An Alternative Way To Heal Your Inner Child

The breakthrough

Yesterday, I was doing some visualisations of my best self-next year.

What came as a surprise to me was the fact that along with my best future self, my younger self started appearing in the picture.

She was five years old, coughing and wheezing, covered in a blanket (I had severe asthma as a child). A picture of feebleness.

And I had a huge breakthrough at that moment: it seems that I have been carrying this persona with me all my life and she has been hindering me in my current life.

Because, irrespective of how much I embody this image of a strong, independent and successful human being, part of me is a child scared of falling sick again.

It means that whatever mountains I conquer, however many adventurous journeys I embark upon, part of me is still a child scared of things outside her control.

The alternative way

So, here is an alternative way I found of discovering and healing your inner child:

Picture your best self next year.

What do you look like? What goals have you achieved? Who are you and how are you feeling?

Write it down.

Then talk to your inner child from that self: ask them what they feel about the situation.

Are they happy? Are they proud? Are they sad? Are they discontent?

Being in touch with your inner child can bring back moments of joy and playfulness.

But If you experienced emotional pain as a child, you might see a fragile and vulnerable version of yourself.

This is exactly what I saw.

The conversation

Opening up to your inner child is a process of self-discovery.

This is better done with the help of a qualified professional if you are really struggling.

But I am trying to describe to the best of my abilities how I am healing the deep-seated fear that I probably did not know was so profound.

Don’t expect this to happen overnight, my discovery came suddenly but only after years of journaling, self-coaching and visualising.

It is a work in progress.

But the exercise above can help you accelerate or kickstart the process.

Imagine your best self next year. What is your five-year-old self saying to her?

Mine said: look at you, how far you have come with such a fragile state (and I felt momentarily breathless like I used to in my past).

But I am not that person anymore and I made sure I told her that our coping mechanism of protecting her from the world is not necessary anymore.

What is your inner child saying? And what are you replying to them?

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This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.

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