What is Pure Love?

This question was post to me recently in a tutorial. What  is pure love?
For me pure love has a deep spiritual connection. By this I mean, it goes beyond the physical, but it can also contain the physical. One is able to feel close enough ( and willing) to take on the other’s pain (or pleasure). I believe there are different levels to pure love. There is the human level where one takes responsibility and exercises a duty of care free of self-interest. Another level is the deep and meaningful relationship that grows between friends and/or family. The third level I would describe as almost telepathic where a person can tune into the other’s soul and thereby becomes connected to it. Instinctively, the mother knows when the child is in trouble, this can happen with adults too. Something tells you when someone close is sick, they might be on the other side of the world, but you feel the change due to the level of love and caring. In neurological terms we can separate romantic love and lust from the deep and meaningful relationship. Most romantic fantasies are like drugs and directly target the brain’s reward system with dopamine. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter present in regions of the brain that regulate movement, emotion, motivation and feelings of pleasure. Dopamine energizes activities that feel emotionally positive, this can include applauding your favourite film star or cheering on a football team, as well as succeeding in romantic conquests. Dopamine triggers testosterone, which is the major factor in the sex drive of both men and women. This feeling is an ancient primal instinct, which comes from the oldest part of the human brain, the hypothalamus and the amygdala. These are the same areas that govern the fight and flight responses when the brain signals danger. These responses are not designed to last and they can be exhausting. When there is a deep sense of love and bonding the chemical oxytocin is released in the brain. This is the same chemical that promotes bonding between mothers, children, solid partners and very close friends. Unlike dopamine, oxytocin dampens the stress responses of the sympathetic nervous system. It feels good, calming and it encourages a deep and meaning love, which appears spiritual and needs no explanation.

 

  • Reply
  • 1m