Scanning the book list for a doctoral class several years ago, I noted the title, The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy, by Louis Cozolino, PhD. I felt intimated—it sounded intense, dense. Then I opened the book. Lou’s ability to impart scientific data within a user-friendly framework wooed me. As a reader, I have a tendency to develop a vision of the author responsible for the text. From Lou’s voice—his presence on the page— I sensed he was serious, focused, and highly intelligent with a technical vocabulary easily accessed but not necessarily his first choice. I read with a sincere interest in the content, a desire to learn and understand the concepts, and to get a feel for their application in a therapeutic setting.
When I received notification that he had updated The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy and more recently, The Neuroscience of Human Relationships, I wanted to talk with him about his writing (he has also authored The Healthy Aging Brain, The Social Neuroscience of Education, and The Making of a Therapist), his teaching (he is a professor at Pepperdine University), his work (he is a private practitioner in Los Angeles, California), and how he blends the different aspects of his career and personal life to make time for writing. The day of our telephone interview, Lou was a few minutes late. He returned my call, apologized, and explained he was picking up his new old Porsche, a 1977. The sound of his voice—casual, personal, warm, caring— didn’t fit the character created solely in my mind from reading his books. I joked and said if I had just bought a new Porsche I would be out driving it, not sitting for an interview. He laughed, and in true form of a scholar noted that his responsibilities were important, too. I liked this man from the outset, and our conversation flowed smoothly about his work and his writing, with sprinklings of family stories highlighting humorous and loving moments.
Read the full article: The Neuroscience of Human Relationships: An Interview with Louis Cozolino
Buy the book now The Neuroscience of Human Relationships: Attachment and the Developing Social Brain (Second Edition) (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology)
