inner child therapy
inner child therapy
Fringe psychologyA type of psychotherapy developed in the 1990s by an American theologian, John Bradshaw, which is based on the belief that individuals from dysfunctional families suffered “spiritual wounds” during their formative years, caused by an awareness that they were not loved.
Bradshaw’s therapy consists of having the client relive early development and have conversations with his or her “inner infant” by writing letters to it, ideally with the nondominant hand (which is believed to enhance the experience); at the end of the successful therapy, the inner child has evolved into a “wonder child” who has a sense of a higher purpose.