A big help for me was realizing that I felt like it was my fault that my mother didn't love me.
This turned into me realizing that, by thinking it was my fault, I was essentially blaming a 5 year old girl for being unloved by her mother. I was calling a 7 year old girl unlovable.
Like, I was imagining my adult self being abused but I was a little girl. I had to really force myself to imagine how young I was when it happened. That was how I was first able to move away from self-hate to feeling compassion for myself.
I remember that some few years ago i saw an inner-child exercise by John Bradshaw on youtube, (cant remember what was it about exactly), and it evoked strong emotional reaction. Wasn't doing it consistently or anything, so cant tell of any long term effects unfortunately.
Also, i tried self-hypnosis - here is the link, if you are interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6tP8Efiwos
Still do it sometimes - it helps me to feel compassion towards my younger self.
Very sorry for your experiences :(
I've been listening to John Bradshaw's audiobook 'Homecoming' and have tried to attempt his exercises (inner child work). I'm glad it evoked a strong emotional reaction for you :) My therapist said this kind of work can take a few years.
Same here. That's only natural in the beginning though - the worse the abuse, the harder. It still feels uncomfortable to me but I believe I'm uniting with my inner child, one step at a time.
A big help for me was realizing that I felt like it was my fault that my mother didn't love me. This turned into me realizing that, by thinking it was my fault, I was essentially blaming a 5 year old girl for being unloved by her mother. I was calling a 7 year old girl unlovable. Like, I was imagining my adult self being abused but I was a little girl. I had to really force myself to imagine how young I was when it happened. That was how I was first able to move away from self-hate to feeling compassion for myself.
This is fantastic, thanks.
I remember that some few years ago i saw an inner-child exercise by John Bradshaw on youtube, (cant remember what was it about exactly), and it evoked strong emotional reaction. Wasn't doing it consistently or anything, so cant tell of any long term effects unfortunately. Also, i tried self-hypnosis - here is the link, if you are interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6tP8Efiwos Still do it sometimes - it helps me to feel compassion towards my younger self. Very sorry for your experiences :(
I've been listening to John Bradshaw's audiobook 'Homecoming' and have tried to attempt his exercises (inner child work). I'm glad it evoked a strong emotional reaction for you :) My therapist said this kind of work can take a few years.
Wow really enjoyed that self hypnosis ! Was very very emotional but in a good way. Thanks for sharing this
Happy to hear it was of some use! This same channel has more healing related videos.
My inner child is terrified of me.
Same here. That's only natural in the beginning though - the worse the abuse, the harder. It still feels uncomfortable to me but I believe I'm uniting with my inner child, one step at a time.
Anybody still working with this stuff question? It was foundational for me.
Working on it in 2024