In this talk, I reflect on my 50 years of experience in somatic psychotherapy, emphasize that the field is not new but deeply rooted in both Western and Eastern traditions, and highlight three foundational influences:

• Wilhelm Reich, who introduced character analysis and emphasized the embodied nature of the unconscious and emotional defenses.
• Gestalt Therapy, developed by Fritz and Laura Perls, which emphasized present-moment contact, awareness, and experimentation as key to therapeutic change.
• Carl Rogers, whose trust in the organismic process and emphasis on empathy, congruence, and respect provided an essential relational foundation for somatic work.

I argue that somatic psychotherapy is not merely talk therapy plus body techniques. Rather, it is a fundamentally different way of understanding the human being as an embodied, animated, and affective organism. The goal of therapy is not just verbal insight, but to engage, contact, and support the client in a full-bodied way that enables growth, emotional expression, and aliveness.