God’s Love Chemicals
FIRE!
Fourteen-year-old Joe had three felony sex charges. He was also the Teacher’s Quorum President in his ward. I was doing the Sexual Behavioral Risk Assessment. At the time Joe and I were sitting in lock-up. He would be there until I finished the eval. Upon release, Joe was not going home. The State didn’t take custody of him so we had built a Safety Plan for him to live with grandpa and grandma. Eventually, Joe would go through the normal juvenile sex-offender track – provide a DNA sample, complete intensive sex-specific therapy, complete probation etc. etc.
Joe had been in puberty for several years. His body’s love and sexual response chemicals have been turned on, as they should. These sexual response chemicals are generally located in the “Feeling Brain” and are strong and constant. But, Joe had no real understanding of those chemicals or how to manage his “Feeling Brain” – the unquenchable sexual flame burned out of control.
SEX INSTINCT
Our physical bodies have several natural instincts like hunger, thirst, fatigue and of course Sexual Desire. In the animal kingdom, we refer to it as an instinct to mate.
“The sex instinct is not something which we need to fear or be ashamed of. It is God-given and has a high and holy purpose.” (You and Your Marriage, Hugh B. Brown, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1960 p. 73)
“There is in your body (Not in your spirit) the SUPERNAL power to create life. …” (Boyd K. Packer, Ye Are the Temple of God, Ensign, Nov 2000)
These and other similar references clearly suggest the sexual desires and behaviors have their origin in our PHYSICAL BODY particularly in the “Feeling Brain.” The love and sexual arousal responses are caused by a series of neurotransmitters and hormones in our three-pound brain.
This brief video “Your Brain In Lust & In Love.” details the chemistry associated with the three stages in love: lust, attraction and attachment.
Here is a video displaying an LDS perspective from Dr. Hilton: “Why Pornography is so Addicting” and of course his book He Restoreth My Soul. And here is another great book by a couple of Christian MDs: Hooked on the same topic. There is plenty of research.
SO YES
– when you hug, view porn, focus on a sexy hamburger advertisement, flirt, etc etc you will “almost always” automatically trigger some of the love or sexual response chemicals in your physical body.
– when you physically touch another person you will “almost always” automatically trigger some of the bonding and attachment chemicals in your physical body.
Like every other son and daughter of Adam and Eve, you have this “power” within you– (If you do not, call me and we’ll begin therapy-so we can recondition the normal love and sexual responses in your physical body.) In part, this exists because of our “carnal, sensual and devilish” nature caused by the Fall of Adam and Eve.
In addition to being present in each physical body, these chemicals have the following characteristics:
“It was necessary that this power of creation have at least two dimensions: one, it must be strong; and two, it must be more or less constant…” (Boyd K Packer, “Why Stay Morally Clean,” Ensign, Jul 1972)
So don’t panic WHEN (not IF) YOU, your children and grandchildren show evidence of having “love or sexual response chemicals .”
Although love and sexual response chemicals are a human “instinct” they must be controlled by our “Thinking Brain”– judgment, reason, the knowledge of right and wrong and our SPIRIT.
If the spirit yields to the body, it becomes corrupt; but if the body yields to the spirit, it becomes pure and holy. (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, 267.)
Do panic IF YOU, your children and grandchildren allow the “love and sexual response chemicals” to burn out of control- because of a lack of motivation or management skills.
Clearly one of the punishments-for Satan and his followers not receiving a body – is the inability to experience love and the sexual response….. How would you like that? 🙁
To better understand the relationship between the physical body, spirit body, and mind see The Anatomy of a Soul.
SUPERNAL POWER IS LIKE A FLAME UNQUENCHABLE
This SUPERNAL SEXUAL POWER is like a “Flame Unquenchable” (M. Russell Ballard, “Like a Flame Unquenchable,” Ensign, May 1999.) Unquenchable suggests it never ends it will keep on burning.- throughout eternity 🙂 and if left uncontrolled will burn the whole house down.
God’s Way
The pilot light gets lit in early adolescence during a process known as PUBERTY. The pilot light remains lit… at times even forgotten about by the owner. The pilot light can warm an entire home when “Kept within the bounds the Lord has set.”
Satan’s Way
The “unquenchable fire” if left uncontrolled by the owner will burn the house down. Joe, our young teacher friend discussed above, allowed his “unquenchable fire” of pornography, masturbation, lust etc etc to burn uncontrollably.
Our greatest glory OR destruction comes from how successful we manage our love and sexual response chemicals – our unquenchable flame. Learning how to have our “Thinking Brain” control our “Feeling Brain” is an essential part of this process.
“It is difficult sometimes … to understand … because this God-given power of procreation carries with it a power of destruction. But it has, because of its life-giving nature, the possibilities of THE greatest glory and joy that can come to a living soul.” (The Abundant Life, Hugh B. Brown, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965, 127)
REVIEW
1. Your physical body is the great prize of mortal life. To fill the measure of your creation you have to have one.
2. God placed “Love Chemicals” in your physical body.
3. Your physical body and your spirit body (and mind) make-up your soul. (See: The Anatomy of a Soul.”
4. When your physical body and spirit body are separated, you cannot have a fullness of joy- in part because of the love and sexual response chemicals are in the body not the spirit.
5. Your eternal happiness depends on your Spirit Body successfully overcoming the “desires, appetites and passions” of your physical body.
“GODLY GLUE”
I’ve pondered how these “Godly Love Chemicals” will be empowered during the resurrection -Especially for those married in a temple. Surely these chemicals in a perfected form will play a role in forming the “Godly Glue” keeping my wife and I “cleaving” to one another throughout eternity.
CHALLENGE
Take time and hug and kiss – “trigger” some of God’s Love Chemicals – in someone you love. See: Human Connections Start With A Friendly Touch . I like to use the 30 second touching rule- its plenty of time to trigger the “attachment and bonding” chemicals especially with grandkids 🙂
dr rick
