From what has been said it will be noted that an apparently insignificant experience which has an association with another thing which has caused pleasure or pain is sufficient, when again met with, to make the individual re-experience to some degree the original feeling. We are usually at a loss, however, to explain why these feelings should be present; all we are aware of is that certain persons or things cause us pleasantness or unpleasantness. We fail to understand why because, for one reason, the original experience occurred long ago, and, being buried among a mass of other experiences, is not available for voluntary recall to consciousness. A deeper reason is because the original experience of pleasure or pain is often represented by something which is apparently indifferent, and which seems to bear no relation to the experience. In other words, the original experience is symbolized by something, which, though seemingly remote from the original experience, is sufficient to reawaken it.

An example may make the above plain. Suppose I were in a garden, planting roses, let us say. Let us assume that some one for whom there was a strong attachment were present. For some reason a quarrel which ends unhappily starts. Now if the quarrel is made up, probably the whole incident will be forgotten, but if it leads to estrangement, several things may ever after remind my unconscious mind of this unpleasant experience. It may be that thereafter I may be prejudiced against roses, or cannot tolerate places where flowers grow. Even the words rose, flowers, garden may make me feel upset and nervous. The peculiar thing would be that I would not, unless acquainted with psychology, realize why these things affected me. We see, however, that though the original experience has been forgotten, or repressed from mind possibly, something which reminds the unconscious mind of the experience is capable of exciting it unpleasantly. The original episode is symbolized by apparently insignificant things which seem to be in no way related to it. If I were asked to explain why these certain things aroused my dislike, or why they made me nervous I would probably give some reason which was far from being the true one, though I might believe in the reason given. This would be because the real reason is buried in the unconscious, and is unknown to me. I would, also, give a reason, because like all mortals I prefer to have a reason for all my likes and dislikes.

A person may wonder how the unconscious mind may so control the individual as to cause him unrest, or to act in a certain way, and yet keep the person in ignorance as to the processes at work. We know, however, that the unconscious does control us, and usually we are unaware of its influence. As an example of the workings of the unconscious mind, the following might be cited. If a person, while in the hypnotic state, is told to perform a certain act, as to write a letter to some one, and to do this at a certain time after awaking, he will do so. If asked why he wrote the letter he will give a reason which we know is not the real one, namely the suggestion given in hypnosis. Many impulsions to do certain things, as to touch certain objects, count to a certain number, etc., are due to unconscious promptings, the sources, or causes for which can only be ascertained by mental analysis.

If we were to give examples of transient experiences which have occasioned lasting fears we could give countless ones. For instance, there are persons who fear the water because, in childhood, they fell into the water, or they saw a drowned person taken out; some fear elevators because they once had a sensation of illness while in one; some dread insane asylums, or the mere thought of insanity, because, while suffering from insomnia or other trouble erroneously regarded by many as leading to insanity, they thought they were to become insane; possibly a relative died of insanity, and they gave themselves up to the thought at the time, which they later forgot, that insanity was inherited and that they were likely to be its victims; some stammer over a certain word which is the name of a person or place which has caused much unpleasantness.

Dr. Morton Prince gives in his book 1 instances of the continuity of unpleasant experiences. For example, he describes the case of a lady who had an intense fear of white cats. As usual, the lady could not account for the fear. It was traced, however, to an incident which happened thirty-five years before, when, at the age of five or six she was very much frightened by a white kitten which had a fit while she was playing with it. Another case was that of a Russian living in this country, who had epileptoid fits dating from an episode that occurred seven years before but which he had completely forgotten. It was discovered that the attacks started in the following way. His employer had sent him back one night to look for a ring that had been lost in the ballroom. His way led him over a lonely road, by a graveyard. As he passed the graveyard, he heard footsteps behind him, and overcome with terror, fell, partly unconscious; his whole right side became affected with spasms and paralysis. He was picked up in this condition and taken to a hospital. Each year he had recurring attacks, resulting from dreams in which he lived over the original episode, always awaking with his right side paralysed and in spasms.

1 The Unconsoious, 1914, p. 16 et seq,, The Macmillan Co.

Prevention is by far better than cure. The best way to secure freedom from night terrors and, more important, to ensure the child's developing into a mentally and physically healthy adult, is proper physical and mental hygiene in childhood. Heretofore the physical has held first place: we now realize that mental hygiene is of equal importance. At any rate, the parent should see to it that the child receives a due amount of play, rest, sleep; that, say yearly, it is subjected to a physical examination so that beginning impairments may be discovered and corrected. Unless the parent is acquainted with the mental hygiene of childhood, the child is almost certain to be unfavourably impressed. Valuable hints may be obtained from popular works on this subject, such as may be had at most public libraries.