The Child Within | Week 3 - Sanctuary Series
This session invited us into a deep space of root healing, where our earliest experiences shaped the beliefs we still carry today. We began by reconnecting to the parts of ourselves we learned to hide: the inner child. Prompts: - What brought you here today? - Who inside of you is ready to be seen? โ Part 1: Rooting the Pattern Topic: How Unmet Needs Become Limiting Beliefs Key Teaching: As children, we donโt blame our caregivers when our needs go unmetโwe blame ourselves. We internalize their behavior as truth, because to us, they were gods. So we form beliefs like: - "Iโm too much" - "I donโt matter" - "I have to earn love" - "My emotions arenโt safe" Why this happens: We assume they know best. If love was withheld, we assumed we were unworthy. If we were punished for emotion, we assumed emotions were dangerous. These beliefs settle into our subconscious and quietly shape our adult decisions, relationships, and sense of worth. Examples: - Ignored child โ *"Iโm invisible or unimportant." - Punished for emotion โ *"My feelings arenโt safe." - Constantly corrected โ *"Iโm never enough as I am." - Praised only for achievement โ *"My worth depends on performance." Reflection Prompts: - What was a core need you had as a child that wasnโt met consistently? - What belief formed in its place? - Who did you have to become to feel accepted in your home? - What emotion or truth did you have to hide to keep peace? โ Part 2: Whoโs Running the Show? Topic: The Inner Childโs Ongoing Influence Key Teaching: Even as adults, our wounded inner child often drives the emotional reactions we canโt explain. We may look grown, but emotionally we still react from ages 7, 9, or 13. Signs: - Strong emotional reactions - Fear of abandonment or rejection - Seeking validation or over-performing Reflection Prompts: - What situations bring out a childlike reaction in you? - What age or memory does that remind you of? โ Part 3: The Reparenting Process