When we have experienced neglect, abuse, invalidation, narcissism, conflict or violence as children, as adults, there is still part of us that is expecting the same behaviour from those we love. We learn that love looks and feels like conflict, …
Tag: inner child
Creativity and the Inner Child
This painting is Claude Monet’s ‘The Artist’s Garden at Vetheuil’. It happened to be hanging in a place we stayed in a few years ago, and I spent a good hour lying on the sofa, drinking chai tea and thinking …
Using the Inner Child to work with Emotions
I like to think of emotions as messengers. They are there to tell me that something is not right. There are LOTS of ways to work with emotions in psychotherapy. One way to do it is with the transactional analysis …
The Importance Of Joy
Having fun might sound simple, but for so many of us, the ability to relax and have fun was drilled out of us in childhood. If you grew up in an environment where you were in constant fight or flight, …
The Art Of Self-Care
When discussing self-care with my clients, I like to start with the basics. Are you getting enough sleep? How much is enough sleep? Everyone is different, but I believe there is a minimum requirement for most people. A few years …
Self- Discipline
Wherever it was, know that your parents only did what they were taught or could manage at the time. Know that it is not your fault if you struggle with self-discipline. How are you supposed to know if you weren’t …
Getting to Know Your Inner Child
When I first met my inner child doing an inner child meditation similar to the one in the ‘Meet your Inner Child’ short course, she was about 16, sitting on a wall, wearing knee-length leather boots, smoking a cigarette with …
Things Our Inner Child Likes To Hear:
Part of the re-parenting process is the process of shifting our self-talk. I like to imagine that whenever I think something in my head, I am talking to myself and my inner child. I have a rule: If I wouldn’t …
Reconnection to the Inner Child
Children are naturally creative. They have to be creative to survive in the world and learn about the world. They hear a new noise and want to find out what it is, see something new, and explore its taste, feel …