Music Holding Your Inner Child This guided visualization involves hearing,
Supporting and holding the inner child part of you that developed and still responds from early attachment patterns.
This exercise involves recalling a sense of yourself when you were small and hurt or scared.
If your childhood circumstances involved abuse,
Severe trauma or tragedy,
This exercise may feel too emotionally sensitive for you and be disturbing rather than healing or comforting.
It is particularly important in that situation that you listen through this track first before you use it as an exercise.
Make your best and most loving judgement about whether to complete this exercise.
If you decide to use this exercise process but are left feeling unsettled,
Please seek out support.
Take some time to settle yourself in a place where you will not be disturbed.
Allow yourself to settle further into this still place through prayer or a brief mindfulness or relaxation exercise.
Music Become aware of your breath.
Follow it for a time,
In and out.
Allow your attention to rest on your breath.
Gently and repeatedly return to your attention on your breath.
Some people find it helps to focus on the sensation of breathing in one place,
Perhaps the nose,
Shoulders,
Chest or abdomen.
When you become distracted and aware of thoughts,
Ever so briefly note the content and then gently turn to your focus on the sensations of breath in this part of your body.
Once you are settled,
Turn your mind's eye or inner imagination to an image of yourself seated where you are in a particular room.
As you feel able,
Connect with the warm,
Loving adult part of yourself.
The strong,
Stable,
Consistent,
Caring,
Attentive part of yourself that you might bring to the care of a child.
Music Take the time that you need to feel very grounded in this sense of yourself in the present moment.
When you have that sense of yourself as a warm,
Loving adult firmly present,
Bring to your mind's eye an image of yourself as a child at the age when you first remember any anxiety.
As you feel able to,
Invite that child part of you to come and sit with you.
In your mind's eye,
Put your arm around this child.
Convey with and without words that you know that this inner child part of you exists and that you love him or her.
Really pay attention to the child and notice how he or she is feeling and what he or she is thinking.
Convey with or without words that you know that this little one has experienced hurt and uncertainty.
And communicate as best you can a sense of feeling with the child's hurt,
Acceptance of difficult emotions like anger,
And comfort for the stress.
Music Convey as you are able,
That you are willing and able to be the safe,
Consistent,
Attentive and loving adult in this child's life.
You may want to convey that verbally and emotionally.
Hold the child for as long as you both need this.
If you feel your inner child needs this and you feel you can keep this promise,
You may wish to promise to return.
Take the time that you need to complete this exercise in an unhurried way.
This visualization is generally an intense experience.
When you are ready to leave the exercise,
Allow yourself about five minutes to slowly shift from an inner focus back to a sense of yourself in the present moment.
It may help to notice the sensation of your body against your chair,
Then the sounds you hear around you,
And finally the things you see around you.
As you emerge from that focus place,
Remind yourself that this is an activity and place that you can return to at any time as you continue your journey into life-giving,
Loving connection to yourself.
Depending on your personal history,
You may feel the need to do this exercise on several occasions over a period of time to let this message sink in.
Take some time to notice your responses.
What was this exercise like for you?
You may wish to journal about this experience or to discuss it with a friend.
