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When a favorite song played in a retail aisle, 27-year-old Heidi Bruce did something that stopped strangers and lit up social feeds: she danced, wearing a cape and crown. Her clips, which have drawn millions of views, are part of a larger practice known online as reparenting — a personal-therapy approach that’s becoming a visible trend on platforms such as TikTok and prompting fresh discussion about public vulnerability and self-care.
Bruce says the choice to move in public was less about spectacle and more about confronting fear: testing whether small acts of joy could be safely reclaimed after years of anxiety and harsh self-talk.
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What led her here
Bruce describes a childhood and adolescence marked by anxiety and depressive spells. Early therapy helped only so much, she says, and as an adult she explored books and practices tied to the inner child and body-centered work. One influential read was Richard Schwartz’s No Bad Parts, which introduced her to the idea of listening to different parts of the self rather than trying to silence them.
Those readings turned into a routine: short “check-ins” during the day, then conversations with the part of her that still reacts like a child. She discovered just how persistent negative self-statements were — the internal commentary that reduces accomplishments and amplifies embarrassment. Reparenting, for Bruce, became an intentional effort to respond to those feelings with the care she wished she’d received when she was younger.
How she practices reparenting
Her online clips show unconventional but deliberate techniques aimed at soothing unmet needs. Bruce frames these acts as therapeutic rather than performative, and she limits them so they remain respectful of others around her.
- Pause and name the feeling: acknowledging anxiety or shame in the moment.
- Ask what the younger self needs: comfort, reassurance, or a small pleasurable action.
- Respond with a gentle action: a deep breath, a hug, a phone call, or dancing.
- Repeat the practice until the automatic negative voice softens.
Why the Target videos became a lightning rod
The public nature of Bruce’s actions — dancing in a store while wearing a cape — helped her content go viral. Some viewers found it uplifting; others ridiculed the behavior. The split reaction reflects a broader online debate about authenticity, boundaries and what counts as legitimate self-care.
For Bruce, negative comments were painful at first. But rather than withdraw, she leaned into the moment: she returned to the store the next day and made the next clip more intentional — an act of self-reinforcement as much as a statement to critics.
| Audience | Typical Reaction | Implication |
|---|---|---|
| Supporters | Encouragement, empathy | See it as permission to reclaim joy publicly |
| Critics | Mockery or dismissal | Raise questions about boundaries and performance |
| Mental health professionals | Measured interest | View as one expression of therapeutic practice with limits |
What clinicians say
Mental-health professionals describe reparenting not as a fad but as a practical set of strategies intended to replace harsh inner narratives with a more supportive internal voice. Therapists who work with anxiety and attention-related conditions note that small, safe experiments — deliberately allowing oneself to enjoy an activity without bracing for disaster — can reduce hypervigilance over time.
At the same time, clinicians caution that being “supportive” in this context doesn’t mean indulging every impulse. A healthy reparenting voice can also set limits: balancing encouragement with boundaries is part of long-term emotional regulation.
In short, experts say reparenting can help people feel more authentic and less controlled by fear, provided it is practiced alongside established therapies and realistic self-care strategies.
Practical takeaways
Whether you encounter Bruce’s videos as inspiring or odd, the trend raises useful questions about how social media shapes modern healing rituals. If you’re curious about trying aspects of reparenting, mental-health professionals recommend starting small and keeping safety and context in mind.
- Start privately: try brief check-ins and soothing actions in a safe space.
- Pair with therapy: use reparenting techniques as a complement, not a replacement.
- Be mindful of context: public acts can be empowering but may also draw unwanted attention.
Bruce says she will keep sharing her journey, not out of a desire for attention but to normalize gentle self-care and to invite others to test their own fears. Whether or not she returns to dance in public, her videos have pushed a real-time conversation about how people use social platforms to experiment with healing in plain sight.
