Psychosynthesis

Babies are born full of joy and full of love but also incredibly vulnerable and

totally dependent on their parents / caregivers. And this vulnerability means

that babies and young children can be easily hurt. Few children are brought

up in environments that nurture them fully. Some parents are too troubled

themselves to care well for their children. Others are just too busy or lack

the understanding of what a young child needs in order to grow whole.

And so all children receive some form

of wounding, whether serious abuse

and humiliation or just ordinary

misunderstanding. And in response, we

all develop our own defences. We may,

for example, shut down our

vulnerability so that we don’t feel hurt

and humiliated when our family criticise

or ignore us. These defences then get

hard wired into our systems, becoming

the channels through which we think,

feel, act and see the world. The

barriers we have created become part

of who we are and central to how we

live.

Unfortunately, while these defences might have been the best that we could

manage as children and essential to our survival, they become obstacles

and straight-jackets later in life. The barrier that protected us from feeling

vulnerable as a child can later become an obstacle that prevents us from

allowing the vulnerability we need in a loving relationship. The journey back

to full aliveness requires us to explore and take back control over these

Artwork by Ibolya Adam