Healing Your Inner Child

Inner child healing, also known as inner child work, is a therapeutic process that addresses unresolved issues from our childhood that are affecting our adult lives. Here's a more detailed explanation:

1. Concept: The inner child is a part of our psyche that represents our childlike aspect. It includes all the childlike capacities such as innocence, joy, creativity, and playfulness. It also holds our accumulated childhood hurts, traumas, fears, and angers.

2. Inner Child Wounds: These are the traumas, big or small, that we experienced as children. These experiences can result in unresolved trauma that manifests within adults, affecting our behaviour, coping mechanisms, and emotional development.

3. Healing Process: Inner child healing involves acknowledging and addressing these past wounds. It's about nurturing and caring for this vulnerable part of ourselves, which can lead to profound emotional healing and transformation. This process often involves techniques such as self-reflection, psychotherapy, and various exercises to foster self-understanding and self-compassion.

4. Benefits: Healing our inner child can help us resolve emotional problems, improve our relationships, and lead to personal growth. It allows us to express the positive traits of our inner child, such as curiosity, creativity, and love, and unlock our natural gifts.

Your inner child healing journey is unique and it's a brave step towards self-awareness and personal growth.

Get in touch with your inner child

Practice self-compassion

Allow yourself to feel

Identify key events in your life

Draw links between past and present

Challenge negative thoughts

Try journaling‍

Seek professional mental health help

The five inner child wounds, as identified by some psychologists and therapists, are:

1. Fear of Abandonment: This wound is related to feelings of loneliness and abandonment experienced in childhood, often due to the physical or emotional absence of a parent.

2. Fear of Rejection: This wound is associated with feelings of non-acceptance and rejection, often experienced when a child feels they are not fully accepted by their caregivers.

3. Humiliation: This wound often occurs when a child receives disapproval and harsh criticism from others.

4. Betrayal or Fear of Trusting Others: This wound is associated with feelings of mistrust and betrayal, often experienced when a child's trust is broken by someone they depended on.

5. Injustice: This wound is related to feelings of unfairness and injustice, often experienced when a child feels they are being treated unfairly.

These wounds are formed in early childhood and can continue to affect individuals into adulthood. Healing these wounds often involves acknowledging and addressing them, fostering self-understanding and self-compassion, and may involve therapeutic processes. Please note that everyone's experience with these wounds can vary, and professional help may be beneficial in navigating the healing process.

Triggers for the inner child are usually related to unresolved feelings or experiences from our past. Here are some common triggers:

Feeling rejected or abandoned

Feeling criticised or judged

Feeling powerless or helpless

Feeling threatened or unsafe

Feeling misunderstood or ignored

Feeling guilt or shame

Feeling lonely or isolated

When the inner child is triggered, you might notice behaviour that doesn’t feel like it aligns with your true character. For example, you could find yourself having an angry outburst akin to a temper tantrum, or you might feel shameful and lonely, just as you did as a child.

Acknowledging and understanding these triggers is a crucial step in healing and nurturing your inner child.

Emotional neglect can manifest in various ways and can be quite subjective, depending on the individual's personal experiences and resilience. However, here are some common feelings associated with emotional neglect:

1. Loneliness: You may often feel alone or isolated, even when you're with other people. This can stem from not feeling understood or heard.

2. Invalidation: Your feelings or experiences may often be dismissed or ignored, leading to a sense of being invalidated or unimportant.

3. Emptiness: There might be a persistent feeling of emptiness or lack of fulfillment, which can be hard to explain or understand.

4. Low Self-Esteem: You may struggle with feelings of worthlessness or inadequacy, often questioning your value or worth.

5. Difficulty Trusting Others: If your emotional needs weren't met in the past, you might find it hard to trust others or form close relationships.

6. Guilt and Shame: You might blame yourself for the neglect you've experienced and feel guilty or ashamed as a result.

7. Difficulty Identifying or Expressing Emotions: Emotional neglect can make it challenging to understand or express your own emotions.