Inner Child - Physical Complaints
Many physical complaints can present themselves or even go unnoticed or misdiagnosed. Case in point: An individual underwent testing over the course of several months for a possible tumour in his lungs. He had also been diagnosed with asthma. He had contracted pneumonia five times in one year and to top it off, he was prescribed eye glasses.
Amazingly, all of these illnesses and symptoms presenting in this same individual, were brought on within the same year.
What was going on? It was around this time that the past was finally catching up with him. He had been in essence; living on borrowed time. After he was able to face his past and his own wounded inner child, he was miraculously restored back to health. A miracle? Yeah, well... not exactly. But what does it take for us to notice the turmoil of the inner child? What does he/she need to do to get our attention?
What we don't remember, the body does. Past pain and trauma can be stored and manifested anywhere in the body. The body never forgets. When he was able to feel his rage, sadness, guilt and shame, he was able to quickly recover (and was even able to discard the eye glasses!).
The tragedy is that someone can suffer a lifetime for a burden that was not rightly there's to bear in the first place.
The abuse one receives can be very subtle, but the physical and emotional distress one may have to endure their entire life - isn't.
Many dysfunctional parents and other misguided adults erroneously believe that children have no stress in their lives. They somehow believe that children are so pliable and adaptable that they will bounce back from any loss or set-back - as if nothing affects them. In order to ease a parent's conscience, many mental health professionals will shift the burden of etiology onto the children, even if it were the parents doing. If the parents were responsible, it would be a great relief for children and adult survivors to hear that their anxiety and grief were caused by their parents. Many children and adults carry around this unnecessary burden of guilt and shame that was not there's to bear in the first place. Parents are responsible to stop the cycle of abuse. If I'm an abusive or dysfunctional parent, the buck stops with me!