Saturday, October 15, 2016

Suicide is Painless, Repression, Despair and the Relief of Reliving Near-Death Feelings (1/5)


A recent federal government study shows that suicide in the United States has become epidemic, hitting an alarming 30-year high (see http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/22/health/us-suicide-rate-surges-to-a-30-year-high.html). More and more people, both men and women in almost every age group, are killing themselves, according to a report from the National Center for Health Statistics. And experts are struggling to adequately explain the troubling trend.
“The question of what has driven the increases is unresolved, leaving experts to muse on the reasons,” states the New York Times in an article about the suicide data.
And so they speculate. Maybe it’s the rising divorce rate, or the lower rates of marriage. Maybe it’s the worsening economy or the new limits on social mobility. Or maybe it’s the country’s weak suicide prevention network.
They can’t find the answers, I believe, because external factors are not the cause; they are just the trigger. After all, many people get divorced and lose their jobs and their homes, or worse, but don’t decide to end their lives. The explanation is elusive because the causes are hidden. They lie deep inside the desperate individuals who see no way out but death, and who may not even know what is driving their desire to take their own lives.
The best way to illuminate the problem is to look at it from the other side. Set aside for a moment those poor souls who are suffering obvious misfortunes. Consider instead those apparently lucky people who have it all, but still choose to end it all. Why do so many celebrities commit suicide?

Suicide and Success

Celebrity suicides always strike us as a mystery. These are successful, wealthy people we admire and emulate. We even try to be like them. So when the rich and famous find their lives too much to bear – as did L’Wren Scott, the high-end fashion designer and girlfriend of Mick Jagger – we inevitably wonder why. Scott hanged herself in the multi-million apartment she had shared with Jagger in New York. She didn’t leave a note. Her friends, who described her as kind and considerate, were shocked. Jagger, who was on tour with the Rolling Stones in Australia, issued a statement claiming he was "still struggling to understand how my lover and best friend could end her life in this tragic way."
Everyone was asking the same question.

There have been a number of people who have committed suicide who seemed at the pinnacle of success. And most of us thought that once we choose a profession and follow it and succeed at it, becoming an expert and well known, that would be fulfilling. We would feel like a success. Wrong. When we have deep-rooted lack of love, rejection, indifference and lack of touch early in our lives we cannot feel like a success. We can only feel what was left embedded in us as an imprint: the feeling of being unloved, empty, isolated, unwanted. That is always primary. All else and all later feelings lie on top of the imprint. We need to keep in mind that the imprint is embedded very early in life when the struggle has a life-or-death quality. It takes precedence over any later adversity. The memory is of a life-endangering event. It is not an imaginary time; survival is at stake (lack of oxygen at birth). And later, even the slightest threat takes on the original force of the reaction. Through resonance the terror is again elicited. What is set off? The feeling tone, for feelings are primary very early in life, long before we develop an overall sense of the total context. But the feeling tone will be an augury of a trauma gone by, and also a pathway to the past where the tone originated, engendered by perhaps an overdose of anesthetic to the mother for her pain but is far, far too much for a six-pound baby. That tone (hopelessness) may well underlie later depression, which seems such a mystery. But we are immersed in a sense of “what’s the use?” There is no reason to try or to go on; we are trapped in that imprinted memory where it was hopeless. And what do we do when we are bereft of that knowledge of the lingering tone? We seek to submerge it further with drugs. We do the opposite of what is required, which is to release that memory from its neurobiologic cage.

24 comments:

  1. Hi Art,

    which is why 'hope' is such an important feature in people's belief systems. I'm not gonna get all religious here but I want to point out the value of certain belief systems:

    Faith, Hope & Love - And the greatest of the three is Love, (of course).

    I watched Frances Primal Theory videos and she says the biggest problem in the 'therapeutic alliance' (my words) is the loss of hope. The tendency INSIDE the therapy to 'give up'. -"What's the use- I'm just too fucked up to carry on". . .

    I imagine this must be the biggest challenge of all for a therapist in training; not to rush in with false hope but on the other hand not to allow the patient to despair to the point of suicidal ideation.

    This single issue must be the reason why so many therapies (and therapists) 'out there' cannot cope with the Primal Perspective.

    I know what that hopelessness feels like. I am intrigued with what you might call 'Primal coping strategies'. If there is to be a revolution in psychology & psychotherapy, the development of a 'Unified Field' of medicine; then developing Primal Coping Strategies must surely be high on the agenda. The number of times I have heard people say: "Ahhh! Primal - Too dangerous - You just can't go there" - (Full stop, end of conversation).

    Opening up a dialogue about the 'truth' of early trauma is essential and then offering hope must be the next step.

    I can see Art (& France) have spent the last 40 years developing exactly this process, namely addressing the truth (origins) and building bridges of hope across the gap.

    The Legacy Program offers a way forward and I am willing to join forces with anyone in Europe to make that a starting point for those of us based here, on the Eastern side of the pond, who cannot get to The Center in USA. There's more than our own therapy at stake I believe, our children and their children and the biosphere we live in. . .

    Please do contact me if you're interested -

    my email address has already been printed on previous posts.

    Paul G.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Paul: Nice letter. I hope you get a response. France did an heroic job with the LEGACY and I know it will carry on for a long time. It represents five years of constant work. art

      Delete
  2. I can not stand reading such bull***
    “The question of what has driven the increases is unresolved, leaving experts to muse on the reasons,”
    Everytime they said the reason is unknown. It is insane, to do not see the truth.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Truth Piotr oh... oh... oh!

      The truth for me has been about anything except to be true... but true to what the truth was unbearable... in that state care about what others are doing wrong get both our thoughts and suffering to flow!

      The futility of writing about what happens in our life can become meaningful as we then engage cognitively on a plane that holds back what we otherwise might have difficulty with.

      There's always a sadness in what we write that caters to be of a more spec events than what happens when our brain itself determines the order of a flow... then the flow determines what shall happen and we do not think about what's happening. We have to start thinking about doing anything we can find interest in... something...maybe a moment of joy.

      The child in us is our source of life and our history storyteller... it tells us all the time about our suffering... obviously without any controlling of the amount from the limbic system... so that's what we have to do... keep a form of control and do something to be a safety valve against flowing emotions... feelings that would otherwise interfere with anything.

      Our neocortex is a valve only we learn to use it... and we do without to know it... but only to an amount possible for our system! The book " the child 312" was for me a sad story without its equal... it made me focus on the emotions out of control of the child in me as I did not know then. My tears flowed for what my life was all about without knowing what it was... but it was helping... it eased my suffering... and on that road begin to feel it with the help of primal therapy.

      your Frank

      Delete

  3. I have a legal message!

    We suffer and can do the most horrific things to do so!

    The pain that is heading up through our brain from our limbic system... has a message... a message about what is about to happen... but to understand it... that's another questio as we understand not to feel! Our neocortex has a completely different task then what the limbic system inform about... it to suppress... why we also are our own victims. Here is where the whole world of professionals around psychological issues fails... but through the science now available around primal therapy shall know... which also is binding on what responsibilities you have!

    The pressure on its way up... as pain causes... is now about to be analyzed in our neocortex... a neocortex that is completely without knowledge of what is about to happen (if primal therapy was established we could). A neocortex as through life has its mission not to know anything about it... why neocortex has becomes our life's deception but in the sense of how it at the time long ago as well as now shall handle life-threatening experiences without the knowledge of it!? Now... we walk in "hell" in our lifes... a walk of hell as we are hopeless victims of! No… it is not strong words... the reality is worse... as we can't even feel it because of all the pain. The expression of hell are just a poor word to illustrate the pain. This is why the warning shall be clear to all of us!

    All this is a tragedy without its parable... a hell many now professionals are obliged... it as primal therapy are available and been so for a very long time... it with their knowledge! My god what is happen in so many brains titled as professional? You ties us to this hell!


    If we could do right in our process of therapy... then this hell could turn out to become a beautiful experience... beautiful as we begin to feel our need… need close to why it was not beautiful. Need is beautiful… it gets tears rolling down our cheeks in the process of our life's tragedy... it clears us into our life. That is the process to experience... experience for what is and will be beautiful! We are beautiful as innocent for our needs!

    Frank

    ReplyDelete
  4. Art,

    Ironic you should write about suicide. Yesterday, while I was shopping at Farmer’s Market in Santa Monica, a huge crowd was walking down the Promenade to raise awareness about it. It was called the “Greater Los Angeles Out of the Darkness Walk”.

    Got my mind going. I wondered just how many people out there knew about the causes of suicide. Not the here-and-now triggers, as you mention, but the real causes which are so deep.

    From the Santa Monica Observer:

    "These walks are about turning hope into action," said AFSP CEO Robert Gebbia. "Suicide is a serious problem, but it's a problem we can solve. The research has shown us how to fight suicide, and if we keep up the fight the science is only going to get better, our culture will get smarter about mental health, and we'll be able to save more people from dying from depression and other mental health conditions."

    It was sad because so many who were walking had lost someone they knew to suicide; they were wearing their names on their shirts.

    Also got me thinking about my own life. About how if it hadn’t been for your books, and the inspiration they’ve given me to delve into my own horrific memories, I’m sure there’s no way I’d be here today.

    Let’s have some awareness of the causes—the real ones.

    Kip

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dear Art,

    Thank you so much for this article. It resonates with me; I struggle so much with hopelessness and feeling suicidal. I have never attempted suicide but often feel so hopeless and want to end the struggle and pain and end my life. Life feels like it is not worth living. This was the way I felt throughout my childhood. I always knew I hurt and that everything was wrong.
    I honestly don't know what my life would have been like without primal therapy; would I still be alive? The therapy has been a part of me for four decades now. The therapy I believe has made me more in touch with those feelings of deep despair.
    But, the pain and hurt that has enfolded in my life, I don't know how I could have endured or coped. I like to think that I am a better parent and person because of primal therapy. I was a good person from the beginning but never was treated so. I was never wanted or loved. I have always known from my beginning that I hurt and that everything was very wrong. There was no pretending.
    When I cannot primal or cry, sometimes just the smallest cry or connection to my roots, my pain will be enough to make me see perspective; see the forest for the trees; see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am often very trapped in early feelings, my beginnings.
    I wonder sometimes where I would be now without primal therapy.
    I can't imagine a life without it.
    Art, your life's work has saved me and thousands of others.

    Jean

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well Jean, your letter should be a strong hope for those who suffer so much. I myself feel that way whenever I Primal. It is so a comfort to know it is there, right there. So happy to hear from you. art

      Delete
  6. An email comment:
    "Art: I have long known that the major reason for suicide is the rising pain; known as depression Another word I would add is repression of that terror where often in early life we almost died. Depression that the medics fail to even look into IS the rising pain ... if it becomes unbearable, we'll do ANYTHING to make it go away. Suicide is the ultimate out.

    Thanks for another brilliant article ... but I wonder; who is taking note?"

    ReplyDelete
  7. And my answer:
    Who is taking notes.? Not the field of therapy. Thanks for the input. art

    ReplyDelete
  8. This article caught my eye even more than usual because of the references in the last paragraph to "resonance" , "triggers", the relation of outside events to internal repressions, etc... OK, I admit that Primal theory is only that for me: theory. But that is where everyone starts , right? I suppose if I experienced all this, that would really answer my questions. But for whatever it is worth, can anyone refer me to any part of Janov's books that deals in more detail with these seemingly important patterns of resonance, triggers , so I can understand this better? For instance, I experience this "what's the use?" feeling often, more so ,for some reason, since about a year. Now it is not making me suicidal or deeply depressed, and I can still function fairly normally, but I often wonder : is this due to the present circumstances of my life? and /or to repressed feelings of hopelessness now seeping out? In any case, I have no idea what to do about these feelings. They prevent me often from taking care of daily business, and reaching out to people (why bother?), and usually only emergency circumstances can catalise action on my part.

    Thanks for any help.

    Marco

    Marco

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hello Marco. I google-searched this blog (on the right column of this page) for resonance and it gave the articles Dr. J has written here about resonance. March 27, 2010 ("On emotional resonance")and prior ones "Deep Hopelessness" and "The dialectic" and "More on Resonance", March 1.) I got from the first article mentioned that there is a consolidation of the various brain sites and that later feelings are automatically joined with earlier similar feelings (to paraphrase what Dr. J has written.)

    For myself when I'm confronted with 'why bother' or 'what's the use' feelings I make myself take action to do what needs to be done. And sometimes the task I thought was going to be difficult to do isn't as hard as I thought or dreaded.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. H Marco & Sheri,

      I could have written word for word what you both wrote.

      But I will add something if I may. As individuals we are not the only ones who suffer from 'hidden agendas' which become triggered by outside events. There is a clinical expression called 'generalised depression' infact the word 'generalised' can be inserted in front of many other conditions such as pain.

      So, 'out there' in the field of experience there are many people acting out and this produces (imho) a generalised field of depression in society. In a war zone it may be a generalised field of anxiety (and no doubt the newspapers like to keep us informed of war zones elsewhere to keep us preoccupied with a frisson of anxiety here at home too). Now what I'm saying is that despite our own stuff inside, there is a lot of things out there which frankly are not worth bothering with. Thus depression and anxiety may alert us to what we DON'T need. Curiously then, Primal is helping us make our imprint work FOR evolution, or can do.

      No I'm not a Pollyanna, I'm not trying to 'see the good' in everything! In my experience a big part of what kept my delusions, my denial, my defenses going was the false impressions of a false set of desires, goals and expectations 'out there'.

      Much of what is 'out there' is not worth bothering with.

      If one can accept this (and so many of us already know we don't want much of what has become socially acceptable) then we can use how we understand Primal Theory to develop new relationships in society that keep us REAL. This may help guard against abreaction, not to mention making 'bad choices' and getting ripped off due to following unconscious desires and UN MET needs acted 'out there'.

      So to conclude, it is very likely that the Primal Journey will take us through at least one period of deep isolation and loneliness; but I must say what keeps this terrifying journey real is not that we are actually completely alone or isolated, but that we have a few friends who KNOW and are owning our own stuff inside. Thus the loneliness and hopelessness we feel belongs to us, and we are sure of it. We have learned what is ours and what is not. For me this blog has certainly provided that.

      Thanks to Art & France for a priceless gift.

      Paul G.

      Delete
    2. Thanks ,Sheri ,for your suggestions.I will definitely look them up right away.

      As far as your recommendation to take action, well that is just a compensation for the lethargy of the hopeless feeling which does not solve the main problem at its roots.Or so it seems to me.That is better than nothing and fits in with what I mentionned as my present pattern of only taking action in an emergency, which action comes from panic and a temporary adrenaline rush.

      Alexander Lowen had an interesting take on these emergency reactions even in average situations. They happen because people are too out of touch with their natural feelings which woould direct the appropriate reactions they need to take. Then they become like robots dictated by reasons in their mind , and ethical shoulds, not a natural flow .

      All I have written may be a bit vague, but it`s the best I can come up with.

      Thanks again.

      Marco

      Delete
  10. Marco, it does sound like doing something only under panic is an old feeling driving the present to make you take action. I've done that writing term papers in a panic. Even when I took tests in high school I had such anxiety and seemed to need it to perform well.

    I'm not sure I'd agree with Mr. Lowen about being out of touch with natural feelings when we overreact in average situations. More like we are responding with our original feelings from traumatic past episodes to a less threatening situation now because it reminds us of the past--or resonates with it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Sheri:

      I really do not know what "the truth" is about my present condition, let alone to get free of it (which would probably happen at the same time , if Janov is right).Luckily it is not debilitating.What you say may be true or, or partially.

      This whole situation reflects the ultimate goal of all this Primal Theory, that is, of linking theory to practice. I am very aware that there is a wide discrepency between what I know of the theories of Janov, Reich, Lowen, and others ,and my ability to apply their theories to my actual problems, assuming they and others have something valid to offer.

      As far as specifically what I mentionned about Lowen and emergency reactions, it does not seem that you are familiar with his writings about this, and have only relied understandably on what little I have mentionned. I urge you then to read Lowen. If you want references, write here stating you do, and I will refer you to relevant passages from his books or monographs.

      Marco

      Delete
    2. I am not responsible for any recommendations and do not agree with many of them. art

      Delete
    3. Marco, I shall read Lowen's "Joy:surrender to the body and to Life." I read a sample of it where he acknowledges our neurosis developed out of a need to survive as children.
      I still think Janov tops the list as having, as you say: "offering something valid."

      Delete
    4. Well, I decided to look up what Lowen had to say on emergency reactions even if Sheri is not interested, but could find only one reference at this time ,knowing that there are other references elsewhere. It can be found in the the chapter "The Defense against Terror" in Lowen's book "The Betrayal of the Body" , subsection "The Schizoid Barricade". This book is Lowen's take on psychosis and how to treat it, a great responsibilty, considering the fragility of the psychotic.

      It's also interesting to compare Janov's analyses of psychosis, with Lowen's, and finally Reich's, in the chapter "The Schizophrenic Split" in the book "Character Analysis, 3rd edition".

      Marco

      Delete
    5. Marco, the used books I've sent for on Lowen are expected in a few days (so I can read and get an idea of what you were wanting to share about him.)
      Meanwhile on your question about feelings of "what's the use," or "why bother" seem to relate to hopelessness. On YouTube you might look up "Primal Hopelessness," (parts 1 thru 4.) France gives her talk about what hopelessness is and where it comes from and how to deal with it in a therapeutic setting.
      Sheri

      Delete
    6. Thanks Sheri for the reference. But I think it is hopeless that I can ever deal with my hopelessness... OK, just kidding...a little black humor there. Luckily it's not really all that bad and I am still more alive than dead.

      May I also refer you to the chapter "Hopelessness" in the book "Our inner conflicts" by Karen Horney (1885-1952). Horney, if you did know, was a major neo-Freudian theorist and practisioner, who broke from Freud in the 1930s and developed her own form of therapy.Also a feminist who questionned Freud's dubious take on women.Her writings radiate empathy, warmth, and depth, in my opinion.

      Marco

      Delete

Review of "Beyond Belief"

This thought-provoking and important book shows how people are drawn toward dangerous beliefs.
“Belief can manifest itself in world-changing ways—and did, in some of history’s ugliest moments, from the rise of Adolf Hitler to the Jonestown mass suicide in 1979. Arthur Janov, a renowned psychologist who penned The Primal Scream, fearlessly tackles the subject of why and how strong believers willingly embrace even the most deranged leaders.
Beyond Belief begins with a lucid explanation of belief systems that, writes Janov, “are maps, something to help us navigate through life more effectively.” While belief systems are not presented as inherently bad, the author concentrates not just on why people adopt belief systems, but why “alienated individuals” in particular seek out “belief systems on the fringes.” The result is a book that is both illuminating and sobering. It explores, for example, how a strongly-held belief can lead radical Islamist jihadists to murder others in suicide acts. Janov writes, “I believe if people had more love in this life, they would not be so anxious to end it in favor of some imaginary existence.”
One of the most compelling aspects of Beyond Belief is the author’s liberal use of case studies, most of which are related in the first person by individuals whose lives were dramatically affected by their involvement in cults. These stories offer an exceptional perspective on the manner in which belief systems can take hold and shape one’s experiences. Joan’s tale, for instance, both engaging and disturbing, describes what it was like to join the Hare Krishnas. Even though she left the sect, observing that participants “are stunted in spiritual awareness,” Joan considers returning someday because “there’s a certain protection there.”
Janov’s great insight into cultish leaders is particularly interesting; he believes such people have had childhoods in which they were “rejected and unloved,” because “only unloved people want to become the wise man or woman (although it is usually male) imparting words of wisdom to others.” This is just one reason why Beyond Belief is such a thought-provoking, important book.”
Barry Silverstein, Freelance Writer

Quotes for "Life Before Birth"

“Life Before Birth is a thrilling journey of discovery, a real joy to read. Janov writes like no one else on the human mind—engaging, brilliant, passionate, and honest.
He is the best writer today on what makes us human—he shows us how the mind works, how it goes wrong, and how to put it right . . . He presents a brand-new approach to dealing with depression, emotional pain, anxiety, and addiction.”
Paul Thompson, PhD, Professor of Neurology, UCLA School of Medicine

Art Janov, one of the pioneers of fetal and early infant experiences and future mental health issues, offers a robust vision of how the earliest traumas of life can percolate through the brains, minds and lives of individuals. He focuses on both the shifting tides of brain emotional systems and the life-long consequences that can result, as well as the novel interventions, and clinical understanding, that need to be implemented in order to bring about the brain-mind changes that can restore affective equanimity. The transitions from feelings of persistent affective turmoil to psychological wholeness, requires both an understanding of the brain changes and a therapist that can work with the affective mind at primary-process levels. Life Before Birth, is a manifesto that provides a robust argument for increasing attention to the neuro-mental lives of fetuses and infants, and the widespread ramifications on mental health if we do not. Without an accurate developmental history of troubled minds, coordinated with a recognition of the primal emotional powers of the lowest ancestral regions of the human brain, therapists will be lost in their attempt to restore psychological balance.
Jaak Panksepp, Ph.D.
Bailey Endowed Chair of Animal Well Being Science
Washington State University

Dr. Janov’s essential insight—that our earliest experiences strongly influence later well being—is no longer in doubt. Thanks to advances in neuroscience, immunology, and epigenetics, we can now see some of the mechanisms of action at the heart of these developmental processes. His long-held belief that the brain, human development, and psychological well being need to studied in the context of evolution—from the brainstem up—now lies at the heart of the integration of neuroscience and psychotherapy.
Grounded in these two principles, Dr. Janov continues to explore the lifelong impact of prenatal, birth, and early experiences on our brains and minds. Simultaneously “old school” and revolutionary, he synthesizes traditional psychodynamic theories with cutting-edge science while consistently highlighting the limitations of a strict, “top-down” talking cure. Whether or not you agree with his philosophical assumptions, therapeutic practices, or theoretical conclusions, I promise you an interesting and thought-provoking journey.
Lou Cozolino, PsyD, Professor of Psychology, Pepperdine University


In Life Before Birth Dr. Arthur Janov illuminates the sources of much that happens during life after birth. Lucidly, the pioneer of primal therapy provides the scientific rationale for treatments that take us through our original, non-verbal memories—to essential depths of experience that the superficial cognitive-behavioral modalities currently in fashion cannot possibly touch, let alone transform.
Gabor Maté MD, author of In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters With Addiction

An expansive analysis! This book attempts to explain the impact of critical developmental windows in the past, implores us to improve the lives of pregnant women in the present, and has implications for understanding our children, ourselves, and our collective future. I’m not sure whether primal therapy works or not, but it certainly deserves systematic testing in well-designed, assessor-blinded, randomized controlled clinical trials.
K.J.S. Anand, MBBS, D. Phil, FAACP, FCCM, FRCPCH, Professor of Pediatrics, Anesthesiology, Anatomy & Neurobiology, Senior Scholar, Center for Excellence in Faith and Health, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare System


A baby's brain grows more while in the womb than at any time in a child's life. Life Before Birth: The Hidden Script That Rules Our Lives is a valuable guide to creating healthier babies and offers insight into healing our early primal wounds. Dr. Janov integrates the most recent scientific research about prenatal development with the psychobiological reality that these early experiences do cast a long shadow over our entire lifespan. With a wealth of experience and a history of successful psychotherapeutic treatment, Dr. Janov is well positioned to speak with clarity and precision on a topic that remains critically important.
Paula Thomson, PsyD, Associate Professor, California State University, Northridge & Professor Emeritus, York University

"I am enthralled.
Dr. Janov has crafted a compelling and prophetic opus that could rightly dictate
PhD thesis topics for decades to come. Devoid of any "New Age" pseudoscience,
this work never strays from scientific orthodoxy and yet is perfectly accessible and
downright fascinating to any lay person interested in the mysteries of the human psyche."
Dr. Bernard Park, MD, MPH

His new book “Life Before Birth: The Hidden Script that Rules Our Lives” shows that primal therapy, the lower-brain therapeutic method popularized in the 1970’s international bestseller “Primal Scream” and his early work with John Lennon, may help alleviate depression and anxiety disorders, normalize blood pressure and serotonin levels, and improve the functioning of the immune system.
One of the book’s most intriguing theories is that fetal imprinting, an evolutionary strategy to prepare children to cope with life, establishes a permanent set-point in a child's physiology. Baby's born to mothers highly anxious during pregnancy, whether from war, natural disasters, failed marriages, or other stressful life conditions, may thus be prone to mental illness and brain dysfunction later in life. Early traumatic events such as low oxygen at birth, painkillers and antidepressants administered to the mother during pregnancy, poor maternal nutrition, and a lack of parental affection in the first years of life may compound the effect.
In making the case for a brand-new, unified field theory of psychotherapy, Dr. Janov weaves together the evolutionary theories of Jean Baptiste Larmarck, the fetal development studies of Vivette Glover and K.J.S. Anand, and fascinating new research by the psychiatrist Elissa Epel suggesting that telomeres—a region of repetitive DNA critical in predicting life expectancy—may be significantly altered during pregnancy.
After explaining how hormonal and neurologic processes in the womb provide a blueprint for later mental illness and disease, Dr. Janov charts a revolutionary new course for psychotherapy. He provides a sharp critique of cognitive behavioral therapy, psychoanalysis, and other popular “talk therapy” models for treating addiction and mental illness, which he argues do not reach the limbic system and brainstem, where the effects of early trauma are registered in the nervous system.
“Life Before Birth: The Hidden Script that Rules Our Lives” is scheduled to be published by NTI Upstream in October 2011, and has tremendous implications for the future of modern psychology, pediatrics, pregnancy, and women’s health.
Editor