5 Signs Your Inner Child Is Wounded (And How Therapy Can Help)

5 Signs Your Inner Child Is Wounded (And How Therapy Can Help)

Have you ever found yourself reacting strongly to something seemingly small? Or feeling stuck in patterns of self-doubt, people-pleasing, or fear of rejection but don't know why?

If you can relate to any of these, it's highly likely that you are carrying some old wounds from your childhood. But don't worry! Recognising these wounds is the first step to gently start healing from them.

In this post, we’ll explore what the inner child is, how early emotional wounds affect adult life, and how therapy can support you in healing and reconnecting with yourself.

What Is the Inner Child?

The inner child represents the part of you that holds your earliest emotional memories—your joy, creativity, playfulness, but also your pain, fear, and unmet needs.

When these needs weren’t consistently met—whether due to neglect, criticism, emotional absence, or trauma—your inner child can carry wounds that continue to influence how you feel, behave, and relate to others today.

5 Signs Your Inner Child May Be Wounded

You Struggle With Low Self-Worth

You may feel not good enough, even when others affirm you. Wounded inner children often internalise messages like “I’m only loved when I behave a certain way” or “My needs are too much.”

You Fear Rejection or Abandonment

Do you find yourself fearing conflict or clinging to relationships, even when they’re not healthy? These patterns can stem from early experiences where connection felt uncertain or conditional.

You Constantly Seek External Validation

You might look to others to tell you you’re doing well or that you’re okay—because deep down, you never learned how to self-soothe or validate your own emotions.

You Over-Accommodate or People-Please

If saying “no” feels unsafe, or if your sense of worth is tied to helping others, you might be operating from an internalised belief that your value depends on keeping others happy.

You Feel Emotionally Reactive or Shut Down

Wounded inner children can be easily triggered by perceived criticism, abandonment, or disconnection. You may feel overwhelming emotion—or numbness—without fully understanding why.

How Therapy Can Help Heal the Inner Child

In therapy, you’re given space to gently meet your inner child with compassion rather than criticism. Many of us have hardly experienced that growing up! The process often includes:

• Recognising emotional triggers as old wounds asking for attention

• Learning to validate your own feelings and needs instead of silencing them

• Exploring childhood experiences in a safe, non-judgemental way

• Developing self-soothing tools that nurture rather than abandon your inner child

• Practising boundary setting and self-trust to build emotional resilience

If you work with a trauma-informed or somatic therapist, you may also engage in body-based practices to help release the emotional residue stored in your nervous system. Personally, I've found that body oriented therapies allow me to get much deeper in my work with clients, often touching on subconscious parts of the self.

You Deserve to Feel Safe Within Yourself

Healing your inner child isn’t about blaming the past—it’s about understanding how it shaped you, so you can meet yourself with the care you didn’t receive back then.

Whether you’re just starting out or have been doing inner work for some time, therapy offers a warm, supportive space where healing feels deeply empowering and transformative.

Want to Explore Inner Child Healing in Therapy?

I offer online therapy in Aberdeen and across the UK, working with clients who struggle with anxiety, low self-worth, and emotional wounds that trace back to early experiences. Together, we can explore your story at your pace, and begin the journey back to yourself. Book a free consultation now.