John Lennon's Songs Inspired By The Therapy Of Others

John Lennon (Instagram @johnlennon)

JAKARTA - Due to his traumatic childhood, John Lennon brought a lot of burden to adulthood, a problem that continued to haunt him long after The Beatles broke up. After his band disbanded, and his life began to enter an unknown new path, Lennon finally decided that this was the right time to address his rooted problems, and chose to undergo screams therapy.

Lennon's problem stems from neglect. In his early years spent under his mother, Julia, before he agreed to let him live with Aunt Mimi. Although his mother remains a prominent figure, he died tragically when Lennon was a teenager after being hit by a drunk police officer.

In addition, Lennon's relationship with his father, Alf, was also problematic. Before moving to New Zealand in 1946, he took his son for a walk to Blackpool and planned to take him to another part of the world. Fortunately, Julia stopped him and kept John at Liverpool. Alf did not reappear in his life until Lennon became one of the most recognizable faces on the planet.

However, Lennon was not looking for screams therapy. On the other hand, it happened thanks to psychologist Arthur Janov. After releasing his revolutionary self-help book The Primal Scream: Primary Therapy, The Cure for Neurosis, Janov sent a copy to various prominent people, including Lennon, inspired by him.

Although many people in the psychological community condemned Janov's screams and teachings therapy, the tactic appeared to have worked on Lennon for some time. When he started screaming therapy, Lennon was recording John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, an album highly inspired by sessions related to neglect.

After he and Yoko Ono underwent several sessions in London with Janov, they flew to Los Angeles to focus on screaming therapy for several months. However, due to visa problems, Lennon did not complete the full-year treatment as Janov wanted.

Janov then said about Lennon's condition: The rate of pain is huge... He barely works at all. He couldn't leave the house, he couldn't almost leave his room... This is someone who is praised all over the world, and it doesn't change anything. The center of all fame, wealth and luxury is just a lonely little boy."

Regarding the impact of the session, Lennon then said to David Sheff: Now I can cry. That's what I learned from excellent therapy. We were there for six months. We had a good house in LA. We went to the session, cried, then came back and swam in the pool.

However, he admits that just as with good acids or joints, screams therapy only gives a temporary finish, and in the near future, he will need to come back to make other improvements.

Although screams therapy didn't change Lennon forever, the entire album was filled with deep consciousness and lyrics that wouldn't exist without him following Janov's advice. For example, Mother explored her complex relationship with the late Julia. In the song, she sadly sang: Mother, you had me, But I never had you, I, I wanted you, You didn't want me. (Mother, you have me, But I never admit it, I admit it, you don't).

Another example of screams therapy that influenced the lyrics was God, which appeared on the same album. Janov later claimed that the song was inspired by conversations during a therapeutic session, stating: He rented a house in Bel Air, which is a very luxurious area here, and we talked a lot of things. He said: How about God? and I will continue to discuss about [how] the people who experience deep pain generally tend to believe in God with passion.

Janov continued: 'And he said: 'Oh, you mean God is a concept with which we measure our pain.' I'm going around and he's just there. And it's John. John can take a very deep philosophical concept and make it simple.'

Meanwhile, Lennon died in the song Well, Well, Well which can be interpreted as a no-call therapy.

Although the overall theme of John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band can be associated with screams therapy, the three songs in the recording will certainly not exist in the same form without Janov.