I thought for the the next sequence of blogs, we’d explore this idea of mothering, being mothered, and re-parenting ourselves. It feels timely and necessary. Maybe it’s because I also work as a psychotherapist that this topic is much on my mind…
So today we’ll explore the idea of re-parenting our wounded inner child.
Are you familiar with that expression? The wounded child?
From Caroline Myss’ work, we know that we all have a child archetype in our constellation. In part, because each of us experienced a childhood. And, at some point, (unfortunately) we got a negative message(s) about ourselves.
It’s familiar and to some extent comforting to identify with our woundedness. Often from there, we allow it to define us, and how we view ourselves or allow others to view us. Our wounds can be our cross to bear AND it can also serve as a way of individuating. It’s our special suffering, our pain that no one else can truly understand.
At some point, we butt into the limitations of this suffering, and that is the invitation for healing, which is when we identify these and bring them out of the shadows.
Returning again to the idea of the child archetype- there are actually many facets of it. According to Myss, these include:
wounded child
abandoned or orphaned child
dependent child
magical/innocent child
nature child
divine child
eternal child
I often think about the wounded child (substitute abandoned, orphaned, or dependent child here as applicable) as the doorway through which we must journey in order to re-awaken and access the magical/innocent/divine/eternal child that lives within each of us.
How do we do this?
By loving that hurt part of us.
THIS is the reparenting.
Bring that aspect of self that feels isolated, misunderstood, too much or not enough (or both) and surround that part with love.
Imagine yourself being held in warm, gentle arms, being told how gorgeous and beloved you are even when you feel small, insecure, afraid and less than.
Try it.
Then do it again and again until you begin to dissolve that feeling of isolation, of not enough-ness.
As it dissolves, you’ll see! You’ll re-awaken that happy, magical, innocent you just waiting to come out and play.
Let me know how it goes!
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Image courtesy of Sushil Nash on Unsplash