📚 The introductory posts for Inner Compass are all wrapped up, and I’m so excited about what’s coming next!

🛠️ Over the past month, I’ve shared some important content to help you get ready, and now it’s time to dive in!

💡 If you haven’t had a chance to check out those introductory posts yet, I really encourage you to do so using the links below.

📝 You can keep moving forward by following the “Inner Compass #4, 5, 6, etc.” series available on the Inner Compass tab.

🔎 To follow Inner Compass, click here:

The Stages of Emotional Trauma: Pathways to Healing (Inner Compass #1)

You Can’t Really Thrive Without Healing First (Inner Compass #2)

Exploring Carl Jung’s Stages of Personal Growth and Fulfillment (Inner Compass #3)

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🔊 Let’s get started by exploring three fascinating components of our psyche:

• The Inner Child

• The Adult

• The Self

What Is the Psyche?

According to Carl Jung, the psyche is the total of everything going on inside us—our thoughts, emotions, memories, desires, instincts, dreams, and unconscious patterns.

✍️ It’s the whole inner world that shapes how we see ourselves, others, and life.

What Is the Mind?

The mind is just a small part of the psyche. It’s the conscious, thinking part—what we use to reason, analyze, and make decisions.

In simple terms:

👉 The mind is the tip of the iceberg.

👉 The psyche is the entire iceberg, above and below the surface.

🧠 Understanding the psyche helps us become whole—not by controlling everything we feel, but by becoming aware of what’s been hidden.

THE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE INNER CHILD, THE ADULT, AND THE SELF

Have you ever felt like you are made up of many different people?

Have you noticed contradictory aspects within yourself?

Have you ever felt torn between two equally genuine and necessary directions?

💡 If any of these scenarios resonate with you, welcome to the club. You are a perfectly normal human being!

We embody a multitude of identities, each with distinct needs and desires that often differ from one another.

Though this multilayered self tends to be overwhelming at first, we can discover great joy and comfort by learning to navigate these different aspects respectfully.

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🧠 The Inner Child, the Adult, and the Self: A Jungian View of Inner Wholeness

In Jungian psychology, wholeness doesn’t mean perfection — it means integration.

And to feel truly whole, we need to acknowledge, listen to, and harmonize the different parts of our inner world.

A helpful framework to understand this internal dynamic is the Inner Child – Adult – Self triad.

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👶 The Inner Child

The Emotional Core — The Feeling Self

The Inner Child represents your original emotional self — spontaneous, sensitive, curious, playful, and deeply intuitive.

It holds not only your innocence and joy, but also your core emotional wounds from early life.

In Jungian terms, the Inner Child is connected to the personal unconscious, carrying both unprocessed pain and unclaimed gifts.

☁️ Needs of the Inner Child:

• Unconditional love
• Safety and protection
• Validation of feelings
• Permission to play and express
• Gentle guidance and presence

💥 Signs the Inner Child is wounded: