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| {{Short description|Psychotherapy of Arthur Janov}} | |||
| '''Primal Therapy''' is a ]-based ] created by ], ]. | |||
| '''Primal therapy''' is a ]-based ] created by ] during the 1960s, who argued that ] is caused by the ] ] of ]. Janov argued that repressed pain can be sequentially brought to conscious awareness for resolution through re-experiencing specific incidents and fully expressing the resulting pain during therapy. Primal therapy was developed as a means of eliciting the repressed pain; the term ''Pain'' is capitalized in discussions of primal therapy when referring to any repressed emotional distress and its purported long-lasting psychological effects. Janov believed that ] deal primarily with the ] and higher-reasoning areas and do not access the source of Pain within the more basic parts of the ].<ref name="PoPInt">Janov, A., ''Prisoners of Pain'', Introduction</ref> | |||
| Primal therapy is used to re-experience childhood pain—i.e., felt rather than conceptual memories—in an attempt to resolve the pain through complete processing and integration, becoming real. An intended objective of the therapy is to lessen or eliminate the hold early trauma exerts on adult behaviour. | |||
| Janov claimed that in Primal Therapy, patients would find their real needs and feelings in the process of experiencing all their "Pain" (capitalized technical term of Primal Theory--see below). | |||
| Primal therapy became very influential during a brief period in the early 1970s after the publication of Janov's first book, '']''. It inspired hundreds of spin-off clinics worldwide and served as an inspiration for many popular cultural icons. Singer-songwriter ], actor ], and pianist ] were prominent advocates of primal therapy.<ref name="Primal Therapy this year´s rage">, ], June 16, 1971</ref> Primal therapy has since declined in popularity, partly because Janov had not demonstrated in research the outcomes necessary to convince psychologists of its effectiveness. Furthermore, primal therapy is not accepted in the field of psychology, largely due to the lack of research.<ref name=Ehebald>{{cite journal |vauthors=Ehebald U, Werthmann HV |title= |language=de |journal=Z Psychosom Med Psychoanal |volume=28 |issue=4 |pages=407–21 |year=1982 |pmid=7180218 }}</ref> However, proponents of the methodology continue to advocate and practice the therapy or variations of it. | |||
| One of the fundamental claims of Primal Therapy remains that therapeutic progress can only be made through direct ]al experience, which allows access to the source of psychological pain in the lower ] and ]. According to Primal Theory, psychological therapies which involve only talking about the problem (referred to as "Talking Therapies") are of limited effectiveness because the ], or higher reasoning area of the brain, has no ability to affect the real source of psychological pain in other areas of the brain. This is emphasised throughout the writings of Arthur Janov. | |||
| == Concepts == | |||
| The absence of ]ed outcome studies to substantiate these claims led to the therapy falling out of favor in academic and psychotherapeutic circles. However, Dr. Janov and his associates have continued practicing the therapy and providing it at his Center in ]. | |||
| Janov stated that neurosis is the result of suppressed pain, which is the result of trauma, usually trauma of childhood origin. According to Janov, the only way to reverse neurosis is for the neurotic to recall their trauma in a therapeutic setting. Janov contended that the neurotic can thereby re-experience their feelings in response to the original traumatic incidents but can now express the emotions that at that time were repressed, thereby resolving the trauma.<ref name="PScream">"The Primal Scream". Chapter 8, ''The Cure''</ref> | |||
| Janov believed that there is only one source of mental illness (besides genetic defects): imprinted pain. He argued that this unitary source of neurosis implies that there can be only one effective cure: re-experiencing.<ref name="PScream"/> | |||
| Primal Therapy received public attention after ex-Beatle ] sought treatment from Arthur and Vivian Janov. His experience in therapy heavily influenced his ] ] solo album. | |||
| == |
===Pain=== | ||
| In primal theory, "Primal Pain is deprivation or injury which threatens the developing child. A parent's warning is not necessarily a Primal Pain for the child. Utter humiliation is... An infant left to cry it out in the crib is in Pain... It is not hurt as such which defines Primal Pain but rather the context of the hurt or its meaning to the impressionable developing consciousness of the child."<ref name="PoP9">Janov, A., ''Prisoners of Pain'', p. 9</ref> | |||
| This article is about Primal Therapy as created and developed by Arthur Janov. His first book on the subject, ''The Primal Scream'', was published in 1970 and he soon trademarked "Primal Therapy", lost a court case over it, and eventually the trademark was withdrawn by the patent office only about five years after ''The Primal Scream'' appeared. The lost legal battle over the patent was with a therapy center in Canada offering a therapy called ]. This center was using the term "Primal", which had recently been adopted by Dr Janov, with the same meaning he had given it. | |||
| Janov described "Pain" as the pain that does not hurt because, as soon as the person goes into it, it becomes simply feeling. Most of the suffering is in the blockage or repression, not the Pain itself.<ref name="PrimalHealing199">Janov, A., ''Primal Healing'', p. 199</ref> | |||
| Although "primal therapy", or for that matter "Primal Therapy", can now be offered by anyone, the term, Primal Therapy, is retained in this article as a convenient short hand for Arthur Janov's Primal Therapy so as to distinguish it from the primal therapy which can be and is offered around the world by people who may or may not have the necessary training and ability to provide it. This article should in no way be taken as an endorsement of any particular form of therapy. | |||
| This is not a history of Primal Therapy, though some history comes into it, of necessity, to explain some of the secrecy and confusion surrounding this subject. Although the methodology of Primal Therapy has evolved since the publication of ''The Primal Scream'', the basic concepts have not changed: they have only been refined and elaborated. As explained in this article, in ], the details of methods are not available to the public. | |||
| This is not an exhaustive account of even the main concepts that distinguish Primal Therapy from other therapies, for the reasons given above and simply because of the extensive library of books published by Arthur Janov which do just that. | |||
| ==Theory== | |||
| Although he has used some basic terms that were in common use by professionals in psychology and medicine, Janov moved away from the accepted terminology partly because of his firm belief that mental illness is a disorder of the entire system and so is not ''just'' mental. Moreover he believed that there was just one source of mental illness (besides genetic defects) - the imprinted pain of unmet needs - and therefore just one effective treatment. He still believes that much illness that is attributed to defective genes is actually due to imprints of early traumatic pain in utero.<ref name="BOL185">Janov, A., ''The Biology of Love'', page 185</ref> | |||
| Over the decades, since the publication of ''Primal Man'' (1975), he has addressed his books less to mental health professionals and more to the lay public. In ''The Biology of Love'' (2000), Arthur Janov reviewed all the theoretical work from his early books relating neurorology to the processing of trauma. This account updated his theory, expounded in ''Primal Man'', drawing on (and citing) up-to-date psychological and neurological research.<ref name="BOLI">Janov, A., ''The Biology of Love'', Part I</ref> | |||
| ===Needs=== | ===Needs=== | ||
| Janov believed that much of the pain of childhood is the result of needs going unmet. Drawing from earlier psychologists, he described his take on the basic needs in his books. "Our first needs are solely physical ones for nourishment, safety and comfort. Later we have emotional needs for affection, understanding and respect for our feelings. Finally, intellectual needs to know and to understand emerge."<ref name="NPS5">Janov, A., ''The New Primal Scream'', p. 5</ref> | |||
| Early in life needs are a matter of survival. "Need is a total state of the human being - and at birth we are almost nothing but need."<ref name="PoP3">Janov, A., ''Prisoners of Pain'' page 3</ref> For the helpless newborn, survival is at stake in nearly every second of existence.<ref name="PoP3">Janov, A., ''Prisoners of Pain'' page 3</ref> | |||
| When needs go unfilled for too long, Pain is the result. | |||
| ===Pain=== | |||
| In Primal Theory, "Primal Pain is deprivation or injury which threatens the developing child. A parent's warning is not necessarily a Primal Pain for the child. Utter humiliation is...An infant left to cry it out in the crib is in Pain...It is not hurt as such which defines Primal Pain but rather the context of the hurt or its meaning to the impressionable developing consciousness of the child." <ref name="PoP9">Janov, A., ''Prisoners of Pain'' page 9</ref> | |||
| Arthur Janov has often written that his patients refer to Pain as the pain that doesn't hurt because, as soon as they go into it, it becomes simply feeling. Most of the suffering component is in the blockage or repression.<ref name="PrimalHealing199">Janov, A., ''Primal Healing'' page 199</ref> | |||
| Janov asserted that when needs go unfulfilled for too long, pain is the result. | |||
| ===Consciousness and repression=== | ===Consciousness and repression=== | ||
| In |
In primal theory, ] is not simply awareness but refers to a state of the entire ], including the brain, in which there is "fluid access" between the parts.<ref name="J&H1-4">Janov, A. & Holden, e. M., ''Primal Man'', pp. 1–4</ref> Using the ] work by ] and adapting it to Primal Theory, three levels of consciousness are recognized in Primal Theory.<ref name="J&H56-111">Janov, A. & Holden, e. M., ''Primal Man'', pp. 56–111</ref><ref name="NPS54-55">Janov, A., ''The New Primal Scream'', pp. 54–55</ref><ref name="BOL106-137">Janov, A., ''The Biology of Love'', 106–137</ref> | ||
| with the result that the concept of repression is more complex than in earlier theories of ] as it can occur on the physical, emotional, or intellectual levels of consciousness. | |||
| The following table |
The following table summarizes some of the fundamental ideas and terms Janov (J) has used as well as conventional terms used in general and scientific papers. | ||
| {| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
| Line 66: | Line 49: | ||
| | somatosensory | | somatosensory | ||
| | sensation and visceral responses | | sensation and visceral responses | ||
| | ] | | ] | ||
| | survival mind | | survival mind | ||
| |} | |} | ||
| * |
* Janov described defenses as the agents of repression that protect the system from the catastrophic Pain of unfulfilled need. When referring to Pain or defense the word ''line'' is used instead of ''level''; ''e.g.'' first-line Pain = early trauma imprinted in the brainstem usually involving physical injury, third line defense = intellectual defense. | ||
| * The brainstem has also often been referred to as the reptilian brain as it is the structure which mammals have in common with reptiles. | * The brainstem has also often been referred to as the reptilian brain as it is the structure which mammals have in common with reptiles. | ||
| * |
* First-line imprints occur before intellectual abilities, such as the use of verbal language, have developed. They are at the level of pure sensation and visceral (or gut) reaction. The brainstem is capable of processing the most primitive emotions of rage and terror, and these can be experienced very early in life. | ||
| Primal Pains are imprinted in the lower brain first then later the limbic system and still later intellectual defenses are formed by the cortex simply because this is the sequence of neurological development. |
According to Janov, Primal Pains are imprinted in the lower brain first, then later the limbic system, and still later intellectual defenses are formed by the cortex simply because this is the sequence of neurological development. The therapy therefore occurs in the reverse sequence: "There is no way to go deep without first going shallow."<ref name="PrimalHealing182">Janov, A., ''Primal Healing'', p. 182</ref> In primal therapy, medication is prescribed for some "overloaded" patients, so they do not overshoot into first-line pains that they are not ready to feel, thereby allowing them to feel the more recent pains first.<ref name="BOL133">Janov, A., ''The Biology of Love'', p. 133</ref> | ||
| ===Origins of neurosis=== | ===Origins of neurosis=== | ||
| Primal |
Primal theory contends that many or most people suffer from some degree of ]. This neurosis begins very early in life (especially in the "critical period"—birth plus the first three years)<ref name="PrimalHealing42-48">Janov, A., ''Primal Healing'', pp. 42–48</ref> as a result of needs not being met. There may be one or more isolated traumatic events, but more often, it is a case of daily neglect or abuse. | ||
| Neurosis therefore may begin to develop at birth, or even before, with first-line Pains. Subsequent Pain is thought to be added on top of previous pain in what is called "compounding" the Pain.<ref name="PrimalHealing94">Janov, A., ''Primal Healing'', p. 94</ref> | |||
| Throughout childhood more elaborate "defenses" develop as the early unmet needs keep pressing for satisfaction in symbolic and therefore inevitably unsatisfying ways. | Throughout childhood, more elaborate "defenses" develop, as the early unmet needs keep pressing for satisfaction in symbolic, and therefore inevitably unsatisfying, ways. | ||
| == |
==Format and process== | ||
| The overall strategy of primal therapy has hardly changed from the early days. The therapy begins with an intensive three weeks of fifteen open-ended sessions with one therapist. After this, the patient joins group meetings with other patients and therapists once or twice a week for as long as is needed. Private sessions are still available, though not every day. The length of time needed in formal therapy varies from person to person. | |||
| Since his first book, Janov has often written about the abuses of therapists, whom he has referred to as "mock primal therapists" or simply "mock therapists" or "would-be practitioners". | |||
| ===The Center for Feeling Therapy=== | |||
| The following summary is based on ''Therapy Gone Mad'' by Carol Lynn Mithers, a book based on interviews of some 48 former patients of The Center for Feeling Therapy who shared diaries, notes and audiotapes with her.<ref name="Mithersix">Mithers, C.L. ''Therapy Gone Mad'', page ix</ref> Marybeth Ayella has written another report in ''Insane Therapy, Portrait of a Psychotherapy Cult''. | |||
| A notorious case of therapy abuse occurred in the seventies at The Center for Feeling Therapy, founded in Los Angeles in 1971 by nine people from The Primal Institute. Joe Hart and Richard "Riggs" Corriere, together with seven other therapists - two of whom had been certified as Primal Therapists.<ref name="Mithers60">Mithers, C.L. ''Therapy Gone Mad'', page 60</ref> As well as the two certified therapists, twenty five patients left The Primal Institute with Hart and Corriere.<ref name="Mithers58">Mithers, C.L. ''Therapy Gone Mad'', page 58</ref> Hart and Corriere had been in the therapist training program at The Primal Institute<ref name="Mithers55">Mithers, C.L. ''Therapy Gone Mad'', page 55</ref> and Corriere had contributed to a scientific study reprinted in Janov's second book.<ref name="Anatomy198-210">Janov, A. ''The Anatomy of Mental Illness'', pages 198-210</ref> | |||
| According to Mithers, 'Later, Joe and Riggs would claim that the group had confronted Arthur Janov with their unhappiness and told him they believed patients needed to move beyond their past pain to change their present lives. Janov would deny that, comparing any attempt by Joe and Riggs to improve his theory with interns correcting a senior surgeon's technique. Interns morover, who were really only interested in power who he'd pegged as "abreactors" - people who had emotional outbursts without truly feeling anything - and who were about to be fired anyway.'<ref name="Mithers57">Mithers, C.L. ''Therapy Gone Mad'', page 57</ref> | |||
| ''Going Sane'', the book published a few years later describing their "Feeling Therapy", was given very favorable reviews by some, notably: | |||
| :"A group of very honest young therapists tell, with great candor and openness, about the new kind of therapy they are developing and the mutuality of relationship it involves." - '']''<ref name="Hart">on cover of paperback edition of ''Going Sane'' (1975) by Hart, J., Corriere, R. and Binder, J.</ref> | |||
| The Center for Feeling Therapy followed Janov's method, described in ''The Primal Scream'' of having the patient stay alone for 24 hours prior to the initial three weeks intensive. But what was a recommendation in Janov's instructions: "preferably in a hotel room near the office"<ref name="PrimalScreamAppendixB">Janov, A., ''The Primal Scream'', Appendix B</ref> became an order "''Twenty four hours before your therapy begins check into a motel near the Center''".<ref name="Mithers65">Mithers, C.L., ''Therapy Gone Mad'', page 65</ref> This was not the only element of Janov's treatment that was taken to an extreme - the isolation was prolonged inappropriately. Isolation is not prolonged more than a couple of days in many cases in Primal Therapy since many patients are depressed and actually isolate themselves as a defense - also it had not been used at The Primal Institute for treating psychotics or people with brittle defenses.<ref name="NewPrimalScream355">Janov, A., ''The New Primal Scream'', page 355</ref> | |||
| Unlike The Primal Institute, The Center for Feeling Therapy was organized as a commune. According to Mithers description of the founding therapists' initial mind set, "...although they'd be following Janov's program, they would keep exploring ways to go beyond it. They already knew two things for sure: They would avoid the narcissism that had claimed Janov, by sharing the therapy's leadership. All decisions would be made collectively; that way, no one person's theories or ego would dominate. Even more important, all therapists would continue to get treatment from their peers. That way the therapy would grow as they did."<ref name="Mithers60">Mithers, C.L., ''Therapy Gone Mad'', page 60</ref> | |||
| An abusive cult developed in the commune, mostly led by Corriere, with Joe Hart still the overall leader, knowing what Corriere had wrought but lacking the assertiveness to intervene. Finally the patients rebelled and the center in Los Angeles (along with its satellites in Boston, Honolulu, Munich and San Francisco) was shut down in November 1980<ref name="Mithers325-326">Mithers, C.L., ''Therapy Gone Mad'', pages 325-326</ref> and the therapists were subsequently (1986-1987) banned from practicing in California as a result of lawsuits initiated about five years earlier by the patients against the therapists, accusing them of rape and other forms of mistreatment. The victims and some observers of the case were dismayed that criminal charges were not brought against the therapists, and the victims never received the apology they had hoped for from the founding therapists.<ref name="Mithers394">Mithers, C.L., ''Therapy Gone Mad'', page 394</ref> | |||
| In an interview with Swedish journalist Hedda Waldenstrom in 1977,<ref name="JPT82-101>''The Journal of Primal Therapy'' Vol IV No 1 1977, pages 82-101</ref> just "about a month short of ten years" after Danny's scream,<ref name="PrimalScream9">Janov, A., ''The Primal Scream'', page 9</ref> asked if there had been any important changes in Primal Therapy since ''The Primal Scream'' was published, Arthur Janov and Michael Holden replied "''Art:'' The technique has changed radically as well as the theory and research. And the staff has changed radically. There's hardly anything the same. ''Michael:'' Except the premise. ''Art:'' The premise is exactly the same. That is, you relive Pain and you get well." Asked what effect the splits had on the work at the Institute, Janov explained that "... the staff is much more together, much more concise...". The defectors "forced us to redefine what was wrong. Why people were going astray." | |||
| ===Techniques=== | |||
| There is evidence that this revision of the methodology of Primal Therapy was well under way when Janov's second book was published in 1971 (complete with Corriere's contribution). It seems that a trend toward a less pressured approach without reliance on physical methods that had been borrowed from Reichian therapy was already underway. | |||
| Arthur Janov became even more secretive than he had been initially about the techniques of Primal Therapy. In 1992, Janov gave two reasons why he had written so little about techniques of Primal Therapy: | |||
| * Earlier descriptions of technique had been abused by the untrained, harming their patients. | |||
| * It takes years of training to be able to apply the complex methodology.<ref name="NewPrimalScream347">Janov, A., ''The New Primal Scream'', page 347 </ref> | |||
| He went on to point out some of the mistakes that were being made by the would-be practitioners. From those comments and further reading of this book and his others, a general picture of the techniques and process of Primal Therapy can be formed. Specific examples are sometimes given but only the sketchiest of tips on how to recognise when to employ a specific technique. There was a little written about the techniques of Primal Therapy in the early books but many of the early techniques have been abandoned by the Janovs, particularly physical ones such as deep breathing. | |||
| The dangers of inexpert attempts to provide this therapy are clear enough in the case of abusive therapists but bad results can occur, according to Janov, when warm, well meaning therapists, lacking the ] and technical knowledge necessary, resort to a mechanical application of techniques and inevitably do the wrong thing quite often, in some cases even causing patients to become psychotic.<ref name="NewPrimalScream355">Janov, A., ''The New Primal Scream'', page 355 (1992)</ref> | |||
| What is curative, according to Janov, is feeling in context - this involves connecting to memory and to the present--not any particular form of expression of the feeling which the patient may choose. According to Arthur Janov:<blockquote>'Primal Therapy is not just making people scream. It was the title of a book. It was never "Primal Scream Therapy". Those who read the book knew that the scream is what some people do when they hurt. Others simply sob or cry. It was the hurt we were after, not mechanical exercises such as pounding walls and yelling "mama".'<ref name="NewPrimalScream386">Janov, A., ''The New Primal Scream'', page 386</ref> </blockquote> | |||
| ==Authentication== | |||
| A case that is notable in connection with the issue of Primal Therapy versus primal therapy is that of ]. This story shows how a well known psychologist and writer on child abuse was taken in and got some early results that inspired her to promote the primal therapy in her early books only to be disappointed later and retract her endorsements in a web page entitled ''Communication to My Readers'' as well as printing retractions in her later books. She came to not recommend primal therapy in general. | |||
| Arthur Janov had been printing warnings for many years in all of his books, saying that people could check the credentials of a therapist, claiming to be a trained Primal Therapist, by contacting The Primal Institute or The Primal Foundation in ]. Since ], Arthur Janov with his present wife, France, has had his own center separate from The Primal Institute (still directed by his ex-wife Vivian Janov). So it might help to know where and when the therapist was trained. It is not a matter of public record how many therapists Arthur Janov may have trained in Paris in the ] when he had a clinic there or how many Janov-certified therapists are currently practicing. | |||
| The directors of The Primal Institute (founded by Arthur and Vivian Janov in ]) were trained by Arthur Janov and have had well over twenty years of experience. The credentials of therapists claiming to have been trained there (before or after Arthur Janov left) can be checked by contacting The Primal Institute. | |||
| ==The format of the therapy and process of healing== | |||
| The overall strategy of Primal Therapy has hardly changed from the early days. The therapy begins with an intensive three weeks of fifteen open-ended sessions with one therapist. After this the patient can join large group meetings with other patients and therapists once or twice a week for as long as is needed. Private sessions are still available, though not every day. There is flexibility within this format to allow the therapy to be adapted to the individual's needs. The length of time needed in formal therapy varies from person to person. | |||
| The therapy is aimed at helping patients to "primal" (see below) and to reach a point where they can leave therapy and get on with life, feeling ("primalling") as and when necessary without the aid of a therapist. | |||
| ====Connected feeling==== | |||
| A connected feeling, in Primal Theory, is a "conscious" experience which connects the present to the past and connects emotion to meaning - there may also be a connection to sensations in the case of a physically traumatic experience such as physical or sexual abuse or painful birth.<ref name="NewPrimalScream362">Janov, A., ''The New Primal Scream'', page 362</ref> | |||
| ===Primal=== | ===Primal=== | ||
| As a noun or a verb, the word ''primal'' denotes the reliving of an early painful feeling. A complete primal has been found, according to Janov and Holden,<ref name="J&H137-146">Janov, A. & Holden, e. M., ''Primal Man'', pp. 137–146</ref> to be marked by a "pre-primal" rise in vital signs such as pulse, core body temperature, and blood pressure leading up to the feeling experience and then a falling off of those vital signs to a more normal level than where they began. After the primal ("post-primal"), Janov claimed the patient will be flooded with his own insights. | |||
| In early writings this was another capitalised concept. In keeping with modern trends lower case is used here. | |||
| Based on Janov's own in-house studies, Janov and Holden<ref name="J&H137-146"/> concluded that the pre-primal rise in vital signs indicates the person's neurotic defenses are being stretched by the ascending Pain to the point of producing an "acute anxiety attack" (the conventional description), and the fall to more normal levels than pre-primal levels indicates a degree of resolution of the Pain. | |||
| Janov distinguished the primal from emotional ] or ], an abreaction being a "pseudo-primal".<ref>, p. 299</ref> A primal may be referred to as a "connected feeling", but a complete connected feeling will usually take months or even years to feel in many primals.<ref name="NewPrimalScream362">Janov, A., ''The New Primal Scream'', p. 362</ref> Psychiatrist ] claimed that primal therapy techniques have much in common with abreaction.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Dl9zXxiemgQC&q=arthur+janov&pg=PA251|title=Psychologists on the March: Science, Practice, and Professional Identity in America, 1929–1969|first=James H.|last=Capshew|date=13 January 1999|publisher=Cambridge University Press|via=Google Books|isbn=9780521565851}}</ref> | |||
| Based on detailed studies, Janov and Holden<ref name="J&H137-146">Janov, A. & Holden, e. M., ''Primal Man'' pages 137-146</ref> claimed that the pre-primal rise in vital signs indicates the person's neurotic defenses are being stretched by the ascending Pain to the point of producing an "acute anxiety attack" (the conventional description), and the fall to more normal levels than pre-primal levels indicates a degree of resolution of the Pain. | |||
| Janov claims that the "primal" is different from emotional ] or ]. A primal may be referred to as a "connected feeling" but a complete connected feeling will usually take months or even years to feel, in many primals.<ref name="NewPrimalScream362"/> It should be noted that "abreaction" or "catharsis" as used by other psychologists does not mean a false or unconnected feeling. | |||
| ===Duration=== | ===Duration=== | ||
| In ''The Primal Scream'' (published in January 1970), Janov wrote, "By the time someone has reached his eighth month he is generally well...Many patients finish before the eight months; some remain in therapy for ten or eleven months. It all depends on how sick they were to begin with."<ref name="PScream"/> | |||
| A therapist working for Janov stated in 1973: "The need for therapy really never ends. Nobody is ever able to flush all the pain from his body." According to this source, there were patients who stayed in therapy for as long as two years.<ref name="Boca Raton News">, August 1, 1973</ref> | |||
| Twenty years later Janov wrote that "The elapsed time before a patient is relatively well is longer than we originally supposed, but the specific time spent at the clinic is not. After one year to a year and a half patients are largely on their own, with only sporadic follow up necessary."<ref name="NewPrimalScream360">Janov, A., ''The New Primal Scream'', page 360</ref> | |||
| In ''The New Primal Scream'' (published in 1991), Janov wrote that after a year to a year and a half, patients are able to continue therapy on their own, with only sporadic follow-up necessary.<ref name="NewPrimalScream360">Janov, A., ''The New Primal Scream'', p. 360</ref> | |||
| ==Types of patients treated== | |||
| Arthur Janov noted in 2006 that there is not really any common type of Primal Therapy patient, "although all of them sense a deep unhappiness, a lack of fulfillment, and feel they're not getting what they need out of life." He listed some broad categories of cases treated: "psychosomatic cases - asthma, colitis, migraines, high blood pressure, and epilepsy; as well as behaviour disorders - those who are unable to sustain adult relationships, who divorce often, who cannot concentrate (]), and who are seriously depressed."<ref name="PrimalHealing271">Janov, A., ''Primal Healing'', page 271</ref> | |||
| ===Cost=== | |||
| There are accounts of their therapy by patients in all of Arthur Janov's books. The names are usually changed to protect the privacy of the patient. An account by an epileptic patient of his treatment can be found in the book ''Healing Fits''.<ref name="HealingFits">Reese, R., ''Healing Fits''</ref> A brief note about his therapy by an ADD patient is on his website. | |||
| In '']'' (Chapter 8), Janov wrote: "Primal therapy is much more economical than conventional insight therapy—not only in financial terms but also in the time involved. The total financial outlay is about one-fifth the cost of a psychoanalysis." | |||
| In 1971, the three-week intensive (two to four daily hours) had a cost of $1,650 ].<ref name="news.google.com">, ], April 25, 1971</ref> In 1973, the cost—payable in advance—was US$6,000 for six months of therapy.<ref name="Boca Raton News"/> In 1978, a year of primal therapy had a cost of US$6,600.<ref>, ], May 29, 1978</ref><ref>. ''Mind & society fads''</ref> | |||
| == Reports == | == Reports == | ||
| Over the decades since Janov's first book on the subject, there have been several reports and critiques relating to primal therapy in books and peer-reviewed journals. | |||
| Janov initiated from the outset small-scale research using questionnaires and measures of ], ], ], and ] from his patients.<ref>, p. 300</ref> A 1971 '']'' article cited a ] study on primal therapy patients that showed a slowing of ]. Janov claimed that primal therapy reduced, in some patients, the frequency and the amplitude of ], core ] (as much as three degrees) and ] (as much as 30 percent).<ref name="news.google.com"/> Two Brain Research Institute (]) scientists confirmed that there were brain-wave changes in primal patients.<ref name="Boca Raton News"/> | |||
| However, it should not be forgotten that primal therapy is, first and foremost, an experiential psychotherapy. In Arthur Janov's words (remembering his technical use of the word feeling - see "connected feeling"): | |||
| :"Although there are scientific references and citations throughout this work, we should not lose track of the overarching truth--feelings are their own validation. We can quote and cite all day long, but the truth ultimately lies in the experience of human beings. Their feelings explain so much that statistical evidence is irrelevant."<ref name="PrimalHealing15">Janov, A., ''Primal Healing'' page 15</ref> | |||
| Authors Prochaska and Norcross called the research by Janov "largely uncontrolled, non comparative and short term."<ref name="WLg4-0YKMsC p. 300">, p. 300</ref> | |||
| === Tomas Videgård's ''The Success and Failure of Primal Therapy'' === | |||
| In an early account of the results of primal therapy (published in book form, only in Sweden in English), Tomas Videgård<ref name="Videgard">Videgård, T., ''The Success and Failure of Primal Therapy''</ref> reported on a study of a sample of 32 patients treated at The Primal Institute. Patients entered therapy from December 1975 to May 1976. | |||
| A small uncontrolled outcome study of 13 primal patients showed that 8 were definitively improved on all outcome measures, with 1 bad outcome. The authors concluded that primal therapy warrants further study.<ref name="DahlWaal">{{cite journal |vauthors=Dahl AA, Waal H|title=An outcome study of primal therapy |language=en |journal=Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics |volume=39 |issue=3 |pages=154–64 |year=1983 |doi=10.1159/000287736 |pmid=6622628 }}</ref> | |||
| Outcome evaluation for the patients: | |||
| *4 Very Good | |||
| *9 Good | |||
| *8 Medium | |||
| *6 Bad (including one suicide) | |||
| *5 Unavailable for post-testing | |||
| ===Tomas Videgård's ''The Success and Failure of Primal Therapy''=== | |||
| Patients who did not "finish" the therapy were excluded. (See ''Duration'' above.) Patients in the sample had been in therapy for between 15 and 32 months. | |||
| In an early account of the results of primal therapy, Tomas Videgård reported on a study of a sample of 32 patients who entered therapy at The Primal Institute in 1975 and 1976.<ref name="Videgard">Videgård, T., ''The Success and Failure of Primal Therapy''</ref> | |||
| The outcome evaluation for the patients was 4 Very Good, 9 Good, 8 Medium, 6 Bad (including one suicide), and 5 Unavailable for post-testing (left therapy prematurely). Patients in the sample had been in therapy for between 15 and 32 months. Patients were evaluated based on patients' answers to questions and some ]s interpreted by Videgård himself. | |||
| Videgård himself went through the therapy, which may indicate a possible bias in favor of primal therapy. The evaluation was based on patients' answers to questions and some projective tests that require interpretation by the tester (Videgård himself) so there was a potential for bias. Videgård concluded that therapy at The Primal Institute was marginally better than the Tavistock clinic and markedly better than the ]--the two psychotherapy clinics which he used for comparison. | |||
| Videgård concluded that therapy at The Primal Institute was marginally better than the ] and markedly better than the ]—the two psychotherapy clinics he used for comparison. Videgård wrote, "The outcome is about half as good as Janov claims the results of PT to be,"<ref>Videgård, T., The Success and Failure of Primal Therapy. p. 295</ref> calculating a 40 percent success rate, compared with a 98<ref name="WLg4-0YKMsC p. 300"/>–100<ref name="Primal Therapy this year´s rage"/><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OX8WGRZQIT4C&q=arthur+janov&pg=PA182|title=Beyond the Brain: Birth, Death, and Transcendence in Psychotherapy|first=Stanislav|last=Grof|date=20 May 1985|publisher=SUNY Press|via=Google Books|isbn=9780873959537}}</ref> percent success rate claimed by Janov. | |||
| There is a paper by Stephen Khamsi Ph.D. about this study: . | |||
| == Criticism== | |||
| ===Peer reviewed journal reports=== | |||
| Primal therapy is not accepted in the field of psychology. It is regarded as one of the least credible forms of psychotherapy<ref name=Ehebald/> and has been classified in a 2006 ] ] as "discredited".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.omnibehavioralhealth.com/pdf/delphi_poll.pdf|title=''Discredited Psychological Treatments and Tests: A Delphi Poll''|website=omnibehavioralhealth.com|access-date=2010-09-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308162342/http://www.omnibehavioralhealth.com/pdf/delphi_poll.pdf|archive-date=2012-03-08|url-status=dead}}</ref> It has been frequently criticized as lacking outcome studies to substantiate its effectiveness.<ref>Singer, Lalich, ''Crazy Therapies : What Are They? Do They Work?'', p. 128</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Bornstein RF |title=The Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice: Implications for Psychology and Psychoanalysis |journal=Psychoanalytic Psychology |volume=20 |issue=4 |pages=717–26 |year=2003 |doi=10.1037/0736-9735.20.4.717}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.counselormagazine.com/content/view/338/1/ |title=Counselor Magazine, the Magazine for Addiction Professionals - Addiction Counseling Strategies That Lack Research Support |access-date=2007-12-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090329234046/http://www.counselormagazine.com/content/view/338/1/ |archive-date=2009-03-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Some researchers have suggested that Janov's claim that adults can recall infantile experiences is refuted.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = False memories in therapy and hypnosis before 1980.|journal = Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice|pages = 153–169|volume = 2|issue = 2|doi = 10.1037/cns0000044|first1 = Lawrence|last1 = Patihis|first2 = Helena J. Younes|last2 = Burton|year = 2015|doi-access = free}}</ref> | |||
| *, 1975. Article in German. | |||
| *, 1977. | |||
| *, 1978. Article in French. | |||
| *, 1979. | |||
| *, 1982. Article in German. | |||
| *, 1983. | |||
| *, 1984. | |||
| *Primal scream therapy: a new cause of ] tear. 1990. | |||
| In a 1982 paper published in the journal ''Zeitschrift für Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychoanalyse'', Ehebald and Werthmann report that, following a review of the scientific literature, they found "no on-going reports of primal therapy's therapeutic results, no statistical studies and no follow-up studies." Concluding that primal therapy is not a valid therapeutic technique, they stated that most psychotherapists in the Federal Republic of Germany believe it to be questionable in theory and dangerous in practice.<ref name=Ehebald/> | |||
| ===Papers by Arthur Janov in peer-reviewed journals=== | |||
| ] was a strong proponent of primal therapy. Later, however, she developed some misgivings and hesitations about it. She stated that primal therapy could be dangerous when conducted by inadequately trained therapists, that there was "too much faith" in cathartic discharge, and that the structure of the initial three-week intensive could provide opportunities for unscrupulous therapists.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.primals.org/articles/amiller.html|title=Alice Miller – Communication To My Readers|website=www.primals.org}}</ref> | |||
| *,1977. | |||
| According to ], many patients stayed in primal therapy for years with no substantial progress. According to Grof, the clinical state of some patients actually worsened.<ref> by ], p. 183</ref> | |||
| ===Books by Primal patients about their therapy=== | |||
| In 1996, authors Starker and Pankratz published in ''Psychological Reports'' a study of 300 randomly sampled psychologists. Participants were asked for their views about the soundness of methods of mental health treatment. Primal therapy was identified as one of the approaches "most in question as to soundness."<ref name=Starker>{{cite journal |vauthors=Starker S, Pankratz L |title=Soundness of treatment: a survey of psychologists' opinions |journal=Psychol Rep |volume=78 |issue=1 |pages=288–90 |date=February 1996 |pmid=8839319 |doi=10.2466/pr0.1996.78.1.288|s2cid=24414374 }}</ref> | |||
| *''Facing the Wolf: Inside the Process of Deep Feeling Therapy'' by Theresa Sheppard Alexander (1997), Plume. ISBN 0452275210 ISBN 9780452275218. | |||
| *''Healing Fits: The Cure of an Epileptic'' by Robert Reese (1988) Big Sky Press ISBN 0944-59200-7 | |||
| ] wrote a critical article called ''Primal Therapy: A Persistent New Age Therapy'' in the ]. Gardner claims there is not even the "slightest evidence" that adults can recall memories of the first few years of life. Gardner also details a protest over the publication of Janov's book ''The Biology of Love'', which is referred to as "Bogus Psychiatry".<ref> in the ], May 1, 2001.</ref> | |||
| == Criticism == | |||
| * is a website set up by a former primal therapist trainee, and addresses such issues as peer review, falsifiability, bias, justification and other social psychological effects behind primal therapy. In the section on of the early 2000s the author writes: | |||
| ::"... in my judgement the picture is worse than what you would expect from placebo." | |||
| * | |||
| *An early 1975 criticism of Janov within the Primal framework: , by Herman Weiner, Ph.D. | |||
| * of the 1996 Janov's book ''Why You Get Sick and How You Get Well: The Healing Power of Feelings'' | |||
| *Primal Therapy is one of the therapies listed in the 1996 book ''"Crazy" Therapies'' (ISBN 0787902780) <ref></ref><ref>, 1997</ref> | |||
| ::"Two years after writing his first book, Janov's certitude about having the one cure-all was established-at least in his mind. In the first lines of his second book, Janov wrote: "Primal Therapy purports to cure mental illness (psychophysical illness, to be exact). Moreover, it claims to be the only cure. By implication, this renders all other psychologic theories obsolete and invalid. It means that there can be only one valid approach to treating neuroses and psychosis". (Pages 121 and 122) | |||
| == History == | |||
| *Primal Therapy is cited in the 2002 paper ''Fringe Psychotherapies: The Public at Risk'' <ref></ref> | |||
| ::''], '''Primal Scream''' Therapy, and Dianetics (]) all assert that people can and should recall times in their lives when their brains and cognitive processes were too immature to lay down memories of the sort posited by these theorists'' (Page 11) | |||
| Primal Therapy began in 1967, when Janov had a pivotal psychotherapy session with Danny Wilson (a pseudonym). Danny Wilson was very disturbed over an experimental theater performance he had recently seen, during which the performer shouted "Mama!" repeatedly.<ref name="Primal Therapy this year´s rage"/><ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130415195755/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/66473224.html?dids=66473224:66473224&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jun+12%2C+1989&author=SHERYL+STOLBERG&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+%28pre-1997+Fulltext%29&desc=Back-to-Back+Fires+Damage+Analyst%27s+Primal+Institute&pqatl=google |date=2013-04-15 }}, L.A. Times. 1989</ref> Janov insistently encouraged Danny Wilson to shout "Mama!" again during the therapy session. Wilson did so, and eventually fell to the floor in emotional pain for half an hour. Janov taped the session and reheard it repeatedly. He did not understand its meaning until years later.<ref>, Arthur Janov blog, August 2008</ref><ref>, pp. 217–218</ref> | |||
| *Primal Therapy is cited in the book ''The Death of Psychotherapy: From Freud to Alien Abductions.'' (2000) Donald A. Eisner ISBN 0275964132. In that book Eisner writes: | |||
| :: “Since there is no relevant research, Primal Therapy could simply be chalked up as a placebo and the excessive demand characteristics of the extreme rituals and procedures as well as group pressures.” (Pages 51-52) | |||
| Janov later asked another therapy patient to shout "Mama!" at a pivotal moment, and that patient also achieved some kind of emotional release. Janov subsequently experimented with his patients in 1967 and 1968. Janov developed a theory of psychopathology that neurosis is caused by repressed emotional memories of childhood trauma and could be resolved by re-experiencing and expressing.<ref></ref> | |||
| *In the book ''Popular Psychology - An Encyclopedia'' (2005)(ISBN 0-313-32457-3) psychology professor Luis A. Cordon states that: | |||
| ::"...while undeniably an inventive and intriguing approach to psychotherapy, it lacks the underpinning of scientific validation which potential clients ought to be able to expect at this point in our history." (Page 133) | |||
| In 1968, The Primal Institute was founded by Arthur Janov and his first wife, Vivian.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303185019/http://www.primalinstitute.com/introduction.html |date=2016-03-03 }}. Theprimalinstitute website</ref> In 1970, Arthur Janov published his first book, '']''. In March, Arthur and Vivian ]. | |||
| * Psychiatrist Dr Anthony Clare commented on primal therapy in his book ''Let's Talk About Me'' (1981), (BBC. ISBN 0 563 17887 6): | |||
| ::"It does appear that the need to cling to a simple, unqualified, dogmatic theory outweighs whatever critical awareness that Janov's readers possess." (Page 121) | |||
| Primal therapy became very influential during a brief period in the early 1970s, after the publication of ''The Primal Scream''. It inspired hundreds of spin-off clinics worldwide and served as an inspiration for many popular cultural icons.<ref name="Primal Therapy this year´s rage"/> | |||
| *In the book ''New Age Blues'' (1979, ISBN 0-525-47532-X) Michael Rossman comments on the 3 week intensive phase of primal therapy: | |||
| ::"The elements are all pretty traditional: isolation, deprivation, anticipation, and suggestion. You can teach people a lot of different things that way. Brainwashing and the vision-quest both use it." (Page 28) | |||
| In 1971, two trainee primal therapists, Joseph Hart and Richard Corriere, abandoned Arthur Janov and started the ]. Hart claimed: "When we left Janov, forty percent of the patients came with us....we found that most had been faking their primals."<ref>, p. 37</ref> | |||
| * In the book ''Psychobabble'' (1977, ISBN 0-689-10775-7) R.D. Rosen comments on Janov's writing: | |||
| ::"It was that kind of talk that recalled nothing so much as L. Ron Hubbard's claims for Scientology, whose successful graduates, called "clears," would form a totally neurosis-free superior race." (Page 144) | |||
| == Notable patients == | |||
| * has produced a podcast(number 005) that is critical of primal therapy. This podcast is now available on Itunes | |||
| A number of prominent actors and performers underwent primal therapy during the 1970s and later advocated it. Actor ],<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kasindorf|first=Martin|date=1971-05-28|others=Newsweek Feature Service|title=San Bernardino Sun 28 May 1971|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SBS19710528.1.38&srpos=1&e=------197-en--20--1--txt-txIN-Arthur+Janov----1971---1|access-date=2021-04-19|website=California Digital Newspaper Collection|location=Los Angeles}}</ref> pianist ],<ref name="Primal Therapy this year´s rage"/> and actress ]<ref name="PalmBeachDailyNews">{{cite news|date=27 January 1974|title=Dr. Janov examines neurosis tretment|newspaper =Palm Beach Daily News}}</ref> underwent primal therapy and advocated it. | |||
| * In a magazine article, May 2007, science writer Steve Ornes wrote: | |||
| ::"Timothy Moore, chairman of the department of psychology at York University's Glendon College in Toronto, points out that Janov's ascertains of scientific linkage are based on uncontrolled case histories and personal observations, and as such his work has not been scientifically validated." ] | |||
| ] co-founder ] experimented with primal therapy,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lnofAQAAIAAJ&q=%22steve+jobs%22+%22primal+therapy%22|title=Steve Jobs: The Journey is the Reward|first=Jeffrey S.|last=Young|date=1 January 1988|publisher=Scott, Foresman|isbn=9780673188649|via=Google Books}}</ref> but later "grew bored and disdainful" of it.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0zhkAAAAIAAJ&q=%22steve+jobs%22+%22primal%22|title=Accidental millionaire: the rise and fall of Steve Jobs at Apple Computer|first=Lee|last=Butcher|date=20 May 1988|publisher=Paragon House|via=Google Books|isbn=9780913729793}}</ref> | |||
| * In the journal ''Psychoanalytic Psychology'' (20:717-726, 2003) Robert F. Bornstein, Ph.D. lists primal therapy as having no empirical evidence. He writes in the abstract: | |||
| ::"Evidence supporting the efficacy of these therapeutic approaches varies considerably, with some forms of treatment (e.g., systematic desensitization for phobias) receiving strong empirical support (Barlow, 2002), others (e.g., antidepressant management of depression) receiving mixed support (Greenberg, Bornstein, Greenberg, & Fisher, 1992), and still others (e.g., primal scream therapy) receiving no support at all." | |||
| The Scottish ] band ] was named after the type of cry heard in primal therapy.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025112307/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/72192818.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Oct+8,+1993&author=Joe+Brown&pub=The+Washington+Post+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=N.16&desc=Kept+Tears,+Shed+Partner |date=2012-10-25 }}, ], October 8, 1993</ref> The British pop band ] was directly inspired by Janov's writings.<ref>. ] website</ref> | |||
| * In October 2004, the journal ''Counselor, The Magazine for Addiction Professionals'' included an article called in which Michael J. Taleff, Ph.D. expressed that research does not support primal therapy or ventilation therapies as a strategy for addiction counseling. He writes: | |||
| ::"strategies run the gambit from Primal Therapy that promotes literally screaming out pain and neurosis...The research does not support these or similar strategies." (v.5, n.5, Pages 46-47) | |||
| === John Lennon === | |||
| * The University of Tulsa's website has a critical article called (2006, Byrd, Ensorm and Mattachione) in its section called . In that article the authors write: | |||
| ::"Overall, primal therapy is not based on scientific theory or empirical support and requires the client to spend a lot of money and a long time away from home." | |||
| ] member ] and his wife ] went through primal therapy in 1970. A copy of the just-released ''The Primal Scream'' arrived in the mail at Lennon's home ]. Lennon was impressed, and he requested primal therapy to be started at Tittenhurst.<ref name="ComeTogetherP136">{{cite book |last=Ryan|first=David Stuart|title=Come Together:John Lennon In His Time|year=1984 |publisher=University Of Illinois Press|page=138|isbn=0252061314}}</ref><ref name="LennonsSecretP182">{{cite book |last=Ryan|first=David Stuart|date= 12 December 2010|title=John Lennon's Secret|publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform|page=182|isbn= 978-1456466008}}</ref> Lennon and Ono had three weeks of intensive treatment in England before Janov returned to Los Angeles, where they had four months of therapy.<ref name="LennonListenP55">{{cite book |last=Blaney|first=John|title=John Lennon: Listen To This Book|year=2017 |publisher=Paper Jukebox|page=55|isbn=978-0995515437}}</ref> | |||
| * The website www.religioustolerance.org listed primal therapy in it's article (Sept 1997, updated May 2006) in which B.A. Robinson writes: | |||
| ::"In opposition to Primal Therapy is the near-consensus among memory researchers that infants cannot retain memories of events in their life. A person's earliest memories typically are from 42 months of age or later; retained memories prior to 24 months are unheard of." | |||
| Lennon ended primal therapy after four or five months.<ref name="JohnLennonMusicChicagoTribune">{{cite news|title=John Lennon's Best Music, What Is Real Is Unbearable|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=4 December 2005|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2005/12/04/in-john-lennons-best-music-what-is-real-is-almost-unbearable/}}</ref><ref name="ComeTogetherP138">{{cite book |last=Weiner|first=Jon|title=Come Together:John Lennon In His Time|year=1984 |publisher=University Of Illinois Press|page=138|isbn=0252061314}}</ref> Lennon commented after therapy, "I still think that Janov's therapy is great, you know, but I do not want to make it a big ] thing"<ref name="LennonsSecretP185">{{cite book |last=Ryan|first=David Stuart|date= 12 December 2010|title=John Lennon's Secret|publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform|page=185|isbn= 978-1456466008}}</ref> and "I just know myself better, that's all. I can handle myself better."<ref name="LostLennon136">{{cite book |last=Giuliano|first=Geoffrey|date= 1996|title=The Lost Lennon Interviews|publisher=Adams Media Corp|pages=136–137|isbn= 1558506381}}</ref> and "I no longer have any need for drugs, the Maharishi or the Beatles. I am myself and I know why."<ref name="news.google.com"/> | |||
| * In the winter 2003 edition of the journal ''The Skeptic'' professor Jill Gordon, an Associate Dean for Medical Education at the University of Sydney, and a practicing psychotherapist, wrote an article called in which she discusses primal therapy under the subheading "Quack Psychotherapy." Of all non-evidence based therapies she wrote in general: | |||
| ::"If you can make loads of money and have loads of prestige with so little effort, then why worry about the harm you might be doing? Even the patients you harm will be grateful, although victims’ families and friends may not.” | |||
| Shortly after therapy, Lennon produced his album '']''. (Ono recorded a parallel album, '']'', from her experiences.) Lennon's album featured a number of songs that were directly affected by his experience in therapy, including ], "]", ], ], ], "]", "]," and "]", as were a number of songs from his '']'' album, including "]", "]", and his rewriting of "]". | |||
| *In the journal ''National Post'' article (June 25, 2001) Carol Milstone Ph.D. lists primal therapy as one of the psychology fads of the 1970s. Of these fads, Milstone quotes psychologist Tana Dineen (who was practicing in the 1970s) as saying: | |||
| ::"This is the kind of junk that the colleges of licensed psychologists will do nothing about," laments Dineen. "These therapists are dangerous people, and people continue to get sucked into their beliefs." | |||
| *In the science journal ''Conocer''(number 36, January 1986, pages 93-95), published in Spain, scientist and pseudoscience investigator Manual Toharia wrote a sceptical on primal therapy. | |||
| *The National Council Against Health Fraud (NCAHF) Newsletter of July/August 2001 (Vol. 24, Issue 4) listed primal therapy as one type of treatment listed in the article In the same issue primal therapy is mentioned in another article called | |||
| *Former primal therapist Curtis Knecht(MFT) wrote a critical article called (1991) in which he writes: | |||
| ::"The therapy did not work. Primal Therapy did not cure neurosis."..."mostly it was a cult movement." | |||
| ==Answers to criticism== | |||
| *A to the "DebunkingPrimalTherapy" site, specifically its charges of cultism, by a former primal patient. | |||
| ==Sidenote re John Lennon== | |||
| The musician ], and his wife, ], both went through Primal Therapy in 1970, and shortly afterward Lennon produced his raw, emotional album, '']''. (Ono recorded a parallel album, '']'' from her experiences; both albums were released on the same day on the ] record label.) Lennon's album featured a number of songs which were directly inspired by his experience in therapy, including "Remember", "I Found Out", "]", "]", "]", "My Mummy's Dead", and "]". Lennon ended his therapy sessions before completing a full course of therapy. | |||
| (For more on this subject, see the webpage, which includes excerpts of interviews of John Lennon, Arthur Janov and Vivian Janov, along with an account of one of John's therapy sessions written by Pauline Lennon.) | |||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | *] | ||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| == |
== References == | ||
| {{reflist|2}} | |||
| <div class="references-small"> | |||
| <references /> | |||
| </div> | |||
| ==References== | |||
| ===Books=== | |||
| *Ayella, Marybeth F.''Insane Therapy, Portrait of a Psychotherapy cult'' ISBN 1-56639-601-8 | |||
| *Clare, A.W. & Thompson, S. ''Let's Talk About Me'' (1981) ISBN 0-563-17887-6 | |||
| *Eisner, D.A. ''The Death of Psychotherapy'' (2000) ISBN 0275964132 | |||
| *Janov, A. ''The Primal Scream'' (1970) ISBN 0-349-11829-9 | |||
| *Janov, A. ''The Anatomy of Mental Illness'' (1971) ISBN 0-425-02494-6 | |||
| *Janov, A. & Holden, e. M. ''Primal Man'' (1975) ISBN 0-690-01015-X | |||
| *Janov, A. ''Prisoners of Pain'' (1980) ISBN 0-385-15791-6 | |||
| *Janov, A. ''The Biology of Love'' (2000) ISBN 1-57392-829-1 | |||
| *Janov, A. ''The New Primal Scream'' (1992) ISBN 0-942103-23-8 | |||
| *Janov, A., ''Primal Healing'' (2006) ISBN 1-56414-916-1 | |||
| *Mithers, C.L. ''Therapy Gone Mad'' (1994) ISBN 0-201570-71-8 | |||
| *Reese, R., ''Healing Fits: The Cure of an Epileptic'' (1988) Big Sky Press ISBN 0944-59200-7 | |||
| *Rosen, R.D. ''Psychobabble'' (1977) ISBN 0-689-10775-7 | |||
| *Rossman, M. ''New Age Blues'' (1979) ISBN 0-525-47532-X | |||
| *Singer, M.T. & Lalich, J ''"Crazy" Therapies'' (1996) ISBN 0-7879-0278-0 | |||
| *Videgård, T. ''The Success and Failure of Primal Therapy'' (1984) ISBN 91-22-00698-2 | |||
| ] | |||
| == Bibliography == | |||
| ===External links=== | |||
| <!-- Please maintain alphabetical order. --> | |||
| *{{cite book |author1=Alexander, Theresa |title=Facing the Wolf: Inside the Process of Deep Feeling Therapy | publisher=Plume |year=1997 |isbn=0452275210 }} | |||
| *{{cite book |author1=Holden, E. Michael |author2=Janov, Arthur |title=Primal man: the new consciousness |publisher=Crowell |location=New York |year=1975 |isbn=978-0-690-01015-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/primalmannewcons00janorich }} | |||
| *{{cite book |author=Janov, Arthur |title=The Primal Scream (A Delta Book) |publisher=Dell Publishing Company |year=1970 |isbn=978-0-349-11829-1 }} | |||
| *{{cite book |author=Janov, Arthur |title=The new primal scream: primal therapy 20 years on |publisher=Enterprise Pub |location= |year=1991 |isbn=978-0-942103-23-6 }} | |||
| *{{cite book |author=Janov, Arthur |title=Primal Healing: Access the Incredible Power of Feelings to Improve Your Health |publisher=New Page Books |location=Franklin Lakes, N.J. |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-56414-916-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/primalhealingacc00jano }} | |||
| *{{cite book |author=Reese, Robert T. |title=Healing fits: the cure of an epileptic |publisher=Big Sky Press |location=Los Angeles |year=1988 |isbn=978-0-944592-00-7 }} | |||
| *{{cite book |author=Videgård, Tomas |title=The success and failure of primal therapy: 32 patients treated at the Primal Institute (Janov) viewed in the perspective of object relations theory |publisher=Almqvist & Wiksell International |location=Stockholm |year=1984 |isbn=978-91-22-00698-5 }} | |||
| * ] | |||
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| == External links == | |||
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Latest revision as of 07:40, 5 December 2024
Psychotherapy of Arthur JanovPrimal therapy is a trauma-based psychotherapy created by Arthur Janov during the 1960s, who argued that neurosis is caused by the repressed pain of childhood trauma. Janov argued that repressed pain can be sequentially brought to conscious awareness for resolution through re-experiencing specific incidents and fully expressing the resulting pain during therapy. Primal therapy was developed as a means of eliciting the repressed pain; the term Pain is capitalized in discussions of primal therapy when referring to any repressed emotional distress and its purported long-lasting psychological effects. Janov believed that talking therapies deal primarily with the cerebral cortex and higher-reasoning areas and do not access the source of Pain within the more basic parts of the central nervous system.
Primal therapy is used to re-experience childhood pain—i.e., felt rather than conceptual memories—in an attempt to resolve the pain through complete processing and integration, becoming real. An intended objective of the therapy is to lessen or eliminate the hold early trauma exerts on adult behaviour.
Primal therapy became very influential during a brief period in the early 1970s after the publication of Janov's first book, The Primal Scream. It inspired hundreds of spin-off clinics worldwide and served as an inspiration for many popular cultural icons. Singer-songwriter John Lennon, actor James Earl Jones, and pianist Roger Williams were prominent advocates of primal therapy. Primal therapy has since declined in popularity, partly because Janov had not demonstrated in research the outcomes necessary to convince psychologists of its effectiveness. Furthermore, primal therapy is not accepted in the field of psychology, largely due to the lack of research. However, proponents of the methodology continue to advocate and practice the therapy or variations of it.
Concepts
Janov stated that neurosis is the result of suppressed pain, which is the result of trauma, usually trauma of childhood origin. According to Janov, the only way to reverse neurosis is for the neurotic to recall their trauma in a therapeutic setting. Janov contended that the neurotic can thereby re-experience their feelings in response to the original traumatic incidents but can now express the emotions that at that time were repressed, thereby resolving the trauma.
Janov believed that there is only one source of mental illness (besides genetic defects): imprinted pain. He argued that this unitary source of neurosis implies that there can be only one effective cure: re-experiencing.
Pain
In primal theory, "Primal Pain is deprivation or injury which threatens the developing child. A parent's warning is not necessarily a Primal Pain for the child. Utter humiliation is... An infant left to cry it out in the crib is in Pain... It is not hurt as such which defines Primal Pain but rather the context of the hurt or its meaning to the impressionable developing consciousness of the child."
Janov described "Pain" as the pain that does not hurt because, as soon as the person goes into it, it becomes simply feeling. Most of the suffering is in the blockage or repression, not the Pain itself.
Needs
Janov believed that much of the pain of childhood is the result of needs going unmet. Drawing from earlier psychologists, he described his take on the basic needs in his books. "Our first needs are solely physical ones for nourishment, safety and comfort. Later we have emotional needs for affection, understanding and respect for our feelings. Finally, intellectual needs to know and to understand emerge."
Janov asserted that when needs go unfulfilled for too long, pain is the result.
Consciousness and repression
In primal theory, consciousness is not simply awareness but refers to a state of the entire organism, including the brain, in which there is "fluid access" between the parts. Using the triune brain work by Paul D. MacLean and adapting it to Primal Theory, three levels of consciousness are recognized in Primal Theory.
The following table summarizes some of the fundamental ideas and terms Janov (J) has used as well as conventional terms used in general and scientific papers.
| Level/Line (J) | Technical name | Functions mediated | Brain structures involved | Incorporates (J) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Third | cognitive | cognition and intellectual faculties | neocortex | thinking mind |
| Second | affective | emotional responses | limbic system | feeling mind |
| First | somatosensory | sensation and visceral responses | brainstem | survival mind |
- Janov described defenses as the agents of repression that protect the system from the catastrophic Pain of unfulfilled need. When referring to Pain or defense the word line is used instead of level; e.g. first-line Pain = early trauma imprinted in the brainstem usually involving physical injury, third line defense = intellectual defense.
- The brainstem has also often been referred to as the reptilian brain as it is the structure which mammals have in common with reptiles.
- First-line imprints occur before intellectual abilities, such as the use of verbal language, have developed. They are at the level of pure sensation and visceral (or gut) reaction. The brainstem is capable of processing the most primitive emotions of rage and terror, and these can be experienced very early in life.
According to Janov, Primal Pains are imprinted in the lower brain first, then later the limbic system, and still later intellectual defenses are formed by the cortex simply because this is the sequence of neurological development. The therapy therefore occurs in the reverse sequence: "There is no way to go deep without first going shallow." In primal therapy, medication is prescribed for some "overloaded" patients, so they do not overshoot into first-line pains that they are not ready to feel, thereby allowing them to feel the more recent pains first.
Origins of neurosis
Primal theory contends that many or most people suffer from some degree of neurosis. This neurosis begins very early in life (especially in the "critical period"—birth plus the first three years) as a result of needs not being met. There may be one or more isolated traumatic events, but more often, it is a case of daily neglect or abuse.
Neurosis therefore may begin to develop at birth, or even before, with first-line Pains. Subsequent Pain is thought to be added on top of previous pain in what is called "compounding" the Pain.
Throughout childhood, more elaborate "defenses" develop, as the early unmet needs keep pressing for satisfaction in symbolic, and therefore inevitably unsatisfying, ways.
Format and process
The overall strategy of primal therapy has hardly changed from the early days. The therapy begins with an intensive three weeks of fifteen open-ended sessions with one therapist. After this, the patient joins group meetings with other patients and therapists once or twice a week for as long as is needed. Private sessions are still available, though not every day. The length of time needed in formal therapy varies from person to person.
Primal
As a noun or a verb, the word primal denotes the reliving of an early painful feeling. A complete primal has been found, according to Janov and Holden, to be marked by a "pre-primal" rise in vital signs such as pulse, core body temperature, and blood pressure leading up to the feeling experience and then a falling off of those vital signs to a more normal level than where they began. After the primal ("post-primal"), Janov claimed the patient will be flooded with his own insights.
Based on Janov's own in-house studies, Janov and Holden concluded that the pre-primal rise in vital signs indicates the person's neurotic defenses are being stretched by the ascending Pain to the point of producing an "acute anxiety attack" (the conventional description), and the fall to more normal levels than pre-primal levels indicates a degree of resolution of the Pain.
Janov distinguished the primal from emotional Catharsis or abreaction, an abreaction being a "pseudo-primal". A primal may be referred to as a "connected feeling", but a complete connected feeling will usually take months or even years to feel in many primals. Psychiatrist Anthony Storr claimed that primal therapy techniques have much in common with abreaction.
Duration
In The Primal Scream (published in January 1970), Janov wrote, "By the time someone has reached his eighth month he is generally well...Many patients finish before the eight months; some remain in therapy for ten or eleven months. It all depends on how sick they were to begin with."
A therapist working for Janov stated in 1973: "The need for therapy really never ends. Nobody is ever able to flush all the pain from his body." According to this source, there were patients who stayed in therapy for as long as two years.
In The New Primal Scream (published in 1991), Janov wrote that after a year to a year and a half, patients are able to continue therapy on their own, with only sporadic follow-up necessary.
Cost
In The Primal Scream (Chapter 8), Janov wrote: "Primal therapy is much more economical than conventional insight therapy—not only in financial terms but also in the time involved. The total financial outlay is about one-fifth the cost of a psychoanalysis."
In 1971, the three-week intensive (two to four daily hours) had a cost of $1,650 USD. In 1973, the cost—payable in advance—was US$6,000 for six months of therapy. In 1978, a year of primal therapy had a cost of US$6,600.
Reports
Over the decades since Janov's first book on the subject, there have been several reports and critiques relating to primal therapy in books and peer-reviewed journals.
Janov initiated from the outset small-scale research using questionnaires and measures of EEG, body temperature, blood pressure, and pulse from his patients. A 1971 Pittsburgh Press article cited a University of California at Irvine study on primal therapy patients that showed a slowing of brain waves. Janov claimed that primal therapy reduced, in some patients, the frequency and the amplitude of Alpha waves, core body temperature (as much as three degrees) and blood pressure (as much as 30 percent). Two Brain Research Institute (UCLA) scientists confirmed that there were brain-wave changes in primal patients.
Authors Prochaska and Norcross called the research by Janov "largely uncontrolled, non comparative and short term."
A small uncontrolled outcome study of 13 primal patients showed that 8 were definitively improved on all outcome measures, with 1 bad outcome. The authors concluded that primal therapy warrants further study.
Tomas Videgård's The Success and Failure of Primal Therapy
In an early account of the results of primal therapy, Tomas Videgård reported on a study of a sample of 32 patients who entered therapy at The Primal Institute in 1975 and 1976.
The outcome evaluation for the patients was 4 Very Good, 9 Good, 8 Medium, 6 Bad (including one suicide), and 5 Unavailable for post-testing (left therapy prematurely). Patients in the sample had been in therapy for between 15 and 32 months. Patients were evaluated based on patients' answers to questions and some projective tests interpreted by Videgård himself.
Videgård concluded that therapy at The Primal Institute was marginally better than the Tavistock Clinic and markedly better than the Menninger Foundation—the two psychotherapy clinics he used for comparison. Videgård wrote, "The outcome is about half as good as Janov claims the results of PT to be," calculating a 40 percent success rate, compared with a 98–100 percent success rate claimed by Janov.
Criticism
Primal therapy is not accepted in the field of psychology. It is regarded as one of the least credible forms of psychotherapy and has been classified in a 2006 APA Delphi poll as "discredited". It has been frequently criticized as lacking outcome studies to substantiate its effectiveness. Some researchers have suggested that Janov's claim that adults can recall infantile experiences is refuted.
In a 1982 paper published in the journal Zeitschrift für Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychoanalyse, Ehebald and Werthmann report that, following a review of the scientific literature, they found "no on-going reports of primal therapy's therapeutic results, no statistical studies and no follow-up studies." Concluding that primal therapy is not a valid therapeutic technique, they stated that most psychotherapists in the Federal Republic of Germany believe it to be questionable in theory and dangerous in practice.
Alice Miller was a strong proponent of primal therapy. Later, however, she developed some misgivings and hesitations about it. She stated that primal therapy could be dangerous when conducted by inadequately trained therapists, that there was "too much faith" in cathartic discharge, and that the structure of the initial three-week intensive could provide opportunities for unscrupulous therapists.
According to Stanislav Grof, many patients stayed in primal therapy for years with no substantial progress. According to Grof, the clinical state of some patients actually worsened.
In 1996, authors Starker and Pankratz published in Psychological Reports a study of 300 randomly sampled psychologists. Participants were asked for their views about the soundness of methods of mental health treatment. Primal therapy was identified as one of the approaches "most in question as to soundness."
Martin Gardner wrote a critical article called Primal Therapy: A Persistent New Age Therapy in the Skeptical Inquirer. Gardner claims there is not even the "slightest evidence" that adults can recall memories of the first few years of life. Gardner also details a protest over the publication of Janov's book The Biology of Love, which is referred to as "Bogus Psychiatry".
History
Primal Therapy began in 1967, when Janov had a pivotal psychotherapy session with Danny Wilson (a pseudonym). Danny Wilson was very disturbed over an experimental theater performance he had recently seen, during which the performer shouted "Mama!" repeatedly. Janov insistently encouraged Danny Wilson to shout "Mama!" again during the therapy session. Wilson did so, and eventually fell to the floor in emotional pain for half an hour. Janov taped the session and reheard it repeatedly. He did not understand its meaning until years later.
Janov later asked another therapy patient to shout "Mama!" at a pivotal moment, and that patient also achieved some kind of emotional release. Janov subsequently experimented with his patients in 1967 and 1968. Janov developed a theory of psychopathology that neurosis is caused by repressed emotional memories of childhood trauma and could be resolved by re-experiencing and expressing.
In 1968, The Primal Institute was founded by Arthur Janov and his first wife, Vivian. In 1970, Arthur Janov published his first book, The Primal Scream. In March, Arthur and Vivian started treating John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
Primal therapy became very influential during a brief period in the early 1970s, after the publication of The Primal Scream. It inspired hundreds of spin-off clinics worldwide and served as an inspiration for many popular cultural icons.
In 1971, two trainee primal therapists, Joseph Hart and Richard Corriere, abandoned Arthur Janov and started the Center for Feeling Therapy. Hart claimed: "When we left Janov, forty percent of the patients came with us....we found that most had been faking their primals."
Notable patients
A number of prominent actors and performers underwent primal therapy during the 1970s and later advocated it. Actor James Earl Jones, pianist Roger Williams, and actress Dyan Cannon underwent primal therapy and advocated it.
Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs experimented with primal therapy, but later "grew bored and disdainful" of it.
The Scottish rock band Primal Scream was named after the type of cry heard in primal therapy. The British pop band Tears for Fears was directly inspired by Janov's writings.
John Lennon
Beatles member John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono went through primal therapy in 1970. A copy of the just-released The Primal Scream arrived in the mail at Lennon's home Tittenhurst Park. Lennon was impressed, and he requested primal therapy to be started at Tittenhurst. Lennon and Ono had three weeks of intensive treatment in England before Janov returned to Los Angeles, where they had four months of therapy.
Lennon ended primal therapy after four or five months. Lennon commented after therapy, "I still think that Janov's therapy is great, you know, but I do not want to make it a big Maharishi thing" and "I just know myself better, that's all. I can handle myself better." and "I no longer have any need for drugs, the Maharishi or the Beatles. I am myself and I know why."
Shortly after therapy, Lennon produced his album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. (Ono recorded a parallel album, Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band, from her experiences.) Lennon's album featured a number of songs that were directly affected by his experience in therapy, including "Remember", "I Found Out", "Isolation", "God", "Mother", "My Mummy's Dead", "Well Well Well," and "Working Class Hero", as were a number of songs from his Imagine album, including "How?", "Crippled Inside", and his rewriting of "Oh My Love".
See also
- Primal Scream (disambiguation)
- Attachment therapy
- Center for Feeling Therapy
- Pre- and perinatal psychology
- Primal integration
- List of topics characterized as pseudoscience
References
- Janov, A., Prisoners of Pain, Introduction
- ^ Primal Therapy this year's rage, Boca Raton News, June 16, 1971
- ^ Ehebald U, Werthmann HV (1982). "". Z Psychosom Med Psychoanal (in German). 28 (4): 407–21. PMID 7180218.
- ^ "The Primal Scream". Chapter 8, The Cure
- Janov, A., Prisoners of Pain, p. 9
- Janov, A., Primal Healing, p. 199
- Janov, A., The New Primal Scream, p. 5
- Janov, A. & Holden, e. M., Primal Man, pp. 1–4
- Janov, A. & Holden, e. M., Primal Man, pp. 56–111
- Janov, A., The New Primal Scream, pp. 54–55
- Janov, A., The Biology of Love, 106–137
- Janov, A., Primal Healing, p. 182
- Janov, A., The Biology of Love, p. 133
- Janov, A., Primal Healing, pp. 42–48
- Janov, A., Primal Healing, p. 94
- ^ Janov, A. & Holden, e. M., Primal Man, pp. 137–146
- The SAGE handbook of counselling and psychotherapy, p. 299
- Janov, A., The New Primal Scream, p. 362
- Capshew, James H. (13 January 1999). Psychologists on the March: Science, Practice, and Professional Identity in America, 1929–1969. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521565851 – via Google Books.
- ^ Boca Raton News, August 1, 1973
- Janov, A., The New Primal Scream, p. 360
- ^ Scream Like a Child – Live Like an adult, Pittsburgh Press, April 25, 1971
- Does the Primal Scream Cure Neurosis? Arthur Janov Seeks to Validate His Controversial Therapy, People, May 29, 1978
- In 1978 the cost for a year of Primal Therapy was 6600$.... Mind & society fads
- The SAGE handbook of counselling and psychotherapy, p. 300
- ^ The SAGE handbook of counselling and psychotherapy, p. 300
- Dahl AA, Waal H (1983). "An outcome study of primal therapy". Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. 39 (3): 154–64. doi:10.1159/000287736. PMID 6622628.
- Videgård, T., The Success and Failure of Primal Therapy
- Videgård, T., The Success and Failure of Primal Therapy. p. 295
- Grof, Stanislav (20 May 1985). Beyond the Brain: Birth, Death, and Transcendence in Psychotherapy. SUNY Press. ISBN 9780873959537 – via Google Books.
- "Discredited Psychological Treatments and Tests: A Delphi Poll" (PDF). omnibehavioralhealth.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2010-09-15.
- Singer, Lalich, Crazy Therapies : What Are They? Do They Work?, p. 128
- Bornstein RF (2003). "The Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice: Implications for Psychology and Psychoanalysis". Psychoanalytic Psychology. 20 (4): 717–26. doi:10.1037/0736-9735.20.4.717.
- "Counselor Magazine, the Magazine for Addiction Professionals - Addiction Counseling Strategies That Lack Research Support". Archived from the original on 2009-03-29. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
- Patihis, Lawrence; Burton, Helena J. Younes (2015). "False memories in therapy and hypnosis before 1980". Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice. 2 (2): 153–169. doi:10.1037/cns0000044.
- "Alice Miller – Communication To My Readers". www.primals.org.
- Beyond the brain: birth, death, and transcendence in psychotherapy by Stanislav Grof, p. 183
- Starker S, Pankratz L (February 1996). "Soundness of treatment: a survey of psychologists' opinions". Psychol Rep. 78 (1): 288–90. doi:10.2466/pr0.1996.78.1.288. PMID 8839319. S2CID 24414374.
- "Primal Therapy: A Persistent New Age Therapy." in the Skeptical Inquirer, May 1, 2001.
- Back-to-Back Fires Damage Analyst's Primal Institute Archived 2013-04-15 at the Wayback Machine, L.A. Times. 1989
- A New Paradigm for Psychology: Revolution in Psychotherapy, Arthur Janov blog, August 2008
- Mind & society fads, pp. 217–218
- 'The First Meeting Between Arthur Janov and Raphael Montanez Ortiz'
- The Primal Institute began operation as an outpatient clinic in 1968. It was co-founded by Dr. Arthur Janov and Vivian Janov Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine. Theprimalinstitute website
- Ethical issues in the psychotherapies, p. 37
- Kasindorf, Martin (1971-05-28). "San Bernardino Sun 28 May 1971". California Digital Newspaper Collection. Newsweek Feature Service. Los Angeles. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
- "Dr. Janov examines neurosis tretment". Palm Beach Daily News. 27 January 1974.
- Young, Jeffrey S. (1 January 1988). Steve Jobs: The Journey is the Reward. Scott, Foresman. ISBN 9780673188649 – via Google Books.
- Butcher, Lee (20 May 1988). Accidental millionaire: the rise and fall of Steve Jobs at Apple Computer. Paragon House. ISBN 9780913729793 – via Google Books.
- ...the big 1985 hit "Shout (Let It All Out)" was about Orzabal's involvement with Arthur Janov's primal scream therapy Archived 2012-10-25 at the Wayback Machine, The Washington Post, October 8, 1993
- ...the duo went on to form Tears for Fears, a synth pop outfit directly inspired by Janov's writings. MTV website
- Ryan, David Stuart (1984). Come Together:John Lennon In His Time. University Of Illinois Press. p. 138. ISBN 0252061314.
- Ryan, David Stuart (12 December 2010). John Lennon's Secret. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. p. 182. ISBN 978-1456466008.
- Blaney, John (2017). John Lennon: Listen To This Book. Paper Jukebox. p. 55. ISBN 978-0995515437.
- "John Lennon's Best Music, What Is Real Is Unbearable". Chicago Tribune. 4 December 2005.
- Weiner, Jon (1984). Come Together:John Lennon In His Time. University Of Illinois Press. p. 138. ISBN 0252061314.
- Ryan, David Stuart (12 December 2010). John Lennon's Secret. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. p. 185. ISBN 978-1456466008.
- Giuliano, Geoffrey (1996). The Lost Lennon Interviews. Adams Media Corp. pp. 136–137. ISBN 1558506381.
Bibliography
- Alexander, Theresa (1997). Facing the Wolf: Inside the Process of Deep Feeling Therapy. Plume. ISBN 0452275210.
- Holden, E. Michael; Janov, Arthur (1975). Primal man: the new consciousness. New York: Crowell. ISBN 978-0-690-01015-2.
- Janov, Arthur (1970). The Primal Scream (A Delta Book). Dell Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-349-11829-1.
- Janov, Arthur (1991). The new primal scream: primal therapy 20 years on. : Enterprise Pub. ISBN 978-0-942103-23-6.
- Janov, Arthur (2006). Primal Healing: Access the Incredible Power of Feelings to Improve Your Health. Franklin Lakes, N.J.: New Page Books. ISBN 978-1-56414-916-9.
- Reese, Robert T. (1988). Healing fits: the cure of an epileptic. Los Angeles: Big Sky Press. ISBN 978-0-944592-00-7.
- Videgård, Tomas (1984). The success and failure of primal therapy: 32 patients treated at the Primal Institute (Janov) viewed in the perspective of object relations theory. Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell International. ISBN 978-91-22-00698-5.
- Complete list of books by Arthur Janov
External links
- Dr. Arthur Janov's Primal Center home page
- The Primal Institute directed by Vivian Janov
- The Primal Psychotherapy Page – A Resource For Those With Interests In the Regressive Deep-Feeling Psychotherapies
- A look at four psychology fads — a comparison of est, primal therapy, Transcendental Meditation and lucid dreaming at the Los Angeles Times
- John Lennon – Primal therapy