Practicing the Six Steps of Inner Bonding leads us along the spiritual path of healing the wounded soul and creating communion with God. Practicing them on a daily basis leads to the development of a loving, spiritually-connected Adult. The Six Steps of Inner Bonding are:

Step One
Willingness to Feel Pain and Take Responsibility for our Feelings
Moving into the present moment and focusing within, tuning into our feelings -- the physical sensations within the body. Choosing to be mindful of and pay attention to all distressing feelings rather than protect against them with substance and process addictions.

Step Two
Moving into the Intent to Learn
Inviting the presence, the compassion, of Spirit into our being to help us learn what we are doing or thinking that may be causing our pain. In Inner Bonding there are only two possible intents in any given moment: to protect against pain and avoid our responsibility for it through trying to control ourselves and others, or to learn about what we are doing or thinking that may be causing our pain so that we can move into loving ourselves and others. When we are in the intent to learn we are being a loving Adult. When we are in the intent to protect and avoid we are operating from our wounded self, or child-adult. In Step Two, we welcome and embrace all our feelings with compassion.

Step Three
Dialoguing with our Wounded self and Core Self
Exploring the fears and false beliefs that may be causing our pain; releasing anger and pain in appropriate ways; learning about the past that created the false beliefs; nurturing our wounded self; exploring our core Self and what brings us joy.

Step Four
Dialoguing with our Higher Guidance
Asking our spiritual Guidance (whatever that is for you): What is the truth about the false beliefs we may have uncovered in Step Three? and What is the loving behavior toward our Inner Child in this situation? What is in our highest good? Opening and allowing the answers to come through us in words, pictures or feelings. The answers may not come immediately, but if we have a sincere desire to learn, they will come.

Step Five
Taking Loving Action
Taking the loving action that came through from Step Four; putting God/Spirit into action.

Step Six
Evaluating Our Action
Checking in to see if our pain, anger and shame are getting healed. If not, we go back through the steps until we discover the actions that brings us peace and joy, as well as a deep sense of intrinsic worth.

All content © Copyright 1998 by Inner Bonding® Educational Technologies, Inc. Reprinted with permission from www.innerbonding.com.