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Celine Lim is a Hypnotherapist, RTT Therapist and Life Change Coach. In this article, she writes about some of the challenges that can come with the immigrant experience, and how hypnotherapy combined with inner child work can help immigrants and children of immigrants live more fulfilling lives.

My grandfather left my father when he was young. This not only left my father as the “man of the house” at an early age but also left an emotional void that would eventually impact his relationships with his children. Growing up, I would see my peers be showered with physical affection from their parents. While my Korean mom was very affectionate, my Chinese dad withheld his physical love – even a hug to this day feels awkward. The duty or “job,” as he calls it, of being a parent meant providing financially for his children and giving them the opportunities that he was denied of. He was by all measures a dutiful parent in that sense. He gave us the freedom to pursue what we wanted. Yet, like many Asian parents, he held high expectations of how we carried ourselves in the world, especially when it comes to our academic performance. Having good grades was naturally rewarded, and doing poorly was met with a disappointed look. I grew up working hard, constantly working towards something in exchange for winning my father’s affection. Like him, I became diligent and resilient in my academic and career pursuits.