We all have an inner child – the part of us that is still innocent, shy, curious, creative, and open to the world.
It is this part of us that infuses our life with spontaneity, play, joy, and wonder. But it’s also this part of us that carries our deepest sorrows, fears, anger, and hurts.
Most of us go through life totally unaware of this inner part of us. We seem to carry a very two-dimensional idea about who we are, not realizing that we are composed of many different parts.
What is the Inner Child? (& the Benefits of Doing This Work)
The inner child is one of our most ancient parts. In fact, our inner child represents our original self – the identity that originally blossomed into this world.
When we are oblivious to our inner child, we’re also totally unconscious of their needs, desires, and wounds. It is then that we play out self-sabotaging patterns and repeat unconscious habits, not knowing that they are all rooted in the inner child.
By becoming aware of your inner child and what they are trying to tell you, you will develop more self-respect, self-love, and inner groundedness.
You’ll become more capable of listening to your authentic needs, develop the ability to undo old harmful patterns, and find the clarity to pursue your true life purpose.
On a spiritual level, reconnecting with your inner child helps you to heal the heart chakra and feel more physically, emotionally, and mentally safe in this world. As such, learning to embrace your inner child is a powerful form of down-to-earth spiritual practice that can immensely deepen and enrich your spiritual journey by helping you to awaken your heart.
How to Connect With Your Inner Child
The best way to reconnect with your inner child is through a practice known as inner child work.
In inner child work, we actively seek to reconnect with this innocent and oftentimes wounded part of us through a variety of self-nurturing practices.
You can think of this test as an introduction or even initiation into inner child work. It will give you a place to start and something to focus your attention on.
As always, don’t take our word as the final authority. If you feel that your inner child is trying to tell you something that’s even more important than what this test reveals, by all means, listen to that inner voice instead and go exploring!
Also, please don’t be afraid of reaching out for professional help. You can also take a look at our Inner Child Journal if you need a structured, supportive, and compassionate way to begin this crucial work.
Inner Child Test
I hope you enjoy this inner child test. Feel free to share it with others if you find it beneficial and revealing. And, of course, share what result you got below!
What did you get?
Share your result in the comments below!
Why are you charging money for spiritual advice..doesn’t that defeat the whole purpose
Hi Rosanna, all the content on this website is provided for free. However we do have a shop to support our work and keep this website running. Here is our perspective on spirituality and money: https://lonerwolf.com/money-and-spirituality/
I was at work today feeling so down, and depressed. Seeing everyone else my age so far ahead of me in life really is depressing. What’s even worse is feeling trapped in this. I really needed to hear this. Going out into nature, or even looking up at the clouds is something I enjoy doing. I guess I should do it more. ☺
Absolutely, in fact, go outside now! You’ll thank me later. ;)
I have been researching on how to connect with my inner child because I feel her wanting to come out. How? Silliness, of course. I am a survivor of sexual abuse, physical abuse, mental abuse, and even after all that, we both just want to live a happy life! Thank you for your articles!
♡ ❤️ ♥ ❤
Yeah I hear ya buddy same type of abuse I went through sexually physically violently verbally mentally emotionally and financially and spiritually xoxo ✌️
Is there a printable version of this that I could purchase?
Unfortunately not Tess, just the online quiz here we’ve created.
I need to grieve.
My inner child needs to grieve; to process past trauma that was repressed until my grandmother died. She has always been my home, my safe place. Actually both of my grandparents were. Grandpa died many years ago. When Grandma died, EVERYTHING negative about my childhood, as well as previous injuries that I thought had been dealt with and healed came back. I knew I had PTSD from my miserable pathological narcissistic ex-husband, but I was shocked to hear I have PTSD from my childhood!! Childhood Emotional Neglect. So, not like regular PTSD, I have Complex PTSD!!
I have known since my late teens that I was an empath, but not until my mid forties, did I really investigate it. Totally by the book to have a narcissistic mother and fall into the arms of a narcissist.
I’ve called myself the black sheep of my family since forever. Also the scape goat. Everything that went wrong was blamed on me, my younger sister could do no wrong! I was an overachiever, but nothing I ever did was noticed or praised until I graduated from nursing school. She was envious, I did what she couldn’t. She didn’t acknowledge that until about six months ago, I was 51 years old!
I so want to forgive her for my well being. I just cannot wrap my head around not loving your own child!
I recently broke up with my counselor. When I asked her how I heal my inner child, she told me that God would heal my inner child. She was a Christian counselor. This wasn’t the first red flag, but it was the last.
I have two workbooks on healing CPTSD, I’m working on it.
I can feel my inner child, but she is too afraid to come out, and I completely understand that.
Thank you for this great insight to what she needs!
I love everything about you website!
Wow I resignated with a lot you said, luckily I’m 30 and learning early I hope it really gives me a head start I’ve failed so much already I have a lot of making up to do.
I also have CPTSD. I was finally got the right diagnosis in 2021. I had a significant trauma in 1986, became suicidal, and was diagnosed with depression. I was at college and all we did at that time and age (I was 18) was self-medicate. So I learned how to party. I didn’t actually start counseling and medication until 1994. That was when I became so depressed I was having a hard time functioning.
Medication – worst mistake I ever made. Horrible, toxic, useless crap. I’ve been on it since 1994, and didn’t KNOW how toxic it was until maybe 2018 or 2019. I FINALLY dragged my a$$ up outta the whole my meds got me into maybe six weeks ago. Quit working in Nov 2019, I was such a mess. So it took me around three years to figure it out. No one told me a dang thing. I had to FIGURE OUT MYSELF that I was misdiagnosed, over-medicated, and how bad psych meds are in general. We don’t need them. We need someone to give a crap about us. We need less stress. We need less TRAUMA. We need to quit hearing “you’ll be fine” or “it’s all in your head” or seeing people roll their eyes at us. Invalidating, minimizing, degrading, bull$h*t.
I started doing better. I was just getting my crap together…. and…. my brother had a massive stroke. That was stroke #2. Stroke #1 was a TIA, a minor stroke. He was able to drive after that right away, but still needed emotional support, so he came to live with us. Then, he came home from the hospital, and within, maybe 3 days or so, my mom and I BOTH got COVID. I have asthma, so I got the upper respiratory thing along with the COVID. I’ve been sick for over three weeks, and I’m on my third round of antibiotics.
I think my mom also has CPTSD. With some BPD and narc traits. And super-charged anxiety. She walks in a room, and her energy makes you want to go running out the other direction. Screaming. Wow. I bet her aura is some bizarre color, like polka dots. Lol. She’s not a bad person. She’s kinda like dealing with an adult who never grew up. She couldn’t – cuz she had to SURVIVE. She never got to be a child. Never got to be loved. Not until she met my daddy. Sweet man. But don’t piss him off.
Janina Fisher, Gabor Mate, Pete Walker, Bessel van der Kolk, the Crappy Childhood Fairy, and Richard Grannon are all excellent resources for healing. The Fairy and Grannon are YouTubers. They both have websites and offer classes. Fisher, Mate, Walker, and van der Kolk are authors and lecturers.
Mate just wrote a terrific book, “The Myth of Normal,” with his son, Daniel Mate. I believe they are Canadian? Anyway, Mate (pronounced Mah-taa) is a world renowned specialist in trauma and addiction.
Mate completely reframes how to approach a person seeking help from a mental health practitioner. Instead of asking what is “wrong” with the person, he asks “what happened to you?” This is start towards bringing down walls and defenses we’ve built up over DECADES to protect ourselves.
If you haven’t seen Mate on YouTube in an interview or talk/lecture yet, I highly recommend it. Every time I listen to him, I learn something. Plus, his energy is so gentle and calming…… incredible after his trauma.
This diagnosis of my inner child @ the present moment is “Spot- On!”
My inner child test results were spot on! I definitely need to feel safe in my life. I constantly say that since I’m moving and cannot find a place due to not feeling safe. That’s just wild the results were so accurate!!
I peek through a door that was previously closed. There is a path leading to light on the horizon. My first step through is to recognize my pain and anguish. My second step is writing this
I had no control over what happened as a child. I was innocent with pure thoughts, a pure heart, a pure soul soul. I no longer have to be chained to the anguish any longer. I had no control when I was a child. I have control now.
When I read this I felt a pain in my soul. But on the other hand I felt relieved.