Healing the Wounds We Carry From Childhood

JILL | INNER HEALING COACH
Oct 27
6 min read

Updated: Nov 3

The Wounds We Carry

The little girl you once were still lives inside you. She remembers the tone of voices that dismissed her, the times she felt invisible, the moments love felt unsafe or conditional.

And if those wounds were never healed, they quietly shape the woman you become — in how you love, trust, set boundaries, and see yourself.

But here’s the truth: you can’t change what happened, yet you can change what it means to you now. God can take even your earliest pain and weave it into a story of redemption and peace.

Childhood is supposed to be a time of wonder, belonging, and safety. But for many of us, something went wrong. Maybe we felt unseen, unheard, rejected, ignored. Perhaps we internalized messages like “I’m not enough,” or “I don’t matter.” These early pains don’t always stay in childhood—they echo into our adult lives in our relationships, our self-worth, our patterns.

The video above discusses the themes of forgiveness, rejection, and restoration—especially through a spiritual lens. The speaker invites us to bring the shadows of our past into the light, to allow healing, to allow God (or your higher power) to restore what was broken.

Below I’ll walk through several key steps to begin unpacking and healing childhood pain, weaving in insights from the video and practical ways you might move forward.

1. Name What Still Hurts

You can’t heal what you won’t name. Start by acknowledging where you still feel small, unseen, or unworthy. Ask yourself:

What did I need that I didn’t receive?
Where did I first learn I had to perform for love or stay silent to be safe?
Ask yourself: What did I feel as a child? (Lonely? Angry? Afraid? Unseen?)
What did I believe about myself as a result? (E.g., “I must hide my true feelings,” “I have to earn love,” “If I show weakness I’ll be rejected.”)
The video underscores the importance of bringing these hidden hurts into light rather than burying them.

By naming the pain, you give it form—and you give yourself permission to begin healing.

Bringing the pain to light isn’t weakness — it’s courage. It’s how healing replaces the pain of your past.

💛 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” – Psalm 34:18

2. Understand How It Shows Up Now

Unhealed childhood pain can show up as anxiety, perfectionism, people-pleasing, or emotional walls. Childhood wounds don’t simply vanish. They show up in patterns, triggers, or recurring emotions. You might replay old stories: I’m too much. I’m not enough. I have to hold it all together.

Awareness doesn’t mean shame — it means you’re finally seeing what’s been driving the pain so you can stop living from it.

Healing requires both compassion and curiosity:

“Why do I respond this way? What is my younger self still trying to protect me from?”

Do you find yourself fearing that people will leave if you show your real self?
Do you struggle with perfectionism or needing to earn acceptance?
Do you feel a deep ache of rejection even when you’re loved or valued?

The video’s concept of restoration speaks to this: healing isn’t just about feeling better in the moment but about rewriting how those old stories run your life today.

3. Forgive — Not to Excuse, but to Be Free

Forgiveness isn’t pretending it didn’t happen. It’s saying, you no longer get to define me.

Forgiveness is often misunderstood it doesn’t mean condoning wrongdoing or pretending the pain didn’t hurt. It means not allowing the past to hold you hostage. In the video, the speaker ties forgiveness to freedom and restoration: letting go of bitterness, resentment, self-blame.

Can you forgive those (including yourself) who hurt or failed you?
Even if apologies were never given, you can choose to release the hold the wound has on you.

Be gentle with yourself through this. It may take time. As I shared in the video, forgiveness releases the emotional tie that keeps your heart bound to what broke it. When you forgive, you take back your power. You open space for God to restore what was lost.

🕊️ “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” – Ephesians 4:32

4. Invite God into the Healing Process

Healing inner childhood pain isn’t just emotional work — it’s spiritual restoration. Your Heavenly Father wants to meet you in those broken places. Let Him reparent your heart with love that is steady, safe, and unconditional.

Pray this:

“Father, show me where my heart still hides behind fear. Help me receive the love I didn’t know how to accept before. Teach me to trust You more than my pain.”

In trauma healing, safety rewires the brain. In faith healing, divine love rewires the soul. Together, they restore wholeness.

Healing childhood pain often means something positive flowing into the place of the wound. The video talks about God’s restoration. Whether you relate that to God, to Life, to Love, or to your own deeper Self—inviting restoration means letting in what was missing:

Belonging
Safety
Unconditional love
Permission to express emotion

You might look for these through community, therapy, creative expression, spiritual practices, or simply self-compassion.

5. Create New Narratives

The child believed lies — that love must be earned, that her voice didn’t matter. But the woman you are now can speak truth:

“I am loved without conditions. I am safe to rest. I am worthy of peace. I am enough. I am valuable. I am important. I am loveable.”

Every time you speak truth over the old story, you’re retraining your nervous system and renewing your mind. This is where faith meets neuroscience — where your words and beliefs begin to align with healing.

One key to healing is not just feeling differently but acting differently. When you understand your wound, you can choose new responses.

If you were always dismissed, practice speaking up and being heard.
If you believed you had to earn love, practice resting in love that’s freely given.
If you feared rejection, practice showing your true self and testing that you still matter.

The video invites us to step into the restored self—not defined by the wound but empowered beyond it.

6. Practice Gentle Self-Parenting

When triggers rise, speak to yourself the way you needed someone to speak to you then:

“It’s okay to feel. I'm safe now. I’ve got you. I am never alone. I am OK. It's OK.”

This kind of inner nurturing builds trust within your body and spirit. You begin to live from peace instead of protection.

Healing is rarely a one-time event. It’s a journey.

Surround yourself with safe people who see you and value you.
Develop daily practices that affirm your worth: journaling, meditation/prayer, creative outlets, therapy.
Notice your triggers, notice when the old stories surface—and gently redirect.

A Prayer for Your Inner Child

Father, Heal the parts of me that still feel small and scared. Rebuild the places where love was broken and remind me that I’ve always been Yours. Where my voice was silenced, let Your truth rise within me. Where I learned to strive, teach me to rest. May my healed heart become a safe place — for me, for others, and for Your presence to dwell. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Here’s Your Next Step 💛

If this message speaks to you, begin your journey of restoration inside The Inner Healing Journey Method™ — a faith-based, trauma-informed course designed to help women over 40 heal from the past, renew the mind, and find peace in body and soul.

And download the Inner Childhood Healing Journal below to begin journaling through the reflection prompts from today’s post.

It’s my gift to you — a sacred space to start rewriting your story with truth and love.

I created The Inner Healing Journey Method™ and a collection of faith-based, trauma-informed tools because I know what it feels like to lose yourself—and what it takes to rebuild.

✨ Inside, you’ll find resources to help you: