How close or far away are you from your Child Within?

Reduced, adapted and revised by bd from: Thich Nhat Hanh (2011)”Healing the Child Within” https://www.mindful.org/healing-the-child-within/

In each of us, there is a young, suffering child. We have all had times of difficulty as children and many of us have experienced trauma.

To protect and defend ourselves against future suffering, we often try to forget our painful memories. Every time we re-encounter a memory of suffering, the immature chooser Self believes destruction has come again. We turn away from it. Sitting on the throne of Self, being calm, curious, asking questions, is delayed until a later date. No problem. We have forever to learn how to engage with our internal parts without being overwhelmed with them and allowing them to lead.

If painful feelings and memories keep arising; and, Self chooses to delay the interaction our memory part is asking for; then, a habit of suppressing or “stuffing” these unresolved memories is established.

Many of us have unresolved painful memories we haven’t dared to face from a long time ago.

When we turn away from our inner child, this doesn’t mean she or he isn’t there. Our unresolved painful memories are always ready to get the attention of healthy chooser Self. The internal parts say, “I’m here, I’m here. You can’t avoid me. You can’t run away from me.”

An immature Self learns to end our suffering temporarily by exiling a painful memory to a deep…