Inner Child Work
Inner Child is a metaphorical “little you”- that original part of ourselves that is innocent, carefree, and experiences the world in a state of curiosity and wonder. However, due to deeper wounds suffered over years, usually since childhood, the inner child within all of us struggles at times-to feel safe, loved, and accepted, having us consciously or subconsciously believing we’re somehow flawed. As children, we are very sensitive, vulnerable, and helpless; no matter how big or small, we’ve all experienced adversities as children. We have all felt hurt, anger, fear, shame and loneliness. Even people who love us most can say or do things that hurt us or impact or overall sense of worth. We are often taught by our parents or society to repress these feelings as children, or made to feel shame. Beneath the social mask we wear, we all have a hidden shadow side: the parts of ourselves that we repress or deny, seeing them as ugly or un-loveable. Most of us are afraid to go back though and revisit those painful experiences, so instead tell ourselves to grow up or hide away the pain, denying the effects it’s had on us. However, the shadow-where our pain hides-is waiting for the light of our attention.
How Does Inner Child Healing Work?
Inner Child Work involves self-discovery of all the repressed emotions and memories, allowing us to go back to, nurture, and listen to our younger parts of ourselves by showing them they are deserving of unconditional love. It establishes a connection with a part of us that has been lost through the years of creating and maintaining a “false self.” This part is created out of survival, helping the inner child feel a false sense of security, so it is reinforced throughout the years. As we mature, it no longer serves its original purpose and begins to do more harm than good, influencing how we show up in the world as an adult. Ignoring these parts of ourselves can result in cycles of self-sabotage, addictions, low self-esteem, chronic illnesses, and various emotional difficulties. By connecting with and fulfilling the unmet needs of our inner child, we gain access to new information about our unhealed wounds, allowing us to heal and reconnect to our authentic selves.
Essentially, we are “reparenting” the wounded child, breaking intergenerational patterns, leading to a complete, more confident and self-actualized individual. Through different practices, we can integrate the parts that got split off earlier in our lives back into our psyches and thus allow us to live from a place of wholeness, rather than deficiency. I am passionate in combining Inner Child Work with different modalities, such as EMDR, Expressive Arts, Mindfulness, and Internal Family Systems, going beyond “talk therapy” for deeper healing. By helping you return to your childhood high impact moments and changing your perception of them, you automatically change your experience in the present.
Throughout our journey together, I will help you discover and embrace all the wounded parts to help you:
*Release emotional childhood wounds
*Nurture love and compassion for yourself
*Identify and clearly communicate emotions
*Free yourself from limiting patterns and beliefs
*Reconnect with child-like wonder and creativity
*Feel safe within your body
*Maintain healthy relationships
*Access more freedom and joy
