What if the "you" that got covered up years ago is still in there, and reaching them is the key to knowing who you really are?
In this episode of Triggered & True, Laura Duncan and co-host Brian Freise revisit one of the most important and, admittedly, one of the most easily misunderstood concepts in the whole method: your child self.
Before shame told you to perform for love, before you started censoring yourself to fit your environment, you were simply, freely you. That younger self isn't a metaphor or a memory to leave in the past; it's the coding underneath your adult "website," and reconnecting with it is where real healing begins.
Laura and Brian are honest that this can feel strange at first, and they spend real time on the obstacles.
Anchored by a listener's question, they explore what to do when your childhood feels blank or blocked (your brain keeps every memory, but sometimes buries the painful ones to protect you), how looking at a real childhood photo makes the connection tangible, why picturing a child you already love helps you feel compassion for your own younger self, and why choosing an age of innocence over an age of awkwardness can unlock the tenderness you're reaching for.
It closes on the hope that starts small: a flicker you don't ignore, but embrace.
In this episode:
🔹 Why your child self and true self are so closely linked — the free "you" before shame covered it up
🔹 Why connecting to your child self feels weird at first — and how an actual photo makes it tangible
🔹 When childhood feels blank or blocked: why the memories are still there, and why they're buried
🔹 A practical key: borrowing the love you feel for a child you know to reach your own younger self
🔹 "Embrace the flicker" — why the first spark of hope is sometimes all you need to keep going
Dive deeper with these two great resources! 👇
📕 Get your copy of Brian's book Above All Else: Winning the War for Your Heart Click here to get the book!
📩 Get your free Weekly Dose of Compassion — two short notes in your inbox every week. One to speak over yourself. One from Laura: https://www.lauraduncan.com/pl/2148814868
