When to Use This
Use this when the client is tied to who they used to be — the one who failed, who stayed too long, who made the choice they cannot forgive. Be careful with the language: you are releasing the weight, never the person.
The Script
1. "Take a deep breath and let it go. Today the person we are working with is you. The younger you. The one who has been carrying this for a very long time."
2. "In front of you now, I want you to see yourself at the age when this began. Tell me — how old is he or she? What are they wearing? Where are they standing?"
3. "Look at their face. What do you see there? What are they feeling?"
4. "I want you to walk over to them. You are the adult now. You know how the story turns out. They don't. Go to them."
5. "Say everything you have wanted to say to them. Tell them what you have blamed them for. Be honest — they can take it. Say it all."
6. (Wait until they are finished.) "Is there anything else you need to say?"
7. "Now let them speak. Ask them: what were you doing your best at? What were you afraid of? What did you need that nobody gave you? Listen. What are you hearing?"
8. "Now look at the cords between you and this younger self. What does the first cord represent?" (Common answers: shame, blame, not good enough, regret, disappointment, failure, unworthiness.)
9. Work through each cord one at a time. Have your client speak to that emotion directly, and let the younger self answer, before moving on.
10. "Now I want you to say this to them, out loud: 'You did the best you could with what you knew. I forgive you. I am not angry with you anymore. But I don't need you to carry this any longer. I will take it from here.'"
11. "On the count of three, cut every cord that ties you to the old story — not to them, to the story. One. Two. Three. Cut, and hold the ends up into the light."
12. (Pause.) "Watch the fireworks. Watch the shame and the blame and the not-good-enough release out of you and into the light. Tell me what you see."
13. "As the show ends, the cords dissipate. Now pick that younger self up, or take their hand, and bring them into your heart. You are not leaving them behind. You are carrying them forward — without the weight."
14. "Take a deep breath in, and blow it out of your mouth. Feel how much lighter you both are. How does that feel?"