---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Regression to the stage of early infancy…"
description: "\"Regression to the stage of early infancy is not a suitable method in and of itself. Such a regression can only be effective if it happens in the natura..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e39/alice-miller-3713_able_regression-to-the-stage-of-early-infancy_1859776.jpg"
---

#  Regression to the stage of early infancy is not a suitable…

![“Regression to the stage of early infancy is not a suitable method in and of itself. Such a regression can only be effective if it happens in the natural course of therapy and if the client is able to maintain adult consciousness at the same time.” quote by Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e39/alice-miller-3713_able_regression-to-the-stage-of-early-infancy_1859776.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e39/alice-miller-3713_able_regression-to-the-stage-of-early-infancy_1859776.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e39/alice-miller-3713_able_regression-to-the-stage-of-early-infancy_1859776.jpg)

> “Regression to the stage of early infancy is not a suitable method in and of itself. Such a regression can only be effective if it happens in the natural course of therapy and if the client is able to maintain adult consciousness at the same time.”

[Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Therapeutic regression must occur naturally and with adult awareness to be beneficial.

**In simple terms:** Regression works only if adult mind stays present.

Key Takeaway

Ensure adult consciousness during therapeutic regression.

Themes

psychotherapy development regression consciousness

Mood

reflective cautious

Type

clinical educational

When to use this quote

- child therapy
- trauma treatment
- guided regression
- mindfulness practice

Key Concepts

analytic theory developmental psychology therapeutic technique

Questions to Reflect On

- How to maintain adult awareness in regression?
- What safeguards prevent harmful regression?

A Different Perspective

Risk of re‑experiencing trauma without proper support.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Adult Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adult-consciousness-2496063/) [Adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) [Clients](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clients/) [Comeback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comeback/) [Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Early Infancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/early-infancy-2496065/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Infancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infancy/) [Infancy Suitable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infancy-suitable-2496064/) [Method](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/method/) [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [Regression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regression/) [Regression Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regression-stage-2496066/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Suitable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suitable/) [Therapy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/therapy/)

## Related quotes

> [“nutrition in early infancy plays a part in age of menarche indicates that perhaps stopping breastfeeding, giving extra artificial feeds or introducing supplementary foods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-palmer/nutrition-in-early-infancy-plays-a-part-in-age-of-menarche-indicates/)

[Gabrielle Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-palmer/)

> [When suddenly you seem to lose all you thought you had gained, do not despair. You must expect setbacks and regressions. Don't say to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-suddenly-you-seem-to-lose-all-you-thought-you-had-gained-do-not/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“regression inevitably occurs when the correlation between two measures is less than perfect,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/regression-inevitably-occurs-when-the-correlation-between-two/)

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

> [To sin is to be off the mark, that is, to inhibit development, contracting backward into regression rather than expanding forward into growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-zweig/to-sin-is-to-be-off-the-mark-that-is-to-inhibit-development/)

[Connie Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-zweig/)

> [“Only a humorless tyrant could want a perpetual chanting of the praises that, one has no choice but to assume, would be of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/only-a-humorless-tyrant-could-want-a-perpetual-chanting-of-the/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [Christianity is the worst of the regressions that mankind can ever have undergone, and it's the Jew who, thanks to this diabolic invention, has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/christianity-is-the-worst-of-the-regressions-that-mankind-can-ever/)

[Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/)

> [“liter. The correlation value, r, will be the same for either set of units.  Note however that the slope of the regression line won’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-hartshorn/liter-the-correlation-value-r-will-be-the-same-for-either-set-of/)

[Scott Hartshorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-hartshorn/)

> [The bad news is that the movement toward the partnership side of the social scale (and it is always a matter of degree, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riane-eisler/the-bad-news-is-that-the-movement-toward-the-partnership-side-of-the/)

[Riane Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riane-eisler/)

> [ The script \[of Regression\] wasn't the draw for me. It was largely Alejandro \[Amenabar\] and his way of talking. To hear him talking about… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-hawke/the-script-of-regression-wasn-t-the-draw-for-me-it-was-largely/)

[Ethan Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-hawke/)

> [We feel that our actions are voluntary when they follow a decision and involuntary when they happen without decision. But if a decision itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-feel-that-our-actions-are-voluntary-when-they-follow-a-decision/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The Wrong Person in the Wrong Place = Regression. The Wrong Person in the Right Place = Frustration. The Right Person in the Wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/the-wrong-person-in-the-wrong-place-regression-the-wrong-person-in/)

[John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/)

> [It is not all that common, but there is a phenomenon where autism could get worse at about age two. There are some controversies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-fischbach/it-is-not-all-that-common-but-there-is-a-phenomenon-where-autism/)

[Gerald Fischbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-fischbach/)

> [“It’s extremely unlikely you will be magically transformed from a mediocre or average people manager to a Satya Nadella or a Ratan Tata. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/binod-shankar/it-s-extremely-unlikely-you-will-be-magically-transformed-from-a/)

[Binod Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/binod-shankar/)

> [Donald Trump as a figurehead is the opposite of that - he's regression, he's taking a step backward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-elgort/donald-trump-as-a-figurehead-is-the-opposite-of-that-he-s-regression/)

[Ansel Elgort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-elgort/)

> [“...maintaining good regression tests is the key to refactoring with confidence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-hunt/maintaining-good-regression-tests-is-the-key-to-refactoring-with/)

[Andrew Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-hunt/)

## More by Alice Miller

> [Almost everywhere we find . . . the use of various coercive measures, to rid ourselves as quickly as possible of the child withinus--i.e.,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/almost-everywhere-we-find-the-use-of-various-coercive-measures-to-rid/)

[Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/)

> [Wherever I look, I see signs of the commandment to honor one's parents and nowhere of a commandment that calls for the respect of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/wherever-i-look-i-see-signs-of-the-commandment-to-honor-one-s-parents/)

[Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/)

> [The art of not experiencing feelings. A child can experience her feelings only when there is somebody there who accepts her fully, understands her,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/the-art-of-not-experiencing-feelings-a-child-can-experience-her/)

[Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/)

> [Disrespect is the weapon of the weak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/disrespect-is-the-weapon-of-the-weak/)

[Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/)

> [“Even if one ultimately risks losing all contact with oneself and merely functioning as a mask, an "as if" personality, there are always drugs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/even-if-one-ultimately-risks-losing-all-contact-with-oneself-and/)

[Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/)

> [“Thus he spent his whole life searching for his own truth, but it remained hidden to him because he had learned at a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/thus-he-spent-his-whole-life-searching-for-his-own-truth-but-it/)

[Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/)

> [“Most people do exactly the opposite. Without realizing that the past is constantly determining their present actions, they avoid learning anything about their history.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/most-people-do-exactly-the-opposite-without-realizing-that-the-past/)

[Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/)

> [People who, as children, were intellectually far beyond their parents and therefore admired by them, but who also therefore had to solve their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/people-who-as-children-were-intellectually-far-beyond-their-parents/)

[Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/)

> [Parents are indeed capable of routinely torturing their children without anyone interceding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/parents-are-indeed-capable-of-routinely-torturing-their-children/)

[Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/)

> [Ultimately the body will rebel. Even if it can be temporarily pacified with the help of drugs, cigarettes or medicine, it usually has the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/ultimately-the-body-will-rebel-even-if-it-can-be-temporarily-pacified/)

[Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/)

> [The child has a primary need to be regarded and respected as the person he really is at any given time, and as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/the-child-has-a-primary-need-to-be-regarded-and-respected-as-the/)

[Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/)

> [For some years now, there has been proof that the devastating effects of the traumatization of children take their inevitable tollon society--a fact that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/for-some-years-now-there-has-been-proof-that-the-devastating-effects/)

[Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/)

> [“The older we get, the more difficult it is to find other people who can give us the love our parents denied us. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/the-older-we-get-the-more-difficult-it-is-to-find-other-people-who/)

[Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/)

> [It is very difficult for people to believe the simple fact that every persecutor was once a victim. Yet it should be very obvious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/it-is-very-difficult-for-people-to-believe-the-simple-fact-that-every/)

[Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/)

> [We don't yet know, above all, what the world might be like if children were to grow up without being subjected to humiliation, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/we-don-t-yet-know-above-all-what-the-world-might-be-like-if-children/)

[Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/)

[Explore all 120 Alice Miller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/)

## More Able quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/)

[Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/)

[Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/)

> [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/)

[Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/)

> [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

[Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/)

> [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/)

[Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

> [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/)

[Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/)

> [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/)

[Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/)

[Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Regression to the stage of early infancy is not a suitable method in and of itself. Such a regression can only be effective if it happens in the natural course of therapy and if the client is able to maintain adult consciousness at the same time.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alice Miller"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/regression-to-the-stage-of-early-infancy-is-not-a-suitable-method-in/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Able"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/regression-to-the-stage-of-early-infancy-is-not-a-suitable-method-in/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e39/alice-miller-3713_able_regression-to-the-stage-of-early-infancy_1859776.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e39/alice-miller-3713_able_regression-to-the-stage-of-early-infancy_1859776.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e39/alice-miller-3713_able_regression-to-the-stage-of-early-infancy_1859776.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Regression to the stage of early infancy is not a suitable method in and of itself. Such a regression can…” — Alice Miller",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Alice Miller",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Regression to the stage of early...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/regression-to-the-stage-of-early-infancy-is-not-a-suitable-method-in/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/regression-to-the-stage-of-early-infancy-is-not-a-suitable-method-in/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
