I am intrigued by the idea that we each have an "inner child".?

Question

Please can someone tell me what exactly the "inner child" is,and how do I get to "meet" him/her?

Answer 1

People with persistent problems such as addiction, depression, troubled relationships and chronic dissatisfaction can transform their lives with Inner Child Work and find a new joy and energy in living.
The source of their problems can be in past events which get triggered in the present. We’re made up of many parts and inside we still have the little child and adolescent we were with all its experiences and feelings. This can lead to this Inner Child / adolescent part of us reacting strongly to certain experiences and situations and the feelings we’re having in the present can be the feelings of this little child / adolescent from the past, it is a reactive phenomena . The process of opening to the world of you Inner Child and getting to know where these feelings come from can change that and enhance your choices in miraculous ways.

Carl Jung called it the "Divine Child" and Emmet Fox called it the "Wonder Child." Some psychotherapists call it the “True Self” and Charles Whitfield called it the “Child Within”.
The Inner Child refers to that part of each of us which is ultimately alive,
The Inner Child is the emotional self. It is where our feelings live. When we experience joy, sadness, anger, fear, or affection our Child Within is coming out. When we are being playful, spontaneous, creative, intuitive and surrendering to the spiritual self, our Genuine Authentic Self, who we know deep within us, our Real Self is being welcomed and encouraged to be present. We all have an inner child and the wounds our inner child received can and do continue to contaminate our adult lives. Our parents helped create this Inner Child part of us, society also helped with the creation. When this child self is not allowed to be heard or even acknowledged as being real, a false or co-dependent self emerges. We begin to live our lives as victims.

Then we have situations that arise in our lives which develop into unresolved emotional traumas. The gradual accumulation of unfinished mental and emotional business can lead to and fuel chronic anxiety, fear, confusion, emptiness and unhappiness through all of our life.

Besides the Inner Child / adolescent part, we have many other selves which are trying to be heard and take control, without us really hearing the voices until we make an effort to do so. Initially, it is very important to tame the Inner Critic part of us. That voice from the past often keeps beating up our Inner Child. This voice invades whatever trauma and pain there was in our childhood. The wise Nurturing Self part of us can learn to stand as a protector self for the Inner Child. It’s the job of the Nurturer to be loving and self-affirming. This part of us can also teach the Inner Critic a new job of support instead of beating the Child self up, and can love the Inner Critic so that the Inner Child self can relax and not have to work so hard.

This is often where the internal battle begins. The Inner Critic has been keeping the Inner Child muffled and secluded. Often, it is a case of transforming the Inner Critic to be a good internal parent, beginning to listen to the Inner Child and to allow it to have fun and be heard.
Denial of the Inner Child and the co-dependent self are particularly common among children and adults who grew up in troubled or dysfunctional families. This is where chronic physical mental illness, rigidity, frigidity or lack of nurturing is common. Yet, there is a way out. There is a way to discover and to heal our Inner Child / adolescent part and to break free of the bondage and suffering of our co-dependent or false self.

Through Inner Child Work with Dr. Michael G Millett and Elevated Therapy, it’s the easiest thing in the world to turn our feelings inwards and connect directly with that part of us that can offer comfort and support.
This is called self-nurturing or re-parenting which allows us to reclaim that wounded child. We can provide for ourselves all the love and support and positive regard we never had and grow up again.

It is not the past as such that effects us – it is our images of it. By re-parenting or reclaiming that wounded child, we uncover any conscious or unconscious mythology of ourselves and begin to re-evaluate and transform it. Linear time does not apply when we work internally and with the unconscious. It is possible to bring our present wise and loving self, to meet and help our young Inner Child and offer comfort and support and find a new joy and energy in living. This process to discover and heal our Inner Child can be quite astounding.

During the sessions, I introduce to my clients a process and then many people start their own journals, which begins their inner journey allowing them subsequently to step forward into their future full of confidence, balanced and in control. Instead of reacting to people and events and sometimes making situations worse they can more easily step back and choose how they want to respond in a way that is more beneficial for all.
For many people, the Inner Child begins to say things that they have wanted to say `forever`!

Through guidance, understanding and love we can learn to know how to form healthy and loving relationships by learning to love ourselves primarily. Because we have dysfunctional relationships internally, we have dysfunctional relationships externally. Loving ourselves is about unconditional love which means no judgement and no shame.

"it is never to late to have a happy childhood".

Answer 2

A good and an important question!

As we are brought up, we are steered away from being playful and from following our instincts. we are subject to "duties", to "do's" and "don't s" and we loose our innocent view of life, our playfulness and curiosity.

Our conscience however cannot be subdued, or erased: it is always there, telling us, forcing us to do the things we want to do when we can.

The inner child is our second personality, it's who we REALLY are if we only could.

If you would be able to live a life completely free of considerations for your environment and free of obligations, free of conventions, you would live the live of your inner child.

To meet it and care for it, take time for yourself. Seek tranquillity and reflect about what you are doing out of your free will.

Let your hair down when you can, do things you enjoy, things without a "purpose". "Play". "Dance" or whatever makes you feel good.

Answer 3

Our inner child to me is the real us ,as we get older it becomes lost in the mess of life paying bills health problems etc. I think it comes out when we go on Holidays we rediscover our selves again no hassle just enjoyment of what we want to do ,It's a feeling of freedom to do what you want and enjoy without been judged on it :)

Answer 4

your inner child is that part of your personality that allows you to be like a kid again. just think back to christmas were you all excited? i was, i was a wake at 4am wanting to open up gifts and have a fun filled day.

Answer 5

Yeah so u comprehend there is like this one female in a purple hat. She's so warm!! What shud I do? ok, so like she instructed her chum that she did not like me, yet i'm purely like idk cuz she's continuously finding at me, and as quickly as i glance back at her, she like seems away. Oh and prefer this one time I instructed a humorous tale, and prefer no person else laughed different than her. So like OMG I gotta comprehend, that is making use of me crazzzzyyy, Do you think of she likes me? might desire to I ask her out? Oh BTW i think of she's a virgin, will it harm the 1st time? PLEEEEEASE tell me!! (10 factors for ultimate answer!!) ********* properly, heavily, the exciting ones are people who look to take a private interest in me, quite than purely answering questions. I easily have 3 or 4 like that. easily, i'm continuously slightly intrigued via all people who provides me as a splash. I continuously ask your self: What did I say that made them prefer to function me? Cheers!

Answer 6

The early fun personality of yourself who you have let drift of into the depths of your subconcious never completly forgotten.. but hard to find.
Thank you Squidgy that was a very good answer. I agree exactly with that..

Answer 7

jajajaj that is a funny question. and by you asking what you just did. you just answered your own question. That is it man when we grow older we just seem to become mor involved with work and other things because we have to be responsible. But when we are kids we dont have all that we just have fun. Well now a days its hard with all the abuse going on. But you know what iam saying.

Answer 8

your inner child (to me anyway) is the thing inside you that allows you to kick back and have fun, be silly, and enjoy the little things in life.

Answer 9

I got one on the outside to