The Vasomotoric Cycle
At a glance
A Biodynamic theoretical model describing cycles of expansion and contraction in the body’s energy or arousal — movement toward charge, and movement toward discharge and rest.
What the tradition claims
Within Biodynamic theory, healthy functioning involves moving fluidly through this cycle — building charge and then discharging it — rather than getting chronically stuck at one end.
Evidence status
This is a historical theoretical model rooted in Reichian energetic language, not an established physiological mechanism with strong contemporary empirical support. It’s presented here as a piece of this tradition’s internal framework, useful for understanding its clinical logic, rather than as settled science.
The disability question
A model built around cycles of visible expansion and discharge can quietly assume a body with the physical capacity for both — which doesn’t describe every body. A person managing chronic fatigue, a limited energy budget, or a neurological condition affecting arousal may not experience anything resembling this cycle, and that absence isn’t a sign of being stuck or unhealthy. It may simply be a different, equally valid pattern.