Many childhood experiences have become, of necessity, deeply buried in the unconscious during the process of developing one’s adult personality. This separation or distancing from one’s childhood is no longer needed when the adult personality is fully and securely formed, but by then, the distancing has for most people become a part of that very personality. Separation from one’s childhood is temporarily necessary, but if it is permanently maintained it deprives us of inner experiences which, when restored to us, can keep us young in spirit and also permit greater closeness to our children.
