Inner child healing

✨️ healing your inner child ✨️

What does that even mean, right?

Well, to put it simply - nurturing the parts of yourself that may have been wounded or neglected during childhood.

Doing this inner work can look different for everyone. Each individual has their own story to navigate, thus, not all journeys will look the same. However, there are 4 core wounds that we all may have in common.

They are / manifest as:

- the abandonment wound: feels left out, hates being alone, codependent personality, threatens to "leave" during conflict.

- the guilt wound: feels "bad" for other peoples emotions, afraid to set boundaries, uses guilt to manipulate others.

- the trust wound: is afraid of being hurt, doesn't trust themselves or others, insecurity leads to a need for outside validation.

- the neglect wound: low self worth, struggles to let things go, represses emotions, gets angry easily, fears being vulnerable.

Although you may not realize it, this suppressed pain can show up in the way you talk to/ about yourself, in your relationships with others, how you parent your own children, and more!

These underlying wounds highly influence the type of people that come into your life. For example- Has it ever seemed like you've dated the same guy over & over & over again...or maybe you *just don't know* why you allllways pick the crappy ones??

You're inner child wound, babe!

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• abandonment: attracts emotionally unavailable people.

• guilt: attracts people that make them feel guilty for things.

• trust: attracts people who do not feel safe & secure.

• neglect: attracts people who do not appreciate them or makes them feel "seen".

Some ways to do inner child work ~

° Acknowledge and process the wounds/ memories by yourself or with a therapist.

° Connect to your younger self, what did they fail to receive? Feel their emotions. Validate their needs. Use a journal to create a back & fourth conversation.

° Use an old picture or visualize yourself as a child. Speak love, compassion, understanding, and praise to them.

° Let your inner child lead the way -play, get dirty, eat ice cream, have fun! Revisit your childhood favorites and indulge in the nostalgia. 'Give them' the things they wanted but never could have.

Journal prompts ~

• Recall a time that you felt unseen or unheard. What made you feel like your needs were being ignored? How do you wish the other person would've responded instead? Speak those words to your inner child. Give them that recognition and honor their requests.

  
  

• Think back to a situation where your boundaries were disregarded. How did that make you feel? Visualize yourself in that moment as your current adult version and stand up for your child-self! Replay that memory as if you were there as back up for your past self, how would it have gone down differently?

  
  

• Remember back to the first time you ever felt left out or forgotten. Was it at school with your friends in 6th grade? Perhaps it was when your sibling went to their first sleepover without you when you were 5 ... or even before ... when your mother retuned to work at 6 weeks post birth. Yeah, it can be that deep! How can you go back and comfort yourself during that time? Give the child version reassurance that the issue is not them.

• Where you told that you were 'too sensitive' as a child or the classic 'boys don't cry'? Do you struggle to show emotion to others, or even in private? Write down all of the suppressed feelings that you've been keeping inside. Let it all out without thought or judgment. .. if you cry, let the tears flow onto the pages.

Medicine for each wound ~

• abandonment:  do things independently.

• guilt: set boundaries, say 'no'.

• trust: believe in yourself to make the correct choices.

• neglect: openly express your needs without shame.

Crystals to call on for this work ~

• abandonment: heart & solar plexus chakra stones - Rhodonite, Tiger's Eye, Citrine.

• guilt: heart & throat chakra stones - Rose quartz, Amazonite, Kiwi Jasper.

• trust: 3rd eye & crown chakra stones - Labradorite, Amethyst, Lapis Lazuli.

• neglect: root & sacral chakra stones - Red Jasper, Clear Quartz, Carnelian.