Reconnec�ng with Your Inner Child

Objec�ve
To reduce unhealthy behaviors by iden�fying ways to reconnect to and nurture your inner child.

What to Know
Inner child healing is a therapeu�c process that involves addressing and resolving emo�onal
wounds, traumas, and unmet needs from your childhood. It recognizes that your experiences
and interac�ons during your forma�ve years can significantly impact your emo�onal well-being
and behavior paterns in adulthood. Your inner child includes all the past developmental stages
that make up your life journey.
Inner child healing aims to reconnect you with your inner child—the younger version of
yourself—to acknowledge pain, validate emo�ons, and provide nurturing and support. The
wounded parts of you may be unconsciously choosing rela�onships with other hurt people. This
may result from experiences you endured while growing up: feeling ignored, rejected,
dismissed, abused, neglected, or trauma�zed. Memories of being alone, scared, and sad can
surface as feelings of abandonment and trauma that con�nue through adulthood. This
wounding changes how you see yourself and the world.
The process of inner child healing can be transforma�ve, leading to increased self-awareness,
emo�onal healing, and a greater sense of wholeness. It enables you to release emo�ons,
rewrite nega�ve narra�ves, and develop healthier coping mechanisms. Ul�mately, inner child
healing helps you reclaim your authen�c self, foster self-love, and create a more fulfilling and
balanced life. By acknowledging and healing past wounds, you can experience personal growth,
emo�onal resilience, and improved rela�onships with yourself and others.
Acknowledging and reconnec�ng with your inner child involves recognizing and accep�ng things
that caused pain in childhood, bringing them to light to understand their impact now. This
worksheet is designed to guide you through the process of exploring your inner child's
emo�ons, experiences, and needs to reduce any unhealthy behaviors that may stem from early
wounding.

What to Do
Visualize Your Inner Child
Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Allow yourself to imagine your younger self, the
child version of you, standing in front of you. Take a moment to observe this child and no�ce
their age, appearance, and demeanor. How do they make you feel? What emo�ons arise within
you as you connect with this inner child? Describe this child in as much detail as possible.
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Think about challenging experiences or emo�ons from your childhood that s�ll affect you today.
Write down three emo�ons your inner child experienced during those �mes, such as sadness,
disappointment, fear, anger, loneliness, or confusion.
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2.____________________________________________________________________________
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Do you discount or minimize difficult or trauma�c experiences you had in your childhood?
Explain.
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Do you protect those who cared for you out of embarrassment, honor, or guilt? Explain.
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Do you tend to avoid painful memories? Describe.

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Childhood Timeline
It can help to capture a �meline of the key events of your childhood. Focus on the
developmental years from birth to age 21 to iden�fy wounding paterns or specific events that
caused challenges later in your life. Write down any important events and situa�ons. Example:
Age 4 – parents divorced
Age 6 – mom remarried and had a baby
Age 9 – dad moved to Europe
Age 11 – dad became very ill

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Age 12 – dad passed away
Age 14 – I started partying and smoking weed
Age 16 – I was arrested

Next to each event or situa�on, rate how emo�onally difficult it was from 1 to 10, where 1 = I
only experienced minor distress, to 10 = This is the greatest distress I have ever experienced.
Use an addi�onal piece of paper if you require more space.
Age Event or Situa�on Ra�ng
(1-10)

Iden�fying Childhood Triggers

Write about a recent situa�on where you responded more strongly than you wished.
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Is this a regular occurrence? _________
Where and when did/does it happen? ______________________________________________
How do you feel when this happens?
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What body sensa�ons do you experience?

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Do you want to react or withdraw? ______________________________

What situa�on from your past does this remind you of?
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A Conversa�on with Your Inner Child

Use the following ques�ons to discuss with your earlier self how you felt and your present self
regarding what you are going through now.
How does the younger you feel about what is currently happening in your life?
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What could others have done to help you when you struggled as a child?
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What can others do to help you now?
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Can you accept that you were a child and could not fix the situa�on? Yes / No
What can you do now, as an adult, to appropriately address the problems you are experiencing?
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Exploring a Childhood Event

While it can be difficult, it is some�mes helpful to revisit an upse�ng event or situa�on. Answer
the following ques�ons.
What was happening? ___________________________________________________________
How old were you? _______
What was going on in your family at that �me?
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Who was involved? ______________________________________________________________

What were the sounds, sights, smells, or feelings?
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How did you feel emo�onally?

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Are there secrets associated with this situa�on? Explain.
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Do you currently carry pain or hurt related to this situa�on? Describe.

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What would your inner child like to say to you as an adult?

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Daily Journaling

Journaling is a valuable coping tool that offers you �me to reflect on your feelings, thoughts,
and daily ac�ons. Ge�ng thoughts and feelings out of your head can be par�cularly helpful if
you struggle with difficult emo�ons, memories, stress, anxiety, or depression. Using a simple
notebook or journal, choose one or more of the following ques�ons to answer each day.
• What am I grateful for today?
• What have I learned in the past that I found useful today?
• Who supported me in the past that benefited me today?
• What difficult situa�ons in the past helped me overcome obstacles today?
• What five things made me feel peaceful today?
• What does my family admire me for?
• What was the highlight of my day?
• What do I admire about myself?
• What one thing will I forgive myself for this week?
• What three compliments did I receive this week?
• How do I sabotage myself?
• What nega�ve beliefs do I have about myself? Where do they come from?
• What situa�ons do I find most difficult?
• What mistakes do I make and repeat? Why?
• How did I react to an upse�ng situa�on this week?
Can you think of other ques�ons? ____________________________________________
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The Most Helpful Thoughts
Inaccurate and unhelpful thoughts can make your life difficult. This exercise can help you
iden�fy and challenge such thoughts and replace them with more helpful ones.
Iden�fy one unhelpful thought: __________________________________________________
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What makes it unhelpful?
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Replace it with a more helpful thought. ______________________________________________

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With prac�ce, replacing unhelpful thoughts will become automa�c.
Reflect on Unmet Needs
Write down three unmet needs you had as a child. These needs could include safety, love,
aten�on, valida�on, understanding, or support.
1.____________________________________________________________________________
2.____________________________________________________________________________
3.____________________________________________________________________________

For each unmet need you iden�fied, write down a compassionate and nurturing response that
you can offer to your inner child. Consider how you can fulfill those needs within yourself now
as an adult.
Compassionate and nurturing response for unmet need #1
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How can you fulfill this need as an adult?

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Compassionate and nurturing response for unmet need #2

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How can you fulfill this need as an adult?

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Compassionate and nurturing response for unmet need #3

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How can you fulfill this need as an adult?

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Write a Leter to Your Inner Child

Express love, compassion, and understanding, and apologize for any pain you experienced as a
child. Reassure your inner child that you are here to support and protect them now. Offer words
of comfort, encouragement, and valida�on. Take as much space as you need to express your
feelings and inten�ons toward your inner child. Use an addi�onal piece of paper if necessary.
Dear Inner Child,
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Self-Care Prac�ces
Write down three self-care prac�ces you can include in your daily life to nurture and support
your inner child. These prac�ces should help you create a safe and loving space within yourself.
1.____________________________________________________________________________
2.____________________________________________________________________________
3.____________________________________________________________________________

Inner child work is an ongoing process, and this worksheet is just the beginning. Revisit these
exercises and prac�ces whenever you want to reconnect with your inner child. Be pa�ent,
gentle, and compassionate with yourself as you navigate this healing journey.

Reflec�ons on This Exercise

How helpful was this exercise? _____
(1 = not very helpful, 5 = moderately helpful, 10 = extremely helpful)
What did you learn from this exercise?
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