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Dr. Schlitz is an acclaimed social scientist, award-winning author, and charismatic public speaker. She has conducted clinical, laboratory and field-based research into consciousness, human transformation, and healing. Her books include Living Deeply: The Art and Science of Transformation in Everyday Life; Consciousness and Healing: Integral Approaches to Mind Body Medicine; and Death Makes Life Possible (and companion film by same title). Having taught at Stanford, Harvard, and Trinity University, she is currently Professor of Transpersonal Psychology at Sofia University, CEO/President Emeritus and Senior Fellow at the Institute of Noetic Sciences. Schlitz has published hundreds of articles in scholarly journals and popular publications, and has lectured extensively in diverse venues, including the United Nations, Smithsonian Institution, Commonwealth Club, and community groups across the world.
You mentioned that Love Study evolved from a true story into a novel. What was the story that inspired this book?
The core of the research is based on my decades of work studying intention at a distance using physiological outcomes. About 12 years ago my colleagues and I used the research design to conduct a study of couples, one of whom had cancer, to see if the healthy partner could send loving intentions to their partner under randomized controlled trials. We measured the physiology of both people, who were in separate rooms. We found significant changes in physiology for the cancer patient when their partner was sending loving intentions. We also found significant correlations ?between the two people.
Why not just write that story as non-fiction? Why fictionalize it?
I view research like training for a swim meet and wearing weights. When it’s time for the race, the swimmer takes off the weights and can move quickly through the water. Writing fiction is like taking off the weights and allowing the creative imagination to situate the research. I believe many people can connect to a story better than a scientific journal report.
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You mentioned that this book could be translated to TV or Film…What makes it so cinematic? (if you could cast it, who would be your ideal actors?)
The story is a bit like Big Bang Theory with a group of quirky characters working together in a research lab. In the book, there are dynamic elements that revolve around Grace, the lead character, her colleagues, the dates she has, the couples she interviews who are in long term relationships, her own emotional challenges and failings at relationships, the politics of science, and a resolution for Grace when she finds romantic love for herself.
You are known for your cross-disciplinary research. How does the book integrate cultural, scientific, or spiritual perspectives on love, and which of these resonated most with you?
The book bridges science and emotions, delving into ways in which cutting edge research may explore spiritual and emotional complexities. It also touches on the tensions between mainstream reductionistic science and frontier sciences into subtle energies and biofields.
In what ways does the book bridge the gap between the scientific study of love and the deeply personal experience of it?
While Grace and her team attempt to bring an objective view to love, she quickly discovers that love is anything but objective. Her own emotions get entangled with her research.
One theme is transformation. What does the book reveal about love as a catalyst for personal or societal transformation?
While science tries to explore reality from an objective perspective, there is always a subjective componenet that drives the research. As Grace dives into the research, she gains a greater awareness of her own vulnerabilities and personal hunger for love.
How does Love Study address the darker or more challenging aspects of love, such as loss, betrayal, or unrequited feelings?
This book dives into some of the impacts of fraud, disception, and misconduct in science today. Grace and her team uncover criminal activities on the part of a lead scientist at the Institute where she works. They also find ways in which science can be used (and misused) for political and financial purposes.
What connections does the book draw between love and healing, either on an individual or collective level?
?Love offers a balm for healing the soul. When confronted with her own loneliness, Grace faces a personal crisis. Working with her team, she finds a way to design a study that can help reveal the connections between head and heart. In this way, she finds a way to heal her own personal issues.
If intention plays a significant role in your work, how does Love Study explore the power of intentional love in relationships and self-growth?
There is a paradox that is explored in the book between intention and surrender. Can we make love happen, or do we need to yield to the potentials of love that lie beyond our will to make the world what we want it to be?
In a time of global division, how does the book suggest love can be used as a tool for bridging differences and fostering understanding?
This book approaches love as both a personal quest and a scientific object of study. Finding ways to bridge inner and outer experiences can offer ways to foster a greater understanding of what it means to be human and how we can understand the nature of reality. It is an integral process and can help us understand what we know and how we know about the nature of truth.
What was the most surprising or impactful revelation you found in Love Study, and how has it influenced your perspective on love?
I conducted my own personal study when I was in Grace’s position. I set up a test to see if I could meet the perfect man. After many attempts, I gave up, surrendering to be happy without a romantic partner. Once I surrendered, the universe presented me with my husband, with whom I have been with for over 20 years. The premise: set intention and surrender, really worked. Writing the book gave me a great window into my own life philosophy, how I have used science as a tool for personal exploration, and how my work with colleagues has offered me a great support system. In truth, there has been pain (including losing a dear friend and colleague, as well as personal grief from loss of a lover) as well as a lot of fun and excitement that happens when you step outside the bounds of conventional research and life. Once I started thinking about the fictional aspects, I experienced research meetings in a new light. How do we control love? How do we define the operational definitions? How can our work help to reveal the interconnectedness of our personal existence and the broader world we live in? One of my colleagues really has a rubber ducky hanging in his office.
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