Break the Cycle: A Guide to Healing Intergenerational Trauma

Psychologist Buqué debuts with a wise program for repairing intergenerational trauma through a holistic framework that targets mind, body, and spirit. According to the author, readers can become “cycle breakers” by connecting with their “intergenerational higher self”—a consciousness where one’s “innate wisdom and ancestral wisdom” reside—to recognize the resilience they’ve inherited along with their trauma. Using this strength, readers can map out a “trauma tree” that captures the “psychological, physical, spiritual, and cultural characteristics of people in your family and... extended community”; examine the ways their parents were parented, because “the unresolved inner child in your parents becomes the inner child in you”; and learn how to parent one’s own children to create a new legacy. Throughout, Buqué outlines plenty of solid exercises (“Recite affirmations that you wish you heard as a child, such as ‘You are such a lovable person’”) and tips for starting conversations with family members about intergenerational trauma. Her discussion of the ways collective trauma impacts marginalized families is especially illuminating. Readers seeking a practical and psychologically grounded approach to healing familial wounds will find value here. (Jan.)