I’ve much discussed John Sarno’s theories of psychosomatic pain. His Freud based arguments is that we have a child within us — our id — who is in a state of rage a lot of the time. And this child never matures — it remains a needy self-centered brat throughout your entire life.

Now, recently I picked up the book “My Stroke of Insight” which I’ve also discussed. This is by Jill Bolte Taylor, a brain scientist who had a stroke and was able to observe her left brain shutting down, freeing up the more timeless, structureless sensations of the right brain. She has a couple chapters explaining some basic neuroscience and there she notes:

The limbic system* functions by placing an affect, or emotion, on information streaming in through our senses. Because we share these structures with other creatures, the limbic system cells are often referred to as the “reptilian brain” or the “emotional brain.” When we are newborns, these cells become wired together in response to sensory stimulation. It is interesting to note that although our limbic system functions throughout our lifetime, it does not mature. As a result, when our emotional “buttons” are pushed, we retain the ability to react to incoming stimulation as though we were a two-year-old, even when we are adults. (Italics mine.)

* This is Wil talking: the limbic system is a part of our brain underneath the jellylike cortex.

Is the limbic system the entirety of or at least part of our never maturing inner child? Is this the brat that needs constant attention?