Pleasure

A Creative Approach to Life

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.