What Do You Call It When You "see" Your "inner Child" Standing Next To You?

[nycowboy]

And Laurie: you have a gift with words, my friend. Just wanted to let you know that.

 

[MesaRock]

It is perfectly familiar to me - on another thread people who connect to a shamanic tradition consider this to be quite normal part of healing, and a good sign of reconnection. Some of us can visualize or see things in a more tangible way than others, but it's only in the traditional contemporary world where that kind of experience would be seen as odd. I guess to me it sounds really beautiful, because you can see him clearly and start re-integrating the part of your self that was disconnected when the child part of you was traumatized.

this has just started happening with me in therapy, and I'm working on talking to the young me, and building a relationship wtih her. Comforting her, talking to her about the fact that in the future she will be safe and solutions will be found, and that she is very courageous and strong and brave and will survive and go on to have her feelings heard and listened to, and her needs met. It's a strange disconcerting process but interesting and valuable..

 

[Rainydaiz]

What do you call this? Last time I was at therapy, my T and I were talking about past childhood trauma...

It sounds like a form of dissociation. A great book on dissociation is The Stranger in the Mirror. This type of event is mentioned in the book I think. Think the author is someone Steinberg. Hope you're ok.

 

[watundah]

I believe my therapist *wants* this to happen but I have been resistant. For a long time I denied the value and existence of this younger self. Now I understand she is the playful, curious, creative and silly side of me that shines through from the past. So the visualizing hasn't happened but I can feel her inside if I focus on it. I think I may freak if I saw a mini me!

 

[shimmerz]

I kind of freaked out when this happened to me. I saw her, however, down below me. She asked me to come down to her but she was in a pit. I called my shaman (yepp, you read that right) and she suggested strongly that I not go down the pit. I shared with her my Teddy instead and told her I would be there when she was ready to come out.

I then took a picture of my little self and placed it by the stick shift of my car (my car is safe to me). I sang with her, I told her where we were going. I asked her if she wanted to sit on my lap while I drove. Because the car was safe to me, it gave us a 'place to be' where I was strong enough to love her, enjoy her, take care of her and integrate with her.

I think a bunch of this stuff is getting used to non traditional (or traditional if you are a shaman) ideas and just going with them. It won't hurt was my thought. And it worked.

Smiling of the inner child (or soul fragment) is a great thing. Nurture that as much as you can is my thought on it. Enjoy!

 

[void]

What do you call this? Last time I was at therapy, my T and I were talking about past childhood trauma...

What matters in the feeling of the experience, not the arbitrary label academics place on it.

When this happens, feel him...notice how you feel at the sight of him...at the sound of him....NOT what you think of what you see and hear...what do you FEEL!

This experience is an attempt at re-integration. The fractures are ready for the next step in putting themselves back into a whole...(person).

Embrace this....show him you accept and love him...that you will protect him and let him be whatever he is.
No words are necessary....only intentions(after all, the boy is you:happy:).

Let your feelings pour out of you, feel the emotion and intention...unfettered by thinking.

This experience is a privilege and an accomplishment.

Receive him. Receive your self.

Peace.:happy:

 

[lostforgottensoul]

What do you call this? Last time I was at therapy, my T and I were talking about past childhood trauma...

This doesn't happen to me as a physical sight but I do have several "MEs", the "mask" in the day where a lot of my anxiety & anger comes out, the "rageful" me, the "little child" that only comes out at night that has SO much terror and longs for someone to hold her. There are a few others but Im at work and must go and though I dont have DID, i do feel "split" emotionally and refer to them as their own identies in therpy cuz thats how it feels. I think its that but your mind put a physical child in front of you. Not at all odd to me.