What is the Marion Method reparenting work?
So many of us arrive in parenthood carrying our own unhealed childhood experiences. When we are tired, stressed, or triggered, old patterns often rise to the surface, sometimes leading us to repeat cycles of yelling, control, or disconnection that we vowed never to repeat.
The Marion Method, created by Marion Rose, Ph.D., offers a deeply compassionate framework for healing these patterns. It is sometimes called “reparenting” or “inner loving work,” because it helps us connect with the parts of ourselves that didn’t receive the love, understanding, or support we needed as children.
The Foundations of the Marion Method
The Marion Method is grounded in three key practices:
Love Work
This is the practice of developing an inner voice of unconditional love and compassion—the voice we may not have heard enough as children. Through this, we learn to meet our own inner experiences with empathy, care, and acceptance.Will Work
Many of us learned to “push down” or avoid painful feelings. Willingness practice means gently welcoming the feelings that arise—whether sadness, anger, fear, or shame—and allowing them to be felt with loving presence.Conversations with Life
Being in connection and conversation with Life force energy itself. We are all interconnected and deeply supported by Life. Life is always giving us clear messages, and we can become more aware to receive them and their meanings.
How Do We Put This Into Practice?
Meeting big feelings with compassion: When your child’s behaviour stirs old pain, the Marion Method teaches us to pause and turn inward. We can offer love to the younger part of us that felt unheard or unsafe.
Dialogue with Inner Parts: Inner Loving Presence work and Inner Loving Presence Process.
Daily Practices of Willingness: Creating willingness walls and doing the Willingness Practice for any and all decisions we make in life.
The Transformation for Parents
Parents who engage with Marion Method work often describe:
Feeling calmer and more spacious in daily life
Breaking cycles of yelling or control
Experiencing more joy and connection with their children
Healing their own childhood trauma in a lasting way
Why This Matters for Parenting
Our children benefit when we do this work. When we bring love and compassion to ourselves, we naturally offer more of that to them. Reparenting work is not about “fixing” ourselves; it’s about creating the conditions for love, connection, and healing to flourish, for us and for our children.