Pierrakos, John C. (1921-)

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Pierrakos, John C. (1921-)

Psychiatrist John Pierrakos, the husband of psychic channel Eva Pierrakos, was a student of controversial psychiatrist Wilhelm Reich and the founder of a system of bodywork called core energetics. Pierrakos was born in a small town, Neon Oitylon, in Greece. In 1939, as World War II loomed on the horizon, he left Greece for the United States. He settled in New York and attended Columbia University eventually earning an M.D. with a specialization in psychiatry. He eventually earned a Ph.D. in psychiatry. In the late 1940s, he came to know Reich and studied with him until he ran into trouble with the authorities for his teachings and practices concerning Orgone energy (his version of what was otherwise known as prana or psychic energy).

Pierrakos worked on the staff of a hospital for several years and then settled in private practice with another former Reichean, Alexander Lowen. The two created bioenergetics, a new system of bodywork that drew inspiration from Reich and dealt with the manner in which the inner life of people and energetic states were manifest in the body.

Around 1964, he was given a copy of a lecture of a medium, Eva Broch, a trance channel whose lectures were devoted to personal growth. The two were drawn to each other from their initial meeting, and he began to study with her on what she called the Pathwork. The teaching seemed to provide what he had found missing from Reich and from bioenergetics. He also began to share with her what he had learned about the body's energies. They were married in 1971.

As Eva Pierrakos (1915-1979), she opened the first Path-work Center in 1972. He supported her work while continuing to integrate the Pathwork insights into his own practice. He has seen the Pathwork as causing a shift of emphasis toward the development of the spiritual self in his bodywork and counseling practice. According to Pierrakos, "Core Energetics is based on a deep understanding of the ways in which energy and consciousness work together in the transformative process of healing." Following his wife's death in 1979, he founded the Institute of Core Energetics, now the Institute of Core Energetics International.

The institute may be contacted c/o Joan Groom, 47 Moseman Ave., Katonah, NY 10536. It offers an expansive program of professional workshops and symposia at locations across North America, Europe, and Australia. It has a webpage at http://www.core-energeticsintl.org/.