I have shared on many occasions how embracing my Inner Child and learning to love her has been instrumental in my spiritual evolution and has transformed my life beyond belief.
While some of you may also have explored or worked with your Inner Child at a deeper level, others may be new to the concept. So, let’s take a moment to examine how having a loving and compassionate relationship with this tender part of our soul is so important and quite often overlooked.
As children, we were highly sensitive to our environment. We absorbed so much from our surroundings - what we heard, saw, felt, and experienced. We took it all in.
But as we know, not all feelings are easy to process. If we felt sad, frustrated, scared, or angry, for instance, and those feelings weren’t welcomed or maybe too much to deal with, we pushed them down into a vault for safekeeping. It was an unconscious survival mechanism at the time, allowing us to keep going.
Now, as adults, the past is long gone, yet those unfelt, unprocessed feelings are still there in the vault of our subconscious. Our Inner Child is comprised of our unprocessed feelings that have been frozen in time, stuck in that vault, since we were young.
How does our Inner Child show up?
The Inner Child is reactive.
Typically, something happens, and we get triggered. Having said that, things may get stirred up inside of us without anything happening in our outer world.
We may feel:
Sad, hurt, angry, frustrated, afraid, sensitive, tense, ungrounded, vulnerable or unsafe, an upset stomach, nervous, like we are being attacked or criticized, a need to defend ourselves.
And, in return, we may:
Close our hearts, shut down, shrink or feel small like a child, lash out, protect ourselves from hurt, or go into fight, flight, freeze, fold, or fawn.
Quite often, we go to great lengths to not feel this discomfort. We push the feelings down, distract ourselves, or stay busy to avoid feeling the emotion. When we do this, we have dismissed our precious child again.
We think our adult self is the one who is reacting. It’s not. It is our Inner Child.
The feelings don’t go anywhere, and we will continue to be triggered until we stop and embrace the younger self within that is longing for our love and support.
But it doesn’t have to stay this way. As adults, we have the opportunity to reparent our Inner Child.
When we sincerely desire to care for our Inner Child, healing happens. It’s like a structure that starts to dissolve and creates space for our true essence and authentic self to shine.
Over time, we will notice how we are becoming less and less reactive, feel more whole, and have greater self-love. This wholeness and love come from the inside and are not reliant on outer circumstances. It is our true nature.
Exercise: Connecting with Your Inner Child
Choose a time when you are not going to be rushed.
Find a quiet and comfortable place to sit.
Start to settle into this moment and feel your body.
Notice your breath.
Place one hand on your heart and one hand on your abdomen.
Feel yourself holding yourself; you are holding your Inner Child.
Speak to your Inner Child. Say what feels authentic for you.
Here are some ideas:
“I am sorry I forgot about you or judged you.”
“I didn’t realize I was doing this.”
“I am here for you now.”
“I love you, and I care about you.”
“You are so strong and resilient.”
“I accept you just the way you are.”
“I want to spend time with you.”
“You are beautiful.”
“You are strong.”
“You are precious.”
“I love you.”
“I am here for you.”
As you say these words, notice what you feel in your body. Some thoughts and emotions begin to surface. Be present and open.
You should have your journal handy and write down anything coming up for you now. Take your time.
Practicing being in our body in the here and now supports us and increases our capacity to observe and explore our reactivity with curiosity, love, and compassion.
Intention is everything.
Our Inner Child knows if we are sincere in helping her and loving her. She also knows if we are trying to fix her or get rid of her.
Transformation and change do not happen by forcing ourselves to stop reacting. It is through our sincere desire to be present, gain understanding, and offer this part of ourselves compassion and care.
I have shared with you that I am an Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT/Tapping) practitioner. It is a technique that goes to the subconscious, releases emotions, and blocks and heals the wounds of the Inner Child. Working in my private sessions with my clients, we use this technique. It touches my soul sincerely to support my clients and witness what unfolds for them.
If you want to learn more about my private coaching program, please get in touch with me. I would love to support you and your Inner Child.
May we embrace our Inner Child with love and tenderness and feel the spaciousness and freedom in our souls.
With love,
Diane
Take Your Inner Child on a Play Date
On Saturday, I had a date with my Inner Child. My sisters, friends, and I dressed up and went to a Tea Party Fundraiser for Ark Aid Street Mission. Our theme was Alice in Wonderland. I was White Rabbit. How does it get any better than this?!
What do you and your Inner Child want to do?