Healing Your Inner Child: How To Begin The Healing Process
Healing Your Inner Child: How To Begin The Healing Process
"I hate myself.” “I can’t do anything right.” “I’m not worthy of love.”
Do you find yourself engaging in such negative self-talk? If so you, you’re not alone. But you may be wondering why exactly you have these internalized feelings of self-hatred.
The Inner Child and Childhood Trauma
Often, these bad feelings stem from trauma we experienced in childhood. Many of us grew up neglected or unloved, and we carry that baggage with us as adults. We are both spiritual and physical beings, and the emotional space we inhabited as children still shapes us in powerful ways.
That sensitive, vulnerable child that we began life as never really grew up and left. They are still inside of us. And often, they are wounded from early psychological and emotional trauma that leads to feeling overwhelmed, insecure, or like we will never be good enough.
But you can heal your inner child. It is possible to show them the love they did not receive in their youth. To begin, all you need to do is sit long and still to listen to what your inner child needs.
How To Heal Your Inner Child
Everyone’s inner child is damaged in different ways. However, there are a few practices and exercises that everyone can benefit from, no matter what childhood trauma they experienced.
To begin healing your inner child, you must begin to connect with the parts of yourself that are wounded and need healing. Look deep inside yourself and learn why you feel the way you do. What about your life growing up made you internalize so much self-hatred or feelings of low self-worth?
Once you discover the wounds that you need to heal, you can begin the process by becoming aware of those negative beliefs and challenging them on a daily basis. The human mind thinks between 60,000-80,000 thoughts a day and of those 95% are in the subconscious. Most of our behaviors are dictated by the subconscious, so if we want to change how we think, feel and act we need to become aware of what we think.
You can also counteract negative thoughts and feelings by replacing them with positive ones. Tell yourself:
You are worthy
You are loved
It’s going to be ok
You didn’t deserve this
I forgive you
You did your best
Thank you for surviving
Healing your inner child is not easy, and it may take a lot of effort and a significant amount of time. But it is one of the best things you can do for your health and happiness in the long run.
Remember that healing your inner child is a process of growth. It may not always be linear, but you are always getting closer to your goal. Every day, you can take steps to undo the damage that was done to you and reclaim the happiness and inner peace that you deserve.