counselling, psychology or body work professionals,
professional skills workshops provide an introduction to the
skills of Radix work.

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Training undertaken by Radix practitioners
e
ldtraining program has three aspects, all equally important.
oThe
G Firstly, Radix trainees are required to do personal sessions, which
helps them to open emotionally, experience themselves deeply and
grow in self,understanding. Radix training thus requires a strong
commitment to one's own growth and development.
Trainees must have sessions on a weekly basis for at least a year before
formally applying to he in the program, and must continue to do
personal work throughout the following two and a half years of
training. The depth of personal work undertaken contributes to the
presence, skill and obj ective clarity that a RJidix practitioner brings
to their work with clients' emotional experiences.
The second aspect is the omceptual,technical knowledge which is
taught through workshops, written materials, tapes and the keeping
of a technical notebook.
The third aspect, developing skills to apply this knowledge, involves
clinical practice with case reports, regular supervision, and working
under supervision at workshops.

Licensing
Upon finishing training and achieving certification, a Radix teacher
becomes licensed by the Radix Teacher's Association and agrees to
abide by its code of ethics. Working with a Radix teacher who is a
member of the relevant Radix Teachers Association (ARTA in
Australia and The Radix® Institute in the USA) ensures quality
work from a practitioner with high ethical standards.
For a list of licensed certified Radix teachers in Australia, please write
to:
ARTA
PO Box 2 3 2
Daw Park
SA 504 1

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