1 00:00:05,600 --> 00:00:09,200 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome back to the Psychology of Your Twenties, 2 00:00:09,640 --> 00:00:12,040 Speaker 1: the podcast where we talk through some of the big 3 00:00:12,119 --> 00:00:15,880 Speaker 1: life changes and transitions of our twenties and what they 4 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:24,920 Speaker 1: mean for our psychology. Hello everybody, Welcome back to the show. 5 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:30,160 Speaker 1: Welcome back to the podcast. New listeners, old listeners, Wherever 6 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 1: you are in the world, it is so great to 7 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:36,000 Speaker 1: have you here. Thank you for deciding to tune in. 8 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:42,320 Speaker 1: This week's episode is essential listening for everyone in their twenties, 9 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:46,280 Speaker 1: or really whatever age you are right now, wherever you 10 00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:49,479 Speaker 1: are in your life. It is such an important concept, 11 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:53,160 Speaker 1: such an important topic, and it's also been a long 12 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:59,480 Speaker 1: time coming, something I'm personally really fascinated by but also 13 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:03,760 Speaker 1: excited to be able to share and discuss. Here, we're 14 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:09,319 Speaker 1: talking about the process of nurturing and healing our inner child, 15 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:16,280 Speaker 1: or reparenting ourselves, healing attachment wounds by connecting with our 16 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:22,479 Speaker 1: childlike wonder our childlike curiosity and innocence. So you may 17 00:01:22,520 --> 00:01:27,400 Speaker 1: be wondering this is a podcast dedicated to people in 18 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:31,800 Speaker 1: the twenties. Why are we talking about childhood that's already happened, 19 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:37,360 Speaker 1: that's in the past. But reconnecting with your inner child 20 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:42,360 Speaker 1: is a fundamental task that I believe every single one 21 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:44,319 Speaker 1: of us has to do at some point in our lives, 22 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:46,800 Speaker 1: and we may as well start now. I think many 23 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:50,480 Speaker 1: of us do not take the time to really consider 24 00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:56,120 Speaker 1: how our early life experiences have changed and altered us 25 00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:59,680 Speaker 1: and made us who we are, and that whatever has 26 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:03,400 Speaker 1: happened in our lives, whether you've been hurt you know, 27 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:08,000 Speaker 1: whether you feel all these obligations to do things, whatever 28 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 1: society has convinced you, whatever society has told you about yourself, 29 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:16,600 Speaker 1: at the end of the day, at our core, there 30 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:22,920 Speaker 1: is still this tiny, innocent, vulnerable, joyful version of us 31 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:26,919 Speaker 1: that really does deserve to be nurtured and to feel 32 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 1: safe and realizing that can be really life changing and 33 00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 1: I think a massive step in our self discovery and 34 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:41,160 Speaker 1: kind of self healing and self growth journey. Before we 35 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:43,600 Speaker 1: jump in, I also just want to note that I 36 00:02:43,639 --> 00:02:47,560 Speaker 1: think that this idea of inner child work. It's been 37 00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:52,520 Speaker 1: floating around across a lot of platforms like TikTok and Instagram. 38 00:02:52,880 --> 00:02:56,400 Speaker 1: I see things about it all the time, and I 39 00:02:56,440 --> 00:03:00,519 Speaker 1: think with that comes a lot of confusion, would say, 40 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:09,440 Speaker 1: and misinterpretations of the true science and psychology behind this phenomena. 41 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:13,800 Speaker 1: Often when we see psychology kind of converted onto places 42 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:18,240 Speaker 1: like TikTok, when we see it converted into fast media, 43 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:22,760 Speaker 1: the concepts kind of lose some of their validity because 44 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:26,720 Speaker 1: you know, it's social media, and we're increasingly skeptical of 45 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:29,320 Speaker 1: some of the content that we see on those platforms. 46 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:32,760 Speaker 1: So if you're listening to this, being like this sounds 47 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:37,200 Speaker 1: like a little bit crazy, This doesn't sound particularly scientific, 48 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:40,640 Speaker 1: I understand where you're coming from. But when it comes 49 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 1: to healing out in a child, even the existence of 50 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:47,960 Speaker 1: our inner child, this is very much a real thing. 51 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:51,800 Speaker 1: It has an evidence base behind it. Many psychologists have 52 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:57,800 Speaker 1: established the entire careers on this idea and on learning 53 00:03:57,800 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 1: more about this connection between our adult selves and our 54 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:05,320 Speaker 1: childhood selves on an unconscious level. So I really want 55 00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 1: to dispel some of that ambiguity today and also provide 56 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:13,160 Speaker 1: a bit of a guide as to how we can 57 00:04:13,240 --> 00:04:17,240 Speaker 1: actually do in a child work on our own. So 58 00:04:17,279 --> 00:04:21,120 Speaker 1: we're going to discuss the origins of this concept, where 59 00:04:21,120 --> 00:04:24,080 Speaker 1: it came from, some of the core elements of what 60 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:27,120 Speaker 1: we mean when we talk about our inner child, and 61 00:04:27,279 --> 00:04:31,200 Speaker 1: why it is such a crucial aspect of our identity. 62 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:36,000 Speaker 1: Part of that conversation is also some of the wounds 63 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:39,599 Speaker 1: that we do carry from childhood. Maybe you've heard of 64 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:43,040 Speaker 1: the guilt wound or the abandonment wound. I really want 65 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:46,080 Speaker 1: to dive further into that as well, because I don't 66 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:48,560 Speaker 1: think that the specifics are really talked about enough in 67 00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:53,120 Speaker 1: this space. Of course, we're going to dissect some of 68 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:58,159 Speaker 1: the benefits of reparenting ourselves, and of course how we 69 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:03,400 Speaker 1: can do this, from the big practices like psychotherapy, to 70 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:09,760 Speaker 1: just nurturing our innate playfulness, listening to music from our childhood, 71 00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:14,320 Speaker 1: writing a letter to our childhood selves, giggling every now 72 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:18,680 Speaker 1: and again, laughing, playing all of those things. As simple 73 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:22,960 Speaker 1: as those practices might sound, we're going to see some 74 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:27,000 Speaker 1: amazing differences in how we treat ourselves and how we 75 00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:30,800 Speaker 1: see the world when we take time to really reflect 76 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:34,160 Speaker 1: on what is at our core of our identity, how 77 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:37,200 Speaker 1: we got to the place that we are, what happened 78 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:40,920 Speaker 1: to us in childhood that's made us into this adult 79 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:44,720 Speaker 1: version of ourselves. So there's a lot to discuss, a 80 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:47,800 Speaker 1: lot to talk through, and so much that we can 81 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:51,839 Speaker 1: use in our twenties. So let's jump into all of 82 00:05:51,839 --> 00:05:55,200 Speaker 1: the information, all of the facts all of the psychology 83 00:05:55,800 --> 00:06:06,840 Speaker 1: around how we can heal our inner child. So let's 84 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:09,680 Speaker 1: start with the basics. Where did this idea of an 85 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:12,480 Speaker 1: inner child come from? And what does it really mean 86 00:06:12,640 --> 00:06:15,520 Speaker 1: in a modern day context. So the idea is that 87 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:18,760 Speaker 1: kind of stands today. It has its roots in the 88 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:21,400 Speaker 1: work of Karl Yung, So if you don't know who 89 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:25,080 Speaker 1: that is, it's essentially perhaps one of the most well known, 90 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:31,880 Speaker 1: most influential psychiatrists and psychologists from the nineteen hundreds, and 91 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:36,799 Speaker 1: his work really inspired people like Freud to dive into 92 00:06:36,839 --> 00:06:41,000 Speaker 1: this idea that we have a subconscious or unconscious mind 93 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:45,960 Speaker 1: that impacts our daily decisions. So Yung he had this idea, 94 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:49,080 Speaker 1: a very in depth metaphor, that all of us have 95 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:53,920 Speaker 1: a child archetype within us that impacts how we behave, 96 00:06:54,520 --> 00:06:59,159 Speaker 1: impacts our decisions, how we act without us really consciously knowing. 97 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:02,600 Speaker 1: We all possess this in a version of ourselves no 98 00:07:02,640 --> 00:07:07,040 Speaker 1: matter who you are, and like actual children, these inner 99 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:10,760 Speaker 1: child archetypes are different. Some of us have a wounded 100 00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:14,360 Speaker 1: in a child, or an innocent in a child, an 101 00:07:14,360 --> 00:07:19,160 Speaker 1: abandoned or divine or vulnerable in a child, and Young 102 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:24,120 Speaker 1: essentially explained that all of our adult dysfunctions. All of 103 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:28,280 Speaker 1: the problems and the quirks, and the trauma and the 104 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:32,200 Speaker 1: damage that has been done to us in childhood that 105 00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:35,880 Speaker 1: is expressed through this archetype. And it's because of this 106 00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:39,320 Speaker 1: archetype that we act in this way when we begin 107 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:42,720 Speaker 1: to peel back those layers that we've built up to 108 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:48,480 Speaker 1: protect ourselves. When we recognize the existence of this subconscious 109 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:53,040 Speaker 1: version of us, we're really able to grow, able to 110 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:56,520 Speaker 1: heal because we're able to address perhaps what we didn't 111 00:07:56,560 --> 00:08:01,160 Speaker 1: have as children and the many factors and circumstances and 112 00:08:01,280 --> 00:08:06,240 Speaker 1: experiences that have made us who we are. That's kind 113 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:10,680 Speaker 1: of a simplified way of putting it. And obviously the 114 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:16,520 Speaker 1: initial conception has evolved a lot since then, especially as 115 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:20,520 Speaker 1: we begun to understand more about the developmental milestones of 116 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:25,760 Speaker 1: children and the impacts of parenting style and trauma. But 117 00:08:26,280 --> 00:08:28,640 Speaker 1: I think the thing is that our childhood is the 118 00:08:28,680 --> 00:08:33,360 Speaker 1: most crucial period of our lives, the most crucial developmental 119 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:37,560 Speaker 1: period that we will go through, not just physically in 120 00:08:37,640 --> 00:08:40,360 Speaker 1: that it's when we learn how to walk and we 121 00:08:40,400 --> 00:08:44,720 Speaker 1: develop motor skills and we grow significantly, but also in 122 00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:48,800 Speaker 1: regards to our emotional and our cognitive functioning and development. 123 00:08:49,679 --> 00:08:53,920 Speaker 1: We begin to learn our most basic emotions within a 124 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:57,440 Speaker 1: matter of weeks of being born. We learn who to 125 00:08:57,520 --> 00:09:01,679 Speaker 1: trust within a matter of days. By a few years old, 126 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:06,000 Speaker 1: we've already begun to form our attachment style. So all 127 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:08,920 Speaker 1: of those things that are occurring and happening around us 128 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:12,920 Speaker 1: during that time are going to have an impact. Everything 129 00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:17,720 Speaker 1: since birth is going to influence and impact who we 130 00:09:17,840 --> 00:09:21,199 Speaker 1: become from the love that we've been shown to, how 131 00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:26,400 Speaker 1: we've been treated, our childhood environment, those experiences, particularly in 132 00:09:26,520 --> 00:09:30,240 Speaker 1: terms of our caregiving environment, which we know is super 133 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:34,240 Speaker 1: crucial where most of our hurt comes from. It's going 134 00:09:34,320 --> 00:09:37,920 Speaker 1: to create kind of the blueprint in interactions with our 135 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:42,840 Speaker 1: genetics for our adult selves. It really shapes our brain architecture. 136 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:46,760 Speaker 1: In psychology and even philosophy, there is this idea that 137 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:51,640 Speaker 1: children are born as a blank canvas on which our 138 00:09:51,679 --> 00:09:57,199 Speaker 1: experiences slowly build up, image after image, layer after laya 139 00:09:57,400 --> 00:10:00,680 Speaker 1: until the canvas becomes a lot harder to paint over, 140 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:05,719 Speaker 1: a lot harder to erase, impossible to start again. Essentially, 141 00:10:05,880 --> 00:10:09,120 Speaker 1: what I'm saying is that although we might not always 142 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:12,400 Speaker 1: think about it, we might not always acknowledge it. The 143 00:10:12,480 --> 00:10:17,520 Speaker 1: things that we experienced in childhood are going to be 144 00:10:17,679 --> 00:10:21,680 Speaker 1: one of the single most important determinants for our adult life. 145 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:26,920 Speaker 1: And sometimes those childhood experiences they aren't always positive, and 146 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:32,440 Speaker 1: we become severed from our emotional and our creative and 147 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:36,640 Speaker 1: our physical and our spiritual needs and were wounded or 148 00:10:36,679 --> 00:10:41,640 Speaker 1: detached from that childlike wonder, from that child version of ourselves. 149 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:44,679 Speaker 1: No matter what you've been through, though there's nothing that 150 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:49,360 Speaker 1: can remove that inner version of you, the inner child remains. 151 00:10:49,800 --> 00:10:54,200 Speaker 1: They're always there, and they're the ones that have experienced 152 00:10:54,280 --> 00:10:56,439 Speaker 1: all of those things that have made us who we are. 153 00:10:56,920 --> 00:11:00,840 Speaker 1: They're the ones who hold our emotions, who hold our memories, 154 00:11:01,480 --> 00:11:07,360 Speaker 1: our beliefs, our hopes, our dreams. This incredible article from 155 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:12,480 Speaker 1: a psychiatrist out of the US explained it beautifully. Our 156 00:11:12,520 --> 00:11:16,160 Speaker 1: inner child is the one who remembers what it felt 157 00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:20,520 Speaker 1: like to giggle uncontrollably. They remember what it felt like 158 00:11:20,760 --> 00:11:24,280 Speaker 1: to fall asleep in our parents' arms and then get 159 00:11:24,280 --> 00:11:28,280 Speaker 1: tucked into bed. They remember what it felt like to 160 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:34,040 Speaker 1: be excluded, to feel lonely, to feel bullied, to feel rejected. 161 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:37,480 Speaker 1: They remember what it felt like to be yelled at 162 00:11:37,520 --> 00:11:39,880 Speaker 1: when we were just trying to be good. They remember 163 00:11:39,880 --> 00:11:42,760 Speaker 1: what it feels like to be abandoned, but on the 164 00:11:42,800 --> 00:11:46,200 Speaker 1: other side, they also remember what it felt like to 165 00:11:46,400 --> 00:11:50,640 Speaker 1: play for hours, to go to the beach for the 166 00:11:50,720 --> 00:11:53,840 Speaker 1: first time, to fall down and have your mum, you know, 167 00:11:53,960 --> 00:11:57,160 Speaker 1: kiss your wound better, to eat warm cookies. All of 168 00:11:57,160 --> 00:12:02,480 Speaker 1: those things. Everything that we've learned and felt and experienced 169 00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:10,439 Speaker 1: since puberty that hasn't disappeared, that's still here. And sometimes 170 00:12:10,559 --> 00:12:16,320 Speaker 1: those experiences create negative reactions and negative behaviors and negative 171 00:12:16,360 --> 00:12:20,280 Speaker 1: habits in adulthood. And that's when we would say that 172 00:12:20,360 --> 00:12:23,920 Speaker 1: someone has a wounded inner child. And the way to 173 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:27,880 Speaker 1: kind of identify that that might be and experience someone's 174 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:30,760 Speaker 1: head and that their inner child is wounded is by 175 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:35,280 Speaker 1: the adult behaviors that they portray, So things like a 176 00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:42,840 Speaker 1: difficulty trusting others, emotional unavailability, feeling guilty or undeserving of 177 00:12:43,120 --> 00:12:48,560 Speaker 1: nice things, even nice emotions like love and generosity, people, 178 00:12:48,640 --> 00:12:53,880 Speaker 1: pleasing behaviors. That's a really big one. Abandonment issues, feeling 179 00:12:53,960 --> 00:12:59,439 Speaker 1: that you need to collect people or collect friendships, difficulty 180 00:12:59,440 --> 00:13:01,280 Speaker 1: trusting other is. I think I already said that, but 181 00:13:01,320 --> 00:13:03,800 Speaker 1: it is a massive one that comes up quite a bit. 182 00:13:04,480 --> 00:13:08,959 Speaker 1: All you might suppress really hard emotions. These are all 183 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:12,760 Speaker 1: indicators that we have a wounded inner child, and that's 184 00:13:12,880 --> 00:13:18,439 Speaker 1: essentially the basis for inner child healing. The essential premise 185 00:13:18,679 --> 00:13:23,520 Speaker 1: is that we've all experienced hurt in some way, and 186 00:13:23,640 --> 00:13:28,080 Speaker 1: in order to heal our adult scars, our adult wounds, 187 00:13:28,160 --> 00:13:31,600 Speaker 1: our adult beliefs, we have to go back to the 188 00:13:31,760 --> 00:13:35,800 Speaker 1: root or the cause of that problem, which is the 189 00:13:35,920 --> 00:13:41,600 Speaker 1: foundational experiences that we had as children. In a child work, 190 00:13:42,040 --> 00:13:47,800 Speaker 1: like any other type of work, involves hard decisions, It 191 00:13:47,840 --> 00:13:52,559 Speaker 1: involves time, it involves energy, but it also involves creating 192 00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:59,240 Speaker 1: a safe space where you're subconscious, you're inner child is 193 00:13:59,240 --> 00:14:02,160 Speaker 1: really able to take the lead, is really able to 194 00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:06,240 Speaker 1: express themselves and have a voice and have freedom. By 195 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:11,960 Speaker 1: creating that space for yourself, you give yourself permission to 196 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:18,560 Speaker 1: explore the significant events that were perhaps uncomfortable or unpleasant, 197 00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:22,000 Speaker 1: to get in touch with your true feelings and parts 198 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:24,680 Speaker 1: of you that you've rejected, parts of you that you've 199 00:14:24,720 --> 00:14:28,400 Speaker 1: suppressed because you thought they were unlovable, or you thought 200 00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:31,360 Speaker 1: they were too much, or you thought they were embarrassing. 201 00:14:32,200 --> 00:14:34,360 Speaker 1: And there are a couple ways that we can do that, 202 00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:38,960 Speaker 1: some of which are more valid or evidence based than others. 203 00:14:39,640 --> 00:14:42,720 Speaker 1: But before you jump right in, I think it's important 204 00:14:42,720 --> 00:14:48,240 Speaker 1: to understand what kind of childhood or inner child wound 205 00:14:48,920 --> 00:14:51,680 Speaker 1: you're trying to heal. I think one of the big 206 00:14:51,800 --> 00:14:55,920 Speaker 1: misconceptions around this type of work, around this type of 207 00:14:55,960 --> 00:15:00,880 Speaker 1: healing is that it's only reserved for those with really 208 00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:07,080 Speaker 1: intense familial and relational trauma. And there's no doubt that 209 00:15:07,120 --> 00:15:11,120 Speaker 1: in those cases it's highly beneficial. But I don't think 210 00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:14,720 Speaker 1: anyone goes through life without a couple of scars, and 211 00:15:14,840 --> 00:15:18,800 Speaker 1: what we may suppress and see as minor, or we 212 00:15:18,840 --> 00:15:23,240 Speaker 1: may dismiss as being no big deal, those events, those 213 00:15:23,360 --> 00:15:29,600 Speaker 1: experiences can actually be highly influential, especially when we consider 214 00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:33,440 Speaker 1: that as children we were so vulnerable, we had such 215 00:15:33,520 --> 00:15:38,320 Speaker 1: limited coping skills, and there's even cases in which we 216 00:15:38,360 --> 00:15:42,480 Speaker 1: become stuck at the age in which the trauma occurred, 217 00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:46,720 Speaker 1: unable to really move forward. A reminder, like we always 218 00:15:46,760 --> 00:15:52,160 Speaker 1: say on the show, trauma is subjective. What may be 219 00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:58,040 Speaker 1: intense and extreme and severe for one person might not 220 00:15:58,080 --> 00:16:02,400 Speaker 1: be the same for someone else. But everyone is carrying 221 00:16:02,440 --> 00:16:05,520 Speaker 1: something with them. We all have different sensitivities, we all 222 00:16:05,560 --> 00:16:09,600 Speaker 1: have different temperaments, and the content of the experience is 223 00:16:09,640 --> 00:16:13,920 Speaker 1: not something that we should judge against other people's experiences. 224 00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:18,280 Speaker 1: It's not some kind of competition. I think everyone's experiences 225 00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:22,680 Speaker 1: are valid. It doesn't really matter what kind of severity 226 00:16:22,840 --> 00:16:26,640 Speaker 1: level you think it was. It's important to acknowledge that 227 00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:29,320 Speaker 1: the only thing that really matters in this instance is 228 00:16:29,360 --> 00:16:33,000 Speaker 1: how you feel and the individual impact that it's had 229 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:36,080 Speaker 1: on you. Once you start on this journey, you may 230 00:16:36,160 --> 00:16:41,280 Speaker 1: find that a lot of the behaviors or habits that 231 00:16:41,680 --> 00:16:45,360 Speaker 1: you currently have that you've learned can be traced back 232 00:16:45,760 --> 00:16:50,960 Speaker 1: to childhood experiences. For example, if you tend to lash 233 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:56,640 Speaker 1: out become really frustrated and aggressive when you're rejected, it 234 00:16:56,720 --> 00:17:00,360 Speaker 1: may be because as a child, you didn't have proper 235 00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:05,080 Speaker 1: coping skills to deal with a caregiver walking out of 236 00:17:05,080 --> 00:17:09,000 Speaker 1: your life, or feeling abandoned by someone who was meant 237 00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:11,440 Speaker 1: to help you someone who was meant to love you. 238 00:17:12,359 --> 00:17:16,800 Speaker 1: Or if you shut down when you feel really intense 239 00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:21,840 Speaker 1: emotions or really intense sadness, it may be because you 240 00:17:21,880 --> 00:17:26,879 Speaker 1: weren't allowed to properly express those emotions as a child. 241 00:17:27,960 --> 00:17:35,520 Speaker 1: Often these reactions stem from what psychologists call childhood wounds, 242 00:17:35,560 --> 00:17:38,960 Speaker 1: and there are four typical wounds that we generally hear 243 00:17:39,040 --> 00:17:42,680 Speaker 1: psychologists talk about when they talk about in a child 244 00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:46,160 Speaker 1: trauma or healing. You're in a child and these are 245 00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:51,320 Speaker 1: the guilt wound, the abandonment wound, the trust wound, and 246 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:55,520 Speaker 1: the neglect wound. Each of these have their own origins, 247 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:59,720 Speaker 1: have their own indicators, but they also have their own 248 00:17:59,760 --> 00:18:06,000 Speaker 1: exercises and way of healing. Firstly, the guilt wound often 249 00:18:06,040 --> 00:18:10,919 Speaker 1: comes from childhood experiences in which you felt that you 250 00:18:10,960 --> 00:18:15,560 Speaker 1: had to take care of everybody that you experienced way 251 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:19,240 Speaker 1: more responsibility at a young age than you probably should have. 252 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:22,800 Speaker 1: Maybe you were responsible for a really ill parent or 253 00:18:22,800 --> 00:18:26,520 Speaker 1: a sibling, and you were made to feel kind of 254 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:29,720 Speaker 1: guilty for asking for your needs to be met or 255 00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:35,960 Speaker 1: undeserving of basic emotional and physical necessities because someone else's 256 00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:40,479 Speaker 1: needs always took precedence over your own. As a child, 257 00:18:41,200 --> 00:18:45,119 Speaker 1: you may have responded to this by trying really hard 258 00:18:45,560 --> 00:18:51,240 Speaker 1: to be good, by always feeling guilty or really susceptible 259 00:18:51,440 --> 00:18:55,560 Speaker 1: to guilt tripping or manipulation from those in your life. 260 00:18:56,320 --> 00:19:00,679 Speaker 1: How does that manifest in adulthood. Well, an unaddress wound 261 00:19:00,840 --> 00:19:05,040 Speaker 1: of this nature, it may result in really severe people 262 00:19:05,080 --> 00:19:09,359 Speaker 1: pleasing tendencies. You know you need to constantly apologize. You 263 00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:12,639 Speaker 1: feel guilty for saying no to things that you really 264 00:19:12,920 --> 00:19:16,680 Speaker 1: don't want to do, and you find yourself in situations 265 00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:21,040 Speaker 1: in which they're almost codependent, in which you're giving someone 266 00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:24,480 Speaker 1: a lot of your energy and time and feel guilty. 267 00:19:24,560 --> 00:19:27,840 Speaker 1: If you ever need to take a step back to 268 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:32,000 Speaker 1: heal this wound, most therapists, I would say, would probably 269 00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:36,760 Speaker 1: recommend that you build your skills surrounding healthy boundary setting, 270 00:19:37,680 --> 00:19:40,840 Speaker 1: that you build up your confidence in being able to 271 00:19:41,040 --> 00:19:45,160 Speaker 1: demand your wants, demand your needs, and set a boundary 272 00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:48,960 Speaker 1: when those are not being met. This might look like 273 00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:55,480 Speaker 1: accountability around how many times you apologize to others, reiterating 274 00:19:55,600 --> 00:19:57,720 Speaker 1: that you don't need to say sorry all the time, 275 00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:00,639 Speaker 1: that you have nothing to be sorry for. You're just 276 00:20:00,720 --> 00:20:05,320 Speaker 1: looking out for yourself. You're just prioritizing yourself. And also 277 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:12,120 Speaker 1: exercises and work around forgiveness and self forgiveness. I saw 278 00:20:12,160 --> 00:20:17,520 Speaker 1: this really amazing exercise or really amazing kind of practice 279 00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:21,520 Speaker 1: that the psychologist was talking about, in which you journal 280 00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:24,359 Speaker 1: the things that you feel guilty for, and then at 281 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:26,880 Speaker 1: the end of each one you simply say, I forgive you, 282 00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:30,640 Speaker 1: and you picture it's your inner child who you're forgiving, 283 00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:33,040 Speaker 1: and you just sit in front of them in your 284 00:20:33,080 --> 00:20:35,680 Speaker 1: imagination and just say I forgive you. There's no need 285 00:20:35,720 --> 00:20:38,920 Speaker 1: to be sorry. It sounds so simple, but if you've 286 00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:43,560 Speaker 1: never done that before, if you've never addressed that aspect 287 00:20:43,560 --> 00:20:46,840 Speaker 1: of your childhood before, it's going to feel really profound 288 00:20:46,920 --> 00:20:52,280 Speaker 1: and highly emotional. The second common wound is that abandonment 289 00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:55,880 Speaker 1: wound that we were talking about before. Perhaps I think 290 00:20:55,880 --> 00:20:59,000 Speaker 1: the one that receives the most acknowledgment, and this type 291 00:20:59,080 --> 00:21:02,080 Speaker 1: of wound, it kind of stems from the feeling that 292 00:21:02,480 --> 00:21:06,200 Speaker 1: at some stage in your childhood you were abandoned by 293 00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:09,960 Speaker 1: someone who was meant to care for you, You were 294 00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:13,680 Speaker 1: left behind, resulting in your feeling like you did something 295 00:21:13,720 --> 00:21:16,720 Speaker 1: wrong that was how you deserve to be treated. It's 296 00:21:16,920 --> 00:21:23,200 Speaker 1: most often associated with people whose parents were perhaps in 297 00:21:23,280 --> 00:21:26,920 Speaker 1: the midst of a divorce or separating, maybe you had 298 00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:31,000 Speaker 1: a parent pass away or who was very distant, and 299 00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:34,960 Speaker 1: as you get older, what that manifests in is deep 300 00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:40,159 Speaker 1: fears of being abandoned, deep fears of being rejected. You 301 00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:45,680 Speaker 1: might become very fixated on people, but also incredibly anxious 302 00:21:45,800 --> 00:21:51,200 Speaker 1: when you sense even the slightest indicator that they might leave, 303 00:21:51,359 --> 00:21:55,440 Speaker 1: that they might walk away. You find yourself in codependent 304 00:21:55,480 --> 00:21:59,320 Speaker 1: relationships or also on the flip side, find it very 305 00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:03,400 Speaker 1: difficult to trust others because you've been taught that and primed. 306 00:22:03,400 --> 00:22:06,320 Speaker 1: I guess that you're going to be hurt. This reaction 307 00:22:06,359 --> 00:22:09,680 Speaker 1: always makes me so sad, and I think when we're 308 00:22:09,720 --> 00:22:12,840 Speaker 1: talking about in a child work, it can make it 309 00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:17,480 Speaker 1: particularly profound and emotional to imagine that the version of 310 00:22:17,520 --> 00:22:20,879 Speaker 1: you now that is experiencing those things, all of that 311 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:24,000 Speaker 1: originated from the experiences that you had to have when 312 00:22:24,040 --> 00:22:27,240 Speaker 1: you were young and when you were vulnerable. To heal this, 313 00:22:27,440 --> 00:22:31,560 Speaker 1: I think you really have to unpack those feelings. You 314 00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:35,960 Speaker 1: really have to unpack that abandonment with a therapist. I 315 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:40,119 Speaker 1: think that can be highly beneficial. Repeating positive affirmations is 316 00:22:40,119 --> 00:22:44,760 Speaker 1: another one. That you deserve to be loved, reminding yourself 317 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:48,159 Speaker 1: that the right person will stay and that your worth 318 00:22:48,280 --> 00:22:52,760 Speaker 1: is not valued by others decisions. The third wound I 319 00:22:52,800 --> 00:22:56,320 Speaker 1: want to touch on is the betrayal wound. As a child, 320 00:22:56,920 --> 00:22:59,440 Speaker 1: you may have felt that you could not trust your 321 00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:04,000 Speaker 1: care given that they fail to fulfill their promises to you. 322 00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:07,240 Speaker 1: They would gas like you, They would put you down 323 00:23:07,440 --> 00:23:10,399 Speaker 1: or put you in situations in which you weren't safe, 324 00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:12,359 Speaker 1: they didn't stand up for you when you needed it, 325 00:23:12,920 --> 00:23:16,680 Speaker 1: and as a result, you've become hyper independent and you're 326 00:23:16,760 --> 00:23:21,760 Speaker 1: unable to trust others. You find it really uncomfortable and 327 00:23:22,119 --> 00:23:26,320 Speaker 1: unnatural to allow others to take care of you or 328 00:23:26,359 --> 00:23:30,280 Speaker 1: to show you generosity just because they want to know. 329 00:23:30,320 --> 00:23:36,359 Speaker 1: You're constantly questioning their intentions because of this experience that 330 00:23:36,359 --> 00:23:40,560 Speaker 1: you had when you were younger. I think building your 331 00:23:40,560 --> 00:23:45,560 Speaker 1: own trust in yourself, but also surrendering and letting go 332 00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:50,040 Speaker 1: and allowing yourself to trust others is really valuable in 333 00:23:50,080 --> 00:23:53,520 Speaker 1: this situation. Sometimes it can be really hard to be 334 00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:57,840 Speaker 1: stoic about it, especially when you are expecting to get hurt, 335 00:23:58,440 --> 00:24:01,760 Speaker 1: but stoicism might just be the way forward, being like, okay, 336 00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:06,359 Speaker 1: I need to remain somewhat detached from the situation, allow 337 00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:10,040 Speaker 1: myself to float along with this, allow myself to be loved, 338 00:24:10,720 --> 00:24:15,360 Speaker 1: knowing that no matter what happens, I will be okay. Finally, 339 00:24:15,359 --> 00:24:19,920 Speaker 1: we have the neglect wound, which often comes from feeling 340 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:24,000 Speaker 1: that as a child you were not supported and you 341 00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:29,560 Speaker 1: didn't receive your emotional needs, your physical needs, your cognitive 342 00:24:29,640 --> 00:24:33,800 Speaker 1: your social needs. You were ignored or treated as an afterthought, 343 00:24:34,280 --> 00:24:38,000 Speaker 1: and this can come from parents and family, but also 344 00:24:38,160 --> 00:24:43,160 Speaker 1: from teachers and mentors. An example of this that I 345 00:24:43,160 --> 00:24:47,000 Speaker 1: saw from someone who was recounting their experience healing from 346 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:51,520 Speaker 1: a neglect wound was a situation in which her sibling 347 00:24:51,760 --> 00:24:54,760 Speaker 1: was highly successful. I think they were like a child actor, 348 00:24:55,320 --> 00:24:59,440 Speaker 1: and she wasn't. She wasn't she wasn't successful. She didn't 349 00:24:59,480 --> 00:25:01,600 Speaker 1: want to do mo movie, she didn't want to be 350 00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:05,199 Speaker 1: the next Lindsay Lohan, whatever it was. But what that 351 00:25:05,280 --> 00:25:10,720 Speaker 1: resulted in was her parents constantly giving preferential treatment to 352 00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:16,199 Speaker 1: this other sibling. These situations, they can be supernuanced and 353 00:25:16,320 --> 00:25:21,119 Speaker 1: different for everyone, but often this childhood wound results in 354 00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:26,919 Speaker 1: low self worth, a pessimistic outlook on life, repressing and 355 00:25:27,280 --> 00:25:32,320 Speaker 1: suppressing our true feelings and lowering our standards for our relationships. 356 00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:38,000 Speaker 1: To nurture and inner child who has experienced this, therapists 357 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:43,760 Speaker 1: and psychologists, they've come up with some amazing exercises, mainly 358 00:25:43,800 --> 00:25:47,800 Speaker 1: to do with honoring and expressing our feelings through what 359 00:25:47,840 --> 00:25:52,679 Speaker 1: they call shameless release. Be that you screaming at the 360 00:25:52,720 --> 00:25:55,800 Speaker 1: top of your lungs in the forest or in nature, 361 00:25:56,800 --> 00:25:59,800 Speaker 1: screaming the lyrics to a cathotic song in your car, 362 00:26:00,600 --> 00:26:04,840 Speaker 1: or creating art that allows you to bring your emotions 363 00:26:04,880 --> 00:26:07,960 Speaker 1: to the surface and express them freely and with beauty 364 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:13,240 Speaker 1: and without shame. Additionally, I think children who have experienced 365 00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:16,680 Speaker 1: this type of upbringing, they're very used to hearing no. 366 00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:21,239 Speaker 1: They're very used to hearing people not give them what 367 00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:23,399 Speaker 1: they want. And I don't mean, you know, giving them 368 00:26:23,520 --> 00:26:26,160 Speaker 1: junk food all the time, but I mean giving them 369 00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:31,200 Speaker 1: their most basic needs and wants. So to heal that, 370 00:26:31,840 --> 00:26:36,120 Speaker 1: maybe that involves saying yes to yourself. You're now your 371 00:26:36,160 --> 00:26:40,960 Speaker 1: own parent, right, You're reparenting that inner child. So say 372 00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:43,960 Speaker 1: yes to the food that you want to eat. Buy 373 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:48,360 Speaker 1: yourself something because it makes you happy, even if it's impractical. 374 00:26:48,920 --> 00:26:52,760 Speaker 1: Say yes to nice things like nights out with your 375 00:26:52,800 --> 00:26:56,320 Speaker 1: friends and going to the movies just because you want to. 376 00:26:57,160 --> 00:27:00,800 Speaker 1: You're the parent, now, that's your role in this healing journey. 377 00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:03,840 Speaker 1: You have to look after your inner child and treat 378 00:27:03,880 --> 00:27:08,320 Speaker 1: them with the love and generosity that you deserved but 379 00:27:08,520 --> 00:27:12,879 Speaker 1: maybe you didn't receive. I think, regardless of this wound, 380 00:27:12,960 --> 00:27:16,480 Speaker 1: regardless of whether you think you had a guilt wound 381 00:27:16,560 --> 00:27:20,240 Speaker 1: or an abandonment wound or a betrayal wound. It's also 382 00:27:20,359 --> 00:27:25,879 Speaker 1: about accountability. When we embark on the journey of reparenting, 383 00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:31,200 Speaker 1: we recognize that caring for our inner child, it isn't 384 00:27:31,240 --> 00:27:35,560 Speaker 1: just being goofy and silly and giving in to all 385 00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:39,679 Speaker 1: our whims and wants and desires, but it's also about 386 00:27:39,800 --> 00:27:45,399 Speaker 1: making hard decisions. We wouldn't allow our actual child to 387 00:27:46,160 --> 00:27:49,879 Speaker 1: eat junk food all day and say yes to every 388 00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:52,879 Speaker 1: social event to the point where they were exhausted, or 389 00:27:53,040 --> 00:27:56,560 Speaker 1: continue being friends with people who brought them down. So 390 00:27:57,000 --> 00:27:59,760 Speaker 1: you can't allow yourself and your own inner child to 391 00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:05,400 Speaker 1: accept that treatment either. It's just as much about responsibility 392 00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:08,520 Speaker 1: as it is about compassion and love. They come hand 393 00:28:08,520 --> 00:28:12,800 Speaker 1: in hand. I think it's worth mentioning we listed out 394 00:28:12,880 --> 00:28:16,959 Speaker 1: those typical childhood wounds, and I think that they sound 395 00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:20,159 Speaker 1: really intense. Often when we list them out, when we 396 00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:23,399 Speaker 1: dissect them, it can really seem that they're rooted in 397 00:28:23,440 --> 00:28:30,800 Speaker 1: a lot of extreme trauma. But like I said before, neglect, abandonment, guilt, betrayal, 398 00:28:31,680 --> 00:28:35,080 Speaker 1: these can all occur on a micro level as well, 399 00:28:35,119 --> 00:28:38,200 Speaker 1: on a micro scale, even in ways that we don't 400 00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:42,520 Speaker 1: always recognize. Because of the subconscious nature of our inner child. 401 00:28:43,200 --> 00:28:46,520 Speaker 1: I truly believe that, no matter how hard you think 402 00:28:46,520 --> 00:28:49,440 Speaker 1: you had it or how easy, all of us deserve 403 00:28:49,520 --> 00:28:54,760 Speaker 1: the opportunity to show out in a child love and compassion. 404 00:28:55,520 --> 00:28:58,920 Speaker 1: It's just a good practice to have because not only 405 00:28:58,960 --> 00:29:02,360 Speaker 1: can it help us problematic behaviors that have rooted in 406 00:29:02,360 --> 00:29:07,080 Speaker 1: our childhood experiences, it can also just let us tap 407 00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:11,080 Speaker 1: into that joy and tap into that silliness that I 408 00:29:11,120 --> 00:29:13,640 Speaker 1: think a lot of us lose as we get older. 409 00:29:14,280 --> 00:29:17,400 Speaker 1: And how sad is that? How sad that we're not 410 00:29:17,440 --> 00:29:20,600 Speaker 1: allowed to be silly and we're not allowed to play. 411 00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:27,680 Speaker 1: We become hardened by adulthood and seriousness and obligations and 412 00:29:27,840 --> 00:29:33,400 Speaker 1: expectations and jobs and bills. But giving yourself space to 413 00:29:33,440 --> 00:29:40,320 Speaker 1: release those constraints, it is truly emotional magic. So I 414 00:29:40,440 --> 00:29:45,360 Speaker 1: want to dive into some of those specific practices that 415 00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:50,680 Speaker 1: I use that I know other people use for reconnecting 416 00:29:51,080 --> 00:29:54,680 Speaker 1: with your inner childlike wonder and joy, and how you 417 00:29:54,720 --> 00:30:05,720 Speaker 1: can make that part of your daily routine. It always 418 00:30:05,720 --> 00:30:08,920 Speaker 1: shocks me to think of how many people out there 419 00:30:09,640 --> 00:30:13,320 Speaker 1: leave their childhoods and never think about it again, or 420 00:30:13,320 --> 00:30:16,360 Speaker 1: how many people are so serious about what it means 421 00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:20,240 Speaker 1: to be an adult that they are completely opposed to 422 00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:24,800 Speaker 1: play or to laughter, as if those things no longer 423 00:30:24,840 --> 00:30:29,040 Speaker 1: have value once we reach a certain age. But activities 424 00:30:29,080 --> 00:30:34,239 Speaker 1: like playing children's card games, or listening to music from 425 00:30:34,320 --> 00:30:39,440 Speaker 1: your childhood, rewatching old favorite movies, buying yourself snacks that 426 00:30:39,480 --> 00:30:43,560 Speaker 1: are normally reserved for children, they're honestly such a mood booster, 427 00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:46,560 Speaker 1: and more than that, they're amazing for our mental and 428 00:30:46,600 --> 00:30:49,600 Speaker 1: emotional health. That's one of the amazing parts about being 429 00:30:49,640 --> 00:30:52,240 Speaker 1: an adult is that now you can say yes to 430 00:30:52,320 --> 00:30:54,280 Speaker 1: the things that as a child you wanted to do 431 00:30:54,360 --> 00:30:57,840 Speaker 1: all the time. The other day, I had a friend 432 00:30:58,200 --> 00:31:02,120 Speaker 1: bring orange slices to soccer game I was playing, and 433 00:31:02,240 --> 00:31:06,000 Speaker 1: let me tell you, the absolute delight that brought me 434 00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:12,560 Speaker 1: was insane. I could just feel baby Gemma being so happy, 435 00:31:12,760 --> 00:31:16,880 Speaker 1: feeling so nurtured, so looked after. And we can create 436 00:31:16,920 --> 00:31:20,160 Speaker 1: that feeling for ourselves. So maybe you're not a big 437 00:31:20,200 --> 00:31:23,840 Speaker 1: fan of orange slices or board games, but what are 438 00:31:23,920 --> 00:31:26,800 Speaker 1: some of the ways that we cannot only recognize our 439 00:31:26,880 --> 00:31:31,800 Speaker 1: inner child, but nurture them, love them, heal them, and 440 00:31:31,960 --> 00:31:35,120 Speaker 1: allow that part of us to live on in how 441 00:31:35,120 --> 00:31:38,920 Speaker 1: we treat ourselves and how we treat others. Staying in 442 00:31:39,040 --> 00:31:43,080 Speaker 1: tune with your inner child's presence. It all begins with acknowledgement. 443 00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:46,600 Speaker 1: You cannot have a relationship with this version of you 444 00:31:47,240 --> 00:31:50,840 Speaker 1: if you don't acknowledge that it exists, or you choose 445 00:31:50,840 --> 00:31:54,560 Speaker 1: to stay ignorant to its influence. Kim Eagle, a therapist 446 00:31:54,720 --> 00:31:58,080 Speaker 1: in the US. She made this amazing point in an 447 00:31:58,160 --> 00:32:00,440 Speaker 1: article she wrote on this, and I think it's so 448 00:32:00,520 --> 00:32:03,840 Speaker 1: important to share here. Anyone can get in touch with 449 00:32:03,960 --> 00:32:09,080 Speaker 1: their inner child if they're open to exploring this relationship. 450 00:32:09,720 --> 00:32:13,360 Speaker 1: If you feel doubtful or resistant to this idea of 451 00:32:13,400 --> 00:32:17,440 Speaker 1: exploring the past, if you feel doubtful that this version 452 00:32:17,440 --> 00:32:20,320 Speaker 1: of you even still exists, you're going to have a 453 00:32:20,320 --> 00:32:24,320 Speaker 1: harder time beginning the healing process. I think a great 454 00:32:24,360 --> 00:32:28,720 Speaker 1: place to start is to reconnect with the things that 455 00:32:28,800 --> 00:32:32,280 Speaker 1: remind you of the childhood version of yourself and take 456 00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:35,719 Speaker 1: note of how exposure to these things makes you feel. 457 00:32:36,440 --> 00:32:40,400 Speaker 1: For example, the other day, I watched the Hannah Montana movie. 458 00:32:40,600 --> 00:32:44,440 Speaker 1: I know, huge throwback, but that movie was released when 459 00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:47,360 Speaker 1: I was nine years old and I was obsessed with it. 460 00:32:47,440 --> 00:32:51,040 Speaker 1: I was a massive Miley Syrus fan. I loved that movie. 461 00:32:51,440 --> 00:32:55,360 Speaker 1: I memorized all the songs I brought clothes like Miley Cyrus. 462 00:32:56,080 --> 00:32:59,000 Speaker 1: I think I've watched that movie like in the cinema 463 00:32:59,040 --> 00:33:04,240 Speaker 1: four times, and rewatching it at twenty three made me 464 00:33:04,320 --> 00:33:09,640 Speaker 1: so incredibly emotional, but also aware of the childhood version 465 00:33:09,640 --> 00:33:14,680 Speaker 1: of myself. That positive reaction reminded me that she existed, 466 00:33:15,040 --> 00:33:18,480 Speaker 1: because those emotions I was experiencing, they were derived from 467 00:33:18,520 --> 00:33:22,360 Speaker 1: memories of that time. They were derived from the joy 468 00:33:22,400 --> 00:33:26,160 Speaker 1: that baby Gemma, childhood Gemma had for that movie, the 469 00:33:26,280 --> 00:33:30,320 Speaker 1: memories that she had made, and that moment, that wonder, 470 00:33:30,920 --> 00:33:34,400 Speaker 1: that emotion of rewatching something that meant so much to 471 00:33:34,440 --> 00:33:38,240 Speaker 1: me as a child. That emotion wouldn't have occurred if 472 00:33:38,240 --> 00:33:42,280 Speaker 1: those memories didn't already exist, and if she hadn't existed 473 00:33:42,800 --> 00:33:45,720 Speaker 1: and been feeling those exact same things at some point 474 00:33:45,760 --> 00:33:49,920 Speaker 1: in time. If you're feeling detached from your inner child, 475 00:33:50,120 --> 00:33:56,280 Speaker 1: try and recreate moments and memories from childhood to reorientate 476 00:33:56,400 --> 00:34:00,320 Speaker 1: your current conscious version of you and your former subconscious 477 00:34:00,400 --> 00:34:03,480 Speaker 1: version of you, your childhood version of you. That can 478 00:34:03,560 --> 00:34:08,400 Speaker 1: be aided like things like smell and sound and sight. 479 00:34:09,000 --> 00:34:13,560 Speaker 1: Activity is like watching a classic movie, cooking your favorite 480 00:34:13,600 --> 00:34:18,319 Speaker 1: childhood meal, or reading your favorite childhood book. Because our 481 00:34:18,360 --> 00:34:23,000 Speaker 1: memories are strongest when they're tied to multiple senses, so 482 00:34:23,239 --> 00:34:26,720 Speaker 1: you'll be amazed by how much your mind and body 483 00:34:26,760 --> 00:34:31,000 Speaker 1: responds to these experiences from a procedural an unconscious place, 484 00:34:31,080 --> 00:34:34,160 Speaker 1: and how in touch you feel with that former version 485 00:34:34,200 --> 00:34:37,720 Speaker 1: of you. The other tip I have, and I'm guessing 486 00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:41,280 Speaker 1: many of us have heard of this before, but change 487 00:34:41,280 --> 00:34:44,399 Speaker 1: your phone background to a photo of your childhood self 488 00:34:45,120 --> 00:34:48,719 Speaker 1: right now. Do it right now, Ask your mum, ask 489 00:34:48,760 --> 00:34:51,719 Speaker 1: your grandma, your aunt for a photo of you when 490 00:34:51,719 --> 00:34:55,359 Speaker 1: you were five or six years old, and make that 491 00:34:55,440 --> 00:34:58,880 Speaker 1: the first thing you see every day. I have a 492 00:34:58,920 --> 00:35:02,080 Speaker 1: photo of me like when I was in fourth grade, 493 00:35:02,600 --> 00:35:05,920 Speaker 1: and next to my computer at home, and anytime I'm 494 00:35:05,960 --> 00:35:09,040 Speaker 1: working or getting stressed out at my job, I just 495 00:35:09,080 --> 00:35:12,600 Speaker 1: looked to my left and I'm reminded that everything I'm 496 00:35:12,600 --> 00:35:16,640 Speaker 1: putting myself through, everything i'm doing, I'm also doing to 497 00:35:16,719 --> 00:35:19,920 Speaker 1: her and with that version of me, with that little 498 00:35:19,920 --> 00:35:22,520 Speaker 1: baby version of me. Be proud of me right now? 499 00:35:23,640 --> 00:35:26,320 Speaker 1: Is this what her dream was? Would she be happy 500 00:35:26,480 --> 00:35:28,319 Speaker 1: with where we are now? Would she be happy with 501 00:35:28,360 --> 00:35:31,759 Speaker 1: what we're doing? And it really puts your decisions and 502 00:35:31,840 --> 00:35:35,360 Speaker 1: your treatment of yourself into perspective. And I found that 503 00:35:35,400 --> 00:35:38,600 Speaker 1: it's made me a lot more gentle in my self judgment. 504 00:35:39,200 --> 00:35:43,200 Speaker 1: Other things I find really useful. I've said this before, 505 00:35:43,239 --> 00:35:46,800 Speaker 1: but like engaging in play. You know, go and play 506 00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:50,799 Speaker 1: tag every once in a while, pull out those Monopoly 507 00:35:51,040 --> 00:35:55,440 Speaker 1: or Uno cards. Make yourself like a really big chocolate Sunday. 508 00:35:56,160 --> 00:36:00,279 Speaker 1: Buy yourself something I don't know, ridiculously fluffy, just because 509 00:36:00,320 --> 00:36:04,120 Speaker 1: you want to pretend that you are taking the little 510 00:36:04,200 --> 00:36:06,279 Speaker 1: version of you out for like the best day ever 511 00:36:06,480 --> 00:36:09,399 Speaker 1: and give them everything that they would have wanted. Then 512 00:36:09,880 --> 00:36:13,680 Speaker 1: buy them ridiculous candy that is just full of sugar 513 00:36:13,719 --> 00:36:17,520 Speaker 1: and looks disgusting, but your inner child wants it. Sing 514 00:36:17,520 --> 00:36:21,839 Speaker 1: along to your favorite songs, feel joyful, Go and look 515 00:36:21,840 --> 00:36:25,320 Speaker 1: at children's books in the bookstore. It's a great step 516 00:36:25,360 --> 00:36:29,000 Speaker 1: towards healing through acknowledgement of that past version of you. 517 00:36:30,000 --> 00:36:33,840 Speaker 1: I think this really links with the next step to 518 00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:37,080 Speaker 1: healing and connecting with your inner child, and that is 519 00:36:37,160 --> 00:36:42,520 Speaker 1: to put your acknowledgement into practice. Being aware of your 520 00:36:42,560 --> 00:36:46,040 Speaker 1: inner child is one thing. Being in touch with them 521 00:36:46,400 --> 00:36:49,480 Speaker 1: and giving yourself the space to be vulnerable and to 522 00:36:49,680 --> 00:36:54,520 Speaker 1: nurture them is another. The biggest impact this relationship or 523 00:36:54,719 --> 00:36:58,120 Speaker 1: journey has brought to my adult life is the way 524 00:36:58,160 --> 00:37:00,279 Speaker 1: I now speak to myself and the way that I 525 00:37:00,320 --> 00:37:04,560 Speaker 1: honor my emotions and my feelings. I think we all 526 00:37:04,600 --> 00:37:08,319 Speaker 1: have this tendency to be very hard on ourselves, to 527 00:37:08,440 --> 00:37:13,280 Speaker 1: say things to ourselves that we would never imagine saying 528 00:37:13,320 --> 00:37:17,840 Speaker 1: to someone else, mean things, hurtful things that is terrible 529 00:37:18,080 --> 00:37:21,040 Speaker 1: for our self worth and our identity, but also a 530 00:37:21,080 --> 00:37:24,520 Speaker 1: hard habit to break out of. Being in touch with 531 00:37:24,760 --> 00:37:28,319 Speaker 1: your inner child is really useful for that when you 532 00:37:28,360 --> 00:37:31,880 Speaker 1: find that you've failed, when you've been rejected, when you 533 00:37:31,920 --> 00:37:37,040 Speaker 1: feel unhappy with yourself, take note of your inner dialogue 534 00:37:37,560 --> 00:37:41,400 Speaker 1: and imagine that your five year old self is sitting 535 00:37:41,440 --> 00:37:44,480 Speaker 1: in front of you right now and you're saying those 536 00:37:44,480 --> 00:37:48,480 Speaker 1: things to them. You wouldn't yell at your childhood version 537 00:37:48,520 --> 00:37:51,920 Speaker 1: of you. You wouldn't yell at your five year old 538 00:37:52,040 --> 00:37:55,240 Speaker 1: version of yourself. You wouldn't call them fat, you wouldn't 539 00:37:55,239 --> 00:37:57,640 Speaker 1: tell them they're useless. You wouldn't tell them that they're 540 00:37:57,680 --> 00:38:01,759 Speaker 1: worthless or they're stupid. So why would you say those 541 00:38:01,800 --> 00:38:06,200 Speaker 1: things to yourself now? Once you acknowledge that that version 542 00:38:06,239 --> 00:38:11,000 Speaker 1: of you is still within you, it completely changes your 543 00:38:11,040 --> 00:38:14,600 Speaker 1: perspective and the same goes for how you let others 544 00:38:14,680 --> 00:38:18,320 Speaker 1: treat you. If you wouldn't let someone treat a child 545 00:38:18,440 --> 00:38:21,279 Speaker 1: the way that your friends, or your partner, or your 546 00:38:21,320 --> 00:38:25,680 Speaker 1: parents or your colleagues treat you, then a boundary needs 547 00:38:25,680 --> 00:38:28,719 Speaker 1: to be put in place. Obviously, we have more emotional 548 00:38:28,800 --> 00:38:32,360 Speaker 1: maturity at this age than we did as children, so 549 00:38:32,800 --> 00:38:36,520 Speaker 1: someone offering you constructive criticism or asking you to do 550 00:38:36,600 --> 00:38:40,480 Speaker 1: your job or to be independent that may seem intense 551 00:38:40,640 --> 00:38:44,200 Speaker 1: for a child, but acceptable for an adult. I think 552 00:38:44,239 --> 00:38:46,959 Speaker 1: it goes without saying that healing your inner child isn't 553 00:38:46,960 --> 00:38:50,799 Speaker 1: about regressing to that version of you. It's about being 554 00:38:50,880 --> 00:38:55,480 Speaker 1: better at acknowledging how people and situations make you feel, 555 00:38:56,280 --> 00:39:00,200 Speaker 1: where that reaction may have come from, and how can 556 00:39:00,239 --> 00:39:03,840 Speaker 1: properly respond to that from a place of maturity, but 557 00:39:03,920 --> 00:39:09,600 Speaker 1: also acknowledging your own emotions. I want to leave you 558 00:39:09,719 --> 00:39:14,960 Speaker 1: with a few final strategies and practices that you can 559 00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:17,760 Speaker 1: integrate into your life that have been shown to really 560 00:39:18,239 --> 00:39:22,920 Speaker 1: improve how people emotionally connect with themselves by connecting with 561 00:39:22,960 --> 00:39:28,360 Speaker 1: a vision of their younger selves. First, firstly, do something creative. 562 00:39:29,160 --> 00:39:31,200 Speaker 1: You know, when we were children, we used to have 563 00:39:31,320 --> 00:39:34,120 Speaker 1: art class as part of our curriculum. You know, you 564 00:39:34,120 --> 00:39:36,960 Speaker 1: remember I used to have like a period every couple 565 00:39:37,000 --> 00:39:38,920 Speaker 1: of weeks where you would go and just make art 566 00:39:38,960 --> 00:39:41,719 Speaker 1: all the time, and you'd wear your little smocks. We 567 00:39:41,760 --> 00:39:44,040 Speaker 1: don't always have time to do that as we get older, 568 00:39:44,600 --> 00:39:47,879 Speaker 1: we don't always make the time to do that. But 569 00:39:48,200 --> 00:39:50,640 Speaker 1: we can integrate that if we make it a priority, 570 00:39:50,680 --> 00:39:53,600 Speaker 1: If we make it a priority to heal and connect 571 00:39:53,640 --> 00:39:56,160 Speaker 1: with that inner version of us. Go to a life 572 00:39:56,200 --> 00:40:00,160 Speaker 1: drawing class, go to a pottery class, take up knitting, 573 00:40:00,200 --> 00:40:04,120 Speaker 1: by coloring books, any of those things. A study from 574 00:40:04,600 --> 00:40:08,759 Speaker 1: the journal Frontiers in Psychology. They published this article in 575 00:40:08,800 --> 00:40:13,480 Speaker 1: twenty nineteen that found that art, doing something creative it 576 00:40:13,520 --> 00:40:18,560 Speaker 1: improves health and well being amongst basically every individual who 577 00:40:18,680 --> 00:40:23,319 Speaker 1: was studied. It promoted resilience, It promoted coping skills, and 578 00:40:23,480 --> 00:40:26,839 Speaker 1: overall happiness levels. But it's something we don't always do 579 00:40:27,280 --> 00:40:31,680 Speaker 1: as adults. So it's a way of reconnecting with that 580 00:40:31,840 --> 00:40:36,040 Speaker 1: inner childlike wonder to bring happiness to the adult version 581 00:40:36,120 --> 00:40:39,600 Speaker 1: of you, to your adult life. The second thing is 582 00:40:39,600 --> 00:40:46,080 Speaker 1: to be messy. Mess is so acceptable in childhood, but 583 00:40:46,200 --> 00:40:49,719 Speaker 1: not so much in adulthood. Find a way to let 584 00:40:49,760 --> 00:40:55,520 Speaker 1: yourself step out of the constraints of always needing to 585 00:40:55,520 --> 00:41:00,120 Speaker 1: be clean and tidy and put together. You know, cook 586 00:41:00,160 --> 00:41:03,880 Speaker 1: with rash abandoned, make a mess, read pots and plants, 587 00:41:03,920 --> 00:41:07,759 Speaker 1: get your hands dirty. It's good for your neurons, it's 588 00:41:07,800 --> 00:41:12,400 Speaker 1: good for your synaptic connections and growth, and it's good 589 00:41:12,480 --> 00:41:16,480 Speaker 1: for your happiness. This one was really sweet, and when 590 00:41:16,480 --> 00:41:18,520 Speaker 1: I read it, I was like, this is gorgeous. I 591 00:41:18,600 --> 00:41:22,680 Speaker 1: want to integrate this into my life. Hug yourself. I 592 00:41:22,760 --> 00:41:27,279 Speaker 1: know it sounds really really strange, and we often think 593 00:41:27,320 --> 00:41:30,560 Speaker 1: that we need to receive physical touch from others, which 594 00:41:30,640 --> 00:41:34,560 Speaker 1: is very much true, but any form of being touched 595 00:41:34,719 --> 00:41:39,200 Speaker 1: really does release a lot of oxytocin, which is otherwise 596 00:41:39,280 --> 00:41:44,399 Speaker 1: known as the happiness or pleasure hormone, and we can 597 00:41:44,440 --> 00:41:49,160 Speaker 1: release that ourselves. Our brain can't always tell the difference 598 00:41:49,239 --> 00:41:52,480 Speaker 1: between someone giving you a big hug and you're just 599 00:41:52,680 --> 00:41:56,200 Speaker 1: wrapping your arms around yourself. I know it sounds really silly, 600 00:41:56,480 --> 00:41:59,480 Speaker 1: but do it now. Put your arms around yourself and 601 00:41:59,600 --> 00:42:03,840 Speaker 1: hold there, squeeze yourself in. It will immediately make you 602 00:42:03,920 --> 00:42:07,320 Speaker 1: feel better, and it's also a great way to practice 603 00:42:07,640 --> 00:42:11,279 Speaker 1: self love as well as healing your inner child. Two 604 00:42:11,360 --> 00:42:14,839 Speaker 1: for one, What a great deal. Finally, in order to 605 00:42:14,880 --> 00:42:18,759 Speaker 1: reparent ourselves, we need to show ourselves that we are 606 00:42:18,800 --> 00:42:22,799 Speaker 1: a responsible parent for our inner child, that we can 607 00:42:22,840 --> 00:42:27,120 Speaker 1: be independent and can take care of ourselves. It doesn't 608 00:42:27,120 --> 00:42:31,319 Speaker 1: mean that we can't accept help from others, but it 609 00:42:31,400 --> 00:42:35,520 Speaker 1: does mean being able to meet your own needs. Do 610 00:42:35,640 --> 00:42:38,840 Speaker 1: something nice for yourself, Eat food that is going to 611 00:42:38,920 --> 00:42:43,200 Speaker 1: make you feel good, take yourself outdoors, see the sun, 612 00:42:43,920 --> 00:42:47,000 Speaker 1: make sure you get good rest, find time to socialize. 613 00:42:47,520 --> 00:42:50,240 Speaker 1: The same things that you would do for a real 614 00:42:50,520 --> 00:42:54,719 Speaker 1: life child, you need to do for yourself. And I 615 00:42:54,760 --> 00:42:57,080 Speaker 1: think it helps our brain really learn that we are 616 00:42:57,320 --> 00:43:01,799 Speaker 1: not helpless or vulnerable. The childhood versions of us may 617 00:43:01,840 --> 00:43:06,799 Speaker 1: still feel, We're not in that wounded place anymore. We're adults. Now, 618 00:43:07,160 --> 00:43:11,279 Speaker 1: we're responsible and we can look out for ourselves. We 619 00:43:11,320 --> 00:43:14,160 Speaker 1: can take care of that little version of us who 620 00:43:14,239 --> 00:43:16,799 Speaker 1: needed someone else to take care of them, and we 621 00:43:16,840 --> 00:43:20,640 Speaker 1: can put ourselves on a really fantastic path. I hope 622 00:43:20,719 --> 00:43:24,279 Speaker 1: this episode was really useful for those of you out 623 00:43:24,320 --> 00:43:28,279 Speaker 1: there who are considering doing some inner child work and 624 00:43:28,360 --> 00:43:31,759 Speaker 1: some inner child healing. I know that it sounds a 625 00:43:31,840 --> 00:43:36,400 Speaker 1: little bit ridiculous, but as someone who really prioritizes this, 626 00:43:37,280 --> 00:43:40,120 Speaker 1: as someone who's done the research, looked into the science. 627 00:43:40,880 --> 00:43:45,240 Speaker 1: It's incredibly valuable. It's also incredibly invalid, and I would 628 00:43:45,239 --> 00:43:48,759 Speaker 1: really recommend it. Think about how you can integrate those 629 00:43:48,880 --> 00:43:52,520 Speaker 1: daily practices into your life. Think about how you can 630 00:43:53,080 --> 00:43:55,600 Speaker 1: take a moment during the week to just be a 631 00:43:55,600 --> 00:43:58,839 Speaker 1: little bit silly, to just push back a little bit 632 00:43:59,400 --> 00:44:04,279 Speaker 1: on the sponsibilities and seriousness of adulthood. And when you 633 00:44:04,360 --> 00:44:07,160 Speaker 1: have the time, when you have more time, really dive 634 00:44:07,239 --> 00:44:10,959 Speaker 1: into why you are the person you are today. What 635 00:44:11,040 --> 00:44:14,640 Speaker 1: was it about what you've experienced as a child that 636 00:44:14,719 --> 00:44:18,959 Speaker 1: has created you. I think it's really really valuable, and 637 00:44:19,040 --> 00:44:22,080 Speaker 1: you'll find that once you really take the time to 638 00:44:22,120 --> 00:44:24,840 Speaker 1: do that, once you really put in the energy and 639 00:44:24,880 --> 00:44:29,200 Speaker 1: the vulnerability and the effort, you'll see that your entire 640 00:44:29,280 --> 00:44:32,399 Speaker 1: outlook and the way you treat yourself and the way 641 00:44:32,440 --> 00:44:35,640 Speaker 1: you treat others and the way you treat life, it 642 00:44:35,719 --> 00:44:40,440 Speaker 1: completely changes for the better. So I know that sounds 643 00:44:40,440 --> 00:44:43,319 Speaker 1: like a bit of a rant, but it is just 644 00:44:43,360 --> 00:44:46,799 Speaker 1: really something I believe in so deeply, and I hope 645 00:44:46,840 --> 00:44:49,560 Speaker 1: that this encourages you to give it a go as well. 646 00:44:50,280 --> 00:44:53,720 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for listening. If you did enjoy 647 00:44:53,760 --> 00:44:57,399 Speaker 1: this episode and you think someone else would benefit from it, 648 00:44:57,960 --> 00:45:02,719 Speaker 1: Please pass forward us on the love. Share it with 649 00:45:02,960 --> 00:45:05,319 Speaker 1: your mom, share it with your auntie, share it with 650 00:45:05,400 --> 00:45:08,640 Speaker 1: your best friend, whoever it may be, whoever you think 651 00:45:08,760 --> 00:45:12,040 Speaker 1: might enjoy this. It really helps the show grow, and 652 00:45:12,560 --> 00:45:15,400 Speaker 1: I honestly love when people tell me that their parents 653 00:45:15,480 --> 00:45:17,399 Speaker 1: listen to the show and they're like, Oh, my parent 654 00:45:17,480 --> 00:45:20,560 Speaker 1: loves this. My parent, like my relationship with my parent 655 00:45:20,640 --> 00:45:25,879 Speaker 1: has improved so much. That is like the best thing ever. Additionally, 656 00:45:25,920 --> 00:45:29,120 Speaker 1: if you do feel called to do so, please feel 657 00:45:29,120 --> 00:45:33,640 Speaker 1: free to leave a five star review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 658 00:45:33,920 --> 00:45:38,120 Speaker 1: wherever you're listening right now. It really helps the show grow, 659 00:45:38,680 --> 00:45:44,160 Speaker 1: It helps us reach new people, and just makes my day. Finally, 660 00:45:44,400 --> 00:45:46,839 Speaker 1: if you want to be more involved in the community, 661 00:45:46,920 --> 00:45:50,319 Speaker 1: if you want to get updates on what's coming up 662 00:45:50,840 --> 00:45:54,160 Speaker 1: on merch on new episodes, if you want to help 663 00:45:54,200 --> 00:45:59,120 Speaker 1: me choose the episodes that we post here, please follow 664 00:45:59,160 --> 00:46:03,839 Speaker 1: the podcast at that Psychology podcast on Instagram. We do 665 00:46:03,880 --> 00:46:05,719 Speaker 1: a lot of stuff over there, so it'd be great 666 00:46:05,760 --> 00:46:09,040 Speaker 1: to have you on board. As always, have a lovely week. 667 00:46:09,360 --> 00:46:11,520 Speaker 1: Thank you for tuning in. I hope you enjoyed this 668 00:46:11,600 --> 00:46:16,280 Speaker 1: episode and we will be back next week. For another 669 00:46:16,360 --> 00:46:16,880 Speaker 1: episode