Creative Journaling - "One: A Little Child Shall Lead Them"

[Carol Clark]

This is the discussion area for work with Chapter One of Lucia Capacchione's book, Recovery of Your Inner Child.

Please feel free to post any passages you like, thoughts, ideas, or feelings about the reading itself, and hopefully we'll get a discussion going with that. Then I'll post an exercise to get started, and anyone else please post as you please.

I think the most important thing to remember, as Lucia emphasizes in her book, is to "Complement this work with a support group...therapy, or workshop. (such as we are, I think). "Inner Child healing cannot be done in isolation. After all, that little Child Within has been alone long enough."

And as she also quotes, "It's never too late to have a happy childhood."

So onward we go, let's get started...!
Carol

[Maureen]

Dear Carol,
Thank you so much for getting this discussion started. You have motivated me to pick the book back up again.

What I just read -- where Lucia talks about how she discovered her own inner child -- has me overwhelmed and for some reason scared; no, stunned would be the better word. Her story mirrors my life, almost to a T. I am still in the illness phase; I have been sick for a long time now and it keeps getting worse. I have the same symptoms she describes -- debiliating fatigue, coupled with severe muscle pain if I "overdo" things (and for me that means a simple trip to the grocery store). I have had dozens of diagnoses, and seen hundreds of doctors. I have also been put on many different prescrption drugs. I could go on and on about the similarities in our stories.

The words that grab me are these: "...my Inner Child began crying out to me through phsyical illness. She had been abandonded so long that the only way she could get my attention was through a condition that made it impossible for me to function at all."

I could go on, but don't want to write a novel here. I will be able to tell you more details in bits and pieces as we go along. The point where I am at now with the illness is hopefully a turning point. I have been driving 8 hours to see an Infectious Disease doctor in Michigan who specializes in rare, chronic Mono-type conditions (what I have). The Infectious Disease doctor I saw here in PA was "stumped" by me; he had never seen a case like mine except in patients with AIDS or cancer. Anyway, I go back to Michigan this Monday for my follow-up, where the doctor will tell me what all his testing has revealed, and prescribe a treatment program. I pray that I am on the right track this time -- there have been so many worng ones.

I will keep you posted.

All that to say, I am blown away by the timing of this book, and this group that is forming. Like Carol, I was struck by the importance of doing this work in a supportive group. I thank God for all of you who will participate in this group. I do feel frightened by it, all of a sudden. It seems so ... surreal ... almost. It helps to know I am not alone.

Thanks again, Carol, for getting things organized! As you say, 'Onward we go ..."
love,
Maureen

[Susan Hosken]

Maureen, I hope all goes well at the doctors. i am so sorry you are so sick. My chronic fatigue syndrome has improved a lot over the years. There is hope for you maureen,
Thanks for starting the discussion Carol.
lots of love from susan in australia

[Beverly]

hi Susan,
I didn't know you had chronic fatigue syndrome but glad it is improving. I feel confident (as does my inner child) that our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual parts of who we are will improve through the course of this book!

Glad you are here! You are an inspiration to me. My inner child says hi to yours.

[Susan Hosken]

Hi Bev, My inner child is glad to know you too. My inner child is very friendly.
lots of love from susan in australia

[Carol Clark]

Hi Susan,

You are welcome, and I'm so glad you're here with us. I'm also glad your health has improved, it's great to hear. I look forward to some of your reactions/feelings from the book...

Love,
Carol

[Maureen]

Hi Susan, Thanks so much for your concern and understanding. I know you understand how debilitating the fatigue can be. I am so glad to hear that your symptoms have improved! I look forward to doing this book together with you.
Love, Maureen

[Beverly]

Hi

First off, thank you Carol, Mo, Susan and all others in this group who mentioned the book and wanting to work with it and do the exercises. My inner child feels safe with you loving beings and is ready to tap into whatever will unfold as this book progresses. I feel unconditional love here, with no judgement. Very important for my IC.

I finally got the book tonight from the library. I read the first chapter and was struck by the sentence that said when we deny the inner child within, this is considered abuse. And as adults we manifest emotional and physical symptoms.(which is really the child wanting to speak). I don't really have the physical illnesses, but I must say that several crisises in my life when my parents passed away and fairly soon after that I dropped out of master's program in counseling, I realized my "mask of the adult personae was beginning to crumble". I could not hide behind that facade, it was being ripped away and yes I think this was when my inner child was trying to get my attention.

I also realize I have been numb to my emotions for a long time. My inner child went deep into hiding a long time ago. It is only in the last year or so that I am really feeling many, many emotions (which seems to be when the inner child is present) according to book. This helps me to affirm that maybe this really is a good thing, that I am on the right track to becoming authentic. I also find myself wanting to be creative and PLAYFUL in whatever manner for much longer periods of time. Playful is what I long for.

I think I am beginning to reclaim my childlike feelings of sensitivity, wonderment, aliveness, joy, curiousity. When I feel them inside of me, I am struck by how strange and new they feel, yet I cannot get enough of them. I've always been sensitive, but in society felt it was a handicap (as told by many adult types around me). I hid it, feeling like a wimp, not tough enough, thus not being able to fit in.
I see that my poetry, my art, my writing never thought I was a wimp or sensitivity was a bad thing. My creative self adored these qualities. More recently, playfulness and fantasy are knocking at my door, telling me to come out and play, to let loose. Still the critical adult voices swirl in my head, halting me at times. So definitely have to work with this .
I haven't done the left hand/right hand exercises yet, but I shall try a few out. I'll wait for you carol to direct
us into specific exercises. Right now I am really just processing what I am reading in chapter 1 and feeling
comfort that this book seems to be the right book for exactly where I am at right now.

I think for me what sums up this chapter is Joseph Campbell saying the rapture of being alive is the gift my inner child has to give me. How much better can it get than that? I am so ready to welcome my IC/IK!

[Barbara Ann Storrier]

Susan, I'm happy that your health has improved a lot and so proud of you for your current dedication to eating healthier, more nourishing food and losing excess weight. I'm glad you're participating with us here, you are an inspiration in so many ways :)


Beverly, I can relate to what you said about numbing emotions, being considered too sensitive in the business world, and feeling like a wimp. I'm hoping that by learning about how to be a good parent to my inner child, in ways my real parents were not, that I can deal with these sorts of situations better, and have more confidence. Our inner children are brilliant! We need to acknowledge that, and let them know they are worthy of being loved - by ourselves :)

[Maureen]

Hi Bev, I am sorry to hear about your parents passing away, and the crises you faced after that -- I can't imagine how hard that must have been for you.

But, I am so glad that you are reclaiming your childlike feelings! I do see that wonderment, playfulness, aliveness and joy in you, and I had no idea that these were "new" things for you ... they just flow out of you and they touch me more than I could ever say.

I know what you mean about sensitivity being seen as a "bad" thing by adult types. As a child I was very sensitive, and my mom always reprimanded me for that. I can still hear her say in exasperation, "You're SO SENSITIVE!" Like it was just a horrible thing. I will never do that to my kids, that's for sure.

Thanks so much for all you share here. Can't wait for our inner children to play together!

Love, mo

[Susan Hosken]

Bev, Thanks so much for an insight into where you are at with your inner child. My inner child and I are building a lovely relationship with lots of trust and care. My inner child loves play as well and a lot of my art work is child like play. I color in a coloring book every morning to tap into my inner child.
lots of love from susan

[Barbara Ann Storrier]

That is amazing synchronicity, Maureen. As they say, when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. I'm happy to be part of the group and get the support I need also to go through this book. I've known about it for some time and have read some sections of it that brought tears. I feel it will be a really good thing, a cleansing of sorts, to go through it step by baby step with all of you.

Thanks, Carol, for motivating us to get going :)

[Carol Clark]

I think it's an amazing time too, for us to come together as a group to heal. I love that saying, Barb, about student and teacher. I teach ESL parttime right now, and I'm working with an Ethiopian woman. It's an amazing experience, she knows some English but is aching to learn more, and shows up for the lesson before me every time.

I help her and she helps me. I help her learn the language, and she helps me feel great about myself.

This course is like a cleansing, I think we're all going to feel some strong emotions. But this is a great group, and I know we'll each have the loving support we need. I also think going slowly is important here. We won't have a time limit on Chapter 1 - we just work at our own pace, and let the healing process occur.

Glad you're here, Barb...
Carol