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Q&A

Question:

What is "finding the inner child" psychotherapy method and what are the potential harms?

Answer:

Here is Wikipedia's definition of "inner child", which gives a good summary of this psychological concept:

Inner child is a concept used in pop psychology to denote the childlike aspect of a person's psyche, especially when viewed as an independent entity. Frequently, the term is used to address subjective childhood experiences and the remaining effects of one's childhood. It originates from the pop psychology book I'm OK, You're OK by Thomas Anthony Harris, and is based on the ideas of Eric Berne.^[1]

Carl Jung referred to a similar concept as the 'Divine Child.' Emmet Fox called it the 'Wonder Child.' Charles Whitfield dubbed it the 'Child Within.' Some psychotherapists call it the 'True Self.' The "wounded inner child" is a modified application of the inner child concept popularized by American educator, and pop psychology and self help movement leader, John Bradshaw.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner_child

Psychotherapists, new agers, and other self-help gurus use the concept of the inner child to encourage people to look within and discover their inner child for a deeper understanding of themselves or to find healing from past experiences or abuse.

The Bible speaks nothing of an inner child, and more generally speaking, makes no indication that separate areas within a man's soul exist like the unconscious/subconscious, the inner child, the ego, etc. The Bible teaches that man is made up of body, soul and spirit. This theme occurs throughout the Bible, but at least one verse contains all three:

1Th 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The body is our physical body; the soul consists of our emotions, intellect and will; and the spirit communes with God. The spirit is dead at birth, but is made alive when a person comes to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and the sin barrier separating God and that person is broken. This verse also says that God will give us peace and sanctify us (set us apart for His good purposes), as we look to Him. Peace and purpose/direction are two primary reasons why people see therapists and look to their "inner child."

The dangers of using psychotherapy to look within ourselves for understanding and healing, whether it be our inner child, our unconscious mind, or any other psychological invention of man, is that we take our eyes off the Lord Jesus Christ--and without him we can do nothing (John 15:51). Faith is the foundation of our relationship with God. The minute we take our eyes off of Christ and onto our selves, we are no longer exercising faith, and without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb 11:6). The Bible teaches us to look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Heb 12:2).

Looking inside ourselves might be intriguing initially--for example, taking a personality test to learn more about ourselves--but it will ultimately produce hopelessness, depression and misery, because in our flesh, nothing good dwells (Rom 7:18). God is the only source of hope and healing!

Rom 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

We hope this helps.