Your inner child is the part of you that is referred to as the, child within, divine child or true self. In most cases, you may have several inner children that are all a part of you, looking to feel safe again, looking for love and emotional healing and self-worth. In order to feel whole again, a person must give their inner child a healing outlet, a way to feel validated, hopeful and loved. As an adult, if your inner child is not fully whole or healed, he or she will come out and react in many irrational ways that were formed in early childhood – usually from trauma, neglect and often due to family dynamics where parents did not have the tools to fulfill the child’s basic needs, creating an unmet need for the inner child to learn how to cope with it.
The inner child is a part of us that has its very own separate demands, problems, desires and goals. These will all cross over into our adult life. If you notice any of the following in your life, you have an inner child or inner children that need to be healed in order to feel whole again. Communication problems, anger, negative, co-dependent or dysfunctional relationships, emotional trauma and addictions such as food or substance abuse – these often come from the injured inner child, desperately trying to get his needs met.
What is Inner Child Healing and how do we do it?
Childhood patterns, behaviors, thoughts and defenses are created at a young age, often in childhood. Family dynamics can play a big role along with severe trauma, abuse and neglect. Inner child healing provides a positive inner resource for the individual to meet the inner child needs and create new positive inner child responses. While in a hypnotic state, the hypnotherapist uses different processes and techniques that help guide and support the inner child and free them from frozen patterns and childhood perceptions so they can feel whole again.
Clients who experience unexplained difficulties in their lives resulting from earlier childhood trauma, anxiety and stress can benefit from inner child healing, also called age regression therapy. Unhealed areas such as problematic communication, anger issues, dysfunctional relationships, addictions and co-dependency are often the result of a wounded inner child. This technique allows the client to recall past perceptions, thoughts and feelings. The hypnotherapist helps the client reframe negative thoughts, feelings and perceptions and allows the client to see how the past childhood trauma is affecting their current life situation. They will help the client release the blocks and barriers and eliminate their past trauma. Our subconscious minds run our current behaviors and habits. With hypnosis, a skilled hypnotherapist who specializes in inner child healing work or regression therapy, can help clients reframe their thinking and get rid of unwanted behaviors permanently that no longer serve the client.
What are the benefits of Inner Child Healing work?
According to Book author John Bradshaw there are 6 steps to help heal the inner child:
Trust: Trusting that your adult self will be there and help him or her work through all those emotions feelings in a safe and loving environment.
Validation: Realizing what happened to you was not your fault and accept that your parents did the best job they could and stop blaming yourself, realizing they are also wounded children too.
Shock and Anger: Starting to understand and dealing with the emotional traumas and wounded child is part of the healing process and in order to move forward and be whole we first recognize the cause.
Sadness: We must learn to process and grieve any feelings of betrayal, could have been, should have been and our unfilled developmental needs.
Remorse: Grieving remorse and abandonment from any childhood traumas or circumstances we had no control over and realize there is nothing we could have been, said or done differently. Telling that wounded inner child they were just a kid and they’re ok.
Loneliness: Grieving many core feelings such as shame and loneliness allows them an outlet, and embracing those feelings of shame and loneliness are the steps to helping heal your own inner child. If we are able to willingly accept and allow them to come out, we become whole and healed and our inner child feels safe, loved and worthy.
If you are interested in learning more about healing your inner child, join me for an upcoming 4 week workshop series on, Reconnecting With Your Inner Child. In this series, you will learn how to re-connect with your inner child and become a loving parent to them. You will also re-discover those old hidden talents and interests your inner child enjoyed and has long forgotten!
Heather has been a certified practicing hypnotherapist and speaker for over 9 years. She received her certification from Clinical Hypnosis Institute in Warren, MI, and her Bachelors in Psychology from Walden University. She has worked with numerous clients individually and in group settings, helping them reach their true potential and make lasting, permanent changes in their lives.
(586)464-7221 InnerChildHealingHypnoTherapyofMichigan.com
