Some people can pull out a journal and spill their heart and soul onto the page, others (like me) need some support to get the ball rolling. I want to share my favorite journal prompts for healing your inner child. But first let’s talk about what the heck is an inner child.

What is an inner child and is yours wounded?...probably

Inner child is a way of thinking to help us understand the parts of the self that get triggered or activated when life gets stressful. Some people use terms to describe this such as subconscious, my worst version of myself, and “bad” behaviors. As a therapist who works with those overcoming a chaotic childhood, working with clients who look fine on the outside but feel spacey, have self doubt, struggle to communicate their needs, and feel like an imposter, healing their inner child can really be a game changer. I guess you can think of an inner child as a metaphor for all the “stuff” that comes up whenever life gets hard.

I use this with clients where they are seeing me for individual EMDR therapy or in couples therapy, because our gaining awareness around what activates us is a crucial step towards being able to heal and make changes in our life. As a Latina therapist I often work with folks of color and lots can trauma is also generational, and inner child work can be a powerful tool.

Signs you might have a wounded inner child:

You get distracted easily and tend to procrastinate
You feel like your own worst enemy when you mess up
You struggle to rest and feel like you always have to do more
You struggle with feel calm and confident
You struggle in your relationships
You struggle with feeling good enough and lovable

Sometimes a wounded inner child can be traced back to a very early time in a person's life. Childhood traumas can include anything that is not nurturing. Trauma is not always obvious and is way more than having been abused or in an accident.

**Traumas that are not always so obvious**
And can impact how you think and feel, interact with others, and go on about living life.

Parents struggling with a illness (mental or physical)
Busy and distant parents
Constant moves
Having an untreated neurodivergent brain and not getting supports
Growing up poor
Growing up around substance abuse
Being of an a marginalized background and not feeling a sense of community

Journal prompts that can help you heal a wounded inner child:

Think about a time you were let down, what was that like?
When you are angry, what else do you feel?
Does your inner child feel light or heavy? What else do you notice?
Pick a pet peeve you have in the present day. Why does it bother you so much? What would it mean if it didn’t?
Think of a person you keep giving second chances too, what would be like to not give them any more chances? What would it be like to accept them at a distance? (To give up control and really accept them, acceptance is not approval.)
Describe your inner child. What is their biggest fear? How does this show up in your mind and your body? What does it need from you?
What does it look like when you speak from the inner child part of you? What does it look like when you speak for the inner child part of you?
How do you feel toward your inner child?
How would you like to feel toward your inner child?
If your inner child could be totally free from pressure and worry, what would it want to do?
If you were to be the ultimate parent for your inner child, what would it need from you and how can you show that you are committing to being there for this part when it gets activated?

Inner child wounds can be backed by science.

If this feels a little “woo-woo” I feel yeah. I was there too. An inner child really is just a way of naming thoughts, feelings, and body sensations that might be related to unhealed parts of our nervous system. As a trauma therapist, there is science to back up what we call an inner child. I don’t want to get too sciencey but in a nutshell, we have a pretty fascinating brain and sometimes our brain gets stuck. It is as if trauma and stressors can clog up our neural pathways and can make it hard on us to have healthier thoughts and do healthier behaviors that we know are good for us. Knowing is not the same as doing. This is where therapy can support you in moving towards your goals.

As an EMDR therapist, I am trained to think about negative neural networks and positive or adaptive neural networks. When I work with a client, we try to unpack themes that keep them stuck in old patterns and we work on building up new thoughts so that new patterns, a new way of doing life can emerge. This is why I am so passionate about using both IFS and EMDR together for deeper and lasting results for clients. And when working with couples we go deep, unpacking attachment wounds and working on improving communication.