Healing the Wounds of Childhood in Your Adult Relationships
The relationships you form in adulthood are often shaped by the experiences of your earliest bonds. Childhood, with its tender moments and unspoken lessons, lays the foundation for how you navigate intimacy, trust, and emotional connection. When these early experiences involve wounds—neglect, criticism, inconsistency, or trauma—they can subtly (or not-so-subtly) influence the way you relate to others as adults.
Building Stronger Foundations: Working with Children and their Families
Family dynamics play a critical role in shaping a child's behavior and development. The family is often considered the primary social unit where children first learn about relationships, communication, and values. Children are highly influenced by the interactions and relationships within their families, and these dynamics can either promote healthy or problematic behaviors. For instance, a supportive and nurturing family environment can lead to positive behaviors in children, fostering qualities like empathy, cooperation, and self-confidence. Conversely, a family with a high level of conflict, neglect, or inconsistency can contribute to behavioral problems, such as aggression, anxiety, or poor social skills.
Meaning Making and Untangling Our Core Beliefs
We all need safety, connection, meaning, autonomy, peace and more. We do what we can to meet these needs. Before we have the cognitive ability to understand situations in nuanced ways, we interpret information in ways that are developmentally appropriate for children. Without interference, we may unconsciously carry the thoughts and behavior that we learned from childhood into adulthood in more sophisticated ways.