The Way You Wanted to Feel

when these values and skills are not taught in childhood, unfortunately, the damage becomes a permanent part of who we are, hidden in the depths of our subconscious in the form of our wounded inner child. This is what re-parenting aims to correct. Re-parenting is the reintroduction of these essentials that should've been taught in childhood and slo

The drive for perfection can start early in life, when a parent’s frown or emotional coolness lets you know you have erred. Although the parent may or may not be intending this, you get the message that in order to be worthy of love, you should be perfect. To make mistakes and cause disappointment is to run the risk of a parent’s emotional withdraw

I first encountered re-parenting exercises in a seminar handout written by Dr. Richard Landis, a neo-Ericksonian therapist from Southern California. Dr. Landis recommends imagining a meadow in a vivid, multi-sensory way, focusing on unresolved issues and feelings from the past and then looking over to the side of the meadow to see a child with the

Let's say, for instance, that you're a workaholic, and any time someone points out a mistake, no matter how small, you become overcome with anxiety, humiliation, and even a sense of hopelessness. This would typically indicate that your inner child may be scarred by the reactions or consequences of making a mistake as a child and that, as an adult,

What we are attempting to do is offer the trapped child the nurturing behavior it required at the time but did not receive from the parents. The fact is that you, the patient, are the only one capable of reaching that cut-off fragment of your self and doing this essential re-parenting.