I have always wondered why the story of the “Wizard of Oz “captivated literally millions of children generation after generation. After much thinking I sense the story draws children in because it taps into childhood fears then comforts them.

For “OZ “secretly inspired children to wonder about how to deal with some of life’s most challenging difficulties and questions. How do you deal with a crisis, mend a broken heart, become strong when you feel afraid, or decipher what reality is in the outer world? What happens if you get lost, and you cannot find your way?

Even more vital than finding your way is learning that finding your way home and figuring out who you are already exists inside of you. Through my role as a psychotherapist, I have been helping people find their voice, reclaim their strength, and find their way home for almost thirty years.

This desire is timeless and universal, when lost, troubled or not quite feeling yourself, it is natural to want to go home, not your childhood home, or a structural home but the inner home residing in the deepest part of your heart and soul. This inner home brings a desire for more intimate connections and warmth that are based on love, protection, security and strength. This strength creates a more sustaining inner structure. As you grow personally, you will be more at ease when getting in touch with feeling the full depth of what you seek to heal. Taking this inner home journey that is your life in particular is rich in it’s own rewards.

Observing Dorothy’s role in the Wizard of Oz, underlying the desire to go back to Kansas, is a young girl searching for love and wisdom. Her unshakeable optimism, faith, innocence, love and her good intentions were what brought her back home. Like Dorothy, when you are able to uncover your most important strengths, you are freer to go after what you really want in your life.

We are all called on an amazing adventure. As the hero or heroine, we can consciously embrace the quest to return Home to that place of inner understanding and strength.

Unlike the movie, our lives are reality, not a fantasy. However, L. Frank Baum’s enduring story has a clever way of supporting the concept that at times storiesof fantasies are the only way our culture has been able to attempt to tell the truth.

Going Home:
There is no place like your inner home.