Reading through the early childhood hurt experienced caused me to reflect upon my own. Jana Wilson's healing journey was pure, raw, honest and inspiring.

Wise Little One
Learning to Love and Listen to My Inner Child
by Jana Wilson
Pub Date 04 Jul 2023 |
EHS Publishing
Biographies & Memoirs | Health, Mind & Body | Religion & Spirituality



EHS Publishing and Netgalley have provided me with a copy of Wise Little One for review:


A deeply personal journey of triumph over childhood trauma and the transformative power of connecting with one's inner child is narrated in "Wise Little One: Learning to Love and Listen to My Inner Child" by Jana Wilson. This poignant memoir is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the extraordinary capacity for healing and self-discovery. 


During her childhood, Jana endured unimaginable hardships that left lasting scars on her psyche. Throughout the years, a resilient voice within her, her "Wise Little One," whispered words of encouragement and guided her towards the path of self-love and empowerment. Introspection, therapy, and the exploration of various healing modalities enabled Jana to listen to her inner voice, her beacon of wisdom and authenticity.


Through candid and evocative storytelling, Jana invites readers into the recesses of her heart, sharing her darkest moments and shining a light on her triumphant achievements. Reflecting on her traumatic past, she unravels the complex web of emotions that prevented her from experiencing true joy and fulfillment. As she reveals with vulnerability and courage, she shares the profound healing that occurred when she finally learned to embrace her inner child and acknowledge her pain.


The book "Wise Little One" is intended for those who have experienced trauma and wish to rediscover their authentic selves. With her heartfelt anecdotes and practical advice, Jana offers invaluable tools for self-reflection, self-care, and cultivating a loving relationship with the inner child. She demonstrates how to overcome the past and manifest an inspiring future by harnessing the power of self-compassion, forgiveness, and resilience.


It is in the pages of this memoir that Jana not only finds the strength to heal, but also discovers the incredible capacity of her heart to love and be loved. In the course of her journey, she encounters the love of her life, a soulmate whose presence becomes a beacon of hope and a testament to the healing power of love. They serve as an example of how embracing one's inner child and finding healing is not only essential for personal growth, but also manifests the most extraordinary and fulfilling relationships.


In "Wise Little One: Learning to Love and Listen to My Inner Child," the author invites readers to embark on a journey of self-discovery, healing, and transformation. The story of Jana Wilson resonates deeply with anyone who has experienced trauma, providing a guiding light for reclaiming joy, authenticity, and the ability to manifest an inspiring life filled with love.


I give Wise Little One five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Unfortunately I dnf this at about 50% through it just wasn’t for me. It seemed to drag and was a bit confusing to me but didn’t get the point really;But I’ve also never read a book like this before and probably won’t again

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Im torn by this book. One hand this is the author’s life story- a telling of a painful abusive childhood and teen years. She suffered from mental, physical and sexual abuse. She then moved though a series of abusive relationships repeating the pattern learned in her childhood. Im sure that telling this story was cathartic for her. This book demonstrated some interesting concepts of envisioning the future you want and the universe will build it for you. I believe this does work and if nothing else- this was a good reminder.
One the other hand I don’t buy the wisdom of her inner child who she calls her Wise Little one- Little Jana. The spiritual awakening fell flat for me. Much like the mentor Debbie Ford and her Jungian shadow work. After working hard to sell the multi level marketing of Debbie and her seminars- Jana discovered she was a fraud ( just like all of the tele evangelists of the 80s). She leaves and begins running her own seminars to great success. A true rags to riches story. She started in a crappy rental trailer ended up traveling the world giving self help seminars to great success and riches. She finally had money but not happiness. Her description of the work she did on loving herself was important to her journey of healing, but not terribly interesting to read- its hard to feel sorry for someone jet setting. I was especially bothered by her treatment of her husband Steve who appeared to be nothing but kind and loving to her. She just used him and dumped him. After more work- She seems to have found a good life partner, and I wish her the happiness she deserves

This book should probably come with some trigger warnings. I was interested to read a memoir that would describe the path the author took to heal from childhood trauma. And maybe it was a bit, but it hyper focused on detailed descriptions of traumas related to physical, emotional, psychological, verbal, and spiritual abuses… after reading that she created Emotional Healing Systems, I hoped she’d share more about what that was, how she created the framework, or just anything about the story of her creating it— but there isn’t a whole lot about her creating her business aside from the mention of her creating a business. I don’t even think it explicitly called it Emotional Healing Systems. She mentions hypnotherapy to recall a repressed memory from her mothers womb, which was hard to believe, I was hoping to hear more of her time with therapists and gaining access to those repressed memories, but aside from mentions of meditation and self help content, it only mentions her ever seeing one therapist. All in all, I expected a little more focus on the healing aspects of her journey than what was presented.

Five stars to Jana Wilson for sharing her story in Wise Little One. Memoirs are my favorite genre and I'm always amazed at the books that are published with such captivating tales. Wilson tells the interesting story of her life with grace and grit. Five stars, did I mention that?! Loved it. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

After finishing this read, it has taken me a few days to get clarity on my feelings, which remain ambivalent. On one hand, I admire the author’s courage, resiliency, and transparency in sharing her story through this memoir. On the other, much to my surprise, I was unable to connect emotionally with her experiences – something essential felt missing in the feeling tone of the writing.

Over one half the book is devoted to describing in detail the emotional/physical abuse and trauma related to living in a home dominated by two very wounded parents. Alcoholism and domestic violence were the foundation for this family’s interactions. When the story did shift to the realization of her spiritual path to healing, it was filled with New Age cliches and name dropping. I was particularly disturbed by the criticisms of Debbie Ford and the Ford Institute. I support the development of discernment in choosing teacher/mentors, but discernment without compassion or empathy is simply judgment. Ford is now deceased and has no recourse to challenge or correct these perceptions of her failings. (Please note: I have experienced Ford’s shadow work but have no allegiance to her methods or the Institute.)

I also found the content short on guidance to connect with one’s own “ wise little one.” There is a reference to the creation of The Emotional Healing System as well as her retreats and private consultations, but very little discussion of the “tools and skills” mentioned in the promotional summary.

Overall, I usually enjoy reading books about others’ spiritual journeys, often finding them inspiring and even educational. This one felt flat and more a lead-in to recruiting readers to pursue the author’s professional services. The value of this book lies in its core message to those that have experienced childhood abuse: you are not alone, you are more than your experiences, and there are pathways to healing and wholeness.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A true eye opening book. It hits hard to home as the situations Jana has been through I can relate too! Jana is the most courageous, beautiful soul, the way she has written her book is short of incredible!