On a practical point, it might be worth restricting the amount of fluid he is drinking a few hours prior to going to bed. This might help to cut down the frequent loo trips. I found the explanation of the chimp slightly confusing. The original explanation makes it sounds superficially as though it is the part of you which makes you do naughty things. This pivots to the part of you that is “acting without your permission”. This is slightly vague but the book makes up for this with repeated extensional definition, giving examples to indicate the kind of thing which it is talking about. Extensional definition seems like the right way to go about explaining it to a child so overall I think this works fairly well. This probably makes sense as a children’s book as when we are young we tend to be more short term and react emotionally so learning to deal with these parts of our mind seems like the priority. Identifying with system 2 Emotion takes a long time to process,” says Steve. Sometimes we have to run over challenging things in our minds a few times before the chimp in us is able to accept them. My Hidden Chimp; Helping children to understand and manage their emotions, thinking and behaviour with ten helpful habits. Prof Steve Peters

I am not sure if you have asked him what he feels is happening and how he feels he can solve the problem? Sometimes just repeatedly listening to a child and helping the child to express their emotions can assist the child to process their feelings and fears. The Power of Showing Up; how parental presence shapes who our kids become and how their brains get wired. Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson. The first is the “chimp” system – so called because we share it with our hominid cousins. This part of our brain is in play when we act impulsively, without regard for the consequences. Our inner chimp is emotional, greedy and lazy and with us from birth. 2. The Human System As an author he has written 4 books including the bestselling self-help book of all time in the UK, The Chimp Paradox, which has sold over a million copies – as per Nielsen TCM Chart 2020.

So throughout this review I have had to prevent myself from just saying “THIS BOOK IS AMAZING AND ANYONE WITH A 5-10 YEAR OLD CHILD SHOULD BUY IT IMMEDIATELY!”. One particularly interesting experience was talking about the habit of sharing. Peters presents this as our human wanting to share and our chimp not wanting to share. My son pointed out that actually he and his chimp and were in agreement that they didn’t want to share. I don’t know how common this would be but I’d tend to agree with my son that my system 2 by default (especially when I was younger) doesn’t particularly want to share. In addition to the examples, there are exercises throughout the book, for instance listing times where you’ve acted in a way that you wish you hadn’t. These help with applying the lessons and to building commitment to act on the lessons. Section 1 - Chimp model

My Hidden Chimp is an effective and powerful new educational book that offers parents, teachers and carers some ideas and thoughts on how to help children to develop healthy habits for life. The science behind the habits is discussed in a practical way with exercises and activities to help children think the habits through and start putting them into practice. The neuroscience of the mind is simplified for children to understand and then use to their advantage. Being fully present and actively listening to your child when they share something like this is so important. Professor Steve Peters is a Consultant Psychiatrist who specialises in the functioning of the human mind. His work, past and present, in the field of psychiatry and education, includes: the National Health Service (NHS) for over 20 years; Clinical Director of Mental Health Services; Clinical Director at Bassetlaw Hospital; Forensic Psychiatrist at Rampton; Senior Clinical Lecturer of Medicine at Sheffield University for over 20 years; Undergraduate Dean at Sheffield University for over 10 years; and visiting Professor at Derby University. He holds degrees, higher degrees and postgraduate qualifications in medicine, mathematics, education, medical education, sports medicine and psychiatry. The Empowered Child; How to help your child cope, communicate and conquer bullying. Danielle Matthew

The Human System

In other words try to establish ideally how she would like to be in these situations and then allow her to make her way towards that gradually on her terms. However, sometimes, it’s a bit silly and thinks that everything is dangerous, even when it isn’t. 4. Draw Your Brain Helping your Child with Fears and Worries; A self-help guide for parents. Cathy Crreswll and Lucy Willets However, if you need any support with the process or helping your child to better regulate their emotions, we’re always here to help. The inner chimp can also be responsible for those late-night worries that disrupt sleep or unhelpful thoughts and creates emotional outbursts that feel sudden, spontaneous or irrational to other people.