How to Heal Your Inner Self

Everyone has an inner child. It is at the core of your inner self. It represents playfulness and the dreams of youth. Unfortunately, not everyone remembers their childhood positively. If someone experiences trauma at a young age, they often mature more quickly than their peers in an attempt to protect themselves. They hide their pain deep within themselves. But hiding the pain does not make it disappear. It can resurface during adult life, interfering with personal relationships or getting needs met. Because of this, inner child healing is an important part of mental health.

First, you must acknowledge your inner child. Recognize and accept the things that caused you pain in childhood. You cannot fix a problem if you refuse to look at it. Then, listen to what your inner child has to say. Connecting with your own inner self will open the door for emotions like anger, insecurity, anxiety, and shame to come in. Connecting these emotions in adult life with memories from childhood can help explain why you feel a certain way. Pay attention to how you feel physically as well. The brain and body are connected in many ways.

Write a letter to your inner child or journal as them. This can assist you to start a “dialogue” with yourself and helps healing inner self elements. Try explaining childhood memories from an adult perspective with insight and understanding that you did not have then. Offer reassurance and comfort. Ask your inner child how he or she feels, how you can support the child, and what he or she needs from you. Take time to sit with these questions and reflect. When you journal as your inner child, it helps you see where certain patterns started in childhood. When journaling as a part of inner child healing, try to get into the right mindset. Focus on recalling how you felt at the age you want to explore. Write down a few memories and any feelings you associate with them.

Try meditation. It can help boost self-awareness. Notice the emotions that come up in everyday life and what triggers them. Sit with these emotions, name them, and express them in healthy ways. This can validate your inner child and the way they felt back then. A specific kind of meditation called “loving-kindness meditation” involves sending love back to yourself as a child. Another kind, “visualization meditation,” allows you to picture your inner child and even “meet” them as an adult.

Bring back the joys of childhood. Relaxation and playfulness are important aspects of good emotional health. Make time to experience what you missed out on during your early years. Enjoy small pleasures and treat yourself with kindness.

Talk to a therapist and an inner self-healing practitioner. Exploring past trauma can cause distress and can be hard to handle alone. Therapists help to create safe spaces for coping with emotional turmoil. They can also advise you on inner self-healing. Therapists are trained in how past experiences can influence the present. Some specializations like psychodynamic oriented psychotherapy or inner child therapy are especially well-suited for inner child healing.

Finally, leave the door open. Healing is a journey that never fully ends. Even when you feel that you have made significant progress, maintain the connection you built with your inner self. Listen if they have anything more to say.