Learn more about Primal Therapy and our center’s purpose.

Basic Theory

The following is taken from Why You Get Sick – How You Get Well by Dr. Arthur Janov and reviews some of the basic theory behind Primal Therapy.

Why You Get Sick - How You Get Well by Dr. Arthur Janov

There is one neurosis, many manifestations and one cure feeling.’”

Repressed pain divides the self in two, and each side wars with the other. One is the real self, loaded with needs and pain that are submerged; the other is the unreal self that attempts to deal with the outside world by trying to fulfill unmet needs with neurotic habits or behaviors such as obsessions or addictions. The split of the self is the essence of neurosis, and neurosis can kill. 
 
That pain is the result of needs and feelings that have gone unfulfilled in early life. Those early unmet needs create what I call Primal Pain. Coming close to death at birth or feeling unloved as a child are examples of such Pain. The Pain goes unfelt at the time because the body is not equipped to experience it fully and deal with it. When the Pain is too much, it is repressed and stored away. When enough unresolved Pain has occurred, we lose access to our feelings and become neurotic. 

The number one killer in the world today is not cancer or heart disease, it is repression.

Primal Therapy is important in the field of psychology, for it means, ultimately, the end to so much suffering in human beings. Discovering a way to treat Pain means there is a way to stop the misery in which so many of us are mired every day of our lives. After two decades of research, after dealing with thousands of patients with every imaginable psychological and physical affliction, we have arrived at a precise, predictable therapy that reduces the amount of time one spends in treatment and eliminates all the wasted motion. It is a therapy that has been investigated by independent scientists, and the findings are consistent. Primal Therapy is able to reduce or eliminate a host of physical and psychic ailments in a relatively short period of time with lasting results.

Feeling Pain is the end of suffering.

We have found ways to measure the ongoing presence and chronic effects of early trauma. We have observed time and again that even though it is not felt, the force of the memory remains in the system, reverberating on lower brain levels and moving against the body wherever it happens to be vulnerable. It shapes our interests, values, motivations and ideas. By reliving these traumas, patients can return back to early events and know with certainty how they formed adult behavior and symptoms.

The Primal Legacy Program

THE FULL PROGRAM IS NOW AVAILABLE!

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

The Primal Legacy Program includes five years of clinical therapy review, shot during training at THE PRIMAL CENTER. In this program, every therapeutic intervention is discussed and grounded in theory. It is organized in 7 parts. Each part contains both Theoretical and Clinical evenings.

The Theoretical Aspect (in blue in the list below) is part psychology and part neurology and includes an up-to-date survey of all current research in those fields. Subjects as diverse as “What Is Pain?” to “The Evolution of the Brain and Feelings” are included. Here we find what feelings are, where they are located in the brain, how repression holds them in check, how they are released and integrated etc.

Clinical Reviews are videotaped therapy sessions reviewed and discussed on a clinical level with our trainees. Every clinical review is backed up by the theory, which provides a frame of reference for its scientific aspects. At THE PRIMAL CENTER, Ken Seman supervises and controls the therapy. This is particularly true of the first few weeks of intensive therapy because it involves a diagnostic process where guidelines are set down for the future of the patient’s therapy. To ensure the best possible treatment, the tapes of the sessions are routinely supervised as we constantly incorporate new refinements in techniques and understanding of the therapy.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL LIST OF TITLES AND SUBTITLES OF THE PRIMAL LEGACY PROGRAM

IMPORTANT: The Primal Legacy is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to license nor approve of any practice whatsoever. Neither Ken Seman’s Primal Center, nor Dr. Arthur Janov or Dr. France Janov shall be held responsible or liable for any claim(s) whatsoever arising from any use of the educational material found herein.

It is not valid for any continuing education credits and cannot be used as an endorsement to practice Primal Therapy.

LIST OF THE PRIMAL LEGACY PROGRAM VIDEOS TITLES

CLINICAL & THEORY

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL LIST OF TITLES AND SUBTITLES OF THE PRIMAL LEGACY PROGRAM

CLINICAL BASICS (A)
110-09-07 - WHAT IS PRIMAL THERAPY
202-05-08 - WHAT IS PRIMAL HEALING
310-08-07 - THE UNIFIED THEORY OF NEUROPSYCHOLOGY 
411-12-07 - THE PRACTICE OF PRIMAL THERAPY 
503-31-09 - CLASSICAL STEPS IN PRIMAL THERAPY 
602-29-12 - AN EXAMPLE OF CLASSIC THERAPY 
703-31-08 - LET THE PAIN LEAD THE WAY
809-26-11 - BASIC THERAPY WITH A NEW PATIENT 
909-28-11 - IDENTIFYING THE FEELING 
1001-24-08 - THE TREE OF FEELING 
1102-18-10 - GOING UP AND DOWN TOWARD THE FEELING 
1208-08-11 - THE FEAR OF FEELING 
1311-07-07 - TRIGGERING THE IMPRINT 
1407-20-11 - FROM THE GENERAL TO THE MORE SPECIFIC 
1511-25-09 - ANCHORING THE FEELING PART 1 
1611-25-09 - ANCHORING THE FEELING PART 2 
1704-16-09 - GIVING TIME AND SPACE 
1805-28-08 - FEELING SAFE 
1910-30-09 - STAYING ON TRACK 
2007-27-11 - CLASSIC WAYS TO DEAL WITH A PAST SCENE 
2108-31-11 - THE PRIMAL PROBE: SHINING A LIGHT ON REPRESSED FEELINGS 
2208-10-11 - GETTING BENEATH DEFENSES TO BREAK THROUGH LIFELONG FEELINGS OF BEING BAD/SAD 
2302-11-10 - ALL FEELINGS ARE CONNECTED 
2404-28-10 - WHAT HURTS MOST 
2509-07-11 - HELPING A NEW PATIENT STAY ON TRACK 
2602-18-08 - THE DUAL ROLE OF PAIN AND SURVIVAL 
2708-07-08 - THINKING YOUR WAY TO HEALTH PART 1 
2808-14-08 - THINKING YOUR WAY TO HEALTH PART 2 
2909-21-11 - VARIOUS CLINICAL STRATEGIES
3001-30-08 - INSIGHTS IN PRIMAL THERAPY 
3109-14-11 - STEP BY STEP: ANALYSIS OF A THERAPY SESSION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF POST-SESSION
3202-06-08 - WIDE-RANGING CLINICAL DISCUSSION 
3305-28-08 - A PRIMAL PRIMER 
SPECIFIC CLINICAL ASPECTS (B)
3408-11-10 - PRIMAL DIAGNOSIS AND THE URGENT INTERVENTION 
3505-24-10 - ESTABLISHING DIAGNOSES 
3604-26-10 - THE CONSEQUENCES OF MISSING OPENING FEELINGS 
3708-08-11 - BREAKING THROUGH A PATIENT'S RIGID DEFENSES 
3809-19-11 - OPENING A 3-2-1 PATHWAY WHEN THE 2ND LINE IS MISSING 
3909-28-11 - VERTICAL INTEGRATION: THE DANGERS OF BYPASSING THE SECOND LINE AND GOING DIRECTLY TO BIRTH FEELINGS AS A DEFENSE 
4011-06-08 - NEGATIVE PAIN: DEFINITION AND TREATMENT 
4104-16-09 - UNDERSTANDING THE POWER OF RESONANCE 
4202-17-10 - DIFFERENT BUNDLES OF FEELING 
4311-14-07 REGAINING FREEDOM THROUGH PRIMAL 
4412-17-08 - MELANGE DURING CHILDHOOD 
4506-20-12 - WHEN THE PATIENT FEELS, THE THERAPIST IS SILENT
4605-05-09 - TAKE THE THERAPY OUT OF THE ROOM 
4708-22-11 - DEALING WITH A NEW PATIENT'S EVASIVENESS 
4803-03-08 - MISSING THE MARK: INTERVENTIONS DON'T HELP A DESPERATE PATIENT 
4908-08-11 - THE POWER OF FEELING: A SESSION GOES OFF COURSE, BUT THE PATIENT GETS BACK ON TRACK TO BREAK THROUGH LIFELONG FEELINGS OF BEING BAD 
5010-03-11 - HELPING A NEW PATIENT MOVE FROM FEELING UNSAFE ON THE THIRD LINE TO A VIOLENT TRAUMA ON THE SECOND LINE 
5102-25-10 - ASSESSING THE VALIDITY OF AN UNUSUAL FEELING
5205-30-08 - RELIVING PAST SITUATIONS TO FULFILL A NEED 
5304-27-10 - AN OVERWHELMING DISCHARGE OF TERROR 
5407-24-08 - SELF-ANALYSIS: A HEAVILY REPRESSED PATIENT HELPS DECIPHER HIS OWN DEFENSES. 
5505-24-10 - THE FEELING NEEDS TO BE CONNECTED 
5601-06-09 IT'S ME, NOT THEM. IT'S THEM, NOT ME 
5712-15-10 - ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER
5805-27-10 - HOW DO YOU MEASURE PRIMAL 
ABOUT BIRTH (C)
5912-03-07 - LIFELONG EFFECTS OF BIRTH
6010-13-08 - PRENATAL LIFE AND ITS LATER EFFECTS 
6110-28-09 - BIRTH SEQUENCE
6204-19-10 - TREATING BIRTH TRAUMA: Trauma, Resonance and Fuel 
CLINICAL CHALLENGES (D) 
Abreaction - (D-1) 
6310-03-11 - ASSESSING ABREACTION IN A SELF-PRIMALING PATIENT 
6412-17-09 - DEALING WITH AN ACQUIRED GROOVE 
6502-22-12 - DEALING WITH A PATIENT’S ABREACTIVE GROOVE 
6603-29-12 - DEALING WITH A HEAVILY GROOVED ABREACTIVE PATIENT 
6705-23-12 - STRATEGY FOR CORRECTING A PATIENT’S ABREACTIVE GROOVE 
6807-06-11 - PROBING, SCENES AND MOCK PRIMAL THERAPY 
Overload (D-2) 
6908-24-11 - THERAPEUTIC STRATEGY TO HELP AN OVERLOADED PATIENT (EXCERPTS) 
7006-13-12 - I'M BAD: OVERLOAD AND REPRESSION IN A SUICIDAL PATIENT 
7110-12-11 - FIRST LINE: PANIC-DRIVEN OVERLOAD
7211-06-07 - TRUST AND OVERLOAD 
Hopelessness (D-3) 
7312-16-09 - THERAPY OF HOPELESSNESS
7405-07-09 - HOPELESSNESS PART 1 
7505-11-09 - HOPELESSNESS PART 2: DON'T DENY THE GOOD 
7608-21-08 - HOPELESSNESS TURNS INTO HOPE 
VARIOUS CLINICAL CASES (E)
7704-05-12 - A DIFFICULT PATIENT POSES MULTIPLE CHALLENGES
7803-29-12 - TREATING A RESISTING PATIENT 
7906-06-12 - SEPARATING REAL FEELINGS FROM IMAGINED MEMORIES 
8009-21-11 - WORKING WITH A PATIENT WITH FAULTY ACCESS 
8103-12-08 - ON ANGER 
8208-22-11 - DEALING WITH ANGER
8308-03-11 - DEALING WITH A PATIENT'S ANGER IN A THERAPEUTIC WAY 
8409-05-12 - PATIENT WITH AN AGENDA
8508-31-11 - PATIENT TERRORISM: KEEPING A SESSION ON TRACK WHEN A PATIENT TRIES TO TAKE CONTROL
8609-21-11 - THERAPY WITH A RETURNING PATIENT 
8708-08-11 - A PATIENT PUTS HIS LIFE INTO CONTEXT
8804-25-12 - TRACKING A PATIENT'S PROGRESS 
ADDRESSING SPECIFIC SYMPTOMS (F) 
8908-01-11 - NARCOLEPSY AND COMMON THERAPEUTIC ERRORS OF OMISSION 
THERAPEUTIC CHALLENGES (G) 
9002-27-08 - THE FEAR OF MAKING A MISTAKE 
9105-23-12 - EXPLORING THE EFFECTS OF A THERAPIST BEING TRIGGERED BY A PATIENT 
9208-15-11 - TWO CASES REVEAL PITFALLS WHEN FEELINGS ENGULF A THERAPIST 
9306-06-12 - A THERAPIST'S FEARS SABOTAGE A SESSION 
94EPIGENETICS AND PRIMAL THERAPY
95ON THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ABREACTION AND FEELING