The Child in You
Why we chose this title
Many of our habits and behaviours are formed in the early years of our childhood. Experiences during this fragile time have a long-lasting impact on our lives.
Acknowledging that the way we view ourselves is rooted in our childhood, allows for a whole new perspective.
This perspective helps us understand that most of our patterns are nothing more than coping mechanisms that we developed as children when we didn’t feel safe, seen or loved.
How many are still living with the fear and trauma they experienced as children?
Internalising the idea of an inner child gives us the opportunity to dissociate ourselves from these patterns and to realise that we are not that child anymore, even though they are still a part of us.
We are invited to take responsibility and to choose how we respond. It might even inspire us to see others and their behaviours differently.
Statistics clearly show that adverse childhood experiences increase the likelihood of risk behaviour outcomes.
The inner child concept is not only an opportunity for change. It is an invitation for more empathy with others.
Book Summary
We all want to be loved and to feel safe to express who we really are. But over time we grow estranged from what brings us our purest happiness – because everyday traumas, unyielding societal expectations, and the judgment of our parents and peers submerge our true self beneath layers of behaviours rooted in fear and shame and mistrust. In The Child in You, psychologist Stefanie Stahl guides you, step-by-step, through her therapeutic method that has helped millions to peel away these layers and reconnect with their inner child - both the shadow child, representing our deepest insecurities and the part of our self-esteem that is injured and unstable, and the sun child, representing our greatest joys and the part of our self-esteem that remains positive and intact.
The many examples and exercises in this book will help you discover your shadow child and sun child, identify which of the shadow child’s dozen self-protection strategies are at work in you, and put into practice the array of proven self-reflection strategies to overcome negative influences and beliefs. Because it’s never too late to have a happy childhood, or to bring your authentic self out from the shadows so you can embody your radiant individuality.
About the Author
Stefanie Stahl is a clinical psychologist and the bestselling author of more than ten books. She has had her own psychotherapy practice in Germany for more than twenty-five years and conducts seminars about self-esteem, love, and the fear of commitment. The Child in You has sold more than 1.5 million copies in Germany, where it has been the #1 bestselling nonfiction book for four consecutive years and has been translated into nearly thirty languages.
Where to buy it
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