What is Inner Child Work and How can it Help You?
March 3rd
What is “Inner Child” work anyway and why is it all the rage right now? Well, like any other physical or mental health trend, the word gets out and then everyone is interested in learning more about it. Inner Child work began with Carl Jung, that’s right Carl Jung the famous Swiss Psychiatrist and Psycho-analyst. He began looking into this work by taking time to consider his own inner child and to see if working with that part of himself would bring about change that would render him happier and more alive. Carl Jung spent his career looking into things like the “Collective Unconscious” or “Shared Cnsciousness” through our ancestors and our experiences as human beings. Doing Inner child work was just a small part of his theory but an important one.
So what is it? It is the process by which an individual by themselves or with the help of a trained professional goes and seeks out the experiences, beliefs or the trauma they once had as a child. What are some of the things that can cause issues with the “Inner Child”? Essentially there is a whole Litany of things that can cause a child to struggle, and those struggles can continue with us into adulthood. I will list some of the ideas below, but know that you like many other people have most likely had some issues in your childhood that would be considered part of what you would address during this type of therapy.
Examples of Childhood Trauma
1) When a child is made to feel unsafe, through one of the following examples – • Not allowing a child to have their own opinions • Discouragement from playing or having fun • Not allowed to display strong emotions • Punishment for speaking up • Continuously shamed by caregivers • Not allowing spontaneity • Was not given appropriate hugs, kisses, or cuddles
2) What makes a child feel unsafe? A) Physical Neglect B) Emotional Neglect C) Psychological Neglect. With each of those types of abuse or neglect comes a whole host of issues associated with that experience. It greatly depends on the child, their ability to overcome and how their family supports them through that process as they develop into adulthood. Meaning some people are more affected by theses abuses and neglect than others.
How do you do Inner Child Work?
What does it mean to work on your “Inner Child”? What it means is that “You” through the guidance of a trained professional, are taken back into childhood either through talk therapy or with the ability of Hypnotherapy and it’s process of accessing the sub-conscious or sometimes unconscious mind to look at the trauma and to heal from that trauma or abuse.
When a psychologist does this work they work through the persons memories and the feelings they have about their past to help them overcome those specific issues that may be arising either known or unbeknownst to the individual. They help them process things from the past and through that talk therapy they hopefully help them overcome the wounds that were created by their past experiences. This could take many sessions and or even years to do the work in this realm, or it could be quick. As always it depends on the individual.
With a Hypnotherapist, the work is done through the subconscious mind and the access to memories and feelings at the level of the body, the cellular memory so the person can release and reframe their understanding of the trauma in a different way than strictly through talk therapy. Both ways are good, and there is no right way or wrong way to approach this work, it has to be comfortable for the person going through the therapy to choose what is best or right for them and where they are at in their life. Through Hypnotherapy, the process might only take from 1-10 session. Again it really depends on the person and what they are dealing with and how quickly they can process the changes.
Why is it important to do this work? Well, because we often operate about 90-95% of the time from our subconscious mind and from our experiences of the past. What this means is that you may or may not even know, why you do what you do. You just react and are often not even aware of why you are behaving the way you are. Some people are better at self analyzing than others, but most of us, don’t really understand our own behaviors. So why we do this “Inner Child” work is to be able to change how we feel about our selves, to create a new and more updated understanding of who we are now, in the present vs. continuing with old and outdated ideologies of who we really are. Let me share a story with you, so you can better understand how and why this works.
When we are in childhood, we are living in a state of constant learning, and we are surrounded by many people who are meant to care for us and are there to show us the way to behave in the world. Such as our parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents, teachers etc.. So imagine, one day you are walking across the street with your mother, you might be about 5 or 6 years old and you reach for your mothers hand. You want to feel safe and protected in this unknown environment of the larger world. Your mother is busy and slaps your had away and says’ you don’t need to hold my hand right now. You are a big boy or girl and you can cross the street with my by myself. One person, might be fine with this response, they might be like “Kool! I am a big kid and I don’t need to hold mom’s hand while crossing the street.” Yet, another child might see that hand slap and that comment as a sign that mom is not loving or supporting them in a scary situation or environment. So then they begin to wonder, what did I do wrong? Does mom even love me? Am I going to be okay and get across the street safely? All of these are possible responses from that child as they experienced that situation. What happens, then is the next time they are chastised or not supported by another authority figure, they then begin to see a pattern of people not thinking much of them. And so on and so forth. Compound that similar situation 5, 10 or 20 times in life and now you have a real belief from that person that they are not worthy or lovable or whatever. It begins to be a real problem. Subconsciously these held beliefs right or wrong, can now affect their jobs, their friendships and their relationships with others.
Who is this process right for? Anyone who wants to understand themselves and their behavioral responses better. Anyone who wants to heal from old family wounds and childhood traumas and who wants to move on and to feel more confident in life. Really, pretty much anyone can find benefit from this type of work and it can make a big difference in their life. If you happen to have been diagnosed with a Personality disorder or some type of mental psychosis, then this may not be the right path for you, but any mentally normal adult can benefit from this work and should seriously consider it. The change that a person can see by going through this process is quite literally life changing. If you think that Inner Child work could be a good process for you. Please feel free to schedule a consultation with me at this link.
