03/11/2025
I really enjoy inner child work with my clients, I think its incredibly powerful and empowering to make sense of and heal old wounds that get in the way of our present and future💯
Here's a little more about inner child work as this might be a term you haven't heard of before😌
Impact of Childhood Experiences on Adult Life -
The experiences encountered during childhood, whether positive or negative, have a considerable impact on personality development and psychological functioning in adulthood. Research in developmental psychology and affective neuroscience has shed light on the mechanisms by which early experiences profoundly shape our way of being in the world, how we perceive others, and how we manage our emotions.
A key concept to understand this influence is that of early maladaptive Schemas developed by psychologist Jeffrey Young. Schemas are cognitive and emotional patterns that are established from childhood, based on repeated interactions with the family and social environment. They act as filters through which we interpret situations and guide our reactions.
For example, a child who grew up in a climate of rejection and constant criticism may develop a Belief of “emotional deprivation”, which will lead them in adulthood to feel fundamentally unworthy of love and have difficulty trusting in their relationships. Likewise, a child exposed to an unpredictable and threatening environment may establish a belief of “hypervigilance”, which will later make them hyperreactive to stress and prone to anxiety.
Even experiences that are seemingly less dramatic, like insecure attachment to parental figures, can have lasting repercussions. Attachment theory, developed by John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth, shows how the quality of early bonds influences our ability to create healthy and secure relationships in adulthood. A child who could not rely on parents who were sufficiently available and sensitive to their emotional needs may develop anxious or avoidant attachment, making them more vulnerable to relational and emotional difficulties.
It is important to note that the impact of early experiences is not a sentence. The concept of resilience, i.e., the ability to bounce back from adversity, shows that some individuals manage to overcome traumas thanks to internal and external protective factors. The support of a caring environment, access to therapeutic resources, and the ability to give meaning to one’s story are all levers for transforming past wounds.
This work often involves inner reparenting, as proposed by John Bradshaw in his approach. It involves offering unconditional love, security, and validation to the inner child that was missed, in order to heal the wounds of rejection, abandonment, or shame. By becoming a “benevolent parent” for the wounded parts of oneself, you can gradually integrate these painful experiences and regain a sense of wholeness and inner peace.
Healing one’s inner child, therefore, means gradually freeing oneself from the grip of early experiences to become the author of one’s own story. It is a journey that requires courage, patience, and self-compassion. By daring to face the wounds of the past, by offering them the recognition and care they need, it becomes possible to transform these burdens into treasures, and to fully deploy one’s potential of being in the world.
Key Takeaways are ✨
💜 Childhood experiences, positive or negative, have a considerable impact on personality development and psychological functioning in adulthood.
💜Early maladaptive beliefs are cognitive and emotional patterns that are established from childhood and act as filters of interpretation for situations.
💜Resilience shows that the impact of early experiences is not a sentence. Internal and external protective factors allow individuals to overcome traumas.
💜Therapeutic work with the inner child allows for awareness of wounds, welcoming frustrated emotions and needs, and deactivation of maladaptive beliefs.
💜Inner reparenting involves giving one’s inner child the love, security, and validation it missed, in order to heal past wounds.
💜Creative and symbolic approaches allow for contact with the inner child and the expression of trapped emotions.
💜Healing the inner child means freeing oneself from the grip of early experiences to become the writer of one’s own story, transforming wounds into resources.
If you read this and it makes sense to you and this is something you are drawn to work on let's have a free 15 minute chat....
you can email me at - Mrskalmhoach@gmail.com or drop me a message to arrange a time and date that suits you.
warm wishes
Lisa x
