Thesis (M.A.)--Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, MA, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [111-113]).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, MA, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 135-138).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 1986. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 197-207). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center.

Thesis (M.T.S.)--Catholic Theological Union, 1979. / Bibliography: leaves 53-55.

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Western Conservative Baptist Seminary, 1986. / Abstract. Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 127-142).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Western Conservative Baptist Seminary, 1986. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 121-129).

Thesis (M. Div.)--International School of Theology, 1988. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 60-63).

<p> Falling in love, for many individuals, begins with an inescapable, uncontrollable, transformative experience of intense emotions and intrusive thoughts; one phenomenon from the literature is the extreme love experience, limerence. Romantic love researchers have tended to lump extreme love phenomena into the limerence model viewed as pathology. Transpersonal psychology was chosen as the lens to examine an extreme occurrence of falling in love for its positive, transformational, and spiritual potential using a phenomenological approach. There were 25 U.S. born participants, age 30 and older, recruited from the internet who reported experiencing a very intense and very significant romantic love occurrence. Data from semi-structured interviews were thematically analyzed for emergent information, and then the data were compared to potential explanatory models including limerence, spiritual emergency, biopsychosocial, and passionate romantic love. The results revealed a unique experience unlike limerence and with limited correlations to the biopsychosocial model. The new phenomenon is called amigeist, characterized by immediate, intense soul-mate bonding, such as secure attachment with lifepartner potential. The larger themes were dynamic connection, intense emotions, astonishment, new behaviors, and passionate long-term relationships.</p>

<p> This dissertation presents an original contribution by defining love as an eco-systemic process with the potential to heal Earth&rsquo;s ecological crisis. Something is considered systemic when it is spread throughout and affects a system as a whole. Considering the view that Earth is an interconnected system, I began to question the role of systemic processes in response to Earth&rsquo;s greater problems, like climate change. A review of the literature revealed that love has not yet been explored as an eco-systemic process in relation to Earth&rsquo;s complex crisis. I chose to address this gap in the literature by engaging a dialogue on the role of love in ecological healing. </p><p> The research is approached through an ecological, or systems, perspective. I developed three methodological tools to assist this inquiry process. The first is what I term the ecological conscience. This could be viewed as the lens of my inquiry and is defined in detail in my methods section. The second is transdisicplinary inquiry, a method of research specifically designed for systems studies. Individual disciplines are beginning to explore the topic of love in more detail&mdash;from the biological reactions of love in the body, to cognitive reactions of interpersonal relationships, to the cultural evolution of love. Each discipline presents a much-needed thread to our understanding of love, but it is important to weave these threads together as a whole. Transdisiciplinary research allowed this process to occur. Finally, I chose storywork methodology as a way to frame my findings on the ecology of love. The story is written as a creative dialogue between myself and the ecology of love and reflects the complexity of my findings in a more personal and emotional tone. </p><p> If something is systemic, its role is crucial to the health of the larger system. That love is appearing in so many disciplines reveals its systemic nature in life. Only by viewing the interconnections can we see how love plays a role in the ecological healing of Earth. This research presents a scientific view of what the poets, saints, and sages have been saying all along. Love matters, and it matters so significantly that its presence or absence influences the evolution of Earth as a whole.</p>