Unleash Your Inner Child

SOMETIMES, FINDING HAPPINESS IN THE PRESENT MEANS HEALING THE PAST. EXPERTS SHARE SIMPLE WAYS TO SHOW KINDNESS TO YOUR FORMER SELF.

- Sabrina Talbert

At 28, Tori Bell felt stuck-both in a career and in a relationship going nowhere. After she shared her feelings with friends, one suggested journaling and meditation. Her workplace offered a weekly meditation class, so Bell gave it a shot.

That class led to a friendship with her meditation instructor, who introduced her to the concept of "inner child'" work. "My goal was to find a sense of life purpose, gain more self-confidence, and heal past wounds that were holding me back," she says. "At first, it was challenging to face and process my childhood traumas and emotional wounds. I had to confront difficult emotions, such as fear, anger, and sadness, but it was necessary to move forward."

Clarity, found: She'd always dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur, and thanks to the inner child work she did with a life coach, she was able to redirect her career. Bell founded Inclusion Unpacked in 2021, a membership community for founders and leaders committed to building inclusive, equitable companies.

That's not to say the process for Bell-or anyone, for that matter was easy, quick, or linear. In fact, inner child work is pretty much the opposite: It's often a lifelong commitment to safety and happiness.

By definition, inner child work is an approach addressing childhood trauma and the triggers that happen throughout young and older adulthood that result in emotion dysregulation, anxiety, anger, depression, and maladaptive coping, says psychotherapist Rebecca Solodovnik, founder of Mindfree Me. And it works in very cool ways.