Molecules Of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine

I came to know about Candace B. Pert through the mind-boggling film 'What the Bleep Do We Know!?' I found her presence markedly impressive and right away ordered her book. Molecules of Emotion is not only an extraordinary scientific study, but it also comes with much autobiographic content. Candace Pert has the courage to reveal many details from her life as a female scientist. Since the 1970s, the late Candace Pert has persisted in her vision of finding molecular evidence for the functionality of our emotions, and our sexuality, and more generally for mindbody medicine, within the boundaries of modern science. The book, if all that additional information was taken out, would be a research paper, too thin to fill a book. And it would probably miss its goal entirely. It’s this holistic and empathic approach, and needless to add that it’s an artistic approach as well, that makes this book so unique. And it shows that this scientist is actually a great human. Actually Pert, together with the brilliant animations in the Bleep movie, made transparent how human sexuality works, and that it is not a mechanical abstract function, that it is not, an instinct or ‘drive’ as Sigmund Freud called it, but a direct outflow from our emotional predilections. To give an example, how she explains this rather complex matter in a very readable, comprehensive way, let me put this quote: —If receptors are the first components of the molecules of emotion, then ligands are the second. The word ligand comes from the Latin ligare, ‘that which binds’, sharing its origin with the word religion. Ligand is the term used for any natural or manmade substance that binds selectively to its own specific receptor on the surface of a cell. The ligand bumps onto the receptor and slips off, bumps back on, slips back off again. The ligand bumping on is what we call the binding, and in the process, the ligand transfers a message via its molecular properties to the receptor. Though a key fitting into a lock is the standard image, a more dynamic description of this process might be two voices—ligand and receptor— striking the same note and producing a vibration that rings a doorbell to open the doorway to the cell./24 Candace Pert’s project was since its humble beginnings in the 1970s very daring, as until now mainstream psychology treats emotions as ‘floating parameters’ that are hard to grasp by our reigning mechanistic science paradigm. But in her own words, her vision even went beyond. She did not just want to succeed in her personal research project, but desired to help bring about this huge paradigm shift to many scientists who are currently working on it. And she wanted this paradigm shift to expand also into medical science, so that the psychosomatic unity of body and mind are definitely recognized in medicine. It is known from the Bleep movie how brilliantly Pert explained her research, how she can convey complex matters in a simple comprehensive way. And here is how she explains emotions under the particular angle of her research: —When I use the term emotion, I am speaking in the broadest of terms, to include not only the familiar human experiences of anger, fear, and sadness, as well as joy, contentment, and courage, but also basic sensations such as pleasure and pain, as well as the ‘drive states’ studied by the experimental psychologists, such as hunger and thirst. In addition to measurable and observable emotions and states, I also refer to an / assortment of other intangible, subjective experiences that are probably unique to humans, such as spiritual inspiration, awe, bliss, and other states of consciousness that we all have experienced but that have been, up until now, physiologically explained./131-132 To summarize, this highly readable book from an amazing scientist may scramble you up a bit, but this is a good thing to happen. The book is not a dry research report, but in the contrary reads like an adventure novel—the novel of a daring woman who has achieved much in her life. She has won the hearts of many people and through touching their hearts she has been able to put new seeds in their minds.

This engagingly written, non-technical book was lovingly produced by the eminent researcher Dr. Candace Pert, discoverer of the endorphin receptor, with the aim of explaining current research finding to an audience of scientists, the general public, those seeking answers for their illnesses, and those desiring to understand how the body works. Feminists and "real" scientists will find Dr. Pert's analysis of the anti-woman bias in science, and how much things have changed, sickening yet heartening. Yes, Dr. Pert was jacked out of the Nobel prize, but fought back, unlike the female discoverer of the DNA helix, whose work was simply stolen and presented as that of the male honchos. Dr. Pert points out that this woman's later death by cancer may have been due to the ignominy of how she was treated by the "good ol' boys" club. The mind-body distinction drawn by the great Rene DesCartes (1596-1650) has haunted Western philosophy, psychology, psychiatry and medical science. No, psychology does NOT end at the neck! Asian philosophy and medicine has long been bedeviled by the Western snobbishness about this distinction; long have Asians thinkers explained the the mind and body are linked, two aspects of the person. Mind and body cannot be divorced, as DesCartes claimed; in fact, the contradiction of how mental events lead to body events -- e.g., raising your arm -- became one of the first, obvious problems with DesCartes. Nevertheless, the mind-body severance was so attractive, even though almost immediately contradicted (e.g., by Spinoza), that it continued to be a false axiom assumed by Western doctors and thinkers. So simple, it seemed. But Wrong. To sum up, Dr. Pert shows that much of mind-body communication is chemical in nature, via "receptors" (which she does a great job of explaining, being one of the original discoverers), neurotransmitters, ligands, and other signalling chemical "messengers". Thus, Dr. Pert shows that "the body is the subconscious mind", and that yes, emotion and meditation does affect health and body functions, and shows exactly how the mechanism works through several well-chosen examples. Her folksy, non-technical presentation is designed, I think, to bring knowledge to the mainstream, and to relate common sense ideas to the background medical and neurospsychiatric rational that finally justifies some very obvious truths that Asian thinkers take for granted. No, we can't explain accupuncture, but Western science is not able to explain even muscle function; and with Dr. Pert's work, we come a lot, a very lot, closer to understanding these mysteries.

What a beautifully scientific detailed description of a lifetime achievement and discovery of the scientific method integration with mind and body! The simple explanation of how peptides are part of emotions that influence our health was well written. The portrayal of female struggle for recognition in this male dominant world was palpable. Highly recommended this book as an example of science and spirit coming together for the whole picture of future medicine.

Dr. Perts book is worth reading by any one interested in understanding the interrelationship between our body, mind, emotions and health. Much better than the many dogmatic eastern books so lacking in western-scientific thought, Dr. Pert makes the science easily understandable by laypersons. Those who criticize her "whining" against her former mentors obviously didn't finish the book, or they would have seen her own admission for her need to release the unhealthy emotions she harbored for being slighted by her male colleagues who took the credit for her valuable discovery. It's seems her detractors are the ones who are whining too much! Thought her writing is perhaps shaky at first (she lacks the eloquence of say, E.O. Wilson), she finds her stride midway through, presenting an intriguing account of the science behind the vital two-way communication continuously going on within us. While her descent into religion and spirituality was disappointing (she should have stuck with emotions - which are enough to convey her point), the book still reflects a solid effort.

Un libro escrito para que lo pueda entender cualquier persona. La autora es capaz de transmitir toda su pasión por la ciencia, relatar todos los entresijos del mundo de la investigación y explicar sus descubrimientos de forma sencilla

Trotz des weichen Einbands liegt das Buch sehr angenehm in der Hand. Zarte Farben und schöne Schrift.

O livro é maravilhoso.

Impresionante contenido,muy bueno, lindo y fuerte. Excelente contenido!!! Gracias!!!

Fabulous book great writer.