I just picked up the book "Homecoming" by John Bradshaw again and read about how to champion our inner child. I thought I would cringe at another list with exercises to do... but it turned out I'm already doing them! How his insights, are similar to my own; what a validation!
When I lived in Malmö, I had an old white rocking chair from the 1960's with an authentic lambs wool seating from Gotland. It was when I started to sit down in it when I came home from being outside, I for the first time in my adult life, experienced a sense of safety. I would wrap myself in a warm blanket, and just sit in silence for a while. This was the beginning of my own attempts to create a real homecoming, the return of my inner child in 2008.
Other things worth noting for me, is that it says in the book that it's a good idea to suck on a mint, when trying something new. I gather, because of the sucking one does an infant. It produces a similar calming effect to also suck on something as an adult. I should know - I sucked on my thumb until I was almost 10 years old and always carry mints!
So, the healing of our inner child, consists of tending to one's needs and to re-experience some of the fulfilment of these needs, to cement actual caretaking.
Are you healing yours?
Photo borrowed from Jysk.
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