Emotional Inheritance

A Therapist, Her Patients, and the Legacy of Trauma

By: Galit Atlas

Narrated by: Galit Atlas

Award-winning psychoanalyst Dr. Galit Atlas draws on her patients' stories—and her own life experiences—to shed light on how generational trauma affects our lives in this "intimate, textured, compassionate" book (Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of The Healing Power of Mindfulness).

The people we love and those who raised us live inside us; we experience their emotional pain, we dream their memories, and these things shape our lives in ways we don’t always recognize. Emotional Inheritance is about family secrets that keep us from living to our full potential, create gaps between what we want for ourselves and what we are able to have, and haunt us like ghosts.

In this transformative book, Galit Atlas entwines the stories of her patients, her own stories, and decades of research to help us identify the links between our life struggles and the “emotional inheritance” we all carry. For it is only by following the traces those ghosts leave that we can truly change our destiny.

©2022 Galit Atlas (P)2022 Little, Brown & Company

Critic reviews

“An intimate, textured, and compassionate exploration of intergenerational trauma, how it is carried and transmitted within families, and how it can be skillfully invited in, recognized, attenuated, and perhaps resolved through the therapeutic relationship, metabolizing what has hitherto not been named or nameable.” (Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of The Healing Power of Mindfulness)

“Beautiful, artistic, and elegant. Dr. Atlas skillfully uses stories from her practice to explore the archeology of transgenerational trauma. The descriptions of the therapeutic process pull you in; you come to know both patient and therapist. In doing so, you cannot help but reflect on your own journey. Emotional Inheritance is a gem for anyone, but it is an essential read for those seeking to understand trauma, therapy, and the healing process.” (Bruce D. Perry, MD, PhD, coauthor (with Oprah Winfrey) of the number one New York Times best seller What Happened to You?)

"Dr. Atlas writes with profound living compassion for those who have carried, in their bodies, minds, hearts, spirits and souls, the most often unspoken and secret traumas of their own hurt elders. As a first-generation American child growing up in my tough family of war refugees, deportees - the ethnically cleansed, struggling immigrants, I humbly assert that I know about generational traumas in depth. I recognize Dr. Atlas as one who writes in full knowing detail - about what I call in my work, ‘the generational wound." (Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés Reyés, author of Women Who Run with the Wolves)

Loved this.

Loved it, wanted more when it was over. Loved the narration, by whom is also the author. So good.

very insightful

outstanding. I would recommend to anyone in a self healing journey. it helps connecting dots from past and present

Informative and enjoyable

A helpful experience of understanding how we internalize the traumas of our ancestors and culture even when we have no cognitive memory or know of them. The author’s delivery also provides a soothing and pleasant experience.

Listen on 1.3x speed and it’s good

I thought this book would be about epigenetics, and it barely touches on that, which was fine for me. It’s more about how older generations’ traumas create painful family cultures and how uncovering the roots of the disfunction can be healing. Really interesting examples are fleshed out.
This was the first time I had to speed up a book, but that Audible functionality works great.

Wow! A must read!

This was an excellent book, Galit’s performance is phenomenal! There is so much wisdom in each story. I gained a lot of self insight while listening. In full disclosure, there are times I had to take breaks to reorient myself emotionally before continuing. However, the amount of discovery in these pages I’m sure is enough to spark personal shifts within your own story and understanding.

Completely extraordinary book, I will be on the look out for more works by Galit!

Excellent

Everything about this book was Excellent, from the stories to the dramatic narration that keeps you engaged.

So insightful and touching

I’ve studied this topic a lot, but the stories from her therapy practice and her own life really brought the ideas home in a new, deeper way.

Interesting

I found the case studies very interesting, but had thought/hoped there might be more about HOW emotional inheritance happens and/or HOW to tap in to one’s own emotional. I didn’t get the ‘how’, but I enjoyed the engaging examples of what emotional inheritance looks like.

I enjoyed the author’s reading, but found her pace very slow. I changed the play speed to 1.3x and she sounded more conversational.

True look into healing trauma

This book was wildly explorative and eye opening!! I will continue to use the information I gained throughout my life to help me be a better mom and grandma! Thank you!

Worthwhile read

Really enjoyed this book and it’s approach. Found several chapters very insightful. If you’re in the thick of it this book offers insight towards a better future.