Giving Birth to a More Peaceful World
"Without embodied love, peace is not possible,” says Dr. James Prescott, developmental neuropsychologist. After studying cultures to determine which factors contributed to peace and violence, he was able to predict--with 100% accuracy--the nature of a society using two factors: “affectional bonding” in infancy and the acceptance of adolescent sexuality. In short, cultures that allowed for pleasure during these periods were peaceful. Those that prohibited it were violent.
For babies, being breastfed, rocked and held by a caregiver who is tuned into their emotional needs provides the kind of deep bond and pleasurable sensory stimulation that allow them to thrive in growth mode. Dr. Daniel Siegel, in his essential book, Parenting from the Inside Out, refers to this as “feeling felt.” This attuned connection activates oxytocin (the “love hormone”), orchestrates brain and nervous system development, as well as DNA selection.
A brain that develops in protection mode (long-term, chronic stress) is unintegrated, disconnected, and oriented towards self rather than other. While a combination of factors ultimately determines violent behavior, the brain-based origins of violence are known to begin in the prenatal and early years. In Born to Love adolescent psychiatrist, Dr. Bruce Perry, shares a disturbing example of what happens when the biological need for connection is interrupted--a story appearing in news headline with increasing frequency. A popular high school jock raped a developmentally challenged girl without ever feeling an ounce of remorse. Those who knew the family were shocked because they seemed so “normal.” And by our current cultural standards, they were--high-powered professionals who wanted only the best for their son. Live-in nannies tended to his every need. The problem was, when Perry became more responsive to his full-time caregivers than to his mom, they were fired for being “over-involved.” By the time he was 3, the family had been through 18 different nannies. Not being allowed to bond with any of them destroyed his capacity to connect with--or care about--anyone.
The scientific evidence is overwhelming. If we want to create a more peaceful, compassionate world, we must fulfill our most essential human needs--connection, affection, loving presence--in the womb and in the way we are welcomed into the world. Peaceful birth creates a peaceful earth.
