What is human armor?

Like so many children, his severely compulsive mother had given him enemas. Like other children, he suffered this with horror and inner rage. In order to subdue his rage, in order to be able to submit to the torture at all, he "restrained himself," pulling up his pelvic floor, holding his breath, and generally developing the bodily attitude of NO-NO.

It should be noted that these patients are not paralyzed, mechanically; they are capable of moving their arms very well. But as soon as the movement of the arms becomes associated with the expression of longing or desiring, the inhibition sets in.

It would, of course, be useless to preach the patient "to give," because he is incapable of doing so. If he were not, he would not need our help.

If the gag reflex develops fully or the patient even reaches the point of actually vomiting, the emotions which are held back by neck armoring are liberated.

We know that is is mostly socio-economic influences (family structure, cultural ideas on nature versus culture, civilization requirements, mystical religion, etc.) which reproduce the armor in each generation of newborn infants. These infants will as grownups force their own children to armor, unless the chain is to be broken somewhere, sometime.

--Wilhelm Reich