Healing Your Inner Child

By Distinctive Voice Therapy and Wellness

There’s a younger version of you still living inside, the one who just wanted to be seen, held, protected, and loved.

Maybe she was silenced. Maybe he was rushed to grow up too fast. Maybe they were made to feel like their emotions were “too much.”

Inner child healing isn’t about dwelling in the past. It’s about understanding that your present struggles may be echoes of unmet needs, and that healing those parts of you now can create real transformation.

What Is Inner Child Healing?

Inner child healing is the practice of reconnecting with the younger parts of yourself, the parts that were hurt, neglected, or misunderstood. These wounds don’t just disappear with age. Instead, they often show up in adulthood as:

• People pleasing

• Fear of abandonment

• Difficulty trusting others

• Chronic shame

• A harsh inner critic

• Trouble resting or feeling safe

The good news? It’s never too late to give your inner child what they need.

Signs Your Inner Child May Be Asking for Attention

• You often feel triggered or overly emotional in certain situations.

• You crave validation but fear intimacy.

• You struggle with self-soothing or feel overwhelmed by "small" things.

• You constantly put others’ needs ahead of your own.

• You feel like you’re “not enough,” no matter what you do.

These aren’t flaws. They’re signals. Signals that something tender inside you still needs care.

How to Begin Inner Child Healing

Here are some gentle steps to reconnect and begin healing:

1. Acknowledge Their Presence

Start by recognizing: Yes, there is a younger me still within.You don’t need to "fix" them, you just need to listen.

• Try saying aloud: “Hey little me… I see you. I’m sorry no one did before.”

This simple acknowledgment can begin to shift your relationship with yourself.

2. Identify the Core Wounds

Ask yourself:

• What did I need that I didn’t get as a child?

• Where did I learn I wasn’t safe to express myself?

• What beliefs did I absorb about love, worth, or safety?

Often, healing starts with understanding. When you can name the wound, you can stop blaming yourself for it.

3. Give Yourself What You Needed

If you needed comfort, offer yourself softness. If you needed protection, set firm boundaries. If you needed attention, carve out space for your voice and your needs now.

Examples:

• Write a letter to your younger self (and even from them).

• Keep a small token (a photo, a toy, a journal) to remind you of your inner child.

• Visualize yourself holding them, speaking to them with love.

4. Speak Kindly to Yourself

That voice in your head, is it yours, or was it modeled after someone else?

Practice replacing critical thoughts with nurturing ones:

• Instead of: “I’m so stupid.” Try: “I made a mistake, but I’m still learning. I’m still worthy.”

Your inner child thrives on gentle, reassuring language. Speak to them like you would a beloved younger sibling or friend.

5. Create Safe Rituals of Care

• Take naps.

• Color or draw.

• Dance around your room.

• Light a candle and say, “I am safe now.”

• Let yourself cry when you need to.

Healing doesn’t always look like deep conversations. Sometimes, it’s found in small, sacred rituals that remind your nervous system: It’s okay to feel again.

You Are Not Broken, You Are Becoming

Inner child healing is not a quick fix. It’s a return, to the most honest, unfiltered, sacred parts of you. It’s not always easy. But it is beautiful.

You’re not “going back”, you’re reaching inward to bring that child forward with you, no longer hidden, no longer ashamed, but embraced.

You are in a safe space now. You are the nurturer. You are the one they’ve been waiting for.

Would you like a free “Dear Inner Child” journaling worksheet to go with this blog post?Stay tuned for more healing tools, from our heart to yours.

With warmth,

Distinctive Voice Therapy and Wellness

Written By: Alysia Heard