Reclaiming The Voice Of Your Inner Child

I always sing with my yoga students at the end of class. I used to work in the entertainment industry as a singer, dancer, and actress. Because of that, I feel confident singing in front of people.

Growing up, I was always full of joy despite my dysfunctional and rather glum family. Of course, they didn’t appreciate my natural exuberance. They certainly didn’t like that I sang all the time because it represented a lightness of being they had long since given up on.

Like many dysfunctional families, they put me down all the time. They told me that I couldn’t sing and that I sounded awful. But, as with all the other negative, hurtful things they tried to convince me of, I did not believe them.

I kept singing anyway, which irked them. I continued to sing and dance, and I even wrote, produced, directed, and starred in my own musical when I was eleven.

Now I’m not saying I had a good voice as a kid. I really don’t know if I did. But, loving to sing, some voice lessons and lots of joy certainly helped me become a relatively good singer.

One day, after my yoga class, a student came up to me and told me I had a beautiful voice. I thanked her. I often have people compliment my singing voice after class.

The student then told me her family told her she had a bad singing voice when she was a child so she stopped singing. She then mentioned other abuses she received by her cruel family.

I had a long conversation with her starting with me saying “me too.” She was shocked that I had the same experience she had since we had such different results. I told her “I just didn’t listen to them.” I assured her that singing is for everyone. It heals the body, it raises our vibration, and it heals and inspires. Even if you are off key!

There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost ~ Martha Graham

I told her that even if she did not have a good singing voice, no loving, healthy parent would tell their child they did not have a good voice or tell them not to sing. They were trying to put out her light and hurt her. That had never occurred to her. She sincerely believed it was just about her having a bad singing voice.

After that conversation, she sang loudly in class and it often made her cry. Her voice was beautiful because it was sincere and she had reclaimed it!

That kind of reclaiming, of voice, of joy, of self-expression, is one of the most sacred things we can do in our lifetime. When we begin to undo the painful imprints of our past, especially those handed to us by the very people who were supposed to love us the most, we begin to awaken to our true soul identity and spiritual purpose.

Reawakening Your Inner Truth & Joy

The awakening is not always sudden. Often, it starts as a whisper: a quiet desire to try again. To sing again. To speak again. To dance again. To laugh again. To remember who we were before the world told us otherwise.

One of the many important things I teach in my classes is reprogramming. If your parents put you down in any way, or if a teacher or coach destroyed your confidence or belittled you, you need to reprogram your mind.

It’s important to “delete” and “rewrite” the negative programming you received as a child. Many people have toxic parental and caregiver recordings on repeat in their minds that affect them daily.

Sometimes we don’t even recognize that we’re still living out those old, toxic scripts. We think we’re making our own choices, but we’re reacting to a program that was installed decades ago. Healing begins when we become conscious of the tape that’s playing. Reprogramming begins when we consciously decide to stop it and replace it with something true.

As a child with heightened psychic awareness, I was fortunate to never believe what my family said about me. I knew it was them who had the issue and they were trying to project it onto me. However, this is not common, and most kids absorb good and bad comments like a sponge.

They say we are what we eat, but we are also what we hear, and what you are taught to believe about ourselves and the world, especially as a child. And it’s not just what we hear, but how we are made to feel. Energetically sensitive children pick up on tone, on intention, on resentment, whether words are spoken or not.

If your heart light was stifled and discouraged growing up, or your voice was mocked and silenced, you may have learned to dim your spirit for safety. But that’s no way to live and it is certainly not what you came into this world to be. Your inner light was never the problem. It is their shadow.

If this is something you resonate with, then maybe it is time to reclaim your true voice. The voice that says, I matter. I am loved. I am enough. The voice that remembers joy. That trusts its intuition. That speaks, sings, teaches, preaches to help make the world a better place.

My student who cried when she sang…she wasn’t crying because she was sad. She was crying because something sacred resurfaced from within. Her inner child was no longer silenced and placed in a corner. Her voice, once buried under shame, was finally allowed to shine.

And that is the healing. That is the magic. Not in sounding perfect, but in being whole again.

So, if you were ever told you weren’t good enough, too loud, too sensitive, not smart, not pretty, not capable, then this is your invitation. Sit quietly with yourself. Breathe deeply. Say out loud what your heart most needs to hear. Say it again tomorrow. And again. And again. Start rewriting the story.Begin to take back your power and heal the child. Because somewhere inside you, your soul is waiting to sing again.

If by growing up you mean allowing the adult within me to abandon the child within me, I have no interest in such a horrid proposition. If instead you mean to let each enhance the other at the exclusion of neither, I have every interest ~ Craig D. Lounsbrough

The Science Of Replacing ‘Toxic Tapes’

Now, this isn’t just spiritual woo-woo or my personal beliefs. There’s actually science backing this up. Neuroscience has a lot to say about healing the inner child and reclaiming your voice, and it has everything to do with a concept called neuroplasticity. It refer to the brain’s ability to change, rewire, and grow new connections throughout your life. It means you’re not stuck with the thoughts, beliefs, or emotional patterns you inherited or absorbed as a child. You can literally reprogram your mind.

When you were young, your brain was like soft clay. Everything you heard, especially from parents, teachers, or caregivers, molded how you saw yourself. If those messages were loving, you likely grew up with confidence and self-worth. But if they were cruel, dismissive, or shaming, your brain wired those messages into your inner operating system.

That’s why, decades later, many of us still hear that critical inner saboteur saying “You’re not enough,” “You’re too much,” or “You don’t matter.” But here’s the good news: thanks to neuroplasticity, those mental “tapes” can be replaced.

Every time you repeat an affirmation like “I am worthy” or “My voice matters,” and especially when you feel it deeply, you’re laying down new neural pathways. Every time you step up and let yourself be heard or seen, you’re strengthening a new truth in your brain.

Over time, if you keep practicing, the old, hurtful beliefs weaken, and the new, empowering ones grow stronger. It’s just like building a muscle. You get stronger with consistent, loving effort. So, yes, reclaiming your true voice isn’t just a spiritual practice. It’s a neurological one, too. And your brain is fully capable of supporting your healing, your joy, and your return to wholeness.

How To Reclaim Your Authentic Voice

Identify The Old Programming

Take a quiet moment every day to check in with yourself. What negative messages still echo in your mind from childhood? Perhaps it’s “You’re not good enough,” or “You’re too sensitive.” These old beliefs are often the root of why we silence ourselves. Naming them is the first step to releasing them.

Write The Loving Opposite

For every negative message you uncover, write down its loving truth. If you were told “You’re ugly,” write “I am beautiful, radiant, and whole.” If you were told “You’re not smart,” write “I am intelligent, wise, and capable.” Make sure it’s present-tense, personal, and affirming.

Practice Daily Repetition

Spend 5 minutes each morning (or evening) gently repeating your new affirmation aloud or silently. Let the words sink in. Repetition is the medicine. The mind learns through rhythm and feeling, and daily practice helps replace old programming with soul truth.

Let Yourself Feel

As you repeat your affirmations, you may feel emotional: grief, resistance, even tears. Let it come. This is not a sign you’re doing it wrong. It means the healing is working. The inner child is listening, and maybe for the first time, feeling safe to release pain.

Surround Yourself With Reminders

Write your affirmations on sticky notes and place them on your mirror, computer, or fridge. Set them as phone wallpapers. Keep a journal of empowering truths. Let your environment affirm your journey, gently rewiring your awareness all day long.

Dialogue With Your Inner Child

Write a letter from your inner child expressing what they felt and needed. Then write back from your wise, loving adult self. Offer your inner kid some compassion, validation, and unconditional support. This practice builds a bridge of trust between your wounded parts and your higher self.

Reclaim Joyful Expression

What did you love to do before someone told you it wasn’t okay? Sing, dance, paint, play…without judgment or validation. Joy is your birthright, and expression is how your heartlight shines. Let your soul come out to play again.

Seek Safe Mirrors

Spend time with people who see your light, who encourage your growth, and who celebrate your true voice. Loving reflections help you believe in yourself more deeply. Choose relationships that nourish, not diminish, your spirit.

Own Your Morning Power

Start each day with intention. Whether it’s meditation, prayer, affirmations, or silence, claim those first sacred minutes as your own. They set the tone for how your inner voice will speak to you for the rest of the day.

Honor Your Healing 

This isn’t just self-help. It’s soul work. Every step you take to reclaim your voice is a step toward spiritual sovereignty. You are not broken. You are remembering. You are returning to who you truly are beneath the laers of programming. And that is powerful.

Reprogramming is not a one-time fix. The human mind is resilient and often sneaks back into old grooves. But with consistency and compassion, those grooves soften. The affirmations begin to feel like you. Because they are.

Whenever you catch the old tape replaying, pause. Take a breath. Return to your affirmation. Let it anchor you home. Over time the negative voice loses its power. They were always borrowed stories masquerading as your own.