Use creativity to heal your inner child
by Danielle Winston
“Everyone has an inner child,” says Babita Spinelli, licensed psychotherapist and certified life coach. Illustration by Anna Pavlovetc
When you're a kid, nobody needs to show you how to weave necklaces out of dandelions or finger paint your cat's whiskers — it's instinctive. As our physical self matures, the instinct-driven child remains in our psyche.
“Everyone has an inner child,” says Babita Spinelli, licensed psychotherapist and certified life coach. It’s the part of the subconscious mind absorbing all the messaging and experiences long before we can understand and process them. Spinelli says that this vulnerable piece of self “holds the comfort you felt from your first pet or the tears shed after losing a friend.” The inner child carries those kinds of memories as well as many other types — memories that may include trauma, pain, fear, neglect, and shame, but also love, joy, hopes, and dreams.
Why should we care about the inner child?
The goal of inner child work is to reparent yourself into healing. Spinelli explains that some of the challenges most of us face today are the result of habits and limiting beliefs that we developed long ago. Embarking on inner child work involves understanding how the past influences us today. Spinelli says that “behaviors, triggers, needs, and attachment styles, as well as emotional messages you've been programmed to hold” all shape our perception and affect the choices we make. “As you gain awareness, it helps you shift to a place where your needs are met in the present,” Spinelli says.
Creativity and the inner child are natural companions — engaging in one can awaken the other. “It is a misnomer to believe that play, arts, and crafts are intended for children,” says art therapist/counselor Jill McNutt Ph.D. These creative outlets “can tap into your playful, spontaneous, and imaginative self and reconnect with a child-like (not childish) sense of wonder.”
“Art provides a symbolic language that allows you to communicate and express complex emotions and experiences associated with your inner child,” says McNutt. It's not surprising that research shows 30% of PTSD patients don't respond to traditional treatments, but alternatives such as art therapy offer great promise.
McNutt and Spinelli agree that leaning into our imaginative side may remove blocks preventing us from accessing repressed and/or dissociated parts of your subconscious — as well as feelings and emotions that are difficult to tap into solely through verbal communication. Spinelli suggests working with some air dry clay, Play-Doh, or spontaneously doodling. McNutt adds, “Through play, you can connect with the sense of wonder, curiosity, and joy associated with the inner child.”
“Creativity and the inner child are natural companions — engaging in one can awaken the other.” Illustration by Anna Pavlovetc
For those of us who require a little more guidance, plenty of art therapy resources are available online that can help with channeling imagination and expressing feelings:
Erica Pang @EricaPangArt is an artist and art therapist with a YouTube channel dedicated to the healing power of art. Try Pang's inner child art activity and meditate on a mixed-media project made with watercolors and a childhood image of yourself. Alternatively, Pang’s inner child coloring exercise just asks that we begin with crayons. And we can keep the inspiration flowing with Pang's creative affirmations.
Soothe the psyche with this cello meditation for playfulness to awaken your inner child by The Wong Janice.
If the idea of molding and shaping clay sounds like fun, discover sculpture and more with air dry clay and coffee painting from Jana Storm, in collaboration with Mix it up Marci’s YouTube channel, dedicated to crafting, minimalism, and motherhood.
Follow artist and art psychotherapist Amelia on TikTok: Art Therapy in Real Life.
For daily drawing exercises, try a 30-day inner child drawing challenge and expressive arts exercises from Shelly Klammer.
To explore more ideas, check out this art therapy Pinterest board.
Erica Pang is an artist and art therapist with a YouTube channel dedicated to the healing power of art.
It might be as simple as “taking ten minutes to pause, think of your inner child, try and see and feel them, and start drawing,” says Spinelli, who suggests letting go of all ideas about what or how you should draw. Instead, let the drawing itself lead. Once we are in flow, we might find it’s easier to explore various memories, feelings, questions, and reassurances we might have regarding our earliest years and how they’ve shaped us into who we are today.
The crucial part? That we find a medium that ignites our creative flame.
Before beginning, however, it’s important to understand that inner child work may bring up deeply vulnerable places involving trauma and difficult memories. McNutt recommends engaging with a professional art therapist and/or psychotherapist as a safe guide for this kind of work.
The reparenting path is paved with love and self-compassion. While reconnecting with our artistic and playful spirit, we should be aware that inner child work isn't a quick fix. Behaviors that took a lifetime to develop require patience, self-care, and dedication to undo. If fear is present, McNutt suggests talking to the inner child in a reassuring way by saying, “I understand your fears. I am here for you and will keep you safe.”
After we’ve put our crayons and watercolors away, we can carve out special time to unwind, absorb, and reflect.
The reparenting path is paved with love and self-compassion. Illustration by Anna Pavlovetc