In psychology, limbic imprint refers to the process by which prenatal, perinatal and post-natal experiences imprint upon the limbic system, causing lifelong effects. The term is used to explain how early care of a fetus and newborn is important to lifelong psychological development, and has been used as an argument for alternative birthing methods, and against circumcision.
Lewis, Amini and Lannon, in their book A General Theory of Love, use the concept of limbic imprinting to explain lifelong patterns of poor love choices, explaining that the patterns of love and care received as a youth will affect the patterns of love that the adult seeks in their life. Some therapists suggest a course of "limbic repatterning" to consciously rewrite bad limbic imprints and thus improve the patient's overall psychological health.