this mechanism gives us new ideas
Helping a child experiencing a panic attack
When I was in first grade, I rode a bicycle with friends. Suddenly the wheel of my bike hit a stone. I flew over the steering wheel and fell, hitting my chin. In fact, I was not hurt. However, when I saw that I was bleeding, I started screaming. I did not scream from pain – I was scared.
When my parents came to the rescue, I started a real panic. I saw fear on my dad’s face, which was running towards me. Then we went to the hospital.
I will never forget this trip. I sat on my mother’s lap, and dad drove the car. Mom consoled me with all her might, but I could no longer perceive them. I was overwhelmed with panic, and in the end I cried out: “I hate my bike, I hate hospitals, I hate driving a car, I hate you!” Yeah, it was a fun trip for my parents.
Now, when I work as a psychologist, I understand that a child experiencing a panic attack cannot be reassured with the help of logical beliefs. Fear completely paralyzes a person’s ability to reason, and he is in the grip of emotions. Continue reading
Music is important for the development and relationship of the child
Recent studies by psychologists have shown that playing music with children and even just listening to music contribute to the development of the children’s brain. At the same time, other studies have shown that if parents listen to music with their children, sing songs or dance, this positively affects the relationship between them.
In other words, music has many advantages for children. Let’s consider them in more detail.
The influence of music on the development of the children’s brain
Studies in which various neuroimaging techniques have been used have shown that teaching children music at an early age (up to 7 years) causes physical changes in the structure and functions of the brain.
In one of these studies, it was found that when playing music in the corpus callosum (the area in the central part of the brain responsible for coordination between the hemispheres), the amount of white matter increases. In other words, the number of neural connections between the hemispheres increases. Continue reading
What happens in your child’s head?
Many of us have seen the cartoon “Puzzle”. It shows the baby brain control room. The publicities of the child work so that he feels safe and happy. The plot of the cartoon becomes interesting when Fear, Anger, Joy, Disgust and Sadness begin to fight for control.
For example, when Fear takes over, the child cringes. When Anger is the main thing, the child begins to swear. So we understand that all these characters reflect the emotional experience of the child.
But such a model actually works. The cartoon pretty accurately shows how our emotions work. There are also whole areas of psychotherapy that use similar models. For example, one of the ideas of systemic family psychotherapy is that within each of us there are several parts, or subpersonalities, that interact with each other and determine our behavior.
Back to the cartoon “Puzzle”. He largely explains children’s behavior. Imagine a typical situation: a three-year-old child asks you for a blue cup that he likes. When you give him a cup, he becomes hysterical. If you ask him: “Why?”, He will answer: “Because you gave me a blue cup.” Continue reading
