What is Inner Child Healing in Art Therapy?

Inner Child Healing Through Art Therapy in Nottingham: A Gentle, Creative Approach to Processing Deep Emotions and Building Self-Compassion

There’s this part of all of us that still remembers what it felt like to be little—curious, imaginative, playful… and also overwhelmed sometimes by big feelings we didn’t know how to handle. What people often call the “inner child” isn’t some separate, mystical being. It’s just us. The younger version of ourselves, still carrying the echoes of what we went through, tucked away inside our adult lives.

A lot of us are walking around with feelings we never really got help understanding—things like shame, feeling like we didn’t measure up, or believing we were “too much” or “not enough.” These early experiences don’t just vanish. They show up in how we relate to others, how we talk to ourselves, or how anxious or shut down we get without knowing why.

From what I’ve seen in the therapy room, art gives us a gentler, more intuitive way to start working with those parts—without needing to explain or analyse everything right away.

Why Art Works

Think about how kids express themselves before they have all the words—they scribble, paint, invent wild stories, build blanket forts. That stuff wasn’t just play. It was their way of processing what was happening inside.

Art therapy taps back into that same creative language. We’re not making art to impress anyone or even to understand it right away—we’re using it to listen differently. To give space to emotions that may have stayed buried because we never had permission to feel them. Anger we weren’t allowed to show. Sadness that got overlooked. Needs we were told not to have.

And sometimes it’s as simple—and powerful—as letting yourself fingerpaint again without worrying if you’re doing it right. That can feel radical when you’ve spent years believing everything you do has to be perfect to be okay.

Reconnecting With Your Younger Self

This kind of healing work isn’t about digging up old wounds just for the sake of it. It’s more like gently checking in: what did that younger part of you go through? What did they need back then? And is there any way to offer them some of that now? How does providing a safe space for your younger self, impact your adult self?

That might mean drawing a place where they would’ve felt safe. Or making a collage filled with textures and colours that feel comforting. Some people paint using their non-dominant hand—letting their inner child “drive” for a bit. I’ve seen people create the kinds of wild, expressive, messy pieces they were scolded for as kids. And I’ve seen the relief when they realise—no one’s going to tell them off here.

There are no right answers. No pressure to figure it all out. Sometimes, the most healing thing is just having someone witness what you’re creating—without judgment or fixing.

Moving Forward Gently

In the end, this kind of work is really about learning how to treat yourself with the kindness you maybe didn’t get back then. That takes time. It means unlearning the old belief that you had to shrink yourself or be “good” all the time to be loved.

I’ve seen people slowly shift from self-criticism to something softer, just by giving their inner child some room to exist—through clay, watercolours, scribbles, or whatever feels right. And no, it doesn’t need to be some huge breakthrough. Sitting with crayons and letting yourself grieve something from second grade absolutely counts.

You don’t have to come in with a clear plan. You don’t need to explain everything. You just need to bring whatever you’ve got. Start where you are. See what wants to come out.

And if any of this resonates—if something in you feels seen—you’re not alone. So many of us are carrying around unhealed stories. Art therapy offers one way of gently sitting with those stories and making space for something new.

I offer this work from my art therapy practice in Nottingham city centre—a quiet, welcoming space where there’s no need to have it all figured out. Whether you’re curious about reconnecting with your inner child or just looking for a more creative way to explore what’s going on inside, this is a place where you can begin, just as you are.