Inner Child Pt. 3: Dream Vacation
Inner child work is THE BEST! The more I learn, the more I think Healing Work, self-love, and inner child work are basically synonymous. I have an exercise for you that, unlike some parts of Healing Work, is a LOT of fun!
This exercise is best done if you have some familiarity with your little one, or even better, you’ve learned to make contact with them. But you can do it without these things. So here it is:
Sense in, settle in your seat, and close your eyes. Invite the image of you as a child to come into your awareness. Don’t think too hard about this, rather just allow whatever version of you-as-a-child wants to present itself. If nothing comes, be patient and wait. When you have an image in mind, take note:
What age is the child? What state of mind is she in? What is going on for her at this time? Note any other relevant details.
Now, based on this information and based on what you know about yourself:
Craft a perfect experience to give your inner child.
This can be as simple or elaborate as you like: an all-access, no-lineups pass to Disneyland, or a quiet afternoon in the yard with your father. The point is to sense into what that little one would really like and then say YES! Some examples:
If your inner child is 12-years-old and she has just been rejected from her friend circle, then you might craft an experience where the friends welcome her with open arms. Or, maybe you craft a new group of friends who are accepting and loving, then send the child to play with them. Or maybe you take a different tack and place the child with her family, comfortably having dinner with her parents and sibling(s) where she feels loved and accepted. Whatever you do, respond to her needs and to her emotional state. You know her best; choose what would be perfect for her specifically. It doesn’t matter if the imagined situation wouldn’t have been the best for her in reality (e.g. going back with a toxic group of friends); what’s important is she gets what she wants - and not just a little bit of it either, she gets as much as she wants!
If your inner child is 3-years-old and full of life, then you might send him to a farm where the animals don’t mind being touched, grabbed, or ridden. Or you could send him on an outer space adventure. Or let him run around an infinite play gym. Remember, the idea is not to create a realistic situation, but rather an ideal one. Meet the needs and respond to the emotional state.
There are infinite variations to this exercise — please run wild with it and have fun. As long as you sense what is needed and make moves to meet those needs, you are doing it right.
If some part of you is bristling as you read this, or if you’re finding some resistance to doing this, explore it. What limits you from engaging with this? That’s as important an exploration as the exercise itself.
Inner child exercises help to strengthen your healing and self-love muscles. You learn to turn toward your vulnerability, to hold yourself and your needs kindly, to be warm and generous with yourself. This is exactly the skillset needed to face your difficult memories, disappointments, hurts and challenges.
And it’s really fun.
Please enjoy. And if you’d like a guide for the journey, reach out.
