This Is Your Brain in Love: New Scientific Breakthroughs for a More Passionate and Emotionally Healthy Marriage

(by Dr. Earl Henslin) This is Your Brain in Love: New Scientific Breakthroughs for a More Passionate and Emotionally Healthy Marriage I was given this book by Thomas Nelson publishers to read and review. It is a refreshingly new take on the chemistry of love. It is the 'brain chemistry' that the focus in this easy to read book. I had never heard of SPECT Imaging before. Now; I want my brain scanned! I didn't realize the difference in personalities can be as simple as how each persons brain functions. I learned some intresting things about how diet affects the brain, how childhood injuries affect the brain, and even how ADD can determine to a point how you act and react when in love. This book was written in an easy to understand format. There are lots of questions to answer to help you determine your own brain strengths and weaknesses. There is information about what foods or nutrients you should be eating for the best performance of your brain. I was so impressed with this book, I went out and bought Dr. Henslen's first book- This is Your Brain on Joy. I feel this book is well-researched, well-written, and has lots of resources.

All of a sudden people feel that all consuming rush of love for someone. Sometimes, like Annie and David, they have been long term friends, although distant ones. They both had been in relationships before and were, so they thought, only work acquaintances until one day Annie started to really take notice of him, rushed to the computer and blurted out her love for him in an email. As C. S. Lewis once noticed, "No one can mark the exact moment at which friendship becomes love." In Dr. Earl Henslin's new book, "This Is Your Brain in Love," you just might get a peek and considerably more insight into what happens and the different ways in which our brains react when we are in love and the "type" of lovers we all are. If you have been in the love sick blues state as if you have "cocaine-on-the-brain," perhaps you can relate to couples like Annie and David. In fact, as the author states, "when two brains are hijacked by romantic attraction, they are really under the influence of chemicals as powerful as any street drug." For the Christian, sexuality and spirituality commingle to enhance relationships, but what if two people's brains are different? Problematic is the key word. There are different kinds of lovers and if you and your partner or spouse are different there are definite ways to enhance and improve your relationship if you know what you are dealing with. In this book you will learn about these lovers, the value of a SPECT scan, and how to address actual brain imbalances. Which of these categories do you find yourself in the love department? * The Scattered Lover * The Overfocused Lover * The Blue Mood Lover * The Agitated Lover * The Anxious Lover Dr. Daniel Amen claims that "When your brain works right, you work right." This book is an excellent place to look at our behaviors in terms of our actual brain makeup and chemistry. Each section gives vignettes in the lives of actual case studies in which relationships were compromised by a spouse's different thought precesses due to problems in their brain makeup. In each section there are reproductions of SPECT scans to take a look at. Because these are in b/w they were not as clear as they could have been. Before each chapter there is a test that, according to the author, results correlate very closely to SPECT scan results. Some of these are quite obvious. For example one statement about the Blue Mood Lover says that "blue moods takes its toll on both partners." I liked this book and feel that many people could benefit from its advice, but the reader needs to keep in mind that Dr. Henslin is a counselor (Ph.D.) and not a physician. There is a lot of sage advice within these pages, but because there are suggestions for addition of supplements and medications, the reader should be under medical care before implementing them. This book received courtesy of Thomas Nelson in exchange for an honest review.

For centuries people have struggled to explain love. I'm not sure Dr. Henslin completely succeeded in this task, but the book is very enlightening when it discusses the types of lover and the ways loves goes wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and feel that it brings a message of hope to anyone struggling with an out of control relationship. I was particularly taken by the discussions of the different parts of the brain and how they influence the way we see ourselves and others. The fact that there are biochemical reasons for why we act the way we do, and the fact that abnormalities are treatable is very hopeful. Understanding the Agitated Lover seems particularly important. The news media are filled with terrible stories about love gone wrong resulting not only in divorce, but also in murder. Too many women suffer with an agitated and abusive lover. Perhaps, if they read this book they will be able to find someone to help. I think the best thing about the book is that it gives hope to unhappy couples. Maybe their problems are solvable. If you can balance your brain, and understand your partner better, you may become one of the blessed few who finds lasting romance.

This book is filled with great stories from the professional practice of the author which show true visions of passionate love between couples. I was particularly interested in reading about the different types of lovers as he explains it. I also liked the questions that he poses in each chapter that allow you, as the reader, to identify what type of lover that you are, and in doing so,what you can do to be more passionate in your relationship with your spouse. I have seen many examples of love that can get stale in relationships, but from what I have read in this book, I feel renewed to the idea that this does not necessarily have to be the case, and instead, you can rejuvenate your love (and passion) with your spouse that may have been missing for some time. The books' religious connection and the idea of spirituality and sexuality was new for me, but it makes sense. As for many of us we are doing what we can to be spiritualy connected to both our spuouse and a higher being. Overall, this book is very practical, and provides hands on material that can help all individuals who are in committed relationships. This book is a keeper!