KOCHI: The ‘inner child’ has been an in-thing of late. Not merely in the therapeutic sense that Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung advocated nearly a century ago, but also as a means for ordinary adults to reconnect with the joy and lightness they experienced as children. “I thought it was new-age mumbo-jumbo when I first heard of it,” says Rashmi Menon, a Dubai-based engineer.
“But as I explored it further, I found that indulging the inner child made me carefree and happy.” Rashmi zeroed it down to ‘Chandamama’ magazine, which she loved thumbing through as a child. “I tracked down some copies and began rereading them.
Now, I make time to read them every evening after work. It’s become a form of meditation for me,” she smiles. The inner-child concept gained traction in the 1990s after American self-help pioneer John Bradshaw highlighted dysfunctional upbringings as a root cause of adult suffering.
However, in recent years, the idea of nurturing or pampering one’s inner child has evolved beyond healing past wounds; today, many see it as a practice “just to be that happy child again”. Krishna (name changed), for instance, was “crazy” about toy guns in his childhood. A media professional in his 40s, he still gets excited seeing replica guns at malls or temple fairs.
“Initially, I used to feel embarrassed and would pretend I was buying them for my son. But now, I don’t care,” he chuckles, adding that he’s eagerly awaiting the arrival of an “Air.
