The Primal Revolution, the revolution that never happened.

The Primal Revolution.

Excellent essays in the New Atlantis, http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/getting-over-the-code-delusion , with the ambition to explain the significance of a revolution in genetics and molecular biology, inspired me to draw the following conclusions of what I have experienced in the Primal Therapy.

In the Primal Revolution, like what has been the case in the genomic revolution, the most glaring thing is that the revolution never happened. There has been a flow of new information about amazing technical achievement. “It’s true that we are gaining, even if largely by trial and error, certain manipulative powers. However, our understanding of the integrity and unified function of the living cells has, if anything, been more obscured than illuminated by the torrent of data.” Within Primal Therapy, we cannot even be disappointed that the DNA analysis did not provide a molecular crystal ball (which is the disappointment among many researchers in DNA) since our general approach is much more shallow and hard to define - and of course depending on where in the world of research, the dollars are injected.

The Primal Revolution stopped short. This is underlined by the fact that during 40 years, not a single, serious, heir to Art Janov has appeared. From the bright side, this says something about how far ahead of his time Art has been and how consistently and persistently, he continued to work and convince us through his well-written books. The less illuminated side is, that it shows how difficult it is to understand PT and to be a new master in something, which still is not quite a science. To quote and paraphrase the article in the New Atlantis: 

“But is this surprising? The human body is not a mere implication of clean logical code in abstract conceptual space, but rather a play of complexly shaped and intricately interacting physical substances and forces. Yet the four genetic letters, in the researcher’s mind, became curiously detached from their material matrix. In many scientific discussions, it hardly would have mattered whether the letters of the “Book of Life” represented nucleotide bases or completely different molecular combinations. All that counted were certain logical correspondences between code and protein together with a few bits of regulatory logic, all buttressed by the massive weight of an unsupported assumption: somehow, by neatly executing an immaculate, computer-like DNA logic, the organism would fulfill its destiny as a living creature. The details could be worked out later.”

Art Janov has met a number of people which he successfully has treated. There seems to have been a common denominator for these people. They have all met a number of parameters to achieve their remarkable improvements and changes. They have been fully determined to overcome their serious problems, and for this, they have had sufficient material resources to act fearlessly and independently. Finally, they have been willing and had the courage to change their lives and / or situations in which they have been trapped, both mentally and literally.

A number of successful cases have kept Art Janov’s invention PT alive and eventually given him a profound metaphysical (on the border to be scientific) understanding on how evolution is building a sophisticated network in our brain and body to avoid mental and physical pain and help us to a conditional survival. Art Janov has been able to show us, that these conditional defenses take their tolls in other aspects, the negative effects of which, for example, can be read on the vital signs like pulse, heart beat and blood pressure. Many are paying the price of too early death due to cancer, tumors, heart attacks, etc.

Unfortunately, the Primal Revolution with its brave predictions, did prove a lot more complicated than expected. As a small but comfort, there is an infinite positive message in The Primal Therapy, and that is that there may exist an alternative, natural, way to cure both physical and mental pain systematically, when we have got everything together.

Jan Johnsson