We all have an inner child living within us that needs our love, support, and compassion. In short, your inner child is a representation of you as a child. It begins subconsciously absorbing information from the moment you are born and stores emotions that are too big for your child self to process. As we grow older, we tend to forget about our inner child or leave them behind. When we do this, we are failing to heal our inner child and leave them feeling abandoned.
Healing your inner child is incredibly important, as it helps you live your truth. For some, our inner child is happy, secure, and stable. For others, particularly those of us who experienced childhood trauma, our inner child feels scared, insecure, and forgotten. So how can we heal our inner child to help us live a happier and more fulfilling life? Reading and learning about our inner child is one of the best ways we can heal them.
Below, we will discuss the best five books to help heal your inner child.
The Body Keeps the Score
Written by Bessel Van Der Kolk, this is one of the most well-known inner child healing books available. It emphasizes the importance of incorporating body healing into mind healing, as they closely work together. He also explores the concept of time and expresses that it doesn’t matter how long ago a traumatic event occurred - the emotions it produces will not simply go away on their own. This book helps individuals process childhood trauma in practical, therapeutic ways to heal their inner child.
His work is incredibly important because from a neuroscience perspective, we know that trauma is stored within the body. As children, we don’t possess the skills needed to cope with big emotions, so our body tries to protect us from them. By doing that, we store those emotions in our bodies until we address and heal them. Reading this book will certainly teach you how to process and heal those stored emotions that are causing you trouble in adulthood.
Written by Bessel Van Der Kolk, this is one of the most well-known inner child healing books available. It emphasizes the importance of incorporating body healing into mind healing, as they closely work together. He also explores the concept of time and expresses that it doesn’t matter how long ago a traumatic event occurred - the emotions it produces will not simply go away on their own. This book helps individuals process childhood trauma in practical, therapeutic ways to heal their inner child.
His work is incredibly important because from a neuroscience perspective, we know that trauma is stored within the body. As children, we don’t possess the skills needed to cope with big emotions, so our body tries to protect us from them. By doing that, we store those emotions in our bodies until we address and heal them. Reading this book will certainly teach you how to process and heal those stored emotions that are causing you trouble in adulthood.
Homecoming: reclaiming and healing your inner child
Written by John Bradshaw, this powerful read teaches you how to nurture your inner child by re-parenting yourself. Oftentimes, children who experienced trauma or neglect significantly lacked parental figures who showed them genuine love and compassion. This seeps into our adulthood and leaves a painful pit in our stomachs.
By reading this book, you will explore the unfinished and unprocessed pains of your childhood and learn how to heal those wounds. He provides therapeutic activities throughout to boost your inner child healing even further. Re-parenting ourselves as adults has significant healing benefits for our inner child.
Recovery of Your Inner Child
Written by Lucia Cappacione, this one pushes you to actively tap into your inner child through drawing and writing with your non-dominant hand. The purpose of using your non-dominant hand is to break through the separation between your current adult self and your inner child. This practical, immersive read allows you to feel the emotions of your inner child firsthand.
This book is all about uncovering your inner child, as it lives within us at all times. In adulthood, we tend to bury and hide our inner child, who only wants to be shown compassion. By uncovering your inner child and allowing them to freely feel their emotions, you are healing them. A healed inner child allows us to live a more fulfilling adulthood, which is the goal of this read.
It Didn’t Start With You
Written by Mark Wolynn, this book explores the concept of generational trauma. Generational trauma is a term used to explain the idea of trauma being passed on through family members. When trauma is left unhealed and unprocessed, it is passed down through family members to come until someone stops and heals the trauma. This book teaches us the importance of understanding our family dynamics when it comes to healing our inner child.
While it’s not always necessary to forgive those who have caused you trauma and pain, gaining an understanding of where that trauma came from can be incredibly healing. It gives you the building blocks to create your own experience once the healing has been done. We can all create a family dynamic that is loving, caring, and genuine once we’ve healed.
Who You Were Meant to Be
Written by Dr. Lindsay Gibson, this liberating read will remind you that you are the most important person in your life. Many adults subconsciously live through the lens of our caregivers - what they want and expect us to do. Dr. Gibson lays out a healing path that allows us to reevaluate old habits and helps us discover our passions and life purpose.
Once we understand that we have the power to create a life that aligns with our truest desires and aspirations, we can start taking the steps needed to achieve that lifestyle. This is a great read for all of you who have been conditioned to live a certain way - get that specific degree, start a family, etc. Healing our inner child connects us to our true life purpose, which is something we’re always looking for.
Written by John Bradshaw, this powerful read teaches you how to nurture your inner child by re-parenting yourself. Oftentimes, children who experienced trauma or neglect significantly lacked parental figures who showed them genuine love and compassion. This seeps into our adulthood and leaves a painful pit in our stomachs.
By reading this book, you will explore the unfinished and unprocessed pains of your childhood and learn how to heal those wounds. He provides therapeutic activities throughout to boost your inner child healing even further. Re-parenting ourselves as adults has significant healing benefits for our inner child.
Recovery of Your Inner Child
Written by Lucia Cappacione, this one pushes you to actively tap into your inner child through drawing and writing with your non-dominant hand. The purpose of using your non-dominant hand is to break through the separation between your current adult self and your inner child. This practical, immersive read allows you to feel the emotions of your inner child firsthand.
This book is all about uncovering your inner child, as it lives within us at all times. In adulthood, we tend to bury and hide our inner child, who only wants to be shown compassion. By uncovering your inner child and allowing them to freely feel their emotions, you are healing them. A healed inner child allows us to live a more fulfilling adulthood, which is the goal of this read.
It Didn’t Start With You
Written by Mark Wolynn, this book explores the concept of generational trauma. Generational trauma is a term used to explain the idea of trauma being passed on through family members. When trauma is left unhealed and unprocessed, it is passed down through family members to come until someone stops and heals the trauma. This book teaches us the importance of understanding our family dynamics when it comes to healing our inner child.
While it’s not always necessary to forgive those who have caused you trauma and pain, gaining an understanding of where that trauma came from can be incredibly healing. It gives you the building blocks to create your own experience once the healing has been done. We can all create a family dynamic that is loving, caring, and genuine once we’ve healed.
Who You Were Meant to Be
Written by Dr. Lindsay Gibson, this liberating read will remind you that you are the most important person in your life. Many adults subconsciously live through the lens of our caregivers - what they want and expect us to do. Dr. Gibson lays out a healing path that allows us to reevaluate old habits and helps us discover our passions and life purpose.
Once we understand that we have the power to create a life that aligns with our truest desires and aspirations, we can start taking the steps needed to achieve that lifestyle. This is a great read for all of you who have been conditioned to live a certain way - get that specific degree, start a family, etc. Healing our inner child connects us to our true life purpose, which is something we’re always looking for.
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