But for modern romantics, science has some encouraging news: Our body equips us with some natural and powerful aphrodisiacs, along with the tools to make romance last.

Humans have evolved three different brain systems to encourage mating: sex drive (lust), feelings of attachment (trust), and romance (being in love). Each of these systems plays a role in desire, and scientists are now beginning to pinpoint the bodily chemicals that trigger each.

Lust. Sex drive is associated with a class of hormones called androgens, particularly testosterone (yes, women produce it, too). Today women with low libido can get a prescription for testosterone, even though it’s FDA approved only for use in men. But women can also increase their levels without medication. Playing competitive sports has been shown to trigger testosterone production; in fact, women get a bigger boost than men during a competition. Making love can also create the same effect. Studies have shown that sex raises testosterone levels, so the more sex you have, the more sex you desire.

Trust. Feelings of trust and attachment are fostered by the chemical oxytocin. In a study conducted at the University of Zurich, couples who used a nasal spray containing oxytocin before discussing an ongoing marital conflict were more likely to engage in friendly, positive communication than those who didn’t take a whiff. You can stimulate oxytocin naturally with touch. Hold hands while you watch TV, trade massages, or sleep in each other’s arms.

Love. The third chemical that drives relationships is dopamine, a key player in the brain’s reward regions that’s been found to promote romantic love. Research shows that novelty—taking risks or trying something new—can trigger the release of dopamine in the brain. I’m not just talking about novelty in the bedroom (although that would be a good start). You can get the same effect from sampling a new type of cuisine together or riding the roller coaster at an amusement park.

Clearly, we are born to love, with those feelings of elation that we call romantic love deeply embedded in our brains. But can those feelings last? Or does our body’s love chemistry wear down over time?

This was what my colleagues and I set out to discover in 2007. Led by neuroscientist Bianca Acevedo, our team searched for people who said they were still wild about their longtime spouse. Eventually we scanned the brains of 17 such people as they looked at a photograph of their sweetheart. Most were in their 50s and married an average of 21 years.

The results were astonishing. Psychologists maintain that the dizzying feeling of intense romantic love lasts only about 18 months to—at best—three years. Yet the brains of these middle-aged men and women showed much the same activity as those of young lovers, individuals who had been intensely in love an average of only seven months. Indeed, there was just one important difference between the two groups: Among the older lovers, brain regions associated with anxiety were no longer active; instead, there was activity in the areas associated with calmness.

We are told that happy marriages are based on good communication, shared values, a sturdy support system of friends and relatives, happy, stable childhoods, fair quarrelling, and dogged determination. But in a survey of 470 studies on compatibility, psychologist Marcel Zentner, of the University of Geneva, found no particular combination of personality traits that leads to sustained romance—with one exception: the ability to sustain your “positive illusions.” Men and women who continue to maintain that their partner is attractive, funny, kind, and ideal for them in just about every way remain content with each other.

I’ve seen this phenomenon, known as “love blindness,” in a friend of mine. I knew him and his wife-to-be while we were all in college, when they both were slim, fit, energetic, and curious: a vibrant couple. Today both are overweight couch potatoes. Yet he still tells me she hasn’t changed a bit.

Perhaps this form of self-deception is another gift from nature, enabling us to triumph over the rough spots and the changes in our relationships. I’m not suggesting you should overlook an abusive husband or put up with a deadbeat bore. But with Valentine’s Day upon us, it’s worth celebrating one of nature’s best-kept secrets: Our human capacity to love… and love… and love.

Adapted from the work of Helen Fisher, Ph.D.

Have you ever heard it said, “Change your thinking, change your life”?  This wise saying is based on the notion that we participate in the construction of our realities. In other words, what we focus on, is what we create.  Many people use up most of their air- time and mental real-estate with negativity, “poor-me’s”, and complaints.  Is it any wonder that they cannot break free and create the life they wish they had?  Whether it’s with career, physical health and appearance, or relationships with loved ones, let 2010 be the year where you intentionally focus on what you’re really trying to create.

Many times, I ask my clients to imagine that while they are sleeping soundly and comfortably tonight, a magic wand passes over them and creates all of their dreams.  Further, I ask them to imagine and to describe what life tomorrow morning would look like once this “magic” had occurred.  I ask you to do this same exercise and to record, in detail, the elements of your “preferred life”.  Who would be there, what would you be doing, how would you look and feel, how would you be contributing, where would you be, how much would you be earning, and so on.  You get the picture.  I even recommend that you take it one step further, and after you’ve written your vision for your life, you cut out some pictures from magazines and glue them on to your very own “vision board”.  In this way, you’ll have a physical representation of your intentions that you can look at and focus on all year long!

So, shift your thinking from “New Year’s Resolutions”, which feel like chores and are usually forgotten by February, to visualizing your perfect life and putting your focus on creating it in 2010!  Happy New Year!

“Forget the Family Drama & Escape to Barbados for the Holidays!”

Memories of last year’s holiday brought a sting of realization that she still wasn’t talking to her sister after a big fight.

There would be questions and accusations as always – and she would be the bad guy.  Again.  And with that, Emily was making reservations for Barbados before she even realized what was happening!

In his book, “When Difficult Relatives Happen to Good People: Surviving Your Family and Keeping Your Sanity” (2005) Leonard Felder, a psychologist and author relates that his research shows fully 68 percent of those he interviewed said they found family functions “frustrating or unenjoyable”.

It’s inevitable that expectations run high during the holidays.  We all have a tendency to compare the ideal families we see portrayed in advertising to our own and for many of us, these comparisons sadly fall short.

Your Family of Origin

Awareness is key in learning how your present feelings for the holidays relate to the past – whether you’re truly looking forward to time with family, or are dreading it – are influenced by your past.

Your family of origin is that family in which you grew up, typically parents and siblings, but your family or origin would also include extended family such as grandparents if they lived with you.  This is the family that had the greatest impact on your formative years and who may be exerting the greatest influence on whom you’ve become as a spouse and parent.

Why do these family issues seem to loom so large?  If you grew up in a healthy family environment, you likely learned the benefits of compromise and negotiation in your own marriage and are in turn, teaching those skills to your own children.

Your challenge is greater if your family of origin experienced serious issues such as mental illness, abuse, alcoholism poverty, infidelity or divorce, however the rewards of taking on this challenge can be immense, particularly to your present family.

Triggers & the Reptilian Brain

It’s important to recognize what precipitates your feelings about family holiday events, particularly extreme feelings like dread.  “Triggers” can include people, places, words, sounds, smells, and tastes – nearly anything that precipitates a certain feeling or emotion.  As you can imagine, the list could be endless when speaking about our family of origin!

These triggers are instinctual and originate in what’s known as the reptilian brain, a part of the triune brain responsible for basic fight/flight or freeze reactions.  Confronted by even a perceived stressor, an automatic and unconscious reaction occurs:  cortisol is released into the system resulting in anxiety, depression – even physical illness.

Social situations, particularly those that are emotion-laden during the holidays are ripe for triggers.  Recognizing them provides you with valuable insight.  A good way to determine what might trigger emotions for you is to ask yourself, “What pushes my buttons when I get together with my family?”

Keeping in mind that we all act from our own perspective allows you to gain emotional distance from these triggers and their resulting emotions and look at the situation from a more logical viewpoint.  What would you tell a friend who was relating her story?

How to Align Your Expectations &

Focus on the Possibilities for the Holiday

Consider your family of origin as a mini-culture to which you belong.  Now consider the other cultures you belong to:  your own present family, your work, your place of worship.  It’s difficult, if not impossible for everyone to get along at all times, let alone have consensus.

Your control over your family of origin is limited of course, as it is for us all, but you can control how you respond to the challenges that arise.

We all frame our thoughts in a certain way which affect how we respond to a situation:

Some people see an event as a problem; others view it as a learning experience

Some people focus on detail; others focus on the “big picture”

Some people focus on what’s happening to them personally and others focus on what’s best for the team (or family) and

Some people thrive on conflict while others seek to negotiate conflict.

You get the picture; the way others in your family frame their thoughts may be in direct opposition to yours, but recognizing this and appreciating their uniqueness allows for a more serenity during the time you’re together.

Self care is especially important during the holidays.  Be a role model and establish your own boundaries – then follow through!  Self care can take many forms; for instance, if staying with family causes you stress, make hotel reservations for the length of your stay.

Awareness of activities that bring you pleasure is one way to ensure your own self care.  Whether you’re staying close to home or visiting out of town family, it’s important to invest in your own well being.  Devoting time to quiet meditation, indulging in a luxurious massage or spa treatment, enjoying nature – even maintaining your exercise routine (modified is OK!) helps keep you healthy during times of stress.

Just as important as self care activities that bring you pleasure, is the avoidance of other activities that may not be in your best interest long-term, like excessive drinking, enjoying food that’s less nutritious, and spending excessively, to name but a few activities that look particularly attractive when you’re feeling vulnerable or stressed.

Perhaps the most empowering form of self care during the holidays is selecting those with whom you want to spend your time.  Develop an awareness of those who support and nurture you; they may not be your “family of origin”, but they can be your “family of choice”!

Family of Origin Therapy

If you find that family of origin issues are too overwhelming to handle on your own or they’re affecting your present family, your spouse or children, therapy may be the answer.

Your therapist can help you examine your family background, its communication style, traditions, and patterns of behavior, thought and emotions and help you gain a new perspective.

Escape to Barbados – indeed escape of any kind – is not always possible, or in your best interest.  Resolve to change your approach to the holiday season and lead the way in leaving family drama behind!

In Imago theory, we posit that we come into the world as perfect, complete, vibrating balls of energy.  If we receive messages from our caretakers which encourage our thinking, feeling, sensing, moving, being…then we remain relatively whole.  If, however, our early messages are repressive (“stay still”, “don’t cry”, ” you’re not smart enough”,  “I wish you’d been a boy”, “you were an accident”, etc.) , then certain parts of our wholeness are either shut down or exaggerated.  We make these adaptations to our personalities in order to survive the family of origin.  These “lost parts” are called the denied self, the lost self, the disowned self, or the “shadow” in Jungian terms.

In a recent training on Characterological Growth, the participants were asked to come to the workshop as their Lost Self.  One woman who had been sexually molested as a child came dressed as a beautiful, sexy, powerful woman after years of having shut down her sexual self.  One man came as a daredevil after a lifetime of “playing it safe”.  I dressed as a goofy, silly, outrageous girl in response to parental messages about the importance of behaving within acceptable guidelines.  Get the picture?

So, back to Halloween. Is it possible that we love Halloween because it offers us the possibility and the freedom to play with our Lost Selves; to dig deep into ourselves and bring out that missing part? I invite you to think back on your choice of costumes, this year and in years past.  Perhaps, in your choice of playful disguises there is a kernel of information to help you see what you may have lost along the way.  It’s never too late to grow into your perfect, complete wholeness!

I have the tools to help you heal the wounds of the past and experience your full potential as an individual and an intimate partner.