Pat Divilly
Which armour are you wearing?
The Reichian Character Quiz
Everyone builds armour. It got you through, and it shaped how you work, love and lead. It also shows up in your body, your breath, and the patterns you keep repeating.
This quiz finds your primary and secondary character pattern, what each one protected you from, what it costs you now, and the breath and body practices that start to soften it.
35 questions · About 10 minutes · Free and private
In the Embodied Coaching Certification? This is your assessment. Take it here.
A Note from Pat
"If there is one thing I have become clear on, it is this: the emotional and relational components of personal growth are the two pieces that create the most lasting change. Not the information. Not the techniques. The willingness to be in a container with other people, over a prolonged period of time, and to let that process work on you."
How I work
Through the body, in relationship
Most of us try to think our way into change. In my experience it rarely holds. The patterns that run us live in the body: in the breath, the jaw, the belly, the way we brace before a hard conversation.
So I work through breath and the body, drawing on a century of body psychotherapy, from Wilhelm Reich through Alexander Lowen and John Pierrakos, and 19 years of coaching people from fitness through to the boardroom.
And I believe the deepest change happens in relationship: with yourself, with the people closest to you, and in a group that gets to know you over time. This quiz is a first step into that work.
Wilhelm Reich (1897-1957)
Understanding Character Structure Theory
Developed by Wilhelm Reich in the 1940s, character structure theory explores how protective patterns formed in childhood shape our emotional and physical responses throughout life.
This body-oriented psychology recognizes that our histories are held not just in our minds, but in our bodies—in the way we breathe, move, and hold tension.
Rather than diagnoses or labels, these patterns are archetypal maps that help us understand our protective strategies and find pathways to greater freedom and authenticity.
What You'll Get
About You
- • Your primary and secondary character pattern
- • Where the pattern came from and what it protected you from
- • How it shows up in your body and your breath
- • Your gifts, and the edges where you get stuck
What To Do With It
- • Breathwork and somatic practices matched to your pattern
- • Simple daily actions to start softening the armour
- • How your pattern meets the people closest to you
- • If you work with people: your blind spots as a coach or facilitator
The Five Character Patterns
Everyone carries all five in different amounts. One or two usually run the show.
The Leaving Pattern
The Right to Exist
The Merging Pattern
The Right to Need
The Enduring Pattern
The Right to Be Free
The Challenger Pattern
The Right to Be Vulnerable
The Rigid Pattern
The Right to Love and Be Loved
Your Full Report
Your pattern in depth, with breath and body practices to work with it
Pattern Compatibility
See how your pattern meets your partner, family or team
Pattern Log
Notice when your pattern fires and practise a new response
Other ways to work with me
Whatever your pattern, there are a few ways to go deeper.
Practise for free
200+ free breathwork and meditation tracks
Start with your body tonight. Guided practices on Insight Timer, free.
Train with me
Journey the Breath facilitator training
Six months learning to guide breathwork and read the patterns in the body in front of you. 120+ facilitators trained in 20+ countries.
One to one
In Your Corner
Six months of private, body-based coaching for people ready to take the armour off. By application.
For teams
Workshops and programmes
Ongoing work supporting a team's mental, emotional and relational health, not just a one-off talk.
Read
The books
Five bestselling books, including Fit Mind and Shadow Work.