Your "inner child" describes the connection you have within yourself to your child self and your childhood memories. It holds emotions, memories, and beliefs from the past and hopes and dreams for the future.
Unfortunately, over time, those feelings of shame caused scars into adulthood. As a result, you have lost your self-confidence and no longer feel in control. All these years later, your inner seven-year-old is still running the show.
Working on your inner child can help recognize and heal childhood trauma. It recognizes that your behaviors as an adult stem from your childhood experiences. Inner child work focuses on addressing our unmet needs by reparenting ourselves. This kind of self-discovery helps us understand our behaviors, triggers, wants, and needs.