The Moment of Truth for The Primal Principal

The Moment of Truth for The Primal Principal

My comments to an acquaintance who wishes The Primal Therapy to be a fundamental right for all, not just a random fluke for the few. 

Hi,

Much of what has taken place in psychology and psychiatry during the last 60-70 years has, naturally, been an extended “trial and error” operation. From the introduction of chlorpromazine, as a quick fix and economic surrogate, for the masses, of Freud’s psychoanalysis, was discovered (by chance) after WWII, those responsible for mental treatment thought that they finally had a truly revolutionary medicine. Their, and their patients’s, joy was relatively short-lived because, after a few years, it was concluded that the side effects often were worse than the original symptoms. Today, we can, after a number of short-term successes, state that the field of antipsychotics and of psychotherapies, both have failed as a longterm cure. Although epigenetic research is making great progress, it is still a far step away to produce accurate “magic bullets” that combined with dynamic psychotherapy may increase the proportion of patients who are cured of neurotic anxiety disorders caused by repressed traumatic pain.

Since I got the opportunity, with a holistic support, go through the hell that my birth trauma meant, throwing addictive medicine away, and during a few years re-living epilepsy, pain and anxiety, I understand your anger that an effective and coordinated assistance isn’t available for everyone. But unfortunately, that’s how it looks. Neither the pharmaceutical industry nor the psychotherapy has found a formula for correcting the epidemic of the ravaging mental problems. The knowledge, the resources, and the organization of society are not developed to give a curative treatment adjusted to each person’s individual needs.

We were not given the right to choose our parents, but the same can our kids say. When do we start and where do we stop? In a democracy we, as adults, are the “society and its institutions”. No one can solve all the problems alone.  I doubt your ideas about using lawsuits to propel the solutions and resources, and it is nothing that I want, actively, to participate in. To, on a broad front, generally accuse institutions, which have been in good faith and who is stuck in an old outdated paradigm, will only lead to further complications and wasted resources.

Then it is better trying constructively to influence the person who has a brilliant idea, like the primal principle. Janov’s invention, on a number of occasions, has proven to contribute to that a patient has been cured. Janov, however, is a seasoned veteran and do not want to (or cannot), of unexplained causes, disclose why many people have failed in his primal treatment or explain the whole story why some patients succeeded.

A use of the primal principle ought to be a natural corrective element in a healthy lifestyle. This implies that we live for our children, care for them and ourselves without over-taxing our own body and mind or the resources of the environment. The epidemic in, for example, the mental health context is related to that we have lost the sensible judgement of what is reasonable from different standpoints like standard of living, lifestyles, nutrition and the care of our mental and physical resources.

Robert Whitaker, in his book “Anatomy of an Epidemic”, shows among other things, with research, investigations and patient interviews how temporary medical achievements after a few yeas began to create ominous information about serious side effects. This was controversial information because these medications, led by Chlorpromazine, had contributed (accelerated by financial government incentives) rather quickly to drain the old mental hospitals on patients.

After a number of decades, and a further number of famous short-term magical medicines, a general picture has emerged showing that the many addictive and degenerative sides of antipsychotic medicine have created a situation extremely hard to handle. During the same time, new patients from early school age, casually diagnosed according to modern psychiatric categorization (i.e. ADD), have been provided with life lasting medications that often cause severe disabling consequences.

In his interesting interviews Whitaker showing how a growing number of individuals, as a last desperate resort, taking themselves out of their addiction of antipsychotic medication. During painful mental and physical suffering they choose to return to their “old self” before neuroleptics were inserted. There are stories of processes similar to the experiences we know from Primal Therapy, however, without the patients having access to Art Janov’s ingenious insights into Evolution in Reverse.

With 60 million patients (only in the US) presently dependent on antipsychotic medication, the future ought to be bright for a revitalized Primal Therapy.

Jan Johnsson