Discovering the inner child

A few weeks ago I went to a Saturday gathering: a shared session with other people who also wanted to explore this side of themselves.

I confess I had no idea what I was getting into; I went on the advice of the friend who writes this blog with me. “It’ll do you a world of good,” she said. And so, trustingly, I went.

In my experience, this kind of group work is hugely enriching. Just as we go to the physio to sort out an injury or ease a sore muscle, I think it’s good to look at where our mind and our emotions are heading, and to question the place we occupy. What we have too much of, or too little of, to feel better.

These aren’t quick or easy exercises. Children need space, and when we work with the child we once were, we also need time to make contact with them. Most of the time we keep them so hidden, crouched in a corner of the brain, that we have to rouse them from their slumber and give them permission to come out. Sleepy at first, then shy, they find it hard to show themselves.

But like all children, once they feel comfortable and supported, they suddenly burst out as whirlwinds of joy and fun. Sometimes sad and hurting instead. But always genuine.

And that’s how the experience was: a storm of sensations.

Discovering that the little girl was still there, laughing freely, playing, dancing… was truly astonishing. It’s true that the people who answered the call that day were especially interesting. As a friend of mine says, “the right people are always there”.

To finish, I encourage you to try an experience like this.

It will always make you a little wiser, a little kinder to yourself, and help you love yourself a little more.