Pleasure

In Pleasure: A Creative Approach to Life, Alexander Lowen shows how the

experience of pleasure or pain determines our emotions, thinking, and

behavior. Examining the psychology and the biology of pleasure, he explores

its roots in the nature of the body and shows that emotional health means

that we are in a state of pleasure – that is, we feel good in our bodies.

Lowen describes pleasure as the creative force in life and as the only force

strong enough to oppose the potential destructiveness of power. In most

adults, the struggle for power competes with the striving for pleasure, causing

chronic muscular tensions, and undermining creativity. Through case studies

illustrating the use of Bioenergetic Analysis, Lowen shows how people can

reconnect to their bodies and restore a mind-body balance, regaining natural

spontaneity and the capacity for pleasure and creativity.