Rachel Hope‘s journey into healing began in 2012 during a transformative trip to Peru, where she worked with sacred plant medicines like Ayahuasca and San Pedro. Before this life-changing experience, she worked in real estate and believed healing occurred naturally over time. Through powerful medicine ceremonies, Rachel realized that healing is an intentional and essential part of life’s path. Now a dedicated healer, Rachel helps others on their journey, guided by Spirit and intuition, drawing on over 500 hours of energy and bodywork training and a Master’s degree in Holistic Nutrition. Read MysticMag‘s exclusive interview with Rachel.
Rachel, how do childhood experiences and unresolved emotions shape our adult lives, particularly in areas like self-expression, boundaries, and self-love?
None of us experience a perfect childhood, and in response, we often develop coping strategies designed to keep us safe and to secure love. These strategies, which are rooted in survival, tend to follow us into adulthood until we become aware of them and choose to work through them. They can significantly hinder our self-expression. The young, developing subconscious mind doesn’t grasp that a parent’s emotional unavailability or anger isn’t about us, but rather about the parent. As a result, we tend to internalize and personalize the mistreatment and form limiting beliefs such as: “I’m not good enough,” or “I must be what others want in order to receive love and attention.” These beliefs stifle our ability to discover and express who we truly are.
We may end up wearing a mask, presenting a version of ourselves that feels the safest, helping us to avoid pain but also sacrificing joy, fulfillment, and genuine intimacy. We fail to show who we really are, and as a result, the connections we form are based on this false self. These survival strategies can lead us to become people-pleasers, peacekeepers, or “good girls,” always prioritizing others’ needs over our own. We are so focused on others that we lose touch with our own needs and wants. Without knowing our own needs, it becomes difficult to establish healthy boundaries or to ask for what we need and want.
At the core of setting boundaries is self-esteem and self-love. As we nurture our inner child and begin to love ourselves, boundaries no longer feel optional but essential. They protect the vulnerable parts of us. Although setting boundaries can feel risky because of the fear of losing love, it feels safer as we grow in self-love. We learn that it’s okay to say no. If someone can’t respect our limits, it doesn’t mean they are bad or we did something wrong. It simply means they may not be right for us. Boundaries, then, help us decide who belongs in our lives and to what degree.
When it comes to self-love, many of us struggle because we weren’t shown how to love ourselves by our parents, who themselves lacked that knowledge. Only more recently have generations begun to understand the importance of emotional availability and positive self-regard. Most of us, therefore, have a deficit in self-love, and we attempt to fill it through achievements, validation, appearance, money, or people-pleasing. But these external sources will never be enough; it’s like trying to fill a cup with a hole at the bottom.
To me, self-love is an action. It’s choosing to hold unconditional positive regard for ourselves, no matter our circumstances—whether it’s the state of our bank account or the emotions we’re dealing with. It’s catching ourselves when we’re being self-critical and instead offering words of kindness: “I didn’t mean that. I’m proud of you. We’re doing a good job.” I often speak to myself as “we,” referring to my adult self and all my inner children. In moments of challenge or uncertainty, I reassure my inner child: “I’ll figure this out. I always do. You don’t need to worry about it.”
Self-love also means celebrating our successes, much like a child who calls out “Mommy look at me!” There’s still a part of us that craves and needs that recognition. With tenderness and excitement, I will tell myself “We did such a good job! That was tough, but we figured it out!” You are the only sustainable source of your self-worth, and it is available anytime unlike outside achievements. Ultimately, we have the power to decide that we are enough, regardless of external validation.
Boundaries, self-care, and avoiding risky behaviors are all acts of self-love. Though setting boundaries can feel daunting, it’s a vital form of self-care, ensuring that we protect ourselves, create nourishing relationships and foster a deeper sense of safety and self-worth.
Can you explain the connection between trapped emotions in the body and physical symptoms such as pain, illness, anxiety, or depression?
As a certified Emotion Code and Body Code practitioner, I’ve completed multiple courses in these modalities. I’ve learned that when emotions aren’t fully processed they can become trapped in the body. We might trap emotions in the body because we repress or ignore them, they are too overwhelming or because we are stressed, hungry or tired and don’t have the energy to fully process and release them. Each emotion has its own frequency, and over time, these trapped emotions start to affect the local energy field which then affects the physical.
Emotions tend to land in areas that already have some kind of vulnerability such as an injury or illness. Certain organs are thought to create specific emotions such as the liver creating depression, frustration and anger to name a few. Emotions may not travel far from their organ of creation before they become trapped.
Emotions may land in areas due to metaphysical reasons. Those who feel overburdened may trap a lot of overwhelm or resentment in their shoulders. Those who fear going forward in life may have a lot of depression, fear or confusion trapped in their legs and feet.
These trapped emotions can lead to aches, pains, and, in more extreme cases, even contribute to significant illnesses like cancer. It’s crucial to address these trapped emotions, as they continuously affect our physical and emotional well-being.
Trapped emotions also function like background noise in our body. The more “balls” of trapped emotional energy you carry in your body of a certain emotion, the more likely you are to feel that emotion going forward. The emotion is already active and online in your body and even slight triggers can bring those emotions to the surface.
When I saw the creator of the Emotion Code interviewed on a documentary called E-Motion, I felt goosebumps all over. I felt this was the emotional healing modality I had been searching for to compliment the Inner Child healing I was already doing with clients. I asked the Universe to show me some tangible results from this modality.
The second emotion I released from myself was nervousness. Initially, I wasn’t sure if I had done it correctly because the process is so gentle. In the following days, I realized I wasn’t feeling nervous and I normally would be. I was about to lead an Inner Child workshop, and I would always be so uncomfortably nervous that I could never enjoy the process even though I always got great feedback after workshops. To this day, I don’t really get nervous- maybe 5% of what I used to feel. What I once thought was perhaps a confidence issue was actually just one trapped emotion of nervousness that had been affecting me in a major way.
Trapped emotions can affect us both physically and emotionally. In my experience, the Body Code and Emotion Code really shine when addressing physical pain and chronic emotional states like depression and anxiety. I’ve witnessed incredible results, both personally and with my clients. One holistic client was considering back surgery after trying everything for her pain, but after just a few sessions, her back pain was completely gone. Another client, who had been unable to fully raise her arm for a year due to shoulder pain, experienced relief after only one session. I also worked with a client who had carried lifelong shame in a particular area of her life. After a mini-session, she emailed me days later, amazed that the feeling of shame had disappeared.
In short, trapped emotions can deeply affect our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Addressing them through the Body Code and Emotion Code can lead to profound healing.
What role does the inner child play in our subconscious beliefs, and how can healing these beliefs transform recurring life patterns?
The inner child resides within our subconscious, which is highly impressionable and open to programming particularly during the first seven years of life. While it remains somewhat programmable through adolescence, those early years establish the foundation for our subconscious beliefs. Unfortunately, many of us don’t experience a completely healthy childhood, often missing out on the love, attention, and validation we need from our caregivers. This creates wounds that linger in the subconscious.
Think of the subconscious as a radio tower, broadcasting our beliefs and attracting people and experiences that resonate with that vibration. Our subconscious wants to have experiences with similar emotions as our unresolved wounds (with different people) hoping to get a better outcome. If our parents are emotionally unavailable we may develop the belief that love is scarce. We are likely to see people in our inner circle who are unable to give us love due to their own wounding- not necessarily because they don’t want to give us that love. They just don’t know how.
This is especially true with our romantic partners. We will have the most passion and draw toward someone who has the most amount of overlapping positive and negative qualities of our caregivers, particularly the one we have the most amount of unresolved wounds with. The subconscious thinks: “If I can get this person to love me, then I finally have the love I did not get from dad.” Chemistry is thought by some experts to just be our trauma interacting with the trauma in the other person on a subconscious level. Highly healthy relationships may seem boring or flat at first because there is less trauma involved – thus less chemistry.
This process can yield different outcomes as we do our own healing work and are willing to look at our wounds. We might attract a partner who shares traits with our more problematic caregiver, but is willing to address and acknowledge their issues, creating space for growth and healing.
It is important to keep in mind that we might project our unresolved feelings or limiting beliefs onto a new person or situation, shaping our interpretation of the experience based on our past. Projections may lead you to believe “He does not care about me” when in fact his phone died and he had no idea you had texted him several hours ago. Inner child healing helps us to respond to the present moment and to not create meaning based on past wounds. Most of the time people’s behavior is about them and not a reflection of who we are or how they feel about us. The inner child needs help with this concept.
In my practice, I focus on inner child work as a means to address these subconscious beliefs. This approach allows us to cultivate an unconditionally loving relationship with ourselves, something many people find challenging. By working with the inner child, we can shift our subconscious beliefs, which in turn alters the external world we encounter. As our beliefs evolve, the world around us tends to change as well as our perception of our experiences.
I find inner child healing particularly effective for shifting how we show up in the world by upgrading our internal programs or beliefs, fostering self-expression, and establishing healthy boundaries. I use The Body Code and Emotion Code techniques to clear trapped emotional pain and physical issues. Together, these approaches create a comprehensive framework for deep healing and personal growth on the subconscious level.
How can emotional healing help individuals break free from disappointing relationships and self-sabotaging behaviors?
Unresolved pain often lingers in the background, shaping our experiences and casting a shadow over our interactions. Although we may not always consciously recognize it, this old stuck pain can manifest as feelings of shame, low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression. The more we carry this emotional weight, the harder it becomes to feel secure enough to express our needs or stand up for ourselves. This can lead to tolerating inappropriate behavior and settling for crumbs in unfulfilling relationships, as unresolved pain can distort our sense of worthiness.
When it comes to self-sabotaging behaviors, I view them through a different lens. I see them as misguided attempts by our hurt inner child to protect us. For example, if we play small then we are less likely to get hurt or be disappointed. If we push people away by creating arguments, then we can avoid future pain because they will be out of our life. Of course these are short sighted limiting survival strategies that will cost us joy in the long run. Often, the more pain we hold in our bodies, the stronger the subconscious desire to act on these survival based coping mechanisms because our hurt inner child and nervous system cannot possibly deal with anymore pain.
Emotional healing plays a crucial role in expanding our capacity to manage stress and pain without feeling overwhelmed. Techniques like the Emotion Code and Body Code are gentle yet effective, helping us identify and heal specific emotional wounds. Many indigenous cultures emphasize the importance of movement and literal shaking as a form of emotional release.
Additionally, I encourage people to allow themselves to cry in real time. For instance, if tears arise while grocery shopping, it can be cathartic to let them flow rather than suppressing them and having to deal with them later. Practicing self-nurturing by acknowledging our struggles and offering compassion to ourselves can create space for emotions to surface.
Sharing our feelings with others is another powerful form of emotional healing. Whether through conversation or creative expression, these practices help prevent emotions from becoming trapped and allow us to process our experiences more fully. You might also express your anger or sadness out loud but not necessarily to the other party. This can clear blocks in the throat chakra and self-expression. Each of these strategies contributes to building resilience and fostering a healthier emotional landscape.
What techniques or practices do you recommend for someone starting their journey to connect with and heal their inner child?
Connecting with your inner child can be a powerful process, even if you haven’t consciously engaged with this aspect of yourself before. The inner child resides in the subconscious, which is always listening and recording. By setting a simple intention to reach out to the part of you that is hurting, you can start to establish a connection based on self-love and compassion- the very foundation of healing.
It’s common for many of our adult issues to stem from unresolved experiences in childhood. When you intend to connect with your inner child, you can offer supportive nurturing words that may not have been available to you during those formative years. For instance, if a boss yells at you, rather than internalizing that negativity, you can practice self-soothing. You might say to yourself, “I am sorry he said that. That was rough. You did not deserve that. I know how hard you tried, and you deserve to be treated with respect. We’ll get through this together.” This kind of compassionate self-talk can transform the intensity of your emotional responses, lowering feelings of hurt from, say, an 8 to a 2 or 3.
It’s important to maintain a kind and accepting tone when speaking to yourself. Avoid any negative self-talk—just as you wouldn’t belittle a child, don’t allow harmful language directed at yourself. If you catch yourself being negative, simply acknowledge it and replace those thoughts with affirmations: “I’m sorry I said that. I love you, and I’m proud of you.”
Celebrating your achievements, no matter how small, is also crucial. After losing my mom, who was my primary support, I realized I had to start celebrating my own successes. I like looking in the mirror and saying things like “Alright!! We are doing so well. I am so excited about how that turned out. I am so proud of us!” Recognizing and appreciating your own efforts is the only source of sustainable self-worth and lessens the need for validation from others.
For those interested in diving deeper, I recommend checking out my free guide on my website, rachelhopehealing.com. On the recommended page, you’ll find an Inner Child Healing guide filled with information and practical steps to help you connect with the various parts of yourself that are waiting to be heard and healed. Inner child healing is an absolute game changer for life and crucial for confidence, goals and dreams, and navigating relationships.
If you would like to find out more about Rachel Hope, please visit https://rachelhopehealing.com/
