What is Inner Child Work?
“I believe that this neglected, wounded, inner child of the past is the major source of human misery” – John Bradshaw
Inner Child Work is a way to get to know your inner self and recognize how you are unconsciously protecting the pain from the past and externally trying to fill the gaps of the needs that our caregivers did not meet.
This work is not about blaming our caregiver but understanding what causes the difficulties in our life and curiosity about our family system and how these things are generational traumas. Inner child work is to investigate and understand our feelings and behaviours, find compassion for that younger self and stop being critical of ourselves.
Some of the many ways the need for inner child work shows up are with:
- relationship issues
- parenting difficulties
- rage
- anxiety
- shyness
- depression
- feelings of emptiness and loneliness
- substance abuse
- addictions (TV, scrolling, food, gambling, sex, gossip, exercise, relationships, control, being overly busy etc.)
- a lack of energy
- a lack of purpose
- low motivation in life
- lack of joy
- lack of healthy boundaries, passiveness, etc.
- low Self-Esteem and Self-Worth
- burnout/breakdowns
- powerlessness etc.
The goal of inner child work is developing a healthier adult self that can re-parent the inner child by giving them the messages and nurturing they didn’t receive. We do this so the wounded part does not keep resurfacing with unhealthy behaviours; What we repress, we will express.
Inner Child Work With Mia 