"In each of us, there is a young, suffering child. We have all had times of difficulty as children and many of us have experienced trauma. To protect and defend ourselves against future suffering, we often try to forget those painful times. Every time we're in touch with the experience of suffering, we believe we can't beat it, and we stuff our feelings and memories deep down in our unconscious mind. It may be that we haven't dared to face this child for many decades.

"But just because we may have ignore the child doesn't mean she or he isn't there. The wounded child is always there, trying to get our attention. The child says, 'I'm here. I'm here. You can't avoid me You can't run away from me.'

"We want to end our suffering by sending the child to a deep place inside, and staying as far away as possible. But running away doesn't end our suffering; it only prolongs it.

"The wounded child asks for care and love, but we do the opposite. We run away because we're afraid of suffering. The block of pain and sorrow in us feels overwhelming. Even if we have time, we don't come home to ourselves. We try to keep ourselves constantly entertained - watching TV or movies, socializing, or using alcohol or drugs - because we don't want to experience that suffering all over again.

"The wounded child is there and we don't even know she is there. The wounded child is a reality, but we can't see her. That inability to see is a kind of ignorance. This child has been severely wounded. She or he really needs us to return. Instead, we turn away.

"Ignorance is in each cell of our body and our consciousness. It's like a drop of ink diffused in a glass of water. That ignorance stops us from seeing reality; it pushes us to do foolish things that make us suffer even more, and that wound again the already wounded child in us.

"But just as the suffering is present in every cell of our body, so are the seeds of awakened understanding and happiness...

"When we become aware that we've forgotten the wounded child in ourselves, we feel great compassion for that child.."

And so begins the book "Reconciliation. Healing the Inner Child" by Thich Nhat Hanh