Connecting with and Healing Your Inner Child

Healing your inner child is one of the most self-compassionate, nourishing, supportive things you can do for yourself.

Your inner child is essentially the youngest part of you, an internal version of who you actually were as a child. This means your inner child carries the wounds, disappointments, hurts, and feelings that you experienced during childhood.

At the same time, your inner child also has the potential to awaken within you a sense of wonder, joy, creativity, and playfulness. This is what can happen when you work on healing and awakening your inner child. An especially important goal in inner child work is to heal childhood trauma, as this enables the child within you to feel safe and happy in your body and in the world.

In this article, I offer 3 sets of prompts to begin (or deepen) your inner child healing. The prompts are grouped into 3 sections that build progressively on each other, so make sure to follow the suggested order here.

You want to begin approaching your inner child as gently as possible, and then move into deeper work once you’ve established some trust between you.

You can use these prompts in whatever way resonates with you. For example, you can:

• answer them by pulling one Tarot or Oracle card per prompt (tackling one per day or every other day)
• journal on each prompt (one per day) without judgment or self-censorship
• journal on each prompt both from the perspective of your adult self and your inner child (you might be surprised at the different answers you get!)
• reflect on each prompt during silent meditation, a walk, or in the bath

At the end of the article, I offer a list of inner child healing affirmations you can use to further support your work.

Prompts for Inner Child Healing

Part 1: A Gentle Approach

1. What’s the state of my inner child right now?
2. How would my inner child feel about us working together?
3. How does my inner child want to be approached?
4. What’s the most important thing my inner child needs me to know?
5. How can I earn my inner child’s trust?

Part 2: Healing the Wound

1. What’s the primary emotion my inner child is carrying/feeling?
2. Where does that emotion come from?
3. Is that emotion associated with a particular wound or experience from childhood?
4. What did I need as a child that was not given to me, for whatever reason? (Special note for this prompt: by asking this, we’re not blaming or judging anyone here. However, if your parents or caregivers were abusive, neglectful, or emotionally unsupportive, it’s totally ok to feel anger and even rage or disgust with them. Feeling this anger about what was not given to you – or how you were not protected as a child – is an important part of the healing process. Please don’t judge or suppress your feelings about this.)
5. What does my inner child need now to heal and release the past?

Part 3: Creating Joy & Playfulness

1. What does my inner child enjoy doing the most?
2. How does my inner child want to play?
3. How does my inner child want to be creative?
4. Where does my inner child need me to set stronger boundaries to feel safe?
5. What can I do on a regular basis to help my inner child feel loved and cared for?
6. My Guides’ message of support for my inner child. (For this one, pull a card or connect to your Guides in whatever way works for you.)

Inner Child Healing Affirmations

I’m so glad you were born.

I love you unconditionally.

You don’t have to do or be anything in particular to be loved by me.

It’s ok to make mistakes.

You don’t have to be perfect.

I’m so happy to see you.

Your needs and feelings matter.

It’s ok to feel scared – you’re not alone and I’m going to protect you.

You are safe with me.

I won’t let anyone hurt you.

It’s safe to express your anger, disappointment, and frustration.

It’s ok to say NO loudly when you don’t want to do something.

It’s safe to be creative, expressive, and to follow your own ideas and inspiration.

You’re beautiful, brilliant, important, worthy, and lovable.

You deserve to be loved, seen, and heard.

With much love to you + your inner child,
Josephine