Inner child healing is a therapeutic concept, first introduced by the eminent psychologist Carl Jung (Verywellmind, 2024). It is aimed at addressing the emotional wounds and unmet needs from our childhood. The concept revolves around acknowledging and nurturing the ‘inner child within us, the part of ourselves that holds our memories, emotions, and experiences from our formative years. By reconnecting with this inner self, individuals can begin to heal from past traumas, build self-compassion and foster a healthier relationship with themselves.
The process often involves recognizing how childhood experiences shape our current behaviours and emotional responses. Many adults carry unresolved feelings from their youth, such as fear, abandonment, or inadequacy, which can manifest in various ways throughout their lives. These may include; difficulties in forming healthy relationships, the inability to love, accept or be kind to themselves, finding it hard to let go and have fun. By engaging in inner child work, individuals can confront these feelings, allowing for healing and nurturing of the wounded child within.
Healing the inner child can enhance our relationships with others and ourselves. By understanding and healing our own inner child wounds, we become more capable of compassionately engaging with the people in our lives and treating ourselves with the kindness and compassion we deserve, ultimately leading to a more fulfilling life.
Case Study
When Janet came to see me for healing she presented as a bright, friendly lady who had a loving family around her. During the consultation she described being a child carer for her father after her mother had departed. Her childhood was spent looking after his needs and not being able to enjoy a childhood filled with playing with friends and doing ‘normal childhood things’. Although she had come to peace with her difficult childhood, as she got older, Janet was realising her inner child needed some healing. She was struggling to fully enjoy life and was concerned about the impact her childhood was having on her own role as a mother.
During the initial few healing sessions the energy over her sacral chakra felt sad and depleted. This chakra governs the developmental age 8-14 years. It relates to creativity, relationships and finding pleasure in life. The energy around her heart chakra also felt underactive. The heart chakra is known to be the gateway to the soul, the energy centre where we learn to form a loving relationship with ourselves and others. Underactivity here can often indicate a difficulty to unconditionally love oneself and experience true happiness (Simpson et al 2015). As I connected with the energy here I was shown a small child who looked sad and lonely.
During the healing, when Janet was in a place of deep relaxation, I was guided to ask her to visualise herself as a child playing with various toys, running and having fun outside in nature with her friends. She also visualised a number of other joyful activities which she would have loved to do as a child. Janet was able to clearly visualise many beautiful colours and joyful scenes – I too was able to see the images and colours that Spirit was guiding me to suggest to her. I could also feel how her energy was positively changing as she was doing the visualisations. After each session Janet always said how she felt very held, happy and peaceful and was really enjoying the healing sessions. In one session she felt herself being covered in a pink flowers and hearts.
Gradually, over a course of a few months, both her sacral and heart chakras began to feel strong, balanced and happy again – and most importantly Janet felt her inner child was finally healing. Janet was engaging in new activities with ease and fun and felt her family relationships were improving too.
Healing the inner child is a powerful tool for personal growth and emotional healing. By embracing our inner child, we can release held sadness and cultivate a sense of self-love, joy and peace within, which in turn helps us to live the wonderful life we truly deserve.
References:
Simpson, L and Mercier P. (2015). ‘Chakra for everyday living’. London, Bounty Books.
Verywellmind (2024). ‘Inner Child Work: How Your Past Shapes Your Present’. [Online]. Available at https://www.verywellmind.com/inner-child-work-how-your-past-shapes-your-present-7152929 (Accessed 6 December 2024)
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