Inner Child Work ... What you need to know
A personal reflection on the challenges and rewards of inner child work in therapy. This blog explores what it means to reconnect with the younger parts of ourselves, release misplaced guilt, and begin the process of healing and self-compassion.
1 min read
What is Inner Child Work?
Inner Child work is a therapeutic approach that helps individuals in therapy understand how early life experiences continue to influence their thoughts, emotions, relationships and coping styles in adulthood. The term 'inner child' represents the emotional memories, beliefs and and survival strategies formed during childhood. This work, carried out in a safe therapeutic environment, is not about blaming parents or reliving the past. It is about understanding how early experiences shaped current behavior patterns.
Why Early Experiences Still Affect Us?
As children, we develop ways of dealing with stress, fear, rejection and unmet needs. These coping strategies often make sense at the time and help us survive. However, as adults, these strategies can show up as low self-esteem, people-pleasing behavior, perfectionism, emotional shutdown, overwhelm, difficulties in relationships, severe self-criticism or shame.
What happens in Inner Child Work?
Inner Child Work is a gentle process paced on the client's readiness to visit their childhood experiences. It includes gentle reflection on childhood experiences, identifying emotional triggers and patterns, learning to be kind to oneself through compassion as opposed to criticism and developing healthier ways of self regulation and self-support. The client is never forced to revisit memories they are not ready to explore.
Is Inner Child Work for Everyone?
Not everyone is ready for this kind of work and that is okay. Some people prefer to focus on present coping skills first. As a counsellor with 10 years experience, I always assess client readiness and tailor the approach accordingly to avoid re traumatization.
If you are curious about inner child work, it can be explored at your own pace. The work sometimes begins simply by noticing patterns and becoming compassionate towards yourself. If you would like to explore whether this approach is right for you, you are welcome to reach out. I am very happy to be part of your story.