--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He [Wilhelm Reich] challenged the…" description: "\"“He [Wilhelm Reich] challenged the puritanical ideas about sexuality in our culture. In laywoman terms, Reich believed humans store emotions in our mus..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef3/inga-muscio-14537_entire-life_he-wilhelm-reich-challenged-the-puritani_971773.jpg" --- # He \[Wilhelm Reich\] challenged the puritanical ideas about… ![“He [Wilhelm Reich] challenged the puritanical ideas about sexuality in our culture. In laywoman terms, Reich believed humans store emotions in our muscles. During orgasm, muscles in the body contract, then relax, thus releasing emotions. Reich asserted that all aspects of healthy human psychology…” quote by Inga Muscio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef3/inga-muscio-14537_entire-life_he-wilhelm-reich-challenged-the-puritani_971773.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef3/inga-muscio-14537_entire-life_he-wilhelm-reich-challenged-the-puritani_971773.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef3/inga-muscio-14537_entire-life_he-wilhelm-reich-challenged-the-puritani_971773.jpg) > ““He \[Wilhelm Reich\] challenged the puritanical ideas about sexuality in our culture. In laywoman terms, Reich believed humans store emotions in our muscles. During orgasm, muscles in the body contract, then relax, thus releasing emotions. Reich asserted that all aspects of healthy human psychology are dependent on one's sexual expression. When you cry, laugh or feel free as a bird after coming, it is partly because you just released a bunch of yucky crap that's been building up inside your body for days, months, years, possibly your entire lifetime. ...When women function like the ocean, we live happy, healthy lives. Holding on to stuff that does not serve us in our present situation creates actual, physical blockages within our bodies...which on the individual level, manifest in bitterness, stifled creativity, sexual perversion and unwillingness to trust, love and/or touch. Collectively-when an entire society is sexually repressed-phenomena such as war, rape, racism, greed and wholesale shitty behavior are considered acceptable.”” [Inga Muscio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inga-muscio/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Sexual expression releases stored emotional tension, influencing personal and societal health. **In simple terms:** Sex releases emotions. Key Takeaway Embrace healthy sexuality. Themes sexual health psychology social justice Mood reflective empowering Type activist educational When to use this quote - personal therapy - relationship counseling - social activism - education programs Key Concepts Somatic psychology trauma release Questions to Reflect On - How does sexual repression affect mental health? - What practices can safely facilitate emotional release? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex social issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Entire life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entire-life/) [Free As A Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-as-a-bird/) [Live happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-happy/) ## Related quotes > [We're more sexually repressed than men, having been given a much more strict puritanical code of behavior than men ever have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-millett/we-re-more-sexually-repressed-than-men-having-been-given-a-much-more/) [Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-millett/) > [I never had any hang-ups about sex. As for being sexually repressed, nothing could be further from the truth. There are more hang-ups now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-whitehouse/i-never-had-any-hang-ups-about-sex-as-for-being-sexually-repressed/) Mary Whitehouse > [Were we to still be circumcising the hood of the female clitoris, we would not have difficulty considering this a continuation of our tradition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/were-we-to-still-be-circumcising-the-hood-of-the-female-clitoris-we/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [You can't fake competence, creativity, or sexual arousal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/you-can-t-fake-competence-creativity-or-sexual-arousal/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [In the belly of the furnace of creativity is a sexual fire; the flames twine about each other in fear and delight. The same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/in-the-belly-of-the-furnace-of-creativity-is-a-sexual-fire-the-flames/) [Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/) > [“The assertion that only sex is power and the arrogation of creativity to the masculine sex and the rendering of all creativity as sexual—this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/somer-brodribb/the-assertion-that-only-sex-is-power-and-the-arrogation-of-creativity/) Somer Brodribb > [These capacities for randomness may have been amplified into human creativity through sexual and social selection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-miller/these-capacities-for-randomness-may-have-been-amplified-into-human/) [Geoffrey Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-miller/) > [There's a disciplined erotic component to it, so that the height of sexual contact is the embrace, the modest touch, a relatively chaste kiss.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/there-s-a-disciplined-erotic-component-to-it-so-that-the-height-of/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) > [“Harnessing the unique sex energy that can only arise through sexual expression can awaken multidimensional awareness and provide you with your desired goal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/harnessing-the-unique-sex-energy-that-can-only-arise-through-sexual/) [Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/) > [I believe women should own their sexuality and sexual expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/i-believe-women-should-own-their-sexuality-and-sexual-expression/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [“Sexual expression is so powerful a way of bonding with others and so devastating a way of hurting others that it can never be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-adler/sexual-expression-is-so-powerful-a-way-of-bonding-with-others-and-so/) Rachel Adler > [Sexual expression within a marriage is not an option or an extra. It is certainly not, as it has sometimes been considered, a necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/sexual-expression-within-a-marriage-is-not-an-option-or-an-extra-it/) [John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) > [The belief that female sexual expression is uniquely dehumanizing is a double standard, no matter how much you dress it up in feminist language.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-marcotte/the-belief-that-female-sexual-expression-is-uniquely-dehumanizing-is/) [Amanda Marcotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-marcotte/) > [Sadomasochiasm - which we know very well doesn't exist in societies that don't have child abuse - is regarded some sort of natural sexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/sadomasochiasm-which-we-know-very-well-doesn-t-exist-in-societies/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [If you don't encourage healthy sexual expression in public, you get unhealthy sexual expression in private. If you attempt to suppress sex in books,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hefner/if-you-don-t-encourage-healthy-sexual-expression-in-public-you-get/) [Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hefner/) ## More by Inga Muscio > [Words outlive people, institutions, civilizations. Words spur images, associations, memories, inspirations and synapse pulsations. Words send off physical resonations of thought into the nethersphere.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inga-muscio/words-outlive-people-institutions-civilizations-words-spur-images/) [Inga Muscio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inga-muscio/) > [Love is a positive, symbiotic, reciprocal flow between two or more entities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inga-muscio/love-is-a-positive-symbiotic-reciprocal-flow-between-two-or-more/) [Inga Muscio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inga-muscio/) > [Masturbation is an absolutely peerless cure for the hiccups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inga-muscio/masturbation-is-an-absolutely-peerless-cure-for-the-hiccups/) [Inga Muscio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inga-muscio/) > [It's like suddenly in the Middle Ages, people figured men should be in charge of women's bodies since they were in charge of pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inga-muscio/it-s-like-suddenly-in-the-middle-ages-people-figured-men-should-be-in/) [Inga Muscio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inga-muscio/) > [I have a really dark, rich, thick sense of humor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inga-muscio/i-have-a-really-dark-rich-thick-sense-of-humor/) [Inga Muscio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inga-muscio/) > [“Sadly though, the general feelings among straight men is, ‘I ain’t no fucking faggot, so keep clear of my ass.’ Thus, a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inga-muscio/sadly-though-the-general-feelings-among-straight-men-is-i-ain-t-no/) [Inga Muscio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inga-muscio/) > [Do not, under any circumstances, put this book down and turn on the teevee. The teevee debilitates our culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inga-muscio/do-not-under-any-circumstances-put-this-book-down-and-turn-on-the/) [Inga Muscio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inga-muscio/) > [Women of color have no call to trust white women until white women take a gander at the world around them, investigate, learn and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inga-muscio/women-of-color-have-no-call-to-trust-white-women-until-white-women/) [Inga Muscio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inga-muscio/) > [“Moving from phonetics to etymology, ‘vagina’ originates from a word meaning sheath for a sword. Ain’t got no vagina.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inga-muscio/moving-from-phonetics-to-etymology-vagina-originates-from-a-word/) [Inga Muscio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inga-muscio/) > [“I grew up in a relatively small town...Cruising up and down the main street in a car, going to the mall and attending drunken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inga-muscio/i-grew-up-in-a-relatively-small-town-cruising-up-and-down-the-main/) [Inga Muscio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inga-muscio/) > [Without honoring Whores, we cannot truly understand and transcend the dynamics of violence, destruction and ignorance fostered in our cuntfearing society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inga-muscio/without-honoring-whores-we-cannot-truly-understand-and-transcend-the/) [Inga Muscio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inga-muscio/) > [“People seem to have a hard time responding to a woman's sexuality without having the desire to literally touch it. I guess in some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inga-muscio/people-seem-to-have-a-hard-time-responding-to-a-woman-s-sexuality/) [Inga Muscio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inga-muscio/) > [Ancient, woman-centered words and beliefs never, like, fall off the planet. Having long done taken on a life of their own, they - like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inga-muscio/ancient-woman-centered-words-and-beliefs-never-like-fall-off-the/) [Inga Muscio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inga-muscio/) > [“Women choose to be catty, cruel, prejudiced, competitive or jealous of each other partly because we grow up learning that negative behavior towards women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inga-muscio/women-choose-to-be-catty-cruel-prejudiced-competitive-or-jealous-of/) [Inga Muscio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inga-muscio/) > [What if one out of every three multinational corporation CEO's were raped every year? Don't you think that would raise a kind of ruckus?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inga-muscio/what-if-one-out-of-every-three-multinational-corporation-ceo-s-were/) [Inga Muscio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inga-muscio/) [Explore all 46 Inga Muscio quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inga-muscio/) ## More Entire life quotes > [“Love. Such a sweet, simple word. A word I've been searching for my entire life - but especially since I met Eio - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-khoury/love-such-a-sweet-simple-word-a-word-i-ve-been-searching-for-my/) [Jessica Khoury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-khoury/) > [As a professional athlete and someone who has spent almost his entire life in boxing, not a day goes by when I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-de-la-hoya/as-a-professional-athlete-and-someone-who-has-spent-almost-his-entire/) [Oscar De La Hoya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-de-la-hoya/) > [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [I've never done anybody any harm in my entire life. No need to chase girls, I've thousands of them on Top Of The Pops,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-savile/i-ve-never-done-anybody-any-harm-in-my-entire-life-no-need-to-chase/) [Jimmy Savile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-savile/) > [“Makes me see that there might be some sense to having children after all, just so your entire life and all your family’s contributions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/makes-me-see-that-there-might-be-some-sense-to-having-children-after/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [I'll tell you what's helped me my entire life. I look at baseball as a game. It's something where people can go out, enjoy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-caray/i-ll-tell-you-what-s-helped-me-my-entire-life-i-look-at-baseball-as-a/) [Harry Caray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-caray/) > [They say a man doesn't know himself until he faces death for the first time. . . I don't know about that. It seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/they-say-a-man-doesn-t-know-himself-until-he-faces-death-for-the/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [I've been on the stage my entire life as an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-piven/i-ve-been-on-the-stage-my-entire-life-as-an-actor/) [Jeremy Piven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-piven/) > [“In the parking lot, she drove and parked in a dark area with no other cars around. She reclined her seat, and listened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/in-the-parking-lot-she-drove-and-parked-in-a-dark-area-with-no-other/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [“To Peyton, I’m Noah. The guy she’s known her entire life and once called her best friend. To me, she’s everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-mclaughlin/to-peyton-i-m-noah-the-guy-she-s-known-her-entire-life-and-once/) [Heidi McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-mclaughlin/) > [“But I didn’t regret it. I never regretted it, not for one second. How do you regret one of the best nights of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-han/but-i-didn-t-regret-it-i-never-regretted-it-not-for-one-second-how-do/) [Jenny Han](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-han/) > [Everyone's journey to coming out as transgender is different. For me, I've know that I'm transgender my entire life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mcbride/everyone-s-journey-to-coming-out-as-transgender-is-different-for-me-i/) [Sarah McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mcbride/) > [“My entire life sucked.” He nuzzles his chin into my hair. “And I didn’t realize it until I met you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-sax/my-entire-life-sucked-he-nuzzles-his-chin-into-my-hair-and-i-didn-t/) [Cynthia Sax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-sax/) > [I want my whole life to be a great work of art, not just my art. And that means paying attention to my entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jewel/i-want-my-whole-life-to-be-a-great-work-of-art-not-just-my-art-and/) [Jewel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jewel/) > [“He smiled sadly. "I was lost from the moment I saw you on Ovchinin Island. It took a long while for me to realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-skye/he-smiled-sadly-i-was-lost-from-the-moment-i-saw-you-on-ovchinin/) [Evelyn Skye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-skye/) [Browse all 1,704 Entire life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entire-life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He [Wilhelm Reich] challenged the puritanical ideas about sexuality in our culture. In laywoman terms, Reich believed humans store emotions in our muscles. During orgasm, muscles in the body contract, then relax, thus releasing emotions. Reich asserted that all aspects of healthy human psychology are dependent on one's sexual expression. When you cry, laugh or feel free as a bird after coming, it is partly because you just released a bunch of yucky crap that's been building up inside your body for days, months, years, possibly your entire lifetime. ...When women function like the ocean, we live happy, healthy lives. Holding on to stuff that does not serve us in our present situation creates actual, physical blockages within our bodies...which on the individual level, manifest in bitterness, stifled creativity, sexual perversion and unwillingness to trust, love and/or touch. 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