What If the Chemistry of Love Is Also the Chemistry of Trauma?

In this episode of In Conversation with Janina Fisher, Janina sits down with pioneering neuroscientist Sue Carter, whose groundbreaking work has transformed how we understand attachment, bonding, and the biology of human connection. Best known for her decades of research on oxytocin, Sue reflects on the scientific journey that led her from early studies of attachment and imprinting to uncovering the profound role hormones play in shaping relationships, caregiving, stress regulation, and resilience.

Together, Janina and Sue explore how our earliest relational experiences are not only psychological but deeply biological. Sue shares the surprising story of how her own experience of childbirth sparked questions that changed the trajectory of her career, leading to discoveries about oxytocin’s influence on stress, social bonding, and even trauma. Their conversation bridges neuroscience and clinical practice, illuminating how the body’s caregiving systems shape our capacity for connection throughout life.

• Attachment is both emotional and biological

• Oxytocin is far more than the “love hormone”

• The body changes profoundly through caregiving

• Trauma affects relational biology

• Bonding is not limited to biology alone

• Healing requires understanding the body, not just the mind

C. Sue Carter, PhD, is the Rudy Professor Emerita of Biology and Director Emerita of the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University. A pioneering researcher in the biology of attachment and social connection, her work has transformed our understanding of the hormones and neurobiological systems that shape bonding, caregiving, stress regulation, and human relationships. Through her groundbreaking studies of the socially monogamous prairie vole, Dr. Carter was the first to identify the physiological foundations of pair bonding and monogamy, helping to establish the scientific basis for contemporary research on oxytocin, vasopressin, and the biology of love and attachment. Her work continues to influence the fields of neuroscience, psychology, psychiatry, and trauma treatment.

https://kinseyinstitute.org/about/staff/carter-c-sue.html