Life’s journey often carries echoes of the past, and for those grappling with trauma, distress, and nervous system dysregulation, these echoes can become deafening. These echoes often trace back to childhood, and can still influence how we perceive the world and ourselves today. Reparenting and inner child work may heal those old hurts, repair the inner child wound, and help us rewrite emotional narratives. In this article, we’ll explore the idea of inner child work, reparenting, inner child prompts, and how identifying and healing these patterns may help regulate our nervous systems.

What is Inner Child Work?

Inner child work is a therapeutic journey into our past, surfacing the emotional patterns and beliefs rooted in childhood experiences. Just as our adult selves carry the weight of these patterns, our inner child holds on to the memories and emotions that shape our reactions, relationships, and self-perceptions.[*]

Think of it as unearthing old home videos, complete with memories that evoke laughter, tears, and all those cringe-worthy moments. Inner child work helps us understand these emotional imprints, so we can heal the wounds that still influence our lives.

What is Reparenting?

Reparenting is like being your own superhero, swooping in to give your inner child the love, care, and guidance they may have missed during childhood. It involves becoming a nurturing parent for yourself, regardless of your age. Imagine offering the wisdom you hold now to a younger version of yourself, and being able to meet all those unmet needs. Imaginary hugs included.[*]

Benefits of Reparenting the Inner Child

Reparenting takes practice, but the results can be quite profound. By meeting the unmet needs of your inner child, you may experience:

• More self-compassion
• A deeper sense of self-love
• Increased emotional resilience and regulation
• Healthier relationships
• Boosted self-esteem
• Better coping skills
• Less anxiety and depressive thoughts

What is The Inner Child Wound Anyway?

The inner child wound is basically the collection of emotional scars and imprints carried over from our childhood. Positive experiences imprint positivity, but negative experiences may leave us battling emotional triggers, fears, and toxic beliefs.

Think of it like finding a scratch on your favorite childhood toy – the toy still works, but the scratch is a constant reminder of an unfortunate incident.

Unsure if your childhood is playing a part in your nervous system dysregulation? Take our inner child quiz and discover if you could benefit from some loving reparenting.

Healing Nervous System Dysregulation Through Reparenting and Inner Child Work

Nervous system dysregulation is often triggered by unresolved emotional experiences. Reparenting and inner child work may remedy this by coming to the rescue of our younger selves and meeting their needs. This previously unexperienced emotional support soothes the nervous system, as our inner child starts to feel seen and heard.

Identifying When Your Inner Child Needs Help: The Inner Child Test

Recognizing that your inner child needs attention involves self-awareness. If you find yourself overreacting to situations, constantly feeling emotionally triggered, or wrestling with unhealthy relationship patterns, your inner child may be shouting for help.

Here are some signs you may benefit from reparenting your inner child:

• A persistent fear of abandonment or rejection that impacts your relationships and decisions
• Difficulty setting and maintaining healthy boundaries
• An overwhelming need for external validation and approval
• Self-sabotaging behaviors, often rooted in feelings of unworthiness
• Chronic self-criticism and a harsh inner dialogue
• A tendency to attract or stay in unhealthy relationships
• Feeling stuck in patterns of anger, sadness, or anxiety with no clear cause.
• Avoiding situations that trigger emotional discomfort, even if they are beneficial
• Struggling to express your needs and desires openly and assertively
• A sense of feeling disconnected from your emotions or struggling to identify and manage them

Take our free inner child test for a more in-depth understanding of your inner child wounds.

Can I Reparent Myself?

Absolutely. Reparenting yourself involves cultivating self-awareness and self-compassion. Imagine giving advice to a friend or comforting a child – apply the same loving kindness to your own inner child. Your younger self deserves the same love and care you’d offer to anyone else.

How to Reparent Your Inner Child

Start by creating a safe space for your inner child. Somewhere you feel comfortable. Explore activities that bring joy and comfort – things like:

• Journaling using inner child prompts
• Craft-based activities
• Mindfulness coloring[*]
• Practicing positive self-talk
• Spending time in nature
• Playing with pets
• Dancing to your favorite 90’s boybands

Try to build a daily self-care routine that addresses your unmet emotional needs and provides the comfort and reassurance missing in your childhood.

Another approach is to reimagine your parents entirely. If you do not feel comfortable reparenting yourself, consider inventing or even borrowing your ideal parents. Imagining your primary caregivers as healthy, balanced individuals who could meet your childhood needs can be a profoundly healing experience. We love Dr. Linnea’s ‘Ideal Parent Figures’ visualizations available in her ‘Nervous System Solution’ course.

Signs Your Inner Child is Healed

Signs your inner child is healed may be subtle at first, but with time and practice you will see the effects filter through to your everyday life:

• Triggers will lose their grip
• You will start to build nervous system resiliency
• It will become easier to set boundaries
• Your relationships will feel healthier
• Self-esteem will be boosted
• You will respond instead of react

Inner Child Work Exercises: A Path to Nervous System Regulation

The path of inner child work and reparenting can be a transformative process. You hold the tools to mend emotional wounds, rewrite the narratives that no longer serve you, and build a foundation of self-compassion and resilience. 

Don’t forget to take our inner child quiz for a deeper understanding of your reparenting needs.