In this script of a talk by Thich Nhat Hanh on the subject of Mindfulness of anger, he guides us through a process of connecting with the 5 year old inside of you. Inner child work similar to this has always played a very big part in my own healing journey and hence the work that I’ve done with individuals and groups in my therapeutic work over recent decades. It’s beautiful work, the vulnerable more wounded part of ourselves really thrives when from our adult thinking self we can direct the warmth of our hearts to giving that part of us messages of care, listening and kindness. Even as you sit and read this, you may be surprised at the soothing effect of just sitting, closing your eyes, bringing your attention to your heart and then as you slow down, tune in and soften your feelings, speak caring messages to yourself using your name like “I love you ….” or “[name] I care, I’m listening, all of your feelings are ok”. Notice how this feels.
If you take the time to read and follow the guidance in the attached post, or just my simple guidance above, feel free to share here how this feels. I should note that if you’re currently experiencing extremely heightened anxiety, intense grief or PTSD, sometimes it can be too intense for these inner feelings to open up without having someone available to listen and support you. Processing the deep pain is a balancing act of keeping those feelings moving and releasing while avoiding getting into a state of flooding that you may not have the self-compassion to respond to with care. But wherever you’re at on your journey, what’s important is that you’re finding ways of carving out time to give attention to your inner world of feelings and needs.
https://onbeing.org/blog/mindfulness-of-anger-embracing-the-child-within/
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