How many types of love do you think there are? Most of us might say the love of children, parents, friends, lovers, and even our country, but would that encompass all the love researchers are finding? We need to understand the concept of love and how it affects us physically and, as a result, emotionally.

Different love affects different areas of the brain and different neural transmitters—those pesky little chemical messengers that make it all possible. If we can boil it all down to neurotransmitters, are we then predicting that there might be something as simple as the words in that song, “Love Potion Number Nine?” Do we need to find Madame Rue and her herbal concoctions? Or do we need to use more sophisticated means of stimulating love? As some researchers believe, are there six, seven, or ten different loves? Here’s where the complexity enters the stage.

Certain research also suggests the common belief that “love is blind” is true. According to research, the brain’s attachment and reward networks are activated when we experience maternal and romantic love. Similar to how these ancient brain areas are involved in parental caregiving and long-term bonding in other mammals, they are also involved in these processes in our species. When we love something, is it neurologically the same as loving nature or our child?

Six Types of Love

Researchers, using story simulations and MRI technology, have concluded that love objects stimulate multiple areas of the brain. This discovery reveals six different types of love based on the target of affection.

Feelings of love for six different objects asserted are: 1. romantic partners, 2. one’s children, 3. friends, 4. strangers (varieties of interpersonal love), 5. pets (interspecies love), and 6. nature (nonsocial love).

How does the brain decide which are to stimulate to provide the appropriate type of love specific to that object? Three partially overlapping brain networks make up the “global human connection system”: the reward-motivation system (i), the embodied simulation/empathy network (ii), and the mentalizing system (iii).

This system categorizes closer affiliative relationships (parent-child, romantic, and friend) according to three factors: salience, social cognition, and social reward.

There are subtle differences between close interpersonal relationships — especially romantic and parent-child love—and more remote kinds of love for strangers, pets, and the natural world, according to stories and recordings provided by MRI. Interpersonal love of all types stimulated brain parts linked to social cognition, or “theory of mind.” The domains of reward and social cognition, as well as those connected to compassion or altruism, seemed to be implicated in the love of strangers. Owners of pets exhibited brain activity comparable to that of interpersonal affection.

Pets, too, play an important, integral role in these love relationships. Research to date has shown this to be true. Strong social ties and love are well-known to act as buffers against adversity. Humans and animals frequently develop close relationships.

A dynamic and mutually beneficial relationship between people and animals is called the “human-animal link.” Whether pets are beneficial to people’s health and well-being has long been a source of debate in human-animal interaction (HAI). At present, inquiries focus on who, what, and why questions for certain situations and not for others.

What About Singles?

Many types of love exist, and, in fact, even those who are not romantically attached at the moment, i.e., single, can be segregated into distinct groups, where some are happier than others. So being single does not mean you are either lonely or unloved.

The 4,835 adults who were unattached at the time of the study ranged in age from 18 to 65. The poll found ten different subsets of singles, with some subsets reporting higher levels of happiness than others.

One in five adults who were single reported being overjoyed. Their level of happiness was identical to that of the happiest couples in previous research. The survey revealed that 40% of the singles were satisfied, 36% were somewhat satisfied, and 10% were very unhappy.

The majority of singles, contrary to common belief, reported high levels of happiness and life satisfaction. Therefore, contrary to popular belief, being single can be just as fulfilling as being in a committed relationship, dispelling the myths that surround being single.

Is love complicated? Undoubtedly, it is more involved than we may have previously considered it to be. Depending on the type of love involved, it engages unique and interconnects networks sections of the brain. Some portions of our love are based on reward areas, while others are more involved in altruistic connections.

One area of love researched by many is that of pets and their place in our lives as not only objects of love but seemingly, aids in resilience and helping when adversity comes into our lives.

The post Love’s Not So Simple, and the Complexity Is Mindboggling appeared first on Medika Life.

From a client’s perspective, I felt put off by the rigidity of the situation. From a therapist’s perspective, I was left considering what kind of practitioner I want to be for the people I serve.

Therapist Point of View

Let’s consider why some therapists impose calendar restrictions on their clients.

First, building the therapist-client relationship is the most valuable part of establishing mutual trust. Trust is built over time. If time is limited, the process and therapeutic benefit will take longer to co-create. While I agree with the initial regularity of creating the space to get to know clients for the first few sessions, there should be room to make adjustments once enough ground is established.

The main reason is financial. If mental health practitioners with private practice base their sole income on client work, they risk the impacts of market fluctuations, especially new therapists starting in the field who may not have a full client roster. In times of economic prosperity, people have additional income to spend on therapy, and the opposite is true when the winds of uncertainty arrive.

Client Point of View

Building on the last point, in a struggling economy, clients (in particular those who do not have health coverage) will most likely spend their hard-earned money on life’s essentials — food, shelter, and other primary necessities and forgo therapy as a ‘nice to have.’ Would you rather eat a chicken dinner or work on your anxiety? When money is tight, the chicken wins.

My Opinion

Therapists benefit from creating multiple income streams to help brace for tough financial times. For example, from day one of starting the five-year Gestalt Institute of Toronto, I knew I would not abandon my corporate career given the uncertainty of finding and maintaining therapy clients. Writing, ski coaching, and course content creation are other ways I can quickly funnel new revenue streams. These decisions allow me to give clients personal freedom to see me when they want to and have space when my services are not required. Everyone wins.

Your Opinion Matters

In the comment section, let me know your beliefs regarding whether therapists should enforce a regular schedule on clients. What is your experience to date? Am I missing any unearthed points of view?

The post To Meet Regularly Or Not? That Is The Question appeared first on Medika Life.

👉 Do I banish a loved one who has hurt me, so that they can’t keep hurting me… but then suffer the loss of the relationship?⁠⁠

👉 Or do I keep the relationship with my loved one… but then suffer as they continue to hurt me over and over again?⁠⁠

This is a dilemma between choosing the pain of healing and grieving, or the pain of ongoing injury.⁠⁠

And you may find that there really is no third option that works for you — that choosing to heal means ending the relationship, as painful as that may be.⁠⁠

Or you may find that the path to healing that works best for you is a third option: To keep the relationship, but set a firm boundary on behaviors that injure you, physically or emotionally.

This may be very difficult, but if it’s what you truly want — and if it actually feels possible — then it might be the path that you choose.⁠⁠

Whatever your situation, needs or preference, one thing is consistently true:⁠ We cannot heal an injury when we continue to be re-injured. It just doesn’t work.⁠⁠

Whether we end the relationship or keep it, we need to put a stop to the injurious behavior if we want our nervous system to feel safe enough to heal — emotionally and physically.⁠

This is easier said than done, and it’s important to consider your own safety first when setting boundaries. Start with small, doable steps. Maybe the first step is confiding in a trusted and supportive friend. You don’t have to do this all at once. You can take one step at a time.

The post Do Your Relationships Need To Change in Order for You To Heal? appeared first on Medika Life.