Love and Therapy-- A Conversation with Dr. Adele LaFrance
Nov 3, 2023
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Dr. Adele LaFrance, a Colorado-based psychologist and co-creator of Emotion Focused Family Therapy, explores the transformative role of love in therapy. She discusses how consciously inviting love into therapeutic practices can create safe and boundary-aware spaces. The conversation delves into her groundbreaking research in 'The Love Project,' examines profound experiences of love, and addresses the integration of psychedelics in healing. With insights from personal narratives, they reveal love's profound potential in fostering emotional connections and enhancing trauma recovery.
The transformative potential of love in therapeutic relationships highlights its role as a core healing force in psychotherapy.
Concerns about boundary violations and the perceived unscientific nature of love contribute to hesitance in its integration into traditional healthcare.
Deep dives
Cyclical Mood Changes and GLP-1 Agonists
The impact of semaglutide, a GLP-1 agonist, on mental health, particularly regarding mood changes, is highlighted through a listener's personal experience. Following the initiation of this medication for weight loss, symptoms of suicidality emerged, with the listener linking these changes to possible bipolar spectrum disorders. This case raises concerns about the potential exacerbation of underlying mood disorders as GLP-1 medications gain popularity, suggesting that clinicians should remain vigilant about psychiatric side effects in patients starting these treatments. The listener's recovery from suicidal thoughts coincided with discontinuing the medication, but feelings of emotional instability and cognitive difficulties persisted, emphasizing the need for careful monitoring and research on GLP-1 agonists in psychiatric contexts.
Exploring Love in Therapy
A discussion on the importance of love within therapeutic relationships emphasizes the transformative potential of love in healing. Dr. Adele LaFrance shares insights from her research, The Love Project, which aims to investigate the role of love in psychedelic-assisted therapy. Through her experiences growing up in a community where expressions of love were scarce, she developed a therapeutic approach centered around fostering love in familial healing. The Love Project seeks to gather data on profound experiences of love under the influence of psychedelics, aiming to enhance understanding and discussion around love as a core healing force in psychotherapy.
Barriers to Discussing Love in Healthcare
The conversation underscores the hesitance to integrate love into conventional healthcare and psychotherapy due to fears of boundary violations and historical misuse of the concept. Despite a notable percentage of respondents supporting the cultivation of love in therapeutic contexts, there remains a reluctance to embrace love openly due to concerns about its perceived unscientific nature. This reluctance highlights the need for dialogue around the healing power of love, particularly in the context of therapy, where feelings of fear and discomfort can obstruct progress. Dr. LaFrance advocates for addressing these barriers to facilitate a culture where love can be more safely and effectively utilized in healing practices.
Experiences of Love in Psychedelic Healing
Personal narratives shared during the podcast illustrate how psychedelic experiences can evoke profound feelings of love and interconnectedness. Participants reported significant insights and healing through establishing connections with their own feelings of love and compassion toward others. The discussion reveals that these experiences not only facilitate personal healing but also encourage a broader recognition of love's integral role in mental health. This perspective highlights the potential for psychedelics to foster a deeper understanding of love as a central component in therapeutic settings, encouraging practitioners to explore its significance in enhancing patient care.
Is there a role for love in therapy, whether in the traditional psychotherapeutic context and/or in the psychedelic space? And if we were to more consciously invite love into therapy, how could we do this in a safe and boundaried way?
Dr. Adele LaFrance, a Colorado-based psychologist, the co-creator of Emotion Focused Family Therapy, and now the principal investigator of a fascinating study called "The Love Project" shares her stories and wisdom on all things love.
