All posts published here are presented as casual conversation pieces to provoke thought in some direction or another, they do not necessarily represent fixed opinions of the Inner Council, as our work exists beyond the spectrum of bound statement and singular clause.
The wounded child
Inner Child work has often touched on an aspect called the wounded child. It might not be obvious to people who are not familiar with this concept what that actually means in the context of guided psychoanalysis, or depth psychology. Here we will explain a little here how this idea comes into the framework of Inner Child work.
The wounded inner child is a detached part of our unconscious which is representing the terms on which we developed through our primary developmental stages in childhood. When a child’s needs are not met, psychological wounds develop and where we look to satisfy these emotional needs we may develop non-serving behaviours in which to find these emotional needs. During the early stages of Inner Child work we identify these wounds by reviewing the attitude and response of our Inner Child. Inner Child work sets out to understand and integrate the past experiences that left us feeling emotionally detached and we begin to change the terms in which we relate ourselves to the world around us and give a sense of empowerment back to ourselves and an environment where the Inner Child feels safe and loved, bringing back inner creativity and sense of fun.
In an applied example, one participant was shown a time of abandonment in the early months of life. She was crying and there was nobody there to respond to her calls. She concentrated on a white light that was coming from the light-bulb on the above ceiling and felt herself drawn into the light where she found some assistance in overcoming the pain of non-contact and the desperate need to suckle for food. Within this white space there was a void, a numb emptiness that felt like a soothing, detached nothingness. This vacancy has been felt at times in her life and has been identified through therapy as a blockage from the real feelings of safety and love. These wounds have been identified within the work and give us clear pathways on the attention and consideration required in the parent-child relationship within the work. It is during these types of analysis that we bring the potential of the work to the fore-front and the reclamation that the participant makes continually charges the potential for the work itself, as the trust relationship is bound even stronger. When we have the ability to step into the past, with trust, and give our child what they needed during those times of trauma, we are able to understand, integrate and rewire the damage that caused a wound to be left open, unhealed.
Being afraid of going back
It often comes up in therapy, or even in the very thoughts of therapy, that images and emotions from the past are going to be scary. There is also suggestion that regression is dangerous and can cause further trauma, but I would like to point out the differences with Inner Child work and how they mirror the work of psychedelic therapy.
There is a big difference between a person (therapist) instructing you to revisit traumatic periods of your childhood and an aspect of your subconscious guiding you into a non-integrated memory for regression.
It’s a very bold statement, but your Inner Child cannot make mistakes as they are the most fundamental aspect of your super-conscious self and the highest wisdom that you can connect to. That being said, there may be traumatic aspects that are not ready to be integrated for years of your devotional commitment to the Inner Child practice, even decades may pass. Family members may pass away before an energy is able to be unlocked and dissolved. One trauma may unlock hidden memories of another family member, where another situation is awaiting to be integrated. Moreover, participants are surprised that seemingly minor events, ones that were often experienced alone, held much to be explored and understood. Like intricate layers of an onion, the journey may not be straight-forward, or even understood on a rational level, that’s why we work with the Inner Child who is beyond rational.
If you would like to contact us to discuss any aspect of your personal work we are committed to your safety and confidentiality. We have worked with participants from all walks of life and we can share with you some of our personal histories with the work. Please feel free to contact us.
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