Love Response: Your Prescription to Transform Fear, Anger, and Anxiety Into Vibrant Health and Well-Being »

Eva M. Selhub, M.D., is a senior staff physician at the Benson Henry Institute for Mind/Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. An integrative health specialist and the founder of Alight Medicine for Learning and Healing in Newton, Massachusetts, she is also a clinical instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Selhub has lectured throughout the United States and Europe and has trained healthcare professionals across the globe. Her articles have been published in medical journals and featured in national publications including The New York Times, USA Today, Self, Shape, Fitness, and Journal of Woman’s Health, and she has appeared on television in connection with her work. Dr. Selhub lives in Boston.

www.loveresponse.com

Fear, anger, and anxiety–the side effects of life’s everyday stresses–are natural and sometimes helpful, but left unchecked they can lead to a host of debilitating ailments that are now so common we assume they are unavoidable: heart disease, arthritis, gastrointestinal problems, depression, and more. There is good news, though: The key to a healthy life free of these conditions is to activate what Harvard Medical School instructor Dr. Eva Selhub calls the love response: a series of biochemical reactions that lower blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, and adrenaline levels, stimulating physical healing and reinstating balance and well-being.

A practical life-healing program, the first of its kind, The Love Response is the result of Dr. Selhub’s years of research–and clinical practice–on how to reverse the destructive physical effects of fear and stress, and banish emotional wounds from the past. Through a simple-to-use plan of awareness, breathing, visualization, and verbal command exercises, The Love Response reprograms your brain and changes your biochemistry from negative to positive, putting you on a path to long-term wellness and happiness. The Love Response is structured around the three essential building blocks of mental health:

• social love–connecting not only in your intimate relationships but with family, friends, and pets
• self-love–learning to nurture yourself with care and tenderness (often the hardest step)
• spiritual love–contributing in meaningful ways to the world beyond your personal needs

The Love Response provides all the tools you needto transform anger into compassion, release your fears, overcome shame, embrace self-acceptance, connect through empathy, and, ultimately, strengthen your natural ability to heal.

1 Fear: The Ultimate Silent Killer 3

2 Fear: A Lack of Love 17

3 The Antidote to Fear: The Love Response 31

4 The Shield: Your Tool for Transformation 42

5 Building Your Love Pyramid: Social Love 62

6 Social Love: Creating the Base of Your Love Pyramid 75

7 Social Love in Action: Creating Your Soul Family 94

8 The Love Pyramid: Building Self-Love 116

9 Self-Love: The Basics for Building Your Love Reserves 124

10 Self-Love in Action: Reaching Your Full Potential 142

11 Completing the Love: Spiritual Love 159

12 Spiritual Love Basics: Learning to Believe 167

13 Spiritual Love in Action: D.I.G. (Dignity, Integrity, and Grace) 185

Epilogue: Come Swim with Me 205

Acknowledgments 209

Notes 211

References 217

Index 227