What is an inner child? According to Psych Central, the term refers to the part of your subconscious that still remembers the emotions and experiences that you had as a child. These can be positive ones and negative ones, and everything in between. Healing your inner child, therefore, is about making peace with your childhood experiences and emotions, and moving forward. Here are five ways you can start.
Embrace and nurture your inner child
The first thing to do is to acknowledge your inner child. Accept that he or she is still there in your mind and heart, and that the unresolved experiences and emotions from your childhood are still very much a part of you. Pay attention.
TIME reports that you can send yourself love and support. You can support yourself now in the way you needed as a child. Giving that inner little boy or girl a hug can go a long way. Although you have grown up, that doesn’t erase your childhood emotions, thoughts, feelings, experiences and memories. You are now, as an adult, able to heal from it. Don’t ignore your past. Embrace it and nurture the little person that still lives inside of you.
Listen to your inner child
Now that you’ve acknowledged and embraced your inner child, you can start listening. Pay attention to what he or she has to say, according to Healthline. The thoughts and feelings can come up in various situations, and it is up to you to listen. Don’t dismiss those thoughts and feelings. Acknowledge they are there and let yourself experience them. There is no need to push them away. Validating them goes a very long way and is an important part of healing.
Write a letter to your inner child
Writing and journaling can be important therapeutic practices, and can be used to help heal your inner child as well. All you need to do, according to Mental Movement Magazine, is find a quiet spot, visualize you are in a beautiful place, and start writing to your five year old self. It might feel uncomfortable at first, but it is just for you. Noone else will see what you are writing and you can let yourself write freely. There is no need to think about your spelling and writing correctly. Whatever comes up for you is ok. You can then repeat this exercise and write to yourself at other ages, if you’d like.
Talk to a therapist or someone you trust
Talking to a professional can be extremely beneficial. They have been trained to help people heal, especially if someone has gone through challenges and important events in their childhood. Trauma healing and inner child work can change a person’s life for the better.
According to Medical News Today, the goal of inner child therapy is to heal the inner child and comfort them. That way the person will be able to live and enjoy their adult life without the difficulties in their past weighing down on them. It can be hard work, but very satisfying and beneficial.
Continue learning
Like many things in life, there is always more to learn about this topic and about yourself. And there are so many resources out there – books, videos, courses, therapy that can help you discover more about yourself and things you can be doing to connect with and heal your inner child. You are not alone in this long and emotional journey of self discovery, and the benefits can be so great you will be happy you did it. Remember, it is worth doing the hard work. You are valuable and you are worth it.
