Original Pain Therapy: Healing my Inner Child through Faith and Psychology

By Sabella Morris-Olivier

My journey to inner healing led me to Original Pain Therapy (OPT).

During the weekend of the Festival of Hope, as I walked into the Centre of Excellence, Macoya, I was greeted with an announcement of a ‘Buzz Talk’ featuring Lorraine Pouchet. Without thinking, I casually found my way upstairs and settled into a seat. This is where I first encountered the concept of Original Pain Therapy.

During the short time, Lorraine explained the basic precepts of the inner child and highlighted her early involvement through Sr Helena Profeiro, O Carm. In essence, Lorraine and her team explained that, as adults, we are often really wounded children navigating adult terrain while our emotional growth may have been stuck somewhere during certain childhood experiences.

Something inside me stirred as Pouchet spoke. The Holy Spirit was surely at work at that very moment. As my brain went into overdrive. I thought of how I often found myself unable to communicate or have my emotional needs met in many aspects of my life, including my marriage, my professional or private life and even within the family of which I was born. There was a stirring in my soul. A seed was planted. I just knew, this is what the Lord was leading me to. Sure enough, the ‘Buzz Talk’ resulted in my signing up for the next available five-week OPT course.

The Missing Piece of the Puzzle

This course changed my life. Highlights included emotive phrases such as; ‘Understanding the childhood roots of adolescent and adult behaviour’ and ‘Learn how to heal the hole in your soul and have better relationships with family and friends’. With certainty, I can say OPT turned out to be the most meaningful and impactful inner healing work I have ever done to date.

During my ongoing journey with Christ, the Lord has led me to several aspects of healing. I’ve attended First Friday devotions, Confession, attended healing Masses, journeyed on pilgrimages, and even spent hours pouring my heart out to Jesus. OPT became the missing piece of the puzzle of my journey.

“While prayers undoubtedly healed my spirit, the healing of the inner child was the practical tool to unblock emotional pathways stemming from my early childhood.”

Facing the Doubt

At the start of the very first session, Pouchet greeted participants warmly outside the building. After a short conversation, he looked directly at me and said, “I know you will make it”. Up until that point, admittedly, I was still a bit hesitant.

As the day progressed, I recognised this was an intense look at suppressed childhood memories. As fear slowly boiled inside me, I again started to doubt if I was in the right place. Soon enough, before I could sit with my thoughts, the first exercise unfolded quickly. It was a simple enough activity, yet it was directed to the core of participants: ‘Welcome to the World’.

Welcome to the World

Participants were placed into groups and arranged into a circle. Each person took turns to sit at the centre while others ‘welcomed them into the world’ with positive, meaningful, loving words or phrases. This was deeply comforting and healing. It was such a profound moment that I initially struggled to understand why I was feeling overwhelmed. Then, what felt like a weight inside of me was suddenly released as I began to slowly be consumed by the feeling of freedom. Time stood still as I simply allowed the Holy Spirit to take control.

Sure enough, people started crying or sobbing one by one. However, I was one of the first to be gently pulled out of the circle, tears streaming down my face to be reaffirmed, and stabilised. Lorraine explained that my inner child was unlocked. The Lord revealed something powerful to me during the exercise, and I finally understood why I was the way that I was. I now had answers to:

• Why I felt so deeply.
• Why I struggled to keep friendships.
• Why I procrastinated.
• How I viewed my own worth.

No, this was not a regression exercise or a look into a crystal ball; it was a simple psychological strategy designed to help participants understand that they were loved and welcomed at birth.

A Purpose-Driven Life

We are all created for a purpose. I can’t exactly describe how meaningful it was to me, even as an adult, to come into the knowledge that I was welcomed into the world, created for a purpose, and loved. If you have ever felt unseen in any aspect of your lives—in your marriage, relationships, or careers—this course is for you. It is what you need to move forward in life.

As a Catholic, I acknowledge the sacraments healed my soul and gave me the necessary grace to move forward, but the psychology of healing the inner child provided the emotional surgery by removing old scar tissue so that God’s grace can move more freely in my life.

OPT truly became part of the missing piece of the puzzle. Sometimes, the deepest healing begins when we allow God to meet the wounded child still living quietly inside of us.

The journey is not over just yet. I am looking forward to the next step of regression therapy with Lorraine. If the spirit moves me to write a part two, I’ll be sure to share it with you.

Note: You can visit The Association of Original Pain Therapists Facebook page to get details about upcoming courses and dates.