Pert, Candace B. Everything You Need to Know To Feel Go(o)d (2006). Carlsbad, California: Hay House, Inc. 287 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1-4019-1059-4
Reviewed by Leslie Bedell, D.C., C.Ad.
I have been closely following the work of Candace Pert since reading her first book, Molecules of Emotion, published ten years ago. Her research and discoveries, about the flow of emotional energy carried by various neuropeptides to receptor sites throughout our bodies, have been helpful not only while writing and publishing my own case studies, but in my teaching curricula supporting the role of mind/body healing. Dr. Pert's explanations of a body-wide psychosomatic network help me to understand why energy-based healing modalities are effective in my wholistic clinical work as a Doctor of Chiropractic, Upledger Cranial-Sacral therapist, and addictionologist. I use my training to help clients access the deeply stored information their cells carry and facilitate its release through the somato-emotional pathways described by Pert. I consider her one of my "heroes".
Pert, who appears in the film WHAT THE BLEEP DO WE KNOW? is both entertaining and informative in her newest book, Everything You Need to Know To Feel Go(o)d. The credibility of modern mind/body healing is supported within a personal story of passion, self-discovery, and vision. She writes the entire text in the first person, weaving scientific facts from her research into stories about her own personal journey of spiritual and emotional growth. Her vulnerability with her own emotional discoveries allows the reader to know Candace on an intimate level. And the reader does not have to have a background in neuroscience or biochemistry to get the profound message of healing that this text offers. This book, compared with Molecules of Emotion, makes it much easier for the layperson to understand the conclusions of Dr. Pert's years of research (now more than thirty).
The new book begins with an update, covering the intervening ten years, of Dr. Pert's exploration of the new paradigm that blends science with spirituality. She writes about her own conflicts, such as that arising from being both a scientist and being a woman who believes in spiritual connection with God. The stories of her personal and professional transformation are engaging and clearly show the mental and emotional gymnastics that were provoked. A dialog between Dr. Pert and her long-time friend and co-author, Nancy Marriott, introduces the book's casual and personal style.
Dr. Pert's work, describing neuropeptides and their relationship to various states of consciousness and emotional reactions, offers a deep look at the effect of these chemical messengers on babies, during and after birth, and also while in the mother's womb.
Dr. Pert describes the research of Nobel Prize winner (2000), Dr. Eric R. Kandel, which shows that our memories are stored via neuropeptides not only in the brain, but in our spinal cords as well as all major organs. Chemical messengers affect a baby-in-womb when the mother experiences strong emotions, stemming from both joyous and less-than-ideal situations in her life. Unexpressed emotions (stuck neuropeptides?) that lie far below the surface of our recollection can affect our perceptions, decisions, behaviors, and even health. Newborns who cry constantly after a traumatic birth may be expressing emotions that would otherwise be detrimental in the long term.
Dr. Pert explains that receptor sites for neuropeptides (a form of “ligand”) are found only in areas where sensory information (e.g., sight, sound, smell) is carried into the brain and spinal cord, and never in areas used for outgoing information. As nerve impulses travel to the brain from a location of sensory input, the synapses occur at varying rates and act like collection and filtering systems as they pick up neuropeptides that store memories as information. Memories at the sensory stopping points are “recollections of every perception that you've ever had, from your earliest consciousness of bliss at your mother's breast to the emotional upset you had after a fight with your boss the other day.” The peptide/receptor connection creates a physiological response. “Our bodies are our subconscious minds.” Most of this vibrational dance of feelings occurs below the level of our conscious awareness.
One study that I found compelling, although its implications deeply saddened me, was done on a group of bonnet macaques monkeys in which the mother-infant bond is especially strong. These monkeys are known to suckle their babies for six months, gazing intently into their eyes for long periods of time. Researchers decided to determine how stress on the mothers would affect their offspring. The monkeys were divided into three groups, one with food readily available nearby. The second group had food mixed with wood chips, requiring the mothers to search extensively for food in the bins. The third group had food that was changed unpredictably between high and low availability. Remarkably, all the monkey babies had the same growth and weight gain. The one group that showed abnormality was the one with unpredictable food availability. The babies of that group looked and acted depressed; sitting slumped over and alone in their cages, not playing with their siblings, showing these behaviors even years later. Cortisol releasing factor (CRF), a hormone attributed to stress, was found elevated in all these baby monkeys. This is the same hormone found elevated in humans who have committed suicide. These findings indicate that emotions related to guilt and worry in mothers can affect the emotional health of their children. Also, this study implies that an inconsistent level of attention paid to an infant is more damaging than less one-on-one contact overall.
I especially liked the section where she offers suggestions on "how to have fun" in order to re-wire our emotional brains into bliss. The idea that our own innately made molecules of emotion are as powerful as the pharmaceutical anti-depressants offers us a new way to view and treat depression without negative side effects.
In another chapter, Dr. Pert relates a story from when she was three years old: She knocked on the door of her parents' bedroom and when her father invited her to come in, a blonde woman who was not her mother was sitting in bed next to her father smoking cigarettes. Later, her mother found out about the incident, and little Candace was used as a witness to get information. She was put in the middle of the fighting that ensued between her parents, who temporarily separated. She felt guilty for “causing” her parents' problems and also felt abandoned when they separated. Her body/mind told her that “she couldn't be trusted because she had caused so much anger and pain in the two people that mattered the most to her.” This message, stored at the subconscious level, created a doubt that “she could ever be good enough to receive love.” Dr. Pert shares how powerful was this discovery, by helping her see that low self-esteem issues had sabotaged many of her successes. She used this new insight to propel her into the next arena of personal growth and healing.
This attractive book makes it easy to see the profound implications of Dr. Pert's work for healing not only individuals, but communities and the planet as a whole. I am excited to see what fruit is borne out of the many seeds that have been planted in the body/minds of readers inspired by the possibilities that this book offers.
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