Homecoming: Reclaiming and Healing Your Inner ChildAre you outwardly successful but inwardly do you feel like a big kid? Do you aspire to be a loving parent but all too often “lose it” in hurtful ways? Do you crave intimacy but sometimes wonder if it’s worth the struggle? Or are you plagued by constant vague feelings of anxiety or depression? If any of this sounds familiar, you may be experiencing the hidden but damaging effects of a painful childhood—carrying within you a “wounded inner child” that is crying out for attention and healing. In this powerful book, John Bradshaw shows how we can learn to nurture that inner child, in essence offering ourselves the good parenting we needed and longed for. Through a step-by-step process of exploring the unfinished business of each developmental stage, we can break away from destructive family rules and roles and free ourselves to live responsibly in the present. Then, says Bradshaw, the healed inner child becomes a source of vitality, enabling us to find new joy and energy in living. Homecoming includes a wealth of unique case histories and interactive techniques, including questionnaires, letter-writing to the inner child, guided meditations, and affirmations. Pioneering when introduced, these classic therapies are now being validated by new discoveries in attachment research and neuroscience. No one has ever brought them to a popular audience more effectively and inspiringly than John Bradshaw. |
Contents
Parable The Double Tragedy of Rudy Revolvin | 1 |
How Your Wonderful Inner Child Got Wounded | 30 |
Parable The Almost Tragic Story of a Tender Elf | 51 |
CHAMPIONING YOUR WOUNDED INNER CHILD | 173 |
REGENERATION | 249 |
The Wonder Child as Imago Dei | 264 |
EPILOGUE HOME ELLIOTT HOME | 286 |
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Common terms and phrases
abuse addiction adolescent adult children affirmations alcoholic Alice Miller anchor anger angry archetypal become begin behavior believe bonding brain breathe caretakers Carl Jung child archetype childhood co-dependent core creative develop dream dysfunctional families ego strengths emotional energy enmeshed Eric Berne example exercise experience express family system father fear feel felt Fritz Perls give guilt heal healthy hear human identity imagine incest infant inner child needs inner kids let go limbic system Little John lives look magical Marion Woodman meditation memory mother never nurturing okay original pain parents partner person physical play preschool reclaim and champion relationship remember Robert Bly roles rules sadness Sam Keen sense sexual shame-based someone spiritual wound tell therapist therapy things toddler touch toxic shame traumatic trust violation walk wonder child workshop wounded child wounded inner child write