INNER CHILD
Sept 9, from “Strengthening My Recovery” daily reader
“Family dysfunction drives the Inner Child into hiding, leaving states of fear that wander the adult’s soul. While the Inner Child or True Self can be the spark of our creativity, we must also remember the child is a deeply hurt part of ourselves.” BRB p. 303
“Long ago, in order to protect ourselves from the pain of having a dysfunctional family, we shut away our most vibrant essence, our True Self. Instinctively we knew this tender and vulnerable part of us was unsafe and must be hidden away. Today we may have lost touch with our True Self or Inner Child, forgetting he or she is waiting to be healed.
We have many buried hurts and disappointments that get triggered when we are reminded of the circumstances surrounding our original pain. It is then that our Inner Child reacts and we may find ourselves engaged in self-destructive behaviors if we don’t provide appropriate comfort and reassurance.
When we work the ACA program and take the time to uncover our pain while treating our Inner Child with unconditional love, we begin to heal. Having the courage to listen will expose the pain we denied for so long. It also will bring back to life our childlike joy and wonder. We give voice to the child within so we can finally resolve the lifetime of pain he or she has shouldered.
On this day I unconditionally support my Inner Child so we both have the freedom to heal and feel safe.”
My experience:
I am still working on memories and how my childhood shaped me. Right now, I believe my childhood innocence started to be taken at the age of 5. My school was a little over a mile away, having to walk most of the way down a very busy street. My first few days, weeks, perhaps even months of walking to Kindergarten I was accompanied by my mother. At some point, though, she would only walk me approximately half way. Then there was a time that I had to walk the entire way to and from Kindergarten all alone. Take that in for a second, a five-year-old, walking a mile to school down a busy street all alone. How scared I must have been. It was then that I had to abandon my true self and act tough. There were bullies I had to deal with, other kid’s big brothers that were threatening to beat me up, etc. So there it is, no more innocence, just the start of, “don’t talk, don’t trust, don’t feel.”
Just the fact that I can get in touch with this event in my life and write about it demonstrates healing. It allows me to soothe my Inner Child and provide it the love and caring that has not been provided for a lifetime. This has taken an immense amount of courage, but very worthwhile as it has put me in a much better place spiritually and emotionally. I continue to take it, “One Day At A Time.”
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