were in thrall to him (hörig), as she felt she had been for many years^37. Judging from her
later career as a totally orthodox Freudian analyst, one can only imagine that part of her was
very glad to be done with him, not to mention those concepts of his she had followed more
out of submissiveness than genuine conviction. Now that Reich had been rejected by—and
in many ways had rejected—his “second home,” the psychoanalytic organization, the only
remaining objective tie between them was their children. However, Annie had deeply cared
for Reich, and subjectively the repercussions of the relationship would continue for a long
time, as we shall see.
In the course of a year and a half, then, Reich had endured significant partings from
the Communist Party, the International Psychoanalytic Association, and Annie Reich. In
each case, the ruptures were many years in the making. In each case, there was some ques-
tion as to how much Reich was cast out and how much he himself determined the finale.
Later, Reich sometimes spoke of the suffering the familial separation had caused
him not only because of the children but also because of the loss of Annie. At other times,
he could speak of her with great bitterness. For him, as for Annie, the process of separa-
tion involved much more than leaving, and it took its toll. However, Reich’s greatest empha-
sis was on how crucial it had been for his work that he didleave, that he did not “get stuck”
as so many people did—stuck in outdated concepts, stuck in organizations needed for secu-
rity, stuck in neurotic patterns, and stuck in marriages they were unable to leave. He espe-
cially cited Freud and Federn as men in this position^38 .For Reich, to leave a no longer
viable relationship was as important as any step he took to preserve the integrity of his life
and work.
The costs, however, were great. Reich always tended to underestimate his own con-
tribution to the unhappiness connected with his disrupted relationships. Two sad children,
feeling abandoned by both parents, were part of that cost. And no amount of later anger
and blame toward Annie could completely assuage Reich’s guilt over the pain and suffering
of his children. In 1934, two paths diverged. Reich chose the less traveled one—both in his
work and in his personal life.
194 Myron SharafFury On Earth