Emotional life is tied to physical being and physical health is dependent on emotional well-being. Alexander Lowen's insight into these powerful connections offers an innovative approach to cardiovascular health and the treatment of heart disease. Lowen examines the feeling of love as a physiological process in the body. When this process is frustrated, as in the case of heartbreak or isolation, especially during childhood, people suppress their pain by unconsciously rigidifying their chest muscles. This results in a chronic restriction of breathing, movement, and feeling. It is this tension that limits pleasure, and predisposes so many to heart disease. This book features the principles and therapeutic techniques to help people understand their fear of love, release chronic muscular tension, and become more loving. It is essential reading for health professionals and anyone interested in the health of the heart.