“Grow Up, Stop Being a Baby”: The Inner Child

November 21, 2022

We all have an inner child inside of us. What does yours look like? Happy? Or maybe fearful or distressed? Pay attention to them, and you may just learn something new about yourself, maybe even reconnect with a hidden part of you.

As someone who’s been undergoing inner child work for years, I can say that this form of therapy has brought out many positive shifts in me, and I’m writing this post in hopes to spread the word on inner child work as I believe anyone can benefit from it. What is an inner child? Put simply, your inner child is the “original” version of you that entered the world, it is a part of you that has been picking up messages way before you were able to fully process what’s going on in your environment. What if your inner child has some unhealed wounds?

These wounds present themselves in your current life. If you’ve ever acted out patterns that held you back, this may be your inner child running the show- it is seeking comfort and familiarity in these old patterns. which can conflict with the current you that is more logical and adventurous. That is because your inner child does not have access to the same reality that you do now. These two conflicting parts can make one feel as though they are “stuck”.

I encourage anyone with childhood wounds to do inner child work with a trusted therapist. As your inner child has a different set of memories than the current you does, be open to hearing what it has to say with unconditional self-love and compassion. From my experience, I know this will be a long, intimidating process for many, as reaching out to your inner child involves reopening some childhood wounds, but understanding your inner child can help you figure out how your past experiences are driving your current behaviors, habits, and thoughts. That is the moment your inner child stops running the show, and you may find yourself able to venture outside your comfort zone with much less anxiety.

Source: https://www.betterup.com/blog/inner-child-work#:~:text=t%20remember%20it.-,What%20is%20inner%20child%20work%3F,unmet%20needed%20by%20reparenting%20ourselves.