Your healed inner child will always lead you to your higher self. This is because your higher self is pure and full of love just like the innocence of a child! What you heal within yourself, you heal within your entire bloodline by extension! However, according to psychology, there are 4 common inner child wounds and they can be detrimental to your growth and development if you aren't cognizant of what they are and how to work on them.
The inner child is an individual's child-like aspect, subpersonality, or part of one's subconscious. Psychologist Carl Jung originated this concept along with many other important concepts modern holistic and traditional mental health healers and professionals implement in their counseling and therapeutic sessions.
The 4 common inner child wounds are:
1) abandonment
2) trust
3) neglect
4) guilt
These wounds can accumulate through all types of issues with authority figures we relied on as children. It is important to recognize these wounds may not be directly caused by a parent but can be brought on by other adult figures in a child's life. Any resentment towards the figure that brought on these wounds can cause further damage and it is important to learn forgiveness as much as possible in order to detach.
There are 4 ways you can begin healing these 4 wounds, but remember that healing is not linear. Damage can be done so instantly but it can take a lot of time and patience to undo psychological or other damage. By you taking the time to read this, you are one step closer to setting your inner child free from these wounds! So let's start.
1) Reparenting
The number 1 way to nurture your inner child from the stress of these wounds, is through reparenting!
Reparenting is when you begin to take responsibility for yourself by being the parent you never had. You begin by recognizing what your needs are and brainstorming ways you can fulfill these needs! Remember, your parents were not given a handbook on how to raise you, and even if they read all the parenting books in the world, no book could possibly cover all the complexities of raising you to be the unique individual you are!
Your needs are categorized into 5 tenants according to Maslow's Hierarchy.
1) physiological needs
2) safety needs
3) social needs
4) esteem needs
5) self-actualization needs!
When you recognize these tenants, you can begin figuring out what they mean to you and how you can give yourself the best in your own unique way!
Physiological needs=food, shelter, water, air, sleep, etc.
Safety needs=safe home environment, secure income, insurance, savings for retirement, etc.
Social needs=need for love and affection from friends, family, community, etc.
Esteem needs=self respect, self-confidence, validation, permission, recognition, approval, appreciation, etc
Self Actualization needs=self development, self-advancement, desire for more responsibility
2) Chakra Healing/Reiki
Most people who have inner child wounds have a blocked root chakra. The root chakra is the first to develop in your energetic body (there are 7 within the body) and it develops in the first 7 years of your life. Abandonment, trust, guilt, and neglect are all stored within this chakra. You can start working on this through guided meditations, using crystals, grounding exercises, and booking a reiki session (and when you do decide to, make sure to book with me! Duh!) You can follow my specially designed root chakra-guided meditation below to work on this.
3) Talk Therapy/CBT
Talk therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy can be done with an intuitive empath (such as myself), a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, and many other healers. This does not need to take place in a professional setting. It can be done with someone you can trust who understands mental or emotional wellness. CBT aims to help you identify and challenge unhelpful thoughts and to learn practical self-help strategies. Essentially it shows your blind spots and opens up a safe space for self-exploration and realization.
4) Meditation
Meditation is a wonderful way to slow down your parasympathetic nervous system and soothe irritation, increase your intuition, and cultivate a greater sense of peace. It does not have to take long. It can literally be for just a few minutes a day, you slow down and come back to your breath and your heart. Your heart is the first organ that develops inside your mother's womb when you are conceived so returning to it is essential in your healing. To follow an inner child guided meditation, catch my replay from my IGTV here:
Asking for help is an important and sometimes challenging thing to do when you have a wounded inner child.
When you are ready to prioritize your healing and believe you are truly worthy of change and transformation, book a session with me 1 on 1 below so I can further guide you!
Til next time,
Stay Golden
Xo Emily Parr
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