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    The Importance of The Vulnerable Child Mode Vulnerable Child Mode

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    MArko
    The Vulnerable Child Mode (VCM) holds memories of painful childhood experiences and intense emotions. Reconnecting with these feelings is difficult, so people often try to detach from their VCM through maladaptive coping strategies. Schema Mode Therapy aims to heal the VCM by meeting unmet childhood needs through the Healthy Adult Mode. This involves learning to soothe the inner Vulnerable Child through compassion and meeting its needs for love, safety and validation. Managing the VCM requires becoming aware of triggers, needs, and developing self-soothing strategies like self-validation and taking time to decompress. The overall goal is to healthily process past trauma by parenting one's inner child in a nurturing way.

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    The Importance of The Vulnerable Child Mode Vulnerable Child Mode

    Uploaded by

    MArko
    201 views2 pages
    The Vulnerable Child Mode (VCM) holds memories of painful childhood experiences and intense emotions. Reconnecting with these feelings is difficult, so people often try to detach from their VCM through maladaptive coping strategies. Schema Mode Therapy aims to heal the VCM by meeting unmet childhood needs through the Healthy Adult Mode. This involves learning to soothe the inner Vulnerable Child through compassion and meeting its needs for love, safety and validation. Managing the VCM requires becoming aware of triggers, needs, and developing self-soothing strategies like self-validation and taking time to decompress. The overall goal is to healthily process past trauma by parenting one's inner child in a nurturing way.

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    The Vulnerable Child Mode (VCM) holds memories of painful childhood experiences and intense emotions. Reconnecting with these feelings is difficult, so people often try to detach from their VCM through maladaptive coping strategies. Schema Mode Therapy aims to heal the VCM by meeting unmet childhood needs through the Healthy Adult Mode. This involves learning to soothe the inner Vulnerable Child through compassion and meeting its needs for love, safety and validation. Managing the VCM requires becoming aware of triggers, needs, and developing self-soothing strategies like self-validation and taking time to decompress. The overall goal is to healthily process past trauma by parenting one's inner child in a nurturing way.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    201 views2 pages

    The Importance of The Vulnerable Child Mode Vulnerable Child Mode

    Uploaded by

    MArko
    The Vulnerable Child Mode (VCM) holds memories of painful childhood experiences and intense emotions. Reconnecting with these feelings is difficult, so people often try to detach from their VCM through maladaptive coping strategies. Schema Mode Therapy aims to heal the VCM by meeting unmet childhood needs through the Healthy Adult Mode. This involves learning to soothe the inner Vulnerable Child through compassion and meeting its needs for love, safety and validation. Managing the VCM requires becoming aware of triggers, needs, and developing self-soothing strategies like self-validation and taking time to decompress. The overall goal is to healthily process past trauma by parenting one's inner child in a nurturing way.

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    of 2

    SCHEMA THERAPY SERIES OCTOBER 2020

    _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    VULNERABLE CHILD MODE


    _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    Vulnerable Child Mode The Importance of the Vulnerable Child Mode


    Understanding why this mode is essential in Schema Mode Therapy
    Understanding the role of unmet
    needs. The Vulnerable Child Mode (VCM) is at the core of everything in Schema Mode
    Therapy, This is because the VCM is where we hold our memories of painful
    As infants, we are inherently experiences, distressing emotions and often intense sensations. Thus, the
    vulnerable. We rely on our VCM is where we hold our trauma. It is understandable that most people want
    caregivers for everything because to detach from their VCM by ignoring it, shutting it down or trying to get rid of
    we can’t do a thing for ourselves. it, as they don't want to reconnect with these feelings.
    While we need them to feed us
    and changes us, what we really The problem with this is that the way people try to get rid of their feelings
    need is to feel loved, safe and involves unhelpful coping strategies which often cause more difficulties
    wanted. We need a parent to later, hence we call them Maladaptive Coping Modes (MCM).
    respond to us when we are
    distressed and soothe us until we Thus, the whole point of Schema Mode Therapy is to heal the Vulnerable Child
    feel calm. This tells us that we are using healthy coping strategies from the Healthy Adult Mode and reduce the
    safe. impact of the MCM and the Dysfunctional Parent Modes (Punitive and
    Demanding).
    Over time, children still need
    adults to help them manage their This creates space for the VCM to heal from past memories, learn to tolerate
    feeling appropriately so they learn intense emotions and experience feelings of safety and comfort as adults.
    to be skilful in tolerating intense
    emotions. If this doesn't happen,
    the child gets overwhelmed by the The Role of the Healthy Adult Mode
    feelings and will use to primitive Healthy Adult Mode listens to the Angry Child
    strategies to cope such as In Schema Mode Therapy, the Healthy Adult Mode needs to learn how to
    Fight/Flight or Freeze. connect with your Vulnerable Child and notice when it is triggered by unmet
    needs. Once it has been activated, then we need to learn how to soothe it. Just
    If a child doesn't learn skilful ways as a young child needs to be held, cuddled, supported and soothed, we must
    to tolerate their feelings or learn how to do this for our own inner child. This can be very challenging for
    receive support to get their needs people who never had these early experiences of being soothed, or for those
    met, then they become adults who who hold on to beliefs that vulnerability is bad or that their experiences of
    still don't know how to deal with abuse are their fault, so they must blame their inner child.
    their feelings or get their needs
    met. For people who have Schema Mode Therapy will require you to identify your needs and work out
    experienced early trauma, abuse, which ones you need to meet for yourself. Then you need to commit to treating
    bullying or neglect, the amount of your Vulnerable Child in the way they deserved to be treated, with love,
    distress they feel is intense. This affection, and compassion.
    can manifest as feeling scared,
    anxious, distressed, lonely,
    unwanted or worthless.
    Schema Mode Therapy believes Needs Soothe Practise
    that unmet needs in childhood Learn what your Learn how to soothe Practise acting
    can be addressed by learning how yourself when you are
    to meet your own needs in Vulnerable Child needs to differently towards your
    adulthood to soothe your inner feel safe and wanted. feeling vulnerable. vulnerability.
    Vulnerable Child.
    THEPSYCHCOLLECTIVE.COM VULNERABLE CHILD MODE
    _________________________________________________________________________________________________________
    Soothing your Vulnerable Child Mode
    Mode Awareness
    To learn how to soothe your Vulnerable Child, you must first become aware of when you have flipped
    in to that mode. For many people, this can be very challenging as they don’t want to face it or they
    are used to detaching from it so it is unfamiliar. 

    What are some common triggers for this mode? (People, comments, situations, feelings)
    ___________________________________________________________________________________________
    ___________________________________________________________________________________________
    ___________________________________________________________________________________________
    What do you feel when you’re in this mode? (Scared, lonely, sad, worthless, unwanted, anxious)
    ___________________________________________________________________________________________
    ___________________________________________________________________________________________
    What difficulties do you experience when you’re in this mode? (Self harm, impulsivity, overwhelmed)
    ___________________________________________________________________________________________
    ___________________________________________________________________________________________

    Mode Management
    Develop a plan about how you will use your Healthy Adult to soothe your Vulnerable Child. 

    What are your goals for managing this mode? (To learn how to accept my vulnerability, not reject it)
    ___________________________________________________________________________________________
    ___________________________________________________________________________________________
    ___________________________________________________________________________________________
    What are your needs in this mode? (Safety, connection, validation)
    ___________________________________________________________________________________________
    ___________________________________________________________________________________________
    What can you do to get this need met by others? (Ask for help, talk to someone, express needs)
    ___________________________________________________________________________________________
    ___________________________________________________________________________________________
    What will you do to meet these needs for yourself? (Self-validate, take time out, blanket hug)
    ___________________________________________________________________________________________
    ___________________________________________________________________________________________
    What will you say to yourself when you’re in this mode to soothe it? (I can get through this feeling)
    ___________________________________________________________________________________________
    ___________________________________________________________________________________________

    You may find this hard because it is unfamiliar, or you may notice other modes getting in the way,
    like a Maladaptive Coping Mode or a Parent Mode. Keep trying and remember that you are learning
    new strategies for meeting your own needs that have previously been neglected.

    Check out our website for more resources, handouts and videos
    Scan the QR code for the Youtube clip for this handout

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