Inner Child Healing: How to Heal Your Childhood Wounds and Reparent Yourself
By Nicole, Founder of Mystic Ryst
Your inner child is the part of you that holds all your childhood experiences, emotions, wounds, and needs. When childhood needs weren't met or trauma occurred, that wounded child lives within you, influencing your adult life through patterns, triggers, and behaviors. Inner child healing is the process of going back to comfort, nurture, and reparent that child within—giving yourself what you didn't receive.
What Is Inner Child Work
Inner child work is connecting with and healing the child you once were. It's acknowledging their pain, meeting their needs, and giving them the love, safety, and validation they deserved but may not have received. It's reparenting yourself.
Signs Your Inner Child Needs Healing
People-pleasing and difficulty saying no. Fear of abandonment. Difficulty trusting. Emotional reactivity. Self-sabotage. Feeling unworthy or not enough. Seeking external validation. Difficulty with intimacy. Repeating childhood patterns.
Common Inner Child Wounds
Abandonment: Feeling left, rejected, or alone
Neglect: Needs not met, feeling invisible
Abuse: Physical, emotional, verbal harm
Criticism: Never good enough, constant judgment
Enmeshment: No boundaries, losing self
Parentification: Being the parent to your parents
How to Connect with Your Inner Child
Visualization
Close eyes. Visualize yourself as a child. What age? What are they wearing? How do they feel? Approach them with love. Ask what they need. Listen.
Look at Childhood Photos
Find photos of yourself as a child. Look into that child's eyes. Feel compassion for them. What did they need? What do you want to tell them?
Write a Letter
Write to your inner child. Tell them you're here now. You see them. You love them. They're safe. You'll take care of them.
Dialogue Journaling
Write as adult self, then let inner child respond. Have conversation. Let child express feelings, needs, fears.
Reparenting Yourself
Give yourself what you didn't get as a child:
Love: Love yourself unconditionally
Safety: Create safe environment, healthy boundaries
Validation: Acknowledge your feelings
Play: Allow fun, joy, creativity
Comfort: Soothe yourself when upset
Protection: Stand up for yourself
Encouragement: Believe in yourself
Inner Child Healing Practices
Talk to Your Inner Child Daily
Check in. "How are you feeling?" "What do you need?" Listen and respond with love.
Do Things Your Inner Child Loves
Play, create, explore. Ice cream, coloring, dancing, playing. Let your inner child have fun.
Comfort Your Inner Child
When triggered or upset, visualize holding your inner child. Comfort them. "You're safe. I've got you. I love you."
Set Boundaries
Protect your inner child from harm. Say no to what hurts. Create safety.
Validate Feelings
"It's okay to feel this way." "Your feelings are valid." Give yourself permission to feel.
Healing Specific Wounds
For abandonment: Reassure inner child you'll never leave them. You're here to stay.
For neglect: Meet their needs now. Pay attention. See them. Care for them.
For abuse: Tell them it wasn't their fault. They deserved better. You'll protect them now.
For criticism: Tell them they're enough. They're worthy. You're proud of them.
Inner Child Affirmations
I love and accept my inner child. I am here for you. You are safe with me. You are worthy of love. It's okay to play and have fun. I will protect you. You are enough. I see you and I love you.
When to Seek Professional Help
If childhood trauma is severe, PTSD symptoms, overwhelming emotions, or difficulty functioning, work with therapist trained in inner child work or trauma therapy. Healing is brave. Support is strength.
Final Thoughts
Your inner child has been waiting for you to come back for them, to see them, to love them, to give them what they needed all along. You are the parent your inner child needs. You can give yourself the love, safety, and validation you deserved. Heal your inner child, and you heal yourself. They're waiting. Go to them with love.
