The Biology of Love

by Arthur Janov

In this revolutionary work, famed psychotherapist Arthur Janov, author of The Primal Scream, presents the first unified theory of psychology and brain chemistry. Relying on years of experience with patients and a great deal of evidence from psychology and neurology, Janov explains how love significantly affects not only psychological well-being but physical health and personality traits as well. In fact, its long-lasting biological effects critically...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1573928291
• ISBN13: 9781573928298
• Release Date: March 2000
• Publisher: Prometheus Books
• Length: 364 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

An emminently valuable book

In this book,Dr.Janov shows what love and -contrarily- lack of love means in the different phases (womblife,birth,infancy) of our early lives.The experiences of our early lives affect our brains in a multi-ple manner,and if these experiences are traumatic they will remain,with all their original power,in the subcortical networksof our brains and determine the quality of our adult lives.Janov offers a therapy enabling suffering people to return to the beginnings of their lives and resolve those early and deeply hidden pain which is responsible for a wide spectrum of symptomsand will finally shorten life.It is not easy to get there.So it is important to be put on the right track.And it is not easy to go through these traumata.So it is important to have somebody standing by us during the difficult phases of this process.When the levels of consciousness (page 106 in this book) can com-municate with each other without interference (see page 231 "TheGate-Control Theory") we come to be feeling creatures again.After all it is a completely natural process.We help the brain (which will find its own rhythm)get rid of something having in-vaded like an alien force and keeping hidden.It is an ancient,evolutionary phenomenon (see THE NEW PRIMAL SCREAM by Dr.Janov,page 25,"The Nature of Emotional memory")THE BIOLOGY OF LOVE comprises a fullness of technical informa-tion.Janov presents a lot of material from scientific researchwhich substantiates his theory.The weight of evidence is over-whelming.The paradigm of primal theory,the concept of the earlyimprint and its lasting effects,stands as firmly as a rock.Janov`s antagonists in the field of psychology having so far pre-vented primal theory from being on offer in the curricula of mostuniversities will have increasing difficulties in ignoring or discrediting this new paradigm.HOW TO DISCREDIT A PHENOMENON THAT HAS ACCOMPANIED AND INFLU-ENCED HUMAN EVOLUTION FOR MILLIONS OF YEARS ??? A scientist whohas lost the connection to his personal (ontogenetic) history ,can no longer recognize the inner truths of our conditio humana.Having understood the message of this book, we are able to sparethe following generations a tremendous lot of pain.As hard as it may be,we must understand now that womblife,birth and infancy arethe most crucial phases of our lives.In these phases,we are mostvulnerable and may be damaged worst of all.It is not all the sameif a pregnant woman is smoking and drinking or if she is not.Itis not all the same whether birth happens on conditions of anesthesia or not.Janov says that heavy lack of oxygen (anoxia) is a central element of most birth traumata he has observed in his therapeuticpractice.On page 253 in his book he provides an exellent descrip-tion and explanation of what happens to the mother and the babyin the drugged birth.In the western world,the great majority of all birth processes goes under such circumstances.The conse-quences for the psychophysical state of health of the adult pop-ulati

Another amazing book, but does it hold up?

Speaking from someone who's done plenty of Primal Therapy, once again, Janov lays out, in glorious grandiosity, a beautiful and coherent theory of life, love, and neurosis. Janov's strength is in his ability to articulate with poetic brilliance the reasons, as he sees it, for all manner of psychological illnesses, and guess what? I think he's right. Everything he describes in his book I have either witnessed or experienced first hand during my own stint in Primal Therapy. There is one downfall, however, as I see it. Although this latest book definitely reflects a change with respect to how long it takes to really get down to those core feelings - I'm talking about the ones that really do change brain chemistry, and moves the biological system back toward "normalcy" - he doesn't go far enough in explaining how difficult and lengthy the process truly is. Let me tell you, it takes a very long time. It is not as easy as it reads in Janov's books, and I must add, that I am yet to see a Primal therapist that is still not, to some degree, a victim of his/her own repression. But the theory holds, and perhaps this is the most important thing to remember. Do just one month of Primal therapy, and I challenge you to ever go back into psychoanalysis again. It will seem like a complete waist of time, which in the end, as Janov explains in his book, it is. Even if Janov is 50% correct in his theory, he is still miles and miles ahead of the rest of the psychological community, which, as Janov explains, does nothing more than perpetuates the neurosis in its patients. Janov is nothing short of a revolutionary, no less important that Freud. That may be a dramatic statement, but this is a dramatic book. The only discrepancy I have found between Janov's theory in "The Biology Of Love" and the application of that theory is the time frame in which all those important childhood and birth feelings emerge. There also seems to be a change in the nature of repression itself, as Janov now describes it. Where once repression's existence was described as solely the result of an overload of pain from childhood, it is now described as a natural state which can be overwhelmed by too much pain, and which continues to exist even after that overload is "emptied," or re-lived. This book not only reflects the change in the climate of psychotherapy as a whole, but also reflects the change in Primal Therapy itself since its conception. As usual, it's a must read.

You may agree or disagree but you'll be effected

"A hug or a kiss raises dopamine levels," says Dr. Janov, and on he goes blending psychology and neuro-science. Whether or not you "believe" in primal scream, so much of what he writes about just rings true to common sense. One reason what he writes is hard to take, I think, is that some things about birthing are so beyond our control, even if we're a caring parent, e.g., if you have to have a baby by c-section, you have to. But there's still all the time of infancy and onward -- "Touching a child allows for greater density of synapses in the developing brain," he writes, "the more dense the synapses the more information the brain can handle." Whether you agree with what he says, or you don't, he makes his point (and it's extremely well annotated) and you won't walk away untouched. Read the chapter called "The Gate-Control Theory." Wow!

the beat goes on

Whatever one may accept about the Primal Hypotheses (I've been adhering to the "Primal Reality" for 30 years) the important fact that emerges is that we are all historical beings, and once imprinted, experience stays with us. Most recently actress Sally Field talked about an aspect of herself where she (still) feels "little" (in relationships with men). She hopes one day to "overcome" this, but as Dr. Janov overwhelmingly demonstrates, to fully resolve established patterns of behavior, reliving early experiences --accessing the "early brain" is the necessity.All I (mostly) learn from Janov is more "pieces" of the WHOLE. Little truly surprises me, but how significant womb experiences can be is a new revelation.

THE MOST IMPORATNT BOOK OF THE CENTURY?

I think so. First, because I could not put it down. Dr. Janov has written a sophisticated and scientific book about the human psyche, how the brain can change as the result of lack of love.Sophisticated and yet accessible to the lay person of which I am.I was fascinated to read the latest available research in neurology; and how we treat our children affects their brain and who they are forever. So much of it makes total sense. It is brilliant to be able to understand how it all works. Of course, a child treated with respect and love through gestation, birth and childhood.Dr. Janov says loving a child is making sure it doesn't suffer anoxia at birth (a common occurence in the way our children are born these days), making sure mothers treat themselves - their future baby - with respect, that they don't smoke, that they take care of themselves...while creating a new human being in this world.Dr. Janov's book is all about love and how to love our children.I read with amazement a professional review accusing THE BIOLOGY OF LOVE of laying guilt on poor mothers. What a pathetic way to read this book. But to deprive future children of the incredible data this book provides is doing great harm. Dr. Janov has put together in a powerful framework the first unifying theory that at last makes sense of the human sciences, neurology, biology and psychology.Isn't it crucial to know how to become a fully integrated human being that won't be plagued by psychosomatic illness, will have no need to drink and take drugs? And of course the right definition of love for a child is to give them what they need, physiologically, as well as psychologically so that they don't suffer traumas at all stages of their development.Dr. Janov is giving us the formidable tool to understand through research what we can do to make sure our children have all the chances for a life free of neurosis later on.Witness research like:"A MOTHER'S LOOK AT A CHILD CAN REGULATE BLOOD FLOW TO HIS BRAIN (CORTEX) AND IMPACT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THAT BRAIN.""TOUCHING A CHILD ALLOWS FOR GREATER DENSITY OF SYNAPSES IN THE DEVELOPING BRAIN: THE MORE DENSE THE SYNAPSES THE MORE INFORMATION THE BRAIN CAN HANDLE.""EARLY TOUCH AND A MOTHER'S LOVE PRODUCE ENDOGENOUS PAIN KILLERS THAT STAY FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES AND HELP KEEP US COMFORTABLE AND FREE OF ANXIETY.""STRESS AND ABUSE ALTER THE STRUCTURE OF A CHILD'S BRAIN (IMPAIRS CELLS IN THE HIPPOCAMPUS WHICH REGISTERS EMOTIONAL FACTS).""A FETUS REGISTERS PAIN AND MAKES CRYING MOTIONS IN THE WOMB.""STRESS IN A CARRYING MOTHER CAN ALTER THE SEXUAL HORMONES OF THE OFFSPRING AND THEREBY ALTER LATER SEXUAL PROCLIVITIES."