Is age regression healthy
What It Is, Why It Happens & When It May Be Helpful
Age regression occurs when someone reverts to a younger state of mind. This retreat may be only a few years younger than the person’s physical age. It could also be much younger, into early childhood or even infancy.
People who practice age regression may begin showing juvenile behaviors like thumb-sucking or whining. Others may refuse to engage in adult conversations and handle issues they’re facing.
Age regression is sometimes used in psychology and hypnotherapy. It can also be used as a self-help tool, or something someone does to reduce stress.
Keep reading to find out when age regression might be used and what it might achieve.
Sigmund Freud believed age regression was an unconscious defense mechanism. It was a way the ego could protect itself from trauma, stress, or anger.
Still, other psychologists think of age regression as a way for people to achieve a therapeutic goal. It might be used to help a patient recall memories of trauma or painful events. The therapist can then help their patient heal properly from those experiences.
Psychiatrist Carl Jung believed age regression wasn’t a means to escape anything. He believed age regression could be a positive experience. It could be used to help people feel younger, less stressed, and more open.
With all these different theories for age regression, several types exist.
Each of these age regression types share two common elements:
- People who regress revert to a younger state of mind than their physical age. The length of years varies from type to type and person to person.
- Age regression is in no way sexual.
As a symptom
Age regression may be the result of a medical or psychiatric issue. For example, some individuals experiencing significant distress or pain may revert to childlike behavior as a means to cope with anxiety or fear.
Certain mental health issues make age regression more likely. Age regression could be a symptom of one of these conditions:
- schizophrenia
- dissociative identity disorder
- schizoaffective disorder
- post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- major depressive disorder
- dementia
- borderline personality disorder
Age regression may occur in personality disorders when people come face to face with distressing memories or triggers.
In this case, the age regression may be spontaneous.
What’s more, some individuals may begin to revert to a younger age as they grow older. This can be a sign of dementia. It might also be a coping mechanism for worries about the impact of aging.
Clinical
Age regression can be used as a therapeutic technique. Some mental health professionals use hypnotherapy and age regression to help patients return to painful periods in their lives. Once there, they can help them overcome the trauma and find healing.
However, this practice is controversial. Some experts suggest it could be possible to “uncover” false memories. Plus, it’s unclear how reliable these “recovered” memories are.
Trauma recovery
People with a history of trauma may be more likely to regress. In fact, age regression may be common in people who have been diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder (DID), a disorder formerly known as multiple personality disorder.
People with this disorder frequently have a younger personality among their distinctive personalities.
However, it’s believed that the “little” may not be a separate personality. Instead, it may be a regressed version of the original personality.
In other words, the person with DID may be aware of everything, but they feel like they’re a different age. They may talk like a child or begin behaving like one. In other instances, the “little” is entirely separate.
In this case, age regression is a form of security against fear or insecurity. This type of age regression may be triggered by particular events or stressors.
Self-help
For others, age regression may be intentional. Some individuals may select reverting to a younger state as a means to block out stress and worry. They can also revert to a younger age so they can avoid tough issues or personal problems.
As a form of self-help, age regression may help you revert to a time in your life when you felt loved, cared for, and secure. In that sense, this can be a positive experience.
However, age regression may be a sign of a larger mental health issue.
You should speak with a mental health care provider about this practice. They can help you learn how to use it safely. They can also evaluate your experiences to determine if a different type of treatment is needed.
Age regression is never considered sexual. It’s a type of defense mechanism that allows you to mentally escape to a different time in your life.
This is different from pretending to be younger. Indeed, some individuals portray themselves many years younger than they are as part of a hobby, sexual fetish, or kink.
For example, some members of fandom communities may use costumes and portrayals to “pretend” to be younger and more naïve. This is not real age regression.
There’s no inherent risk in age regression. If you practice it as a form of self-help or relaxation, you may want to make sure you’re in a safe place and around people who understand this technique.
If, however, you find yourself reverting to a younger age without your control, you should seek help from a mental health professional.
You may be showing symptoms of an underlying issue that needs to be addressed differently.
Age regression occurs when you mentally retreat to an earlier age. In all ways, you believe you’re back at that point in your life, and you may exhibit childish behaviors, too.
Some people choose to revert to a younger age. In this case, it can be a coping mechanism to help them relax and eliminate stress. Age regression may be a symptom of a mental health condition, such as dissociative identity disorder or PTSD.
Age regression can also be used a therapeutic technique, though it’s a controversial practice. A mental health professional can help you return to a time in your life when you were abused or experienced trauma. From there, you can work together to heal.
Speak to your healthcare provider if you notice symptoms of age regression or you’re interested in learning more.
What It Is, Why It Happens & When It May Be Helpful
Age regression occurs when someone reverts to a younger state of mind.
This retreat may be only a few years younger than the person’s physical age. It could also be much younger, into early childhood or even infancy.
People who practice age regression may begin showing juvenile behaviors like thumb-sucking or whining. Others may refuse to engage in adult conversations and handle issues they’re facing.
Age regression is sometimes used in psychology and hypnotherapy. It can also be used as a self-help tool, or something someone does to reduce stress.
Keep reading to find out when age regression might be used and what it might achieve.
Sigmund Freud believed age regression was an unconscious defense mechanism. It was a way the ego could protect itself from trauma, stress, or anger.
Still, other psychologists think of age regression as a way for people to achieve a therapeutic goal. It might be used to help a patient recall memories of trauma or painful events. The therapist can then help their patient heal properly from those experiences.
Psychiatrist Carl Jung believed age regression wasn’t a means to escape anything. He believed age regression could be a positive experience. It could be used to help people feel younger, less stressed, and more open.
With all these different theories for age regression, several types exist.
Each of these age regression types share two common elements:
- People who regress revert to a younger state of mind than their physical age. The length of years varies from type to type and person to person.
- Age regression is in no way sexual.
As a symptom
Age regression may be the result of a medical or psychiatric issue. For example, some individuals experiencing significant distress or pain may revert to childlike behavior as a means to cope with anxiety or fear.
Certain mental health issues make age regression more likely. Age regression could be a symptom of one of these conditions:
- schizophrenia
- dissociative identity disorder
- schizoaffective disorder
- post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- major depressive disorder
- dementia
- borderline personality disorder
Age regression may occur in personality disorders when people come face to face with distressing memories or triggers.
In this case, the age regression may be spontaneous.
What’s more, some individuals may begin to revert to a younger age as they grow older. This can be a sign of dementia. It might also be a coping mechanism for worries about the impact of aging.
Clinical
Age regression can be used as a therapeutic technique. Some mental health professionals use hypnotherapy and age regression to help patients return to painful periods in their lives. Once there, they can help them overcome the trauma and find healing.
However, this practice is controversial. Some experts suggest it could be possible to “uncover” false memories. Plus, it’s unclear how reliable these “recovered” memories are.
Trauma recovery
People with a history of trauma may be more likely to regress. In fact, age regression may be common in people who have been diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder (DID), a disorder formerly known as multiple personality disorder.
People with this disorder frequently have a younger personality among their distinctive personalities.
However, it’s believed that the “little” may not be a separate personality. Instead, it may be a regressed version of the original personality.
In other words, the person with DID may be aware of everything, but they feel like they’re a different age. They may talk like a child or begin behaving like one. In other instances, the “little” is entirely separate.
In this case, age regression is a form of security against fear or insecurity. This type of age regression may be triggered by particular events or stressors.
Self-help
For others, age regression may be intentional. Some individuals may select reverting to a younger state as a means to block out stress and worry. They can also revert to a younger age so they can avoid tough issues or personal problems.
As a form of self-help, age regression may help you revert to a time in your life when you felt loved, cared for, and secure. In that sense, this can be a positive experience.
However, age regression may be a sign of a larger mental health issue.
You should speak with a mental health care provider about this practice. They can help you learn how to use it safely. They can also evaluate your experiences to determine if a different type of treatment is needed.
Age regression is never considered sexual. It’s a type of defense mechanism that allows you to mentally escape to a different time in your life.
This is different from pretending to be younger. Indeed, some individuals portray themselves many years younger than they are as part of a hobby, sexual fetish, or kink.
For example, some members of fandom communities may use costumes and portrayals to “pretend” to be younger and more naïve. This is not real age regression.
There’s no inherent risk in age regression. If you practice it as a form of self-help or relaxation, you may want to make sure you’re in a safe place and around people who understand this technique.
If, however, you find yourself reverting to a younger age without your control, you should seek help from a mental health professional.
You may be showing symptoms of an underlying issue that needs to be addressed differently.
Age regression occurs when you mentally retreat to an earlier age. In all ways, you believe you’re back at that point in your life, and you may exhibit childish behaviors, too.
Some people choose to revert to a younger age. In this case, it can be a coping mechanism to help them relax and eliminate stress. Age regression may be a symptom of a mental health condition, such as dissociative identity disorder or PTSD.
Age regression can also be used a therapeutic technique, though it’s a controversial practice. A mental health professional can help you return to a time in your life when you were abused or experienced trauma. From there, you can work together to heal.
Speak to your healthcare provider if you notice symptoms of age regression or you’re interested in learning more.
CONVERSATIONAL HYPNOSIS AND AGE REGRESSION: RETURNING GOOD MEMORIES part 1
A Cold War episode described by one of the well-known Soviet international observers: an American lady came to the USSR as a tourist.
Our country made a very strong impression on her, and she left in complete admiration for what she saw (I think, of course, those who took care of her here tried not to lose face). Returning to the States, the lady repeatedly gave enthusiastic interviews and praised the achievements of the Land of Soviets in every possible way. Years passed. The Cold War broke out. Powerful anti-Soviet propaganda was launched in the USA. Although this American woman never returned to the Soviet Union, the newspapers continued to periodically interview her. And it is truly amazing that ten years later she - I remind you again, having never visited the Union again - enthusiastically “remembered” about hunger, cold, devastation and poverty in our country, sincerely believing in the veracity of her “memories” ...
Yes, memories are not constant. They change during our life, and a lot depends on at what age, in what social status, in what state of health, in what environment, by what association we turn our thoughts to the past.
And everything that happens around also affects us.
One of the phenomena of memory is "the grass used to be greener". This is a completely natural phenomenon, if only because the very first impression of the conditional "green grass" was obtained when our perception was much sharper than now, after several decades that have passed since then.
There is also a “reverse situation”. Sometimes it suddenly happens that that very bright emerald boundless meadow from the past turns into a trampled, yellowed lawn ...
... or, in general, synthetics.
Why does this happen? Most often - due to psychological trauma ...
... or as a result of active brainwashing.
Speaking of brainwashing, the media, TV and others like it are usually blamed for it. It's hard to disagree with this - but any propaganda works only when we listen to it. Therefore, as paradoxical as it sounds, when we convince ourselves that the white of our memories is black, we are brainwashing ourselves.
There is even a clever word for this: depreciation. Devaluation of your past, your memories. Gradual exit to the conviction: everything in my life was bad.
What is most unpleasant is that over time, a person begins to believe in a fake constructed by himself. Perhaps at first he even enjoys the position of the victim, but then most of this game bothers (although, of course, there are such individuals who comfortably spend their whole lives “in the victims”, but this is a special talent). And the habit of being a person who has always been and is bad (and, obviously, the same thing shines in the future) remains and begins to interfere with life. Having felt the colorlessness of life and realizing it (which does not happen immediately), you can go in two ways: wait in the hope that it will pass by itself - sometimes it passes, although rarely - or turn to a specialist. However, there is a third way: wait, understand what does not go away, and then turn to conversational hypnosis for help (and this also does not happen all at once).
That's how they come to me - clients with devalued memories...
I don't remember a case when someone directly asked something like: "Give me back my memories" - more often the client comes with complaints that everything was always bad, and now he finally understood this. But this is precisely a complaint; and when I ask what I want to achieve with the help of conversational hypnosis, confusion and a new stream of complaints usually follow. This behavior is the first sign of the problem of devaluing one's life. But the final diagnostic puzzle comes together when I propose to perform a test exercise in hypnosis: "Accompaniment in a pleasant memory" . Such clients physically cannot pull out some pleasant life episode from their memory. Imagine a man thirty-forty-fifty years old, and he cannot remember anything good about himself! That is, he, of course, understands that there are some positive aspects in his experience, if only because it simply does not happen differently.
But he either cannot find a single case of positive at all - a sort of selective sclerosis turns out - or he remembers the situation ... and immediately cuts himself off with the phrase: “now I understand what is really ...”. And then follows a detailed story that “in fact” a pleasant memory is not even pleasant at all, achievements are dubious, successes are exaggerated.
With such clients, it can be very difficult to reach a request. The most about the best they can do at first is to formulate it according to the principle of avoidance: “I want my life not to seem so gloomy to me” or “I want to believe that my life was not only problems and troubles ". And then thank God. Conversational hypnosis can already do something here. And the technique of hypnotic age regression works best with such clients. Regression allows people to return good memories of their lives.
(To be continued)
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CONVERSATIONAL HYPNOSIS AND AGE REGRESSION: RETURNING GOOD MEMORIES part 2
Continued.
The beginning is here
There are people who have suffered a full spoonful of grief in their lives. And in childhood, and in youth, and in maturity, and in old age. But they usually do not advertise this, and information of this kind reaches us in a roundabout way. And so, you look - people are people. Live. They don't complain. They don't whine. And if they start remembering the past, they will surely find a lot of light in it: “It was difficult, it was poor, there were problems, but ... but then youth (health, understanding people, interesting work, a good family - options are possible). A distinctive feature of such people is a very bright look.
People who have distorted and thus devalued their own memories (read life!), at first glance look like everyone else. Notabene: specialists working with depressive patients know the signs by which one can “calculate” their patient / client: facial expression, posture, manner of dressing, voice, speech rate and intonation coloring, behavior in general, construction of phrases .
.. So Here, in the people we are talking about in this post, such signs are rather weakly expressed. They are not inclined to share their problems widely with others - sometimes because they themselves are not fully aware of them, sometimes - because they simply do not see the point in it. But if such a person opens up, then after communicating with him, the impression remains that in his perception even the brightest pictures of our world are gray and bleak.
I would like to remind you once again: there is always a reason for switching to this way of perceiving the world, whether it is explicit or hidden. No one falls into a state of depreciation from the good life. And if you start to dig out this reason, then there is a high probability of finding it. Another question is what to do next? Because, contrary to popular belief, finding out the causes of a problem does not necessarily eliminate it, or at least mitigate it. The most suitable metaphor: if a person has a complex fracture, and his leg or arm hurts (and the pain during fractures can be very strong!), then understanding the situation - they say, the bones are broken, the muscles are torn, there is a big swelling, that hurts, what's so surprising ? For some reason it doesn't calm down.
A person just wants all this disgrace to stop as soon as possible.
The only exception to this trend is if the client is firmly convinced that, having understood why he suddenly changed his attitude to life, he will return to his norm. In such cases, the technique of hypnoanalysis is applied. Indeed, by finding (or "assigning") the cause of the problem, the client is completely healed.
More often, even during the first conversation with the client, it becomes clear that, firstly, he is not interested in the reason; secondly, he has no mood for analytical work at all; and thirdly, we urgently need to change the situation, not aiming at global changes, but starting from small ones. And for this, you can use the technique of hypnotic regression. Let the client take a walk in the past - and suddenly find something important for today! For the purposes of hypnoanalysis, those periods of time in the past are always chosen, in which, presumably, an event occurred that had an impact on what is happening to a person today.
But in our case, you can let the client float freely and work from the place where he moored to the shore of his past.
Petr Nikolaevich was “brought in” — he himself would hardly have turned to a specialist of my profile. A 59-year-old man, a researcher at an academic institute. He divorced his wife twenty years ago, now she lives in another country. They communicate on Skype from time to time. Adult family son and daughter. Lives separately from children, but in one entrance with the daughter. The daughter (my client in the past) was the initiator of our work with him in the format of conversational hypnosis. The reason why she decided to “treat” (her expression) her father at all costs is “he crossed out his whole life”:
- Dad was never an optimist. But also a pessimist, a whiner - too. All his life he was absorbed in science, immersed in it. In a sense, she and her mother parted ways many years ago because of this. He loved his mother, he loved me and my brother, he loves his grandchildren very much.
But for the last three years, he completely stopped smiling, remembering something good from life. In general, he does not like to talk about the topics of the past, but if you talk to him, it turns out that everything in his life was ... no, not bad, but not at all. Starting from childhood, although dad was very lucky with his family - my parents, my grandparents, got good ones, and there was prosperity, and they supported him for a long time. He starts talking about science, his holy of holies - so it turns out that he did nothing in it, but only wiped his pants for almost forty years at his institute. He used to travel a lot - both around the country and abroad, and I remember that he really liked it. And now he will start to think about it - continuous problems, waiting at airports, life on wheels. He doesn’t discuss family memories with me, but I think it’s the same there - everything that he once appreciated now only causes melancholy.
When I noticed that all this is serious and not a temporary mood, I began to look for - because of what? But she didn't find anything.
At work, I found out - everything is fine. With health, too. There were no major upheavals either. Just in case: there were no mentally ill people in our family - otherwise, you know, I have already shoveled a bunch of literature, read that this is how mental illness sometimes begins. In general, dad needs help. And you need hypnosis.
I couldn't help but ask a question: — What does dad think about this? Does he think there is a problem?
The answer was expected: - Yes, dad admits that there is a problem. He himself is sometimes surprised at how much he has changed, because he remembers that before he was pleased with a lot. He does not like the current state at all. But at the same time, dad is sure that nothing can be done.
Frankly, I did not want to take on this client. It is difficult to work without a request, and there was also a real danger that this case was the diocese of psychiatrists. We decided that we would hold two trial sessions, and if nothing changes after them, I refer Petr Nikolayevich to my psychiatrist colleague.
Petr Nikolaevich, contrary to my expectations, agreed to meet with me easily. When I asked why, he replied: - Tanechka (that's his daughter's name) is very worried about me, I feel sorry for her. And then, I think, it will not be worse for me.
Petr Nikolayevich did not look like a depressive person. Tall, fit, neatly dressed, with a straight back. Facial expression is calm, beautiful and well-trained voice, movements are stingy and confident. What is the meaning of our forthcoming work with him, according to him, he didn’t think, but at my request to think now, he politely refused to do it: they say, there are no ideas, but I don’t want to fantasize.
Well, there is nothing to do - as they say, he took up the tug ... To clear my conscience, I ask if he can now bring up some pleasant memory from any period of his life. The answer is negative. Then I take risks and without warning I begin to “transmit” - if he notices, then, in the end, with my profession I am supposed to behave strangely from time to time: - Petr Nikolayevich, I would not want to upset Tanya either - a glimpse of some kind of living feeling). Therefore, since we have decided to work, and you are sitting here in this chair and listening to me, I suggest that you just take a little rest (Peter Nikolaevich's posture becomes more relaxed, and he leans back a little in his chair )... and maybe some memory will come by itself... any...
Very interesting things happened next. The client's eyes, although I did not ask him about it, closed. The posture became even more relaxed, and the pace of breathing became more calm. This went on for about two minutes. It was a real spontaneous trance that got deeper and deeper. And suddenly—I couldn't believe my eyes—a very soft, kind smile appeared on Pyotr Nikolayevich's face. Suddenly he spoke: - I am eighteen years old. I passed the last exam and realized that the first time I entered the most difficult faculty at Moscow State University, where many people make their way for years. I am sitting on a bench in Gorky Park and I feel wings growing behind me. I’m about to take off . .. There are a lot of people around, they are talking to each other, laughing, eating ice cream. And I am the happiest. I know that I just performed a miracle, and also that there will be many miracles ahead. I feel the sun on my face. I want ice cream. I go and buy three servings at once. I eat two cups, and treat the third to the mongrel, who has been sitting next to me for five minutes and looking at me. I remember that I need to call home, my parents, and make them happy. They were looking forward to this day...
The client falls silent, but clearly remains in that memory. This went on for another twenty minutes. Then Pyotr Nikolayevich slowly came out of his trance state, opened his eyes and asked me in extreme surprise: "And what was that?" I have not remembered this episode for thirty years, probably. And now I felt the taste of this ice cream. What is this?
— Hypnosis — I answered solemnly and with feeling. However, I did not sin against the truth - it was conversational hypnosis in its most successful expression.
