Regression therapy case study – Candace Newmaker
The tragic case of Candace Newmaker was widely reported and has a heavy
impact on the reputation of regression therapy, particularly the branch known as
“rebirthing”. This girl was born into a life of neglect and abuse. As a result, she
and her brother were taken into custody by government authorities and the rights
of her parents terminated. She was then adopted.
Over the first two years of her life with the adoptive mother, Candace’s behavior
was (understandably) difficult and at times, even violent. These problems
gradually grew worse, encompassing violent acts against household pets and
pyromania. The adoptive mother decided that she and Candace would
participate in an intensive course of therapy which included the controversial
“rebirthing” methodology. As part of the therapy, Candace was wrapped in a
heavy blanket (simulating the pre-natal environment, intended to regress her to
the time just before her birth and encourage her to be “re-born” and “attach” to
the adoptive mother).
Despite the child’s pleading, she was kept inside the blanket for 70 minutes,
resulting in her inability to receive sufficient oxygen for brain function. She was
rescued by paramedics, following a call to emergency services. Unfortunately,
she entered a vegetative state once in hospital and was declared brain dead by
way of asphyxiation. Those involved, including the adoptive mother, were later
charged with negligence and child abuse, resulting in death.
As the result of the Candace Newmark case, the state in which the incident
occurred passed Candace’s Law, outlawing attachment therapy and rebirthing
therapy. Federal legislation from both the US House of Representatives and
Senate followed, to curtail the practice of this radical and dangerous therapy.
But regression therapy in other forms can be highly successful for children who
experience trauma and become developmentally arrested at the age the trauma
occurred. A traumatic incident (abandonment, physical or sexual abuse, natural
disaster, war) can cause children to be delayed indefinitely, until intervention is
pursued. One of these interventions is age regression therapy.
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