Inner Child Dialogue: The Control Wound

This track is part of The Wounds Series, an expansion of the Inner Child Dialogues, exploring the emotional imprints that shape how we love, trust, and relate to life.

Here, we meet the Control Wound — the imprint that forms when chaos or broken trust makes us believe we must manage everything to feel safe. In this dialogue, the inner child expresses that fear, and the adult self responds with presence, grounding, and gentle release. Together, we begin the shift from control to trust.

To go deeper in this work, please explore my Insight Timer courses: The Path to Self-Love: Healing the Mother Wound and The Path to Wholeness: Healing the Father Wound.

The healing happens in the staying.

Transcript

Hello,

And welcome to Jhanurji Healing.

Take a deep,

Grounding breath.

Place one hand on your heart and the other on your belly.

Feel the natural rhythm of your breath,

The gentle rise and fall that life moves through you.

Whisper softly,

I'm safe.

I'm here.

I'm not leaving myself.

This is an inner child dialogue,

A space where we listen to the younger part of ourselves and respond with love,

Safety,

And truth.

Today we meet the control wound,

The imprint that forms when chaos or uncertainty made us believe that safety depends on being in charge.

It's the wound that whispers,

If I can manage everything,

Maybe I won't get hurt again.

Let's begin.

I can't let go.

If I stop watching,

Something bad will happen.

If I don't plan everything,

Everything will fall apart.

I know how exhausting that is.

You learned to hold it all because no one else did.

You became the adult too soon,

Managing chaos,

Calming storms,

Making sense of things that never made sense.

Control was your shield.

But if I don't control it,

I'll lose everything.

I can't trust people.

They mess up,

They lie,

They leave.

You're right,

Sometimes people do.

And it hurt.

But control can't protect us from pain.

It only closes us off from peace.

Safety doesn't come from managing life.

It comes from trusting that we can meet life as it comes.

So if I let go,

Who keeps us safe?

I do.

I'm here now.

Not the child who had to stay hyper-alert to survive,

But the adult who knows how to anchor and choose.

We can set boundaries without gripping.

We can plan without fear.

We can release control without abandoning safety.

It feels scary to trust.

I know.

Trust isn't something we force.

It's something we rebuild.

One breath,

One moment at a time.

We don't have to surrender all at once.

We just loosen the grip where we can.

We let love,

Not fear,

Guide what we hold and what we release.

Take a slow breath.

Place both hands over your heart.

Whisper softly,

I release control.

I trust the wisdom of life moving through me.

The need for control no longer defines us.

We are steady.

We are capable.

We are free.

Rest here for a few breaths.

Know that you are safe.

Know that you are loved.

Namaste.