From the Science of Mind viewpoint, emotional regression
means withdrawing to a place of safety and security.
When a thing regresses it goes backward. Often
there is a ten- dency in the mind to get away from meeting objective
situations
which are unpleasant by withdrawing from all objective activity,
and in imagination reverting to a chronologically earlier or
less adapted pattern of behavior and feeling.
It is easy enough to see how one who is surrounded
by confusing situations might feel inadequate to cope with them,
and unconsciously
might seek some place of peace or retirement where nothing could
bother him.
A completely integrated person is one who has
learned to meet everything as it comes along and to make the
best of it. In our
science this is not a hopeless situation. When we say one should
make the best of things, we do not mean that one should grin
and bear it, or even suffer it to be so, for we know there is
a way to meet every situation through the use of the Power greater
than we are.
However, we should not close our eyes to reality
if there is a tendency toward regression in ourselves or in those
we seek
to help. We must recognize it just as we would any other error,
and meet it with quiet but positive determination.
If a person finds himself apparently unable to
cope with objective situations, and consequently finds his mind
reverting with a
certain morbid longing to the thought of getting away from it
all, he is in a bad emotional state and should be helped.
This is done by knowing that there is nothing
to be afraid of, that we are One with an Infinite Partner, that
there is nothing
in the Universe designed to harm us. Confidence and faith in
a Power greater than we are must be generated.
Often, even in poems which
make a great appeal to us, we find this unconscious sense of
regression creeping
in. For instance
the words of Elizabeth Allen, Backward, turn backward, O
Time, in your flight, Make me a child again just for tonight! show
that in writing these beautiful lines she had an unconscious
desire to get away from it all. Note the first verse of “The
Cry of a Dreamer,” by John O’Reilly:
I am tired of planning and toiling
In the crowded hives of men;
Heart-weary of building and spoiling,
And spoiling and building again.
And I long for the dear old river
Where I dreamed my youth away;
For a dreamer lives forever,
And a toiler dies in a day.
In both instances you will note
an unconscious desire to get away from objective reality. Something
has happened to the individual
that causes him to desire to revert to some former existence
where there were no cares or burdens or obligations. How wonderful
to accept the thought of Jesus when he said,
Come unto me, all ye that labour and
are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon
you, and learn of me; for
I
am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your
souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is
light. (Matthew 11: 28-30)
This is not resignation; it is just the opposite. It is a proclamation
that the mind finds sanctuary in the Spirit, and that there are
no burdens when we unify ourselves with Life.
In a certain sense, amnesia, or suddenly
forgetting one’s
identity, is a form of regression because it is a means of getting
away from reality. But at the base of amnesia there is fear,
a sense of separation, a disunion which faith alone can heal.
The psychological approach, while scientifically correct, will
never completely solve the problem of regression. For while it
can uncover the cause of regression, generally speaking it lacks
the spiritual faith to supply what is needed to make one more
completely whole.
There is nothing to be afraid of in the past, the present,
or the future. Our faith should be based on the only rock of
salvation
there is, which is that God is all there is, there is nothing
else. In him we live, and move, and have our being. There is
nothing to be afraid of. Underneath are the everlasting arms. We are cradled in love.
Statements like these will clear the track of the mind straight
back to the eternal Source of Life, where there are no fears,
doubts, or uncertainties: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall
not want; He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High
shall
abide in the shadow of the Almighty. These statements are wonderful
in helping to establish faith and stability, without which life
is but a shambles of frustrated hopes and unsatisfied yearnings.
You might wonder why we mention these
negative emotional states. The reason is that in the Science
of Mind we never seek to avoid
an issue, because any condition which is psychologically avoided
becomes buried in the unconscious. And unfortunately it is buried
alive. Thus the conflict goes on beneath the surface of consciousness,
where it does more damage than it would if left objective. We
must meet every situation as it comes with faith and trust, thereby
avoiding regressions, escapes, and frustrations.•
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