Childhood experiences can still make life difficult for us today. This is where the concept of healing the inner child comes in: there are podcasts, meditations, books. what to bring
Meditations and Counselors
 
Whether happy and carefree, pretty difficult or even traumatic: what we experience as children stays behind. People whose childhood experiences make life difficult even as adults know this only too well.
Hence the concept that we encounter today in guidebooks, coaching and podcasts - the healing of the inner child. The basic idea is: From the point of view of an adult, we should give our inner child comfort, security or recognition in order to solve existing problems. It works? This term is not found in the treatment manual

First to the expression "inner child": There is no uniform definition of what it is, as Prof. Wolfgang Lutz says. "It is a visual representation of the idea that childhood experiences become part of the personality and determine actions in the present," explains the head of the Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy at the University of Trier.

Lutz has been researching the effectiveness of psychotherapeutic methods for around 30 years. And he was co-editor of the standard work on the subject, Bergin and Garfield's Handbook of Psychotherapy and Behavior Modification. The concept of an inner child does not appear in it. This means: There are no scientifically based treatment guidelines with expert recommendations for healing the inner child. Find access to emotions
 
But of course childhood plays a role in many forms of psychotherapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy.
But: In psychotherapy, people work with it in a variety of ways, as Lutz explains. It's not about healing the inner child. For example, one must first recognize behavioral, thinking, emotional, or relational patterns acquired in childhood, and then learn alternative approaches over time. However, ideas or metaphors such as the inner child can facilitate access to oneself and one's feelings, as Lutz emphasizes. "It can help you personally, many people benefit from self-help literature."

Understand yourself better

Christa Roth-Sackenheim agrees. He is President of the German Psychiatry Association and runs a practice for psychiatry, psychotherapy and neurology in Andernach.
The concept of the inner child can therefore help people to find out why they keep reacting inappropriately in certain situations. For example, why are they angry at their child if they are stupid? Or always nice in relationships and extremely high expectations of yourself.
All of this may be rooted in your own childhood. Recognizing the reasons for these behaviors can bring relief to many people. "Then you no longer think: 'I'm reacting this way because I'm a bad person, but because I've had certain experiences,'" says Christa Roth-Sackenheim. This can mature you and help you accept yourself.

When professional help is needed
 
Of course, working with your inner child has its limits. For example, anyone suffering from depression, panic or anxiety disorders needs professional help, stresses Wolfgang Lutz.
 
Of course, a person may not know whether such a diagnosis applies to him. That's why Lutz gives examples where tutorials or podcasts are not enough. For example, if someone does not want to wake up in the morning or has suicidal thoughts. Or if, for example, you are so afraid of the lecture that you change seminaries or universities instead of the lecture.
A counseling session with a psychotherapist can help determine the need for outpatient psychotherapy.
 

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And if you already deal with your inner child and are sad for weeks and can't think of anything else? Then you should seek professional help, advises Christa Roth-Sackenheim. The same applies to disability when traumatic experiences resurface or memories flood uncontrollably. "It's not unusual for the topics you encounter to temporarily make you sad and thoughtful and take up a lot of space," says Christa Roth-Sackenheim. The limits of solo travel
 
There is another limitation in trying to heal the inner child: implementation. Because the old adage “knowledge is the first step to healing” also applies here. But knowledge does not mean that you can change your behavior through it.
 
"Recognizing connections is only the first step," admits Wolfgang Lutz. “However, with ingrained patterns, there is not enough information to change behavior. Then you need a therapy that responds to it.”
 
However, Christa Roth-Sackenheim knows that some people succeed in recognizing the next critical situation better and may even behave differently over time. It's always helpful to talk to friends or family. "That can lead to other ways of dealing with problematic situations."