Inner child healing is a beautiful way to reintegrate all the fragmented parts of ourselves that got left behind due to traumatic experiences in our childhood.
To a greater or lesser degree,
We all experience some form of trauma in our early years,
Be it from bullying in the playground to actual physical,
Emotional,
Or sexual abuse from our caregivers.
And when some kind of traumatic event occurs,
That aspect of ourselves can get stuck there in time,
Or may even dissociate from our body altogether.
Now this is actually our psyche's natural self-protection mechanism kicking in.
In order to offset the impact of that initial traumatic event.
But it's imperative that we reintegrate these frozen,
Wounded parts back into ourselves so that we can come into wholeness and a sense of completion.
If they remain stuck there and ignored,
Lingering in the shadows of our psyche,
They invariably start to wreak havoc in our lives in order to get our much-needed attention.
And so,
For example,
We might find that we're attracting replica situations to the initial painful event.
Or we might find ourselves attracting people with resonant wounds,
And this can be accompanied by an impulse in us to rescue them.
Or else we create physical or mental illnesses in ourselves in order to be rescued by others.
But ultimately,
We're just looking for ways to reintegrate and to heal the initial wound,
And to attain the love and that healthy acknowledgement we so desperately needed in our childhoods in order to feel safe.
So I'm going to take you through a practice now that is designed to bring acknowledgement to these fragmented,
Dissociated parts.
So that we can nourish them with the love and attention they needed,
So that we can ultimately reintegrate these parts back into our body.
Inner child work is effectively a form of soul retrieval.
Okay,
So I'd like you to get comfortable,
Whether you're sitting or lying down,
Either is fine.
And you can close down your eyes.
Now there might be an active charge of emotion or a trigger that is present in you right now.
If not,
Then just take a moment to bring to mind something in your recent experience today,
Or the past day or two,
That has been particularly uncomfortable for you.
And really acknowledge where this feeling,
Which you may experience as a sensation,
Where is it located in your body right now?
Is there a feeling of contraction there,
Or a tightness,
Perhaps?
And,
As you feel into this sensation,
I want you to ask,
What part of me,
What childhood part of me,
Is active right now?
And,
Intuitively,
Allow your psyche to land,
To flow like a river,
To yourself at a particular point in your life.
In early childhood,
Especially before the age of seven,
When we're most vulnerable to these imprints.
Whatever your psyche lands on,
Just trust,
Just go with that.
You may recall a particular event or an experience this aspect of you was having at that time,
At that age.
You might have a very specific knowing or an image,
Memory,
Or else it might be quite vague.
So,
When you perceive this part of yourself,
This childhood part of yourself,
Just notice how they are standing,
Maybe what they're wearing.
Where are they located?
Maybe this was a familiar place.
And what is the expression on their face,
Their general demeanour?
Are they comfortable with your presence or not?
And I want you to intuitively respond to this young child now.
You can even ask them,
If they're open to it,
Ask them,
What do they need?
This might be a hug,
Or for you to just be there in presence.
What's important is that you meet their feeling state in a way that makes them feel safe.
Maybe they have something they want to tell you or share with you.
Is there somewhere that they would really love to be a kind of safe space?
And this might be an actual place they like to go to at that time,
Or it could be an imaginary place,
Like in a forest or a garden.
And allow them to show you how to be with them.
And I want you to now say to your inner child,
I'm so sorry you had to experience this.
I love you,
You are safe now,
Thank you for being such an important part of me.
And then,
If your inner child will allow it,
I'd like you to hold him or her to you.
And now feel them melt into your body.
And you can repeat this practice whenever you're feeling particularly triggered or overwhelmed.
And identify the aspect of you that needs some attention and reintegration.
And over time,
These wounds will find the healing that they need,
So that you don't need to attract it in your external experience in order to heal it.
And you'll find within yourself a much deeper level of wholeness.
