You Had It Right as a Kid: Healing from Adverse Childhood Experiences

When was the last time you let yourself dream?
Not the kind that comes from a to-do list or a productivity hack — but the deep kind of dreaming that once came so naturally when you were a child.

For many of us who’ve experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) — things like emotional neglect, abuse, household instability, or trauma — dreaming freely can feel foreign. Somewhere along the way, survival took over. We stopped imagining what could be and focused only on what had to be done.

As adults, it’s easy to confuse “being responsible” with giving up on the parts of us that still long to play, create, and explore. But those early dreams — the ones your younger self once believed in — weren’t wrong. They were whispers from the truest part of you, long before fear or pain told you otherwise.

I remember when I packed everything I owned into a beat-up car and drove across the country with little more than hope and a skateboard. Back then, life felt uncertain but alive. Today, decisions take more thought — discussions with my spouse, financial planning, responsibilities. It’s easy to feel boxed in.

But the truth is, many of those boxes are invisible — built from old fears, old patterns, and the echoes of those early experiences.
Adverse childhood experiences can make you believe you’re stuck, that change isn’t safe, that dreaming is a waste of time.
But healing begins the moment you start dreaming again.

If you feel disconnected or unsure where to start, try this:
Sit in stillness. Let your mind wander. Listen for the quiet voice that’s been trying to speak beneath the noise. When a thought or vision keeps returning, trust that it’s trying to guide you somewhere meaningful.

Healing from ACEs isn’t about erasing the past. It’s about reclaiming your right to imagine a future.
Dreaming isn’t childish — it’s the most courageous act of recovery.

So, let yourself dream again. Your inner child — the one who knew how to wonder, create, and believe — still remembers the way forward. Turns out, you had it right all along.