Inner child work is nonsense…

Salam beautiful! How are we feeling this week?

It’s time for another story… Back in 2020 I discovered the concept of inner child. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s a term used in psychology to describe the child within us that had unfulfilled needs during childhood and unconsciously expresses them through behaviours you, as an adult, struggle to let go of.

To be honest, I really wasn’t convinced by the idea that, in my subconscious, there was a sad little me and that she was responsible for some of my irrational decisions (like getting married to a man I had only seen once in my life, but that’s a story for another email).

Curious as I am (and kind of desperate to heal something within), I gave inner child work a try.

It happened naturally one day, as I was taking a walk and felt overwhelmed with sadness, to the point where my heart felt heavy.

I sat on a bench, pulled my journal out of my bag and started writing a letter to my 10 year old self.

I told her I was sorry she witnessed things that a child should have never witnessed. I told her I was really proud of how she handled the struggles she faced and how much I loved her.

I went on and recalled traumatic events while comforting her and explaining to her that she wasn’t responsible for the pain that was inflicted upon her during those times.

Before I knew it, I was in tears in the middle of this park.

Those were not tears of sadness but tears of relief. I was finally hearing what I wished my parents told me 15 years ago. It felt incredibly soothing and liberating and for once, I didn’t fight that feeling of deep sadness by keeping myself busy or seeking external validation. I addressed it from within. I dried my tears, smiled and went back home feeling lighter. From that day, I have never underestimated the power of connecting to my inner child to heal again. I’ve even made it a whole module in my coaching program. What about you sis? Have you tried this beautiful tool before?

If not, I recommend starting with a simple conversation with your younger self. If you have a picture of you, look at it while you write or talk, it makes it even more powerful.

Let me know how it goes if you do it!

Soumaya

Ps: if you haven’t joined my 5 days to Reconnect With Yourself journaling challenge, there is a prompt dedicated to inner child work in it that you will benefit from inchaAllah.