Monday, March 11, 2013

Wild Woman Learns About Limerence



Wild Woman has just heard about limerence.

It seems, when our aging and misfiring hormones
shut down our brains, temporarily,
the cure is falling crazy, ass-over-teakettle in love.
(surely a case of the cure being worse than the disease?)

Wikipedia describes limerence
as "an involuntary state of mind
resulting in romantic attachment to another person,
combined with an overwhelming need
to have one's feelings reciprocated, 
with  inordinate fear of rejection".
It is likened to obsessive compulsive disorder,
"involving intrusive, obsessive and compulsive 
thoughts, feelings and behaviors, counting on
a perceived emotional reciprocation from the object of interest -
the LO (Limerent Other)"
(You cant make this stuff up!)

Online sources suggest, if you find yourself
mooning about in joyful or despairing states 
about your LO,
that you find a treatment centre
dedicated to restoring you
to yourSelf.

"For those who wish a cure,"
these sources state,
"the most certain course
is prevention."

Wild Woman could give a seminar
on Limerence. 
She had to give it up,
as it totally screwed with her equilibrium.
She can now count thirteen years,
clean and sober!

disclaimer: Wild Woman does believe in love, kids, the real kind that grows over time with trust. She just fears the total plunge into infatuation, a course fraught with peril, in her experience.

* sources Wikipedia and Love and Limerence by Dorothy Tennov
* image from collegemagazine.com (google)

13 comments:

  1. I have my own cure, Sherry. I just look in the mirror and grin. Settles all those hormones down in under a second.

    Elizabeth

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amen. The potential of losing a precious hermit existence is enough to cure me from extending attractions into LO. But attraction is what gets me off the couch to do anything, and so I will NEVER give up that spice of life. Fortunately, at this age, it is never misinterpreted as more than it is!

    ReplyDelete
  3. When i stop loving, I'll die, not to mention not writing.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I learned something new today Sherry ~

    I hope you are feeling better ~

    ReplyDelete
  5. Interesting stuff, Sherry.
    Obsessive Compulsive definitely is not love.

    ReplyDelete
  6. You are so right to be cautious of infatuation...big trouble! Had never heard of limerence...why hadn't I? But totally freaky scary...never want to "catch" that!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Whew. For a minute I thought you'd caught this disease. So glad you're not hooked any more. Stay sober please.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Woo hoo. Is that what I have?

    Hi Sherry! Glad to see you in great spirits.

    Who knew indeed!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow. A new mental disorder! Just wait til the defense lawyers start claiming stalkers are suffering from limerence and shouldn't be held accountable for their actions! (Yeah, I'm a cynic.)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Love is grand, but when it is not it is hell. Love you take on things!

    ReplyDelete
  11. hah! so there's a DIAGNOSIS for that? signed, Suffering Thereof.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I've never heard of limerence, but I'm sure I've experienced it.
    K

    ReplyDelete
  13. of all the diseases a person could have, this sounds like a good one. Especially in older years.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for visiting. I appreciate it and will return your visit soon.