Roberto Freire

Who was Roberto Freire?

Roberto Freire was a medical psychiatrist and Brazilian writer, who created somatherapy, also referred to as SOMA, an anarchist therapy based on the then radical new ideas of Wilhelm Reich, as well as the Brazilian martial art Capoeira Angola.

Brazilian intellectual life is marked by the intense multiplicity of his work. Anarchist, writer, dramaturg, journalist, doctor, psychiatrist, ex-psychoanalyst, he also worked with theatre, television & cinema. His long & rich trajectory was always characterised by his effort in combining the ideology of pleasure with his scientific & artistic work.

As a writer, Roberto Freire reached great recognition. He wrote several essays, short stories, children stories & romances. His novels, conferred him great popularity. In psychology & politics, he has several books of essays, such as ‘Ame e Dê Vexame’, ‘Utopia e Paixão’, ‘Tesudos de Todo Mundo, Uni-vos!’.

As a filmmaker, he wrote, co-produced & directed the feature film ‘Cléo e Daniel’. In all his work, books, articles, plays the main themes are usually love, creation & freedom.