All of us have young parts inside of us — parts who are terrified or sad, who feel or felt left out, who feel powerless in a world that they don’t understand, who carry trauma or insurmountable grief or overwhelming sensations. Often their emotions, beliefs and sensations are sourced from our past, but they feel as though they are happening in the present, putting a map of the past over the struggles of the present and believing that the same thing will happen this time.
Many of us send these young parts of us to the basements of our minds and hearts, either because we cannot handle the intensity of their experiences or because society or the significant people in our lives do not accept these parts of us as they are — they are too much, too dysfunctional, too insecure, or perhaps they remind someone else of their own little parts that they are not yet ready to look at or tend to.
Yet these young parts inside of us that have been sent away are in desperate need of care. There are so many ways we can tend to our young parts. Sometimes we need the support of a trusted therapist to venture into these vulnerable places. It can be helpful to regard these parts of us as children, needing small or large amounts of care that they can trust and depend upon in order to relax and feel that they belong to something or someone. We can also send these young parts of us to be in a place where they feel safe, held and nurtured, such as in nature or with a trusted adult that was there for them when they were small. Sometimes simply offering our attention and curiosity to the places inside of us that feel vulnerable is what they most need.
Today, I bought a large pillow stuffed animal for one of my young parts who wanted something soft to hold.