How To Heal Your Inner Child | Being Well

We all have an "inner child:” the part of ourselves that carries the emotions, beliefs and experiences from our early years. While this aspect of ourselves can be a source of creativity, playfulness and wonder, it might also harbor unresolved wounds that affect our adult relationships and behaviors. In this episode, @RickHanson and I explore what the inner child really is, how it manifests in our lives, and practical ways to work with this important part of ourselves. We discuss how to identify inner child wounds, demonstrate techniques like voice dialogue, and share strategies for bringing more awareness and healing to our younger selves.

Key Topics:
0:00 Introduction
1:10 What is the inner child?
7:25 How the inner child shows up in our adult lives
10:40 A CBT-ish way of thinking about the inner child
16:40 Unmet needs, and examples of inner child wounds
21:40 Promoting the positive aspects of the inner child
29:10 How to begin engaging with the inner child
34:55 Shame, and turning toward yourself
38:25 Reparenting
46:00 Voice Dialogue demonstration
1:00:00 Reflections on the demonstration
1:05:45 Other approaches, and reasons you might be having a hard time
1:09:10 Rage and release, looking at pictures, and creating an autobiography
1:13:45 Balancing the inner child's desires with the realities of life
1:19:50 Recap

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Who Am I: I'm Forrest, the co-author of Resilient (https://amzn.to/3iXLerD) and host of the Being Well Podcast (https://apple.co/38ufGG0). I make videos focused on simplifying psychology, mental health, and personal growth.

I'm not a clinician, and what I say on this channel should not be taken as medical advice.

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