Core Wounds · Childhood Wounds · Reiki · Manifest Differently
Core Wounds: Where Your Patterns BeganA guide to the family and self wounds that shape how we live, and how verbal Reiki can support them
Your patterns made sense where they began.
What are core wounds?
Core wounds is a way of naming the deep, early hurts that shape how we see ourselves and relate to others. They often form in childhood, in the family, through what we needed and didn't receive, or through roles we were handed before we could choose them.
Naming a wound is not about blame, and it doesn't mean your family was all bad or that something is wrong with you. It is a way of understanding why a pattern exists, so you can meet it with more compassion.
Core wound is an informal term and not a clinical diagnosis. Nothing on this page is medical or mental health advice.
Wound and response, side by side
They describe the same pattern from two angles.
| Core wound | Nervous system response | |
|---|---|---|
| What it describes | Where a pattern started | What your body does now |
| Where it comes from | Family, early experiences, the roles you were handed | Your nervous system's automatic survival reflexes |
| How it shows up | Beliefs, roles, relationships, what you expect of yourself | Tension, shutdown, pleasing, busyness, a racing mind |
| Examples | Father wound, mother wound, the black sheep | Fight, flight, freeze, fawn |
| Where it lives | Your story | Your body |
Neither term is a diagnosis. Both are ways of making sense of experience. To explore the body side, start with nervous system regulation.
Family wounds
Wounds that often begin in the family you grew up in. Each one has its own page.
Father wound
What many of us needed from a father and didn't receive. Can show up as overfunctioning or fawning.
Read About the Father WoundMother wound
The ache around mothering, and the roles passed down. Can show up as fawning.
Read About the Mother WoundEldest daughter syndrome
Growing up as the responsible one. Can show up as fawning and overfunctioning.
Read About ItBlack sheep of the family
Feeling like you never quite belonged. Can show up as fawning.
Read About Never BelongingSelf wounds
Wounds about voice, visibility and being believed, which can follow us out of the family.
The wounded healer
Helping others while your own wound goes untended. If you are a healer, a caregiver or the one everyone leans on, this one may be close to home. Can show up as overfunctioning and fawning.
Read About the Wounded HealerWitch wound
The fear of being seen and punished for it. Can show up as freezing.
Read About the Witch WoundCassandra complex
Telling the truth and not being believed. Can show up as freezing and fawning.
Read About the Cassandra ComplexThe pairings above are common patterns, not rules. You may see yourself in more than one, or in none of them.
How wounds and the body connect
A wound is a story about where something started. Your nervous system is how that story lives in your body now. Someone who learned early that keeping the peace kept them safe may fawn under stress. Someone whose voice wasn't believed may go quiet and still.
That is why this work isn't only about understanding. The body often needs to be part of the conversation. If you want to explore that side, start with nervous system regulation, which maps fight, flight, freeze and fawn.
Patterns that grow out of wounds
Two common patterns, explored on their own pages.
People pleasing
When keeping everyone comfortable becomes a way to feel safe.
Read About People PleasingWhere Reiki and verbal Reiki fit
Reiki is a gentle practice of energetic support, and many people experience it as deeply restful. I'm not claiming it treats or cures anything. I offer it as a complement, a way to give the body a quiet space to settle.
Verbal Reiki
I use my voice alongside the Reiki, guiding you through imagery and somatic awareness while the Reiki is held.
Meeting the wound gently
The work is slow and quiet, so you can approach what hurts at your own pace, and your body can settle as you do.
New to Reiki itself? What Is Reiki? explains it plainly.
Free activations to begin with
My Wound Healing Reiki Activations playlist gathers free Reiki activations in one place. Find a quiet spot, choose one that feels right, and listen in a way that feels steady.
Wound Healing Reiki Activations · Playlist
You can listen any time, and if you drift off along the way, let yourself. Receive only what feels right. Open the playlist on YouTube.
Where to go from here
Take whichever door feels steady, at your own pace.
The Ongoing Work
Walk it in the Temple of Mysteries
Temple of Mysteries is my ongoing home for this work, built on Inanna's descent. We move through the seven gates, releasing a layer at each one, including the old wounds and roles we were handed. The shedding happens through verbal Reiki, in the company of a community walking it with you.
You also receive a library of every activation from my YouTube channel, plus member-only transmissions.
Enter the TempleNot sure where to start?
A short quiz that names the gate you are standing at right now.
Take the Gate QuizRead the story
The seven gates of Inanna's descent, and why I walk with her.
The Seven Gates of InannaFrequently asked questions
What are core wounds?
Core wounds is an informal term for the deep, early hurts that shape how we see ourselves and relate to others, often formed in childhood within the family. It is a popular way of describing patterns and is not a clinical diagnosis.
What is the difference between a core wound and a trauma response?
A core wound describes where a pattern started, often in the family or early experiences. A trauma response, such as fight, flight, freeze or fawn, describes what your nervous system does automatically now. Many people find it helps to look at both. The body side is covered in nervous system regulation.
What are the most common core wounds?
People often talk about the father wound, the mother wound, eldest daughter syndrome, being the black sheep, the Cassandra complex, the witch wound and the wounded healer. There is no official list, and you may recognize more than one.
How do I know which core wound I have?
You don't need to pick one. Read what resonates and notice what your body does as you read. If you want help making sense of it, a licensed trauma-informed therapist can offer support beyond what a page like this can.
Can core wounds be healed?
I wouldn't promise that. Many people find that understanding where a pattern began, and meeting it with patience, gradually changes how it feels. Change tends to be slow, and professional support can help.
Do core wounds and trauma responses connect?
Often they do. A pattern that began in your family can become the way your body reacts under stress, such as pleasing others to stay safe. That link is why this site covers both, and why nervous system regulation is a good next step.
Can Reiki help with core wounds?
Reiki is a complementary practice that many people find deeply restful, and it can offer the body a quiet space to settle while you reflect. It does not treat or cure any condition and is not a substitute for medical or mental health care.
Guided by Carissa Andrews, Reiki Master and lineage holder.
Reiki is a complementary practice and not a substitute for medical or mental health care. No specific outcomes are promised or guaranteed. This page is educational and is not therapy or clinical advice.