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What is Age Regression?
Age regression is defined in a variety of ways depending on the context, but the two main categories are the medical age regression definitions and the colloquial age regression definitions. We will begin with the former.
medical age regression definitions
Age regression is defined as "a hypnotic technique in which the therapist helps the client recall a crucial experience by inducing amnesia for the present, then suggesting that he or she return, year by year, to the earlier date when a particular experience took place. This technique is also used in forensic contexts to help eyewitnesses and victims recall their experiences. The use of age regression in either context is controversial, given the potential for false memories and the debatable legitimacy of recovered memories."[1](https://doeyedolly.carrd.co/#references)
-- This hypnotic technique can only be done with a trained and licensed professional*Regression is defined as "a return to a prior, lower state of cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning. This term is associated particularly with psychoanalytic theory, denoting a situation in which the individual reverts to immature behavior or to an earlier stage of psychosexual development when threatened with overwhelming external problems or internal conflicts."[9](https://doeyedolly.carrd.co/#references)
-- Regression is classified as a defense mechanism in psychoanalytic theory^[9](https://doeyedolly.carrd.co/#references)^
.
-- Regression is more commonly classified as a maladaptive coping mechanism[8](https://doeyedolly.carrd.co/#references)
.
cognitive, emotional, & behavioral regression
First, let's define cognitive functioning so we can understand how it looks when medically regressed.Cognitive functioning is defined as "the performance of the mental processes of perception, learning, memory, understanding, awareness, reasoning, judgment, intuition, and language."[3](https://doeyedolly.carrd.co/#references)
-- Regressing cognitively will affect one or more of these mental processes by reverting to a previous stage.
-- This could be a reduction in memory and ability to learn, an inability to communicate age-appropriately, not understanding danger or risk, and more.
-- Causes of cognitive regression include brain injury, trauma, dissociative disorders, dementia, and more[8](https://doeyedolly.carrd.co/#references)
.Next, let's define what an emotion is. Although seemingly obvious to us, it is actually quite complex medically and culturally.Emotion is defined as "a complex reaction pattern, involving experiential, behavioral, and physiological elements, by which an individual attempts to deal with a personally significant matter or event. The specific quality of the emotion (e.g., fear, shame) is determined by the specific significance of the event. For example, if the significance involves threat, fear is likely to be generated; if the significance involves disapproval from another, shame is likely to be generated. Emotion typically involves feeling but differs from feeling in having an overt or implicit engagement with the world."[7](https://doeyedolly.carrd.co/#references)
-- Regressing emotionally will produce the emotions and thought processes of a younger age, which may or may not be accompanied by cognitive or behavioral changes.
-- Causes of emotional regression include stress, trauma, dissociative disorders, BPD, psychosis, and more[8](https://doeyedolly.carrd.co/#references)
.
-- Emotional regression is more commonly studied among children, as they are more likely to regress emotionally, such as crying/throwing tantrums due to stress or trauma.Finally, we'll look at behavioral regression and how it's related to the previous types.Behavior is defined as "an organism’s activities in response to external or internal stimuli, including objectively observable activities, introspectively observable activities (see covert behavior), and nonconscious processes."[2](https://doeyedolly.carrd.co/#references)
-- A regression in behavior is returning to behavior deemed acceptable for a previous age group, which may or may not be accompanied by cognitive or emotional regression.
-- Behavioral regression can be covert or overt, as well as consciously or unconsciously done.
-- Examples of behavioral regression include returning to thumb-sucking, roleplaying, bed-wetting, "baby talk", masturbating, and more[8](https://doeyedolly.carrd.co/#references)
.
colloquial age regression definitions
A colloquial word is defined as "used when people are speaking in an informal way"[4](https://doeyedolly.carrd.co/#references)
. In combination with semantics and cultural changes, colloquialism can both enhance and hinder our ability to communicate with one another.On one hand, we can find newer and more effective ways of communicating our ideas, feelings, and experiences by bringing new meanings and words into our conversations. However, anyone can say anything they want on the Internet regardless of objective truth and facts. This has caused many definitions, including conflicting ones, to circulate online.In the next section, we will examine these different definitions, debunk or verify them, and connect online-community terms to more established or accurate terms.
defining agere
AgeRe (agere) is shorthand for age regression in the online community. Each definition will often contain something true (reflects medically-accepted notions), vague (technically accurate but not specific enough), or exclusionary (does not acknowledge other significant variations). Below are common definitions made by the AgeRe community, accompanied by analyses."Age regression is reverting back to a childlike state of mind."
True: "reverting back"
-- Reflects "a return to a prior"[9](https://doeyedolly.carrd.co/#fundamentalsreferences)
Exclusionary: "childlike"
-- Does not acknowledge the reversion to non-child ages, such as preteen, teen, infancy, and previous stages of adulthood.
Vague: "state of mind"
-- Technically accurate, but can be interpreted as nostalgia rather than cognitive or emotional changes, so specificity is required to make the distinction.
What They Likely Mean:
-- Emotional regression, cognitive regression, nostalgia, or infantilism."Age regression is a coping mechanism."
Exclusionary: "coping mechanism"
-- Does not acknowledge those with brain injury, flashbacks, and other symptomatic regression that is non-coping.
Vague: "coping mechanism"
-- technically accurate, but coping mechanisms can be conscious or unconsciously deployed, therefore different types of age regression as a coping mechanism exist and should be specified.
What They Likely Mean:
-- Regression as an unconscious defense mechanism or regression as a conscious coping method."Age regression is a healthy coping mechanism."
Vague: "healthy"
-- Technically accurate, but healthy is subjective, influenced by cultural, historical, medical, and situational contexts.
Exclusionary: "healthy"
-- Does not acknowledge that regressing involuntarily can be a sign of a health problem, mental illness, trauma, or stress. Also does not acknowledge that regression is widely regarded as a maladaptive coping mechanism. Additionally, purposeful regression has potential to be harmful on the regressor's mental, physical, and social health.
What They Likely Mean:
-- Inner child work, moderate regressive coping, or play therapy."Age regression is a coping mechanism for trauma."
Exclusionary: "for trauma"
-- Does not acknowledge the plethora of circumstances outside of trauma that regression can be used to cope with.
What They Likely Mean:
-- Inner child work, moderate regressive coping, or play therapy."Age regression is therapy"
Vague: "therapy"
-- Technically accurate, but there are many different kinds of therapy and it should be specified.
Exclusionary: "therapy"
-- Does not acknowledge that many regressors are not going through any therapeutic processes while regressed.
What They Likely Mean:
-- Inner child therapy, play therapy, or hypnotic age regression therapy."Age regression is recommended by therapists."
Vague: "recommended"
-- Technically correct, but more often than not a therapist will only validate a preexisting regressive coping, or possibly encourage it, but not recommend it if they patient does not already do it because it is considered maladaptive.
Exclusionary: "recommended"
-- Does not acknowledge those who already regress and/or those who regress symptomatically.
What They Likely Mean:
-- Hypnotic age regression therapy, inner child therapy, or play therapy.
What does this mean?
Pointing out the flaws in these online definitions does not mean that they are "wrong" or "bad", nor does it mean that the doctors are always right. Both need to understand, respect, and communicate the nuances of mental health. They need each other to balance out the clinical with the anecdotal because age regression, both medically and culturally, is under-researched as of now. Science changes as more is discovered, so we work with what we have now. Continue to do your own research, consult with professionals, and be open to learning something new.
References
1. Age regression. (2020). In American Psychiatric Association Dictionary. https://dictionary.apa.org/age-regression2. Behavior. (2020). In American Psychiatric Association Dictionary. https://dictionary.apa.org/behavior3. Cognitive functioning. (2020). In American Psychiatric Association Dictionary. https://dictionary.apa.org/cognitive-functioning4. Colloquial. (2022). In Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/colloquial5. Coping mechanism. (2020). In American Psychiatric Association Dictionary. https://dictionary.apa.org/coping-mechanism6. Defense mechanism. (2020). In American Psychiatric Association Dictionary. https://dictionary.apa.org/defense-mechanism7. Emotion. (2020). In American Psychiatric Association Dictionary. https://dictionary.apa.org/emotion8. Lokko, H. N., & Stern, T. A. (2015). Regression: Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Management. The primary care companion for CNS disorders, 17(3), 10.4088/PCC.14f01761. https://doi.org/10.4088/PCC.14f0176110. Regression. (2020). In American Psychiatric Association Dictionary. https://dictionary.apa.org/regression