What is inner child healing - does it really work?
Full Moon 14. March 2025
Many of you know that I successfully completed a Diploma in Inner Child Healing (with Distinction) at the end of 2024 as part of my ongoing professional development and to upskill.
In this month's full moon blog I would love to detail to you why I chose to add this method to my toolkit as well as a case study of one of my clients who has benefited from the method in the last couple of months.
Inner Child healing is based on the belief (extensively researched and backed by many psychologists) that most self sabotaging behavior in adults stem from unresolved childhood trauma. Childhood in that instance encompasses the years in which the brain is developed up until the age of 25.
Trauma is not always what we instantly think of- it doesn't need to be the big T trauma like physical abuse, losing a parent, parents divorcing or the likes thereof, trauma in many cases can be an incident in which the child felt scared, overwhelmed or unsure how to cope.
This therapy approach can identify and address the root cause of the self sabotaging behavior quickly, and heal old trauma without having to relive the trauma in the present moment.
This is a key point why I love this method so much, it is huge in impact but very gentle on the execution.
Self sabotaging behavior is engaging subconsciously in behaviour that will prevent oneself from meeting our goals, success or wellbeing and it can show up as:
Relationship issues
A bad relationship with ones body
Disordered eating
Low confidence
Self Criticism
Perfectionism
Poor stress management
Procrastination
Alcohol abuse
Drug abuse
And more.
Now enough with the head heavy background, let me tell you how inner child healing is currently helping one of my clients in real life:
CASE STUDY:
Dave* came to me after yet another relationship ended in pieces. The pattern was a familiar one and we had previously identified this together as self sabotaging behaviour. (Self Sabotage can often stem out of the need to self protect).
Dave is pained by this behaviour and fears he won't be able to settle down in a long term relationship; The first step in most journeys is awareness, something Dave had gained through previous work with me. But the self sabotaging behaviour takes on a life of its own that cannot easily be interrupted when in the moment.
With specific coaching techniques we could uncover the root cause of the behaviour patterns, the next step was to heal the wounding through inner child work .
When I first talked about inner child healing to Dave he confesses now that he thought I was a bit “coo coo”.
But I allowed time for Dave to open up to the process and waited for the deeper healing session until he was open to it.
I facilitated a session in which he could start healing an old wound that triggers an unwanted self sabotaging action across all of his relationships (not just romantic) in his adult life.
24 hours later I received a text: “Good session yesterday, glad we tried the inner healing.”
The next time I saw him, he seemed much more at peace and understanding himself better.
His understanding of triggers and behaviour patterns that is attached to different trauma responses has been heightened and he is now able to resolve issues in the moment as they happen.
There is a new level of understanding, compassion and dedication that hasn't been there prior.
While Dave still has work to do, there is a real shift in his actions and emotions. It is a beautiful, light process, with profound impact that requires little time compared to other approaches that might take years to gain the understanding and subconscious repatterning.
Dave says:
“My unhealthy behaviour is shifting and getting better, so much of what has to do with the inner child work”.
If something in your life keeps holding you back - such as being overly critical with yourself, not feeling good enough, procrastinating a lot, having a pattern of failed romantic relationships, feeling paralyzed when thinking about your future and you can’t quite pinpoint what it is, it might be time to explore Inner Child Healing.
If you are ready to break free from self sabotaging behaviour and heal past wounds then don’t hesitate to contact me to have a free chat. I would love to discuss how this transformative therapy could be exactly what you need to move forward;
Much love
Marisa
*Note: the name has been changed to maintain privacy
