Love & Survival: The Scientific Basis for the Healing Power of Intimacy

by Dean Ornish

Love and survival. What do they have to do with each other? This book is based on a simple but powerful idea: Our survival depends on the healing power of love, intimacy and relationships. As individuals. As communities. As a country. As a culture. Perhaps even as a species. For the past 20 years, Dean Ornish, M.D., has directed clinical research, demonstrating -- for the first time -- that comprehensive lifestyle changes may begin to reverse severe coronary heart disease without drugs or surgery. Now, this "impossible" idea has become mainstream. Although most people tend to think of Dr. Ornish's program as being primarily about diet, he has found that perhaps the most powerful and meaningful intervention is love and intimacy and the emotional and spiritual transformation that often results. Yet those factors are largely ignored by the medical profession, which tends to focus primarily on the physical and mechanistic: drugs and surgery, genes and germs, microbes and molecules. Dr. Ornish is a pioneer once more as he persuasively argues that love and intimacy are a root of what makes us sick and what makes us well, what causes sadness and what brings happiness, what makes us suffer and what leads to healing. If a new drug had that same impact, virtually every doctor in the country would be recommending it for their patients. There is a deep spiritual hunger in this country as we approach the end of the 20th century and a new millenium. According to Dr. Ornish, the real epidemic in our culture is what he calls emotional and spiritual heart disease, the profound sense of loneliness, isolation, alienation and depression that is so prevalent today as the social structures that used to provide us with a sense of connection and community break down. We are only now beginning to appreciate what the radical shifts in our society in the past 50 years really mean. Love and Survival also chronicles Dr. Ornish's personal journey along with his experiences as a physician and scientist. He also provides a comprehensive review of research supporting the powerful role of intimacy in health and illness, reveals in very personal terms his own struggles with intimacy and meaning and describes strategies and techniques for enhancing intimacy and communication. Love and Survival  is filled with powerful stories from Dr. Ornish's clinical and personal experiences. He takes his examination a step further by talking with eminent healers, scientists, theologians, psychologists, physicians, therapists and authors, each of whom provides a fascinating perspective on why love and intimacy are such powerful determinants of health and survival. In addition, Dr. Ornish's photographs, reflecting isolation and connection, illustrate the book.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Love, Health, Relationships, Science, Lifestyle

284 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Dean Ornish is an American physician and researcher. He is the president and founder of the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California and a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. He is a well-known advocate for using a plant-based diet and healthy lifestyle changes to treat and prevent heart disease.

Dean Ornish earned a B.A. in Humanities summa cum laude from the University of Texas in Austin, where he gave the baccalaureate address. He received his M.D. from the Baylor College of Medicine, he was a clinical fellow in medicine at Harvard Medical School, and he completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital.

Reviews

[Licia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am reading the 1998 version of this now. After studying the latest in interpersonal neurobiology this comes as no surprise. But I think it is a great beginner book to affect a paradigm shift with valid points on how our medical system operates and I mean operates. The system works to allow complicated surgeries and mecdications with devestating side-effects as remedy to pain and suffering when it is proven that relationships,love and caring improve our hearts and our lives. Give me a hug, anyday!

[maria ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the information great book but I felt like I was reading the same information in different ways kinda got bored towards the end.

[Amiel Loiseau]

I loved this book. The intimacy between two human beings has the power to heal. By the same token, if a person has no real connection to another caring person, sickness and death are much closer. Trying to quantify the health benefit of having close, loving relationships is a tough task. This book did it. This book shows to me, without a doubt, that having a person who really loves you, and who shows it, is the best medicine, and laughter is a distant second.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has sadly sat on my shelf for over 15 years. I finally picked it up and boy am I ever glad I did. The author provides an easy to read book about the importance of love and especially intimacy on the power of healing. It is more than just feeling loved that contributes to healing, it is about having intimate connections that allow you to be your true self. He touches on many different connections - marriage, religion, counseling, and self. Great read!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm giving this book five stars because of how important I think the message is. Devaluing love and relationships within a culture has disastrous consequences for both our emotional and physical health.

[Susan Basanjav]

interesting topic..i love Dr. Ornish work so i think it will definitely beneficial.

[Teri Temme · Rating 4 out of 5]

People need people.

[Mark Valentine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved surviving Ornish's book. It's a pastiche of love literature but love--think about it--is also a reworking of sorts. At best, love is a re-wiring.

Specifically, Ornish's second chapter was an overwhelming summary collection of peer-reviewed studies of the benefits of love and intimacy in maintaining healthy living. And his final chapter was also an overwhelming chapter of some such stuff (I skimmed it so well, I don't remember here what to write). But his other chapters have the pith.

I think reciprocated love the greatest wealth of the world. The times in my life that my love was reciprocated made me feel complete and whole.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought it went a little too hard to hammer the main point about the connection between love and intimacy with health and well being. Echoed what I've read of Brene Brown regarding vulnerability and ones ability to achieve intimacy. The biggest takeaways were one the breakdown of communicating around feelings which is huge because it is an area I struggle. In addition defining purpose as growing in wisdom and learning how to love better.

[mortza · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتابی شایسته برای دریافتن اهمیت مهرورزی و ارتباط اصیل انسان، که از جنبه ی علمی و تحقیقاتی تجربی مورد بررسی قرار گرفته و تاثیر آن بر سلامت انسان به نمایش گذاشته شده.
برای کسانی که طرفدار تنهایی ،انزوا ، تفرد و دوری از مردم هستند و همچنین کار های علمی و آزمایشات تجربی در کنار صرفا فلسفی و روانشناسی در این زمینه برایشان اهمیت دارد، کتابی مفید و تفکر برانگیز و چالش زا خواهد بود.

[Vineeta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book linking intimacy, all kind of relationships and our survival in this world. Provides a different perspective how it is beneficial to us practically. It has enough examples from different studies. A good guide where we can think about ourselves and relate to it.

[Taniusha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I understand the prayer related stuff from a scientific perspective, but at times the religion was too persistent in the book.
I took some good points from the book though!

[Munirah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having the science and life experience to then prove that love and Survival go hand in hand. Many things I realized and learned by reading this book. Awesome and would recommend to others.

[Anita Erskine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got about halfway through the book, but just had to quit. I felt the message was repeated over and over without any new information upcomming.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all know that intimacy improves the quality of our lives. Yet most people don't realize how much it can increase the quality of our lives -- our survival.

This book helped me to understand my relationship with myself and with God.

I think if more for understanding all kinds of relationship that we have.

[Carolyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Feels outdated.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the emphasis on research in the second section, but it the style didn't work for me.

[Nancy Mramor-Kajuth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dean Ornish explains how it isn't just what we eat and how much we exercise, but who we love and how. And this is from a heart doctor whose first books were about nutrition! Very good.