Inner child healing through self-awareness

One of the most profound and difficult truths I’ve encountered on my personal development journey is this: I am responsible for the feelings I carried since childhood—and the belief systems they unconsciously created. These early emotional experiences shaped the lens through which I view myself and the world today. Inner child healing through self-awareness.

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Understanding Where It Begins

As children, we’re naturally vulnerable. Our emotional worlds are shaped by interactions with parents, siblings, relatives, peers, and even teachers. When those experiences repeatedly trigger emotional pain—without support or guidance to help us understand them—we begin to internalize those feelings.

Without tools to process them, we store them. We carry them. And over time, they become beliefs:

– “I’m not good enough.”
– “I always mess things up.”
– “I’m not lovable.”
– “I need to prove my worth.”

These beliefs don’t start as thoughts. They start as emotional imprints—formed when we were too young to make sense of what we were feeling.

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What Happens When These Feelings Are Left Unprocessed

As renowned physician Dr. Gabor Maté reminds us: “Trauma is not what happens to us, but what happens inside of us.”

If a child is repeatedly left alone in their pain—physically or emotionally—that aloneness becomes its own trauma. Without someone to help them make sense of what they’re feeling, they begin to believe the pain is who they are.

As adults, those unprocessed emotions can manifest as patterns:
– Self-sabotage
– Negative self-talk
– Difficulty trusting others
– Fear of intimacy or rejection

These patterns aren’t flaws. They’re adaptations. They were once protective. But now, they may be holding us back.

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You are not broken. You are mending your wounds. They will leave scars and hurt at times! And that process begins the moment you choose to listen inward, with love.

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Taking Responsibility Is Not the Same as Self-Blame

One of the turning points in my journey was learning to stop blaming others—and also, to stop blaming myself.

Instead, I chose responsibility. I went back to my younger selves: the five-year-old, the teenager… the version of me that didn’t know what to do with his feelings. And I met him with love.

I forgave him.  Held him. & Said: “You didn’t know what to do. And that’s okay.”

Taking back responsibility meant letting go of the weight I placed on others—my parents, my teachers, the bullies, the world—and returning to myself. It didn’t erase the pain, but it gave me back the power to heal.

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You Can Begin This Work Too

Healing begins when we stop waiting for others to fix what they didn’t know how to hold in the first place.

You can start by:
– Acknowledging the beliefs you carry that no longer serve you
– Connecting with the younger version of yourself with kindness
– Practicing self-compassion when triggers arise
– Seeking support when needed—because healing doesn’t mean doing it all alone

If this reflection resonates with you, take a moment to sit with it. Breathe. Listen. Your healing doesn’t require perfection—only presence.

Let this be your gentle reminder: You can return to yourself. One breath at a time.

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Other Reads:

Learn more about my offerings on this link.

Here is more about mindfulness on this link.

Learn more about healing your inner child on this link.

External Resources:

Zen & Engaged Buddhism:

Plum Village 

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