inner child
An inner child is the catchy label for the abandoned child persona lurking in the depths of our immature psyche. It is repeatedly extracted by self-help books and therapists to drive the economy of healing. It gambols between self-judgment and self-empowerment in a masquerade of modern heroism. It resurrects childhood wounds under the grand banner of recovery, running on an endless emotional treadmill. The ultimate irony: the very entity meant to heal us has become the most dependable subscription service of our psyche.