A Child's Mind  


A young child's mind is completely subconscious.

What a child hears is truth to their subconscious, as no analytical ability has developed.

Babies are born with two fears: the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. Everything else is learned through identification and association.
Take as an example a situation where a child grabs the family kitten, and is scratched. The child then arrives at the conclusion through experience that the kitten is bad. Yet another child grabs the family kitten, but this time the kitten purrs, and is very loving and gentle. This child through experience develops a positive identification with the kitten. It is through a constant acquisition of these imprints that a baby acquires a context of associations and identifications leading to impressions of good or bad. What is positive to one child may be negative to another. As the child grows, they develop thousands of negatives and positives which form what we call our "life scripting".

Somewhere between the ages of eight and twelve, the critical mind begins to form and, along with it, logic and reason. This critical mind acts like a filter, accepting what is known and rejecting what is unknown. At this stage, the critical mind is not very strong, and the subconscious mind which associates and identifies is predominant.

 

The subconscious mind handles all automatic functions, our expectations and our imagination. A child's imagination serves a very useful function. They delight in indulging in a world of fantasy, pretend, and daydreaming. They may use fantasy in creative and inventive activities, to modify an unpleasant situation, or to gratify unmet needs or new achievements. Children's stories of fantasies and fairy tales fuel their imagination and are a very important component in the development of the thinking process. As the child matures, and the critical mind becomes as strong as the subconscious mind, conflicts arise between the two parts of the mind. Imprinted associations in the subconscious mind may conflict Imprinted associations in the subconscious mind may conflict with the logic and reason of the critical mind.

There is a lot of discussion about the barrage of negative images on television that seep into the subconscious mind of children. As children watch T.V., their critical mind tells them that what they're seeing is make-believe and not real, but their subconscious mind is receiving imprints which desensitize them to violence. This programming of the subconscious mind affects the decision making process of the critical mind, which can lead to negative behavior and development.  Children are also very receptive to positive ideas being imprinted into their subconscious mind. The hypnotherapists at Atlanta West Hypnotherapy Clinic emphasize specific and proven techniques that enhance and strengthen the child's positive abilities. The techniques used to induce hypnosis are tailored to each child's developmental stage and learning style. Hypnotherapy is conducted in the context of a very safe and comfortable environment.