Sunday, January 4, 2009

Why Religion and Psychotherapy "work"

When I say “work” I mean that they can make us feel better. If they didn’t, they would surely fade away. There are many explanations for this. What we learn from placebo (medicine that is “sold” as a pain-killer but is inert) research helps this understanding. Aside from the merits or their lack in religion or psychotherapy, one reason they make us feel better is because we expect them to do so.

In placebo research the subject is put in pain and then told that the drug they are injecting will kill it; and it does in most cases. So expectations cause the very same neurojuice secretion as when the drug is really given. But there is more; the placebo stimulates the brain circuits in the same area where the real drug works. The brain does not know the difference. The dentist can go on drilling to his heart’s content because belief is producing pain-killing chemicals in the same circuits where painkillers work. The brain has deceived itself; the result is no pain. If you can produce the very same chemicals that exist in a tranquilizing pill how can you ever tell the difference? That is why thinking you are getting well is not the same as feeling it. Thinking is malleable; feeling is not.

I treated a man who was getting to very deep and painful feelings. We suspected for some time that he was a victim of incest. As he got close to this memory he sat upright and told me that he just saw God and was saved by him; he didn’t have to get to the feeling. He felt much better. What he saw was relief; his brain manufactured something that wasn’t there and eased his pain. Something that was there was his brain’s ability to manufacture symbols. That was a reality that he conjured up, and it became real to him. So on the verge of horrific emotional pain he produced painkillers, and they produced images and thoughts and killed the pain.

What comes first? Pain, then images and thoughts, then relief. So belief is one excellent way of blocking pain. That is why the alcoholic can give up booze when he finds “God.” He simply has found another convenient way to inject chemicals into himself from the inside.

If I believe in psychotherapy and go to a warm concerned therapist I am likely to think the therapy works. Because if you “think” a psychotherapy works, it often will. You think you are getting better because you think you are getting better. The belief is all. Diabolic, but true.

27 comments:

  1. Surely God must be the most expensive pain-killer of all, if you add up the cost to humanity of time spent in religious pursuits, money spent on religious wars and disputes, money for adverts and the upkeep of religious organizations and the cost incurred when top-level governmental decisions are made under the influence of an imagined Divine. Wouldn't Primal Therapy be a far,far cheaper alternative for the world.

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  2. What a great opportunity to make a comment.

    I can only respond with my own experience. I had ‘endogenous’ depression for more than 25 years, and would have been described as being very religious. I found great peace in my practice as a good christian; knowing that my ‘suffering’ was contributing to the healing of the world!! This was my cross. My belief produced pain killing chemicals to such an extent that I managed my life very well.

    Finally I went into overload, and my ‘placeboic’ beliefs no longer worked; I collapsed. Discovering primal therapy, my blocks began to dissolve and I discovered my own truth, and no longer confined by beliefs put upon me by fearful institutions.

    At one time, while taking part in a holotropic breathwork workshop, I had come to the end of my session, and I was lying in the recovery position for more than twenty minutes aware of the powerful insights coming up for me. I looked into my sitter’s eyes, and with tear stained eyes, I said “I have been searching for god all my life, but I now know that I have been looking for my mother”.

    Since I began doing primal therapy, I have never ever suffered from depression, and my life is one of freedom and fun.

    Ironically, having primalled my chldood hurts, the trauma of my birth, implantation and conception, I have come to a place where I am aware of a higher level of consciousness within me. Is this god? I dont know, but it sure feels good.

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  3. But what an extremely expensive painkiller God is. If you take into account the cost of people's time spent in religious pursuits, the cost of wars and reconstruction caused by religious indifference and the cost of the upkeep of religious organisations, surely God must be the single most expensive entity on earth. Is there any chance that Dr.Janov's solutions for the Human Condition could one day remove the need for such a mass dependence on God for Human happiness?

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  4. As you have stated in your books in the past a lot of people who need psychotherapy turn to religion instead. The world today is full of religious kooks who use their beliefs as a defense. There are a few people though, who have apparently had some types of spectacular change caused by illness or accident. Please read "The Dazzling Dark" by John Wren-Lewis on (www.capacitie.org) website or Gopi Krishnas autobiography "Living With Kundalini" . My question regarding religion "working" is, when we die does our consciousness continue on, like the thousands of near death experiencers have described in their books (see Brinkley,Ring,Moody,Morse,Atwater etc.)If yes, then I am glad and relieved that nothing is forever lost. If death means consciousness ends I will not even know that I do not exist, but then what happens to all the development,experience and becoming? Thats it? Sorry, but the idea that I once was and now thats it forever is for me unacceptable! Of course this also means that if we only have this one life than we should definitely strive to make this life "work", be creative and of course strive to live as long as possible.

    With regards to psychotherapy "working":
    since Primal Therapy is trying to find objective parameters such as core body temperature, heartbeat etc. to determine health, maybe it is just a matter of time until real health is measurable and we dont need to ask people if they "think" they are better.

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  5. Phillyboy,
    I don't know why I am writing when there are all these brilliant people out there. I realize I have lived a too cloistered life, not meeting all these terrific, smart people. Thanks, art janov

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  6. Eddy,
    Sorry, it is my belief that when it is over, it is over. Nothing more. They say that there are no atheists in foxholes but I have been there and still did not believe. Everyone wants to think that some part of us lives on, but the evidence is there to see. Nothing does. If you want to believe in soul, electricity, blah blah, Ok. But it is not my cup of tea. Live well and now! dr. janov

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  7. I feel greatly honoured that Dr.Janov has responded to my comment; and with such humility. I have also been wondering whether parts of his philosophy could be used to help pain-relieve the masses. For instance, a wide awareness of early-aquired pain could influence more parents to take greater care during pregnancy and in raising their children. Also,with this awareness, more adults might see the sense in chipping away at their neurosis by expressing feelings more, being tolerant of other’s expressed feelings and being there for friends to express their feelings with. And with more love and less repression perhaps many people could let go of God. Imagine if all the mullahs, priests, rabbis etc became primal therapists instead, wouldn’t we have a more peaceful world?

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  8. Fauchan,
    Well, what good news! What can I say but I am happy if my words can make your life better. This is something I will tag onto your letter that may clarify things. best to you dr. janov

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  9. I think that the neurotic need for beliefs and the "seeing" of religious imagery doesn't really prove that God etc isn't real.

    Evolution would have involved the supernatural at all its levels, including the fight to stay sane in the face of overwhelming pain.

    Russ

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  10. Whatever people see or feel in near death experiences - the idea of life after death seems so incredibly absurd to me! Just as absurd as the idea of prelives in past centuries. Have you ever heard an animal reflecting on eternal life? Maybe those "poor" creatures have to do without it because they have no human brain and cannot produce thoughts? So might it be that eternal lives and pre-lives only exist in our thoughts? Another fantastic performance of the human neocortex?

    I also deeply refuse to believe in conception-relivings. There are so many case studies in Dr. Janov's books, but no patient has ever reported to have relived his/her implantation or conception. In my own primal process I have relived prenatal experiences but these imprints have nothing to do with conception. Maybe this happens in programed workshop- or weekend-primal therapies according to the motto: "What kind of experience will we relive this weeekend? Birth.Fine. And in the next workshop? Conception. Great!"

    I'm sorry to say it this nasty way but in my view this has nothing to do with proper Primal Therapy. The result of these mock therapies may be a "higher level of consciousness." For me one more proof of the brain's great skills in deceiving itself. Isn't normal human consciousness quite enough for a satisfactory life?

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  11. Ferdinand. I have never seen a conception reliving. This was an idea of Ronnie Laing who wanted to go me one better and decided that implantation and conception were imprints that could be relived. Nonsense! dr. janov. Jesus. Isn't reality enough?

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  12. Dr. Janov, how we come into existance and how we become conscious is simply impossible to prove/understand. So we begin with something that is beyond our sense of logic.
    It is therefore impossible to assume that death can be proven/understood with logic.
    This is not semantics. This is the 'miracle' of EXISTANCE.
    I am not religious at all. It is all beyond my understanding. It is all beyond yours too. I am surprised you are referring to 'evidence' in relation to death.
    I don't want to die, and I will do what I can to maximise my chances of immortality (perhaps through kryogenics), but I don't think about it much and I am not afraid of death....at least not yet.
    I want to do primal therapy and I hope I don't become too hindered by the feeling of 'inevitable' death.

    I respect your views and the great work you do
    - Richard

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  13. No doubt religious beliefs are mostly driven by neurotic dependencies, but I think that atheism too can have strong defensive links. Here are some examples I believe:

    Two people who I know of claim to be atheist and are also very anti-religious (i.e. it's an issue for them). These people both grew up with parents who basically rammed religion down their throats, and forced them to attend long hours of bible study and the like. I get the feeling that their apparent atheism has more to do with a hatred for religion (because of what had to mean for them in their childhoods) than a "pure" objective belief in atheism. I get the feeling that their anti-religion preoccupation exists to fight religion's latent influence on them (relating to early indoctrination), and atheism basically just helps them in their fight.

    I also think that atheism can service a kind of denial. It can be a short, sharp 'absolutist' conclusion that allows the individual to think about death no more, and to therefore not have to feel the reality of ultimate death i.e. atheism supports the question just becoming a "don't go there" zone.

    And thanks for the blog Dr Janov - I enjoy it!

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  14. Richard. Good letter. Hope to see you at the Primal Center in Santa Monica. If death is ever-present it is because it is a surging imprint that forces its way into conscious/awareness. There is something we can do about that.

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  15. Phantom88
    Yeah but it proves that the belief is not real. What thinkest thou, Russ? dr. janov

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  16. Ferdinand said “ In my own primal process I have relived prenatal experiences but these imprints have nothing to do with conception. Maybe this happens in programed workshop- or weekend-primal therapies according to the motto: "What kind of experience will we relive this weeekend? Birth.Fine. And in the next workshop? Conception. Great!"

    Frauchan says My pre-natal reliving which included , my birth and interuterine, which surprisingly eventually led to implantation, and conception, were not relived on weekend workshops or the like. I have no time for these scare mongering generators of instant birthing weekends. They were relived by me after several years of primalling; and all in the presence of very fine therapists.

    Arthur Janov said. “ Ferdinand. I have never seen a conception reliving. This was an idea of Ronnie Laing who wanted to go me one better and decided that implantation and conception were imprints that could be relived. Nonsense! dr. janov. Jesus. Isn't reality enough?

    Frauchan says: And I too had never seen a conception reliving, or an implantation reliving until I experienced it for myself. My body obviously finally felt safe enough to go there. Ferdinand, have you read Elizabeth Noble’s book-Primal Connections?

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  17. Well, the belief may turn out to have been unreal, but that doesn't really mean that what they believed wasn't true.

    As the old saying goes, "just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they're not out to get you."

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  18. Hey Frauchan. Dare I say it? You need proper therapy or no therapy at all. But beware of what you think you are feeling. It certainly may not be so. dr.janov

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  19. Thanks Dr. Janov. I intend to move, maybe permanently, to LA (I live in NZ and prefer longer summers). I will be applying for your Primal Therapy.

    Frauchan,
    if you did feel yourself as a newly formed embryo, you would not be able to see or hear or feel anything other than some very basic sensations. Those sensations would not be enough to make you know that you are at the early embryonic stage.
    I think Arthur's point is that you have come to an intellectual explanation of your experience....the explanation must have been invented in some way.

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  20. Well Richard we are looking forward to seeing you when you come out. We will try to help as much as we can. dr. janov

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  21. Dr. Janov. Hey Frauchan. Dare I say it? You need proper therapy or no therapy at all. But beware of what you think you are feeling. It certainly may not be so. dr.janov

    Frauchan....Yes, I completely agree with you; we can be so easily be misled by our imaginings. Al three brains work for me. My body, and my vital signs confirm my experiences.. And my insights have come after my relivings.

    Richard...I didn’t feel like a newly formed embryo, that is too concrete. But I could sensate a lot. My experiences were terrifying in the reliving...but ultimately healing.

    Your assumption that I have come to an intellectual explanation of my experiences is not correct. (smile) But thank you for your interest. And I wish you well on your primal journe, and hope that you will find a resolution to this rising imprint around “inevitable death”. I have.

    Frauchan.

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  22. Frauchan: Sorry, I can only say what Art Janov said: You need PROPER Primal Therapy. I`m afraid you have been on the wrong track. A track that leads you further and further away from your inner reality.

    I know from Dr. Janov's books that it takes about 3 months of gestation until the embryo/fetus will be able to register and store what affects him/her in the womb, e.g., mother's anxiety.

    Primal Connections by Elisabeth Noble is in no way suitable reading for those interested in Primal Therapy. In this book the author lets her imagination run wild. A true disaster for science!

    Primal Therapy does not lead to a "higher level of consciousness." It guides you from (intellectual) awareness (a state of disconnection caused by pain and its repression) to normal human consciousness - a more feeling state which is the manifestation of a well connected brain. Please read Dr. Janov's Primal Healing.

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  23. Ferdinand says. Sorry, I can only say what Art Janov said: You need PROPER Primal Therapy. I`m afraid you have been on the wrong track. A track that leads you further and further away from your inner reality.
    Frauchan: Dear Ferdinand, Oh I’m on the wrong track am I? I see. So all my training as a psychotherapist, followed by training as a primal therapist on both sides of the Atlantic, and my many years of experience as a client and facilitator, together with having read all of Janov’s books is in vain. Oh how sad. And you presume to know my inner reality. Ah well.
    Ferdinand. I know from Dr. Janov's books that it takes about 3 months of gestation until the embryo/fetus will be able to register and store what affects him/her in the womb, e.g., mother's anxiety.
    Frauchan, Oh you know from his books. Yes, as do I, not just from books, but from personal experience.

    Ferdinand: Primal Connections by Elisabeth Noble is in no way suitable reading for those interested in Primal Therapy. In this book the author lets her imagination run wild. A true disaster for science!
    Frauchan: Oh I am sure you consider it so.

    Ferdinand: Primal Therapy does not lead to a "higher level of consciousness." It guides you from (intellectual) awareness (a state of disconnection caused by pain and its repression) to normal human consciousness – a more feeling state which is the manifestation of a well connected brain. Please read Dr. Janov's Primal Healing.
    Frauchan: Have to agree with you here. I have done it all. And as mentioned above I have read all of his books. Theory is fine, but experience speaks louder. Thank you all for your contributions. Its been fun, and I am looking forward to Dr. Janov’s next blog.

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  24. Dr. Janov,
    when I try to explain my understanding of primal therapy, in a nutshell (hard to do) to other people, the most common response I get is "no way...not for me thanks...I don't want to end up losing my mind".
    You said "I treated a man who was getting to very deep and painful feelings. We suspected for some time that he was a victim of incest. As he got close to this memory he sat upright and told me that he just saw God and was saved by him; he didn’t have to get to the feeling."
    I have read from bits from your books that the mind will choose symbolic images to avoid getting too deep in the pain. Eventually when the patient is ready, the real image/memory is seen/felt.
    Did that man already believe in god before therapy? Or did he form the belief spontaneously? Would you describe these symbolic visions as a form of psychosis? Does this 'psychosis' become strongly imbedded for some of your patients? Does the symbolic image become so meaningful that it causes the patient to believe in it to such an extent, that he leaves primal therapy and starts a new path in life based on the false belief?
    This is a hypothetical situation that my cousin Marion always refers to when we talk about primal therapy.
    I am hoping that your therapy is ALWAYS robust enough to not allow a person to permanently lose their mind, particularly when they are getting close to severe pain.
    I smoked too much marijuana once (might have been laced with something). I was alone and I suffered badly. I worked as hard as I could for about 6 hours to avoid something that felt like it was going to be unsurvivable. I stared at the ceiling and tried to focus on nothing...my body was locked up tight (didn't know that until I came close to the end of the experience), and my bed was soaked with sweat. I felt like I was EXTREMELY close to losing my mind....or worse.
    I am what you would describe as a 'first liner'. My left hand always turns blue and my heart is always racing. I think there is some big pain in there. I also 'think' that I am brave enough to go too far too quickly. during that horrific experience when I smoked that weed, it would have been so much easier to stop fighting and give in to the feeling....but as I have already said, I don't want to lose my mind...or die.
    Perhaps the marijuana was causing havoc with my normal mental processes and making it far more dangerous than need be.
    How safe is your therapy for someone who just flies staight into a birth primal?

    I don't intend to keep using your blog as a tool for asking you questions. Just wanted to get this off my chest. If you would prefer not to display this post on your blog, I won't mind. If you do want to show it or edit it...that's fine too.

    Thanks
    - Richard

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  25. Good letter, Richard.
    We don't let anyone go into a psychotic state. We now have the techniques to see it coming and to alleviate the force of the pain with medication. We know so much more now that there is no danger at all in our therapy. There is a danger for the mock therapists who do holotropic breathing, rebirthing and all kinds of nonsense. We now see the therapy as almost mathematical in its precision. The minute anyone makes a mistake the whole staff knows it. It takes many years to learn it. My therapists have spent between 15 and 20 years learning it. We have constant staff review and training. We watch the vital signs of all patients. You need someone to watch over your therapy. dr. janov

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  26. Hi everyone. Please exuse my broken English. In a way this is "my" topic: Why and how Religion and Psychotherapy works. And Placebos. At first I want to thank You, Mr Janov, and also the GOD of anything that exists. :o) ff jahn

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  27. Richard. We never let people fly off into symbolism or delusions. the case I am discussing was a self-primmaler, never a good idea. We watch all this closely and check our measurements each and ever y day to make sure all goes well. Yes, the man in question already did believe God so it was a short haul to the belief of being saved by him/her. We try never to allow a patient to believe in her delusions. There are remedial techniques we have. Don't forget we have been at this for forty years so we have learned how to control situations that come up in therapy. We try practically every day in the week to refine what we do. Dr. janov

    Dr. Janov

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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