Pathwork has a rich history of taking a double-sided approach, working with both mental constructs and emotions. Together, these approaches give us a way to work with both the psychological structures that create our defenses and the feelings and energies held in the body.

It began with the teachings, spoken by Eva Pierrakos, who gave voice to the Pathwork Guide. Later, this path was blended together with Core Energetics, which her husband John Pierrakos co-created.

Core Energetics is an experiential practice that works with the energetic blocks in the body. Specific physical movement exercises can help to move this energy, making the Worker more open for doing their work.

The five structures give us another way to listen to what is happening in the room—not just through what the Worker says, but through what their body and energy are communicating.

The value of understanding character structures is not that we can figure out what kind of person someone is. It is that we can recognize the defenses that are operating in the moment—and notice how they affect us as Helpers. Then we can choose not to react from our own defenses, but instead respond in a way that supports the Worker’s Higher Self.

Patterns of defense

Each of the five character structures, as taught in Core Energetics, can be identified by the characteristic way a body develops. (A summary of the five character structures is given in Spilling the Script.) The body creates armoring in response to whatever wounding happened during certain periods of childhood development.

If we pay attention to these patterns, we gain insight into the Worker’s primary wounding and their subsequent way of responding to life. This gives us valuable information for how to work with a Worker.

For example, we may notice the way our Worker affects us energetically, such as by tugging on us, pushing us away or manipulating us. These habitual tendencies may invite us to react to the Worker in a way that reinforces their need to defend themselves.

Once we recognize this, we can consciously choose to energetically hold them in a way that is helpful rather than hurtful. These are not clinical diagnoses. They are descriptions of character structures—patterns of defense that show up in the body, in relationships and in the way energy moves.

Relating to each structure

If energetically, a Worker appears to be schizoid, they are likely ungrounded and scattered. It may feel like we’re sitting with the separate pieces of a mobile, each operating independently instead of hanging together as one cohesive unit.

This person may benefit from starting the session by giving more attention to grounding and pulling themselves together, so to speak, by relaxing down into the chair.

As they talk, we may notice they tend to go off in fragmented tangents. Rather than collude with this, we may want to point this out and gently invite them to come back into their breath and their body—to feel their wholeness.

We can reflect back to them that we’re finding it hard to hang with these disconnected pieces, asking them what that experience feels like for them. We may want to lay out some honor cords that represent their disjointed way of presenting themselves, and then slowly move the cords so they become more integrated and whole.

For someone who is oral, we may feel how they pull on us, wanting to get something from us that they will then have a hard time taking in. Such people sometimes suck on other people’s energy as a way of taking in “pre-digested” energy.

Rather than resisting or blocking them, which is probably how most people react to them, we can ground ourselves, open up and allow them to feel nourished. Then we can comment to the Worker that it feels like they are wanting to “get” something from us—are they aware of how they are doing this?

People who use a masochistic defense structure are particularly tricky to work with. Any help from the outside can feel invasive to the Worker, triggering their wound of “smothering mothering.”

Yet their imploding, withholding energy begs us to come in after them. This is a trap. They will keep sucking us in until they explode, activating their life force. It would be more helpful for us to back off and allow the Worker the space to come out on their own.

By creating a neutral container, we offer them the safety of making their own decision and following their own timing. Considerable patience is often needed on the part of the Helper.

In the psychopathic defense structure, the person’s energy comes over the top, often dominating the interaction between people. This Worker may be a Will Type who wants to challenge us and argue with us.

They are adept at skillfully throwing energetic hooks. They may aggressively confront people as a way to connect with them. At the same time, they are pushing the other away.

Realizing that this isn’t personal allows us to meet them, without engaging in a battle. For example, they may attack our work as a Helper in order to engage us. Explaining how we feel affected by them can help them better understand how they affect others.

The rigid type is the least likely to show up in individual sessions. For they generally received “good enough” parenting. But they likely have a split between their heart and sexuality that makes loving, intimate relationships a challenge.

They love the one they are not attracted to and are attracted to one they do not love. In either case, that’s a painful place to be.

While seduction can be an issue to watch for with any of the five character structures, the rigid type may be overly prone to this. They are used to cutting off their feelings—closing their heart—by pushing their energy into their pelvis—their sexuality. As such, they can benefit from our open-hearted stance toward them that has no sexual overtones.

 

It’s important not to use these labels to describe people, but rather to describe behaviors and tendencies. Also note that the more work a person has done, the less correlation there may be between their physiology and their psychology.

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