Emotional Inheritance: A Therapist, Her Patients, and the Legacy of Trauma
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- Create Date：2022-01-04 20:21:13
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Galit Atlas
- ISBN：B093ZPV3RG
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Summary
Dr。 Galit Atlas， an internationally known psychoanalyst， draws on the emotional power of her patients’ stories and her own life experiences to illuminate the extraordinary ways in which inherited family trauma affects our lives。
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。
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。
Reviews
Alicia Bayer
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This is one of my favorite reads of 2021， and that's saying a lot as I've logged over 300 books this year。Dr。 Atlas shows us how we pass on our trauma through generations just as we pass on our biological genes， even when our stories are never discussed between generations。 She uses a different case history of one of her patients for each chapter， along with weaving in her own history。 She is the perfect blend of brilliant and caring， and makes a fascinating author。 Highly recommended。Expected p This is one of my favorite reads of 2021， and that's saying a lot as I've logged over 300 books this year。Dr。 Atlas shows us how we pass on our trauma through generations just as we pass on our biological genes， even when our stories are never discussed between generations。 She uses a different case history of one of her patients for each chapter， along with weaving in her own history。 She is the perfect blend of brilliant and caring， and makes a fascinating author。 Highly recommended。Expected publication: January 25th 2022I read a digital ARC of this book via Net Galley。 。。。more
your fave lit teacher
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“Like detectives， my patients and I try to follow the signs and listen not only to what they say but also to their pauses， to the music of that which is unknown to both of us。”For any human being that has experienced or seen any degree of trauma， this is for you。 The introspection Atlas provides into generational trauma is both heartbreaking and incredibly relatable。 The authors personal tale regarding their childhood makes the piece hit even harder。 For fans of Brene Brown， The Body Keeps the S “Like detectives， my patients and I try to follow the signs and listen not only to what they say but also to their pauses， to the music of that which is unknown to both of us。”For any human being that has experienced or seen any degree of trauma， this is for you。 The introspection Atlas provides into generational trauma is both heartbreaking and incredibly relatable。 The authors personal tale regarding their childhood makes the piece hit even harder。 For fans of Brene Brown， The Body Keeps the Score， and What Happened to You？- this is what you want to read next。 。。。more
Ramona Mead
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I was expecting some dry， dense writing considering the topic but there wasn't any。 This was a well written， engaging look at how trauma and secrets affect families， particularly future generations。 The author shares stories and examples from her own family， along with those of her therapy patients。 She mixes these anecdotes with research， facts， and quotes from other professionals。 I was invited in each story and connected with the characters who are discussed。 I related too their stories in re I was expecting some dry， dense writing considering the topic but there wasn't any。 This was a well written， engaging look at how trauma and secrets affect families， particularly future generations。 The author shares stories and examples from her own family， along with those of her therapy patients。 She mixes these anecdotes with research， facts， and quotes from other professionals。 I was invited in each story and connected with the characters who are discussed。 I related too their stories in regard to my own family trauma and journey to heal。 This book is helpful for understanding why and how families keep secrets and/or get stuck in patterns of trauma and pain。 It made me think about my family in new ways and affirmed my desire to break the cycle， be different， and heal myself。 I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to understand their family history。 。。。more
Rich
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We inherit more from our ancestors than we might realize and those who have come before us live within us even when they are no longer around。 In EMOTIONAL INHERITANCE， Dr。 Galit Atlas， a psychoanalyst， shares stories of her patients， her own life， and research that helps readers understand how the emotional struggles of previous generations find their way within our selves， although it is not always easy to recognize。 In order to live meaningful， fulfilled lives， we can follow the breadcrumb tr We inherit more from our ancestors than we might realize and those who have come before us live within us even when they are no longer around。 In EMOTIONAL INHERITANCE， Dr。 Galit Atlas， a psychoanalyst， shares stories of her patients， her own life， and research that helps readers understand how the emotional struggles of previous generations find their way within our selves， although it is not always easy to recognize。 In order to live meaningful， fulfilled lives， we can follow the breadcrumb trail of family secrets and "ghosts" that connect our struggles with the "emotional inheritance" we've received。 I found myself connected to each of Dr。 Atlas' patients， although there was a wide variety of themes covered， although many situations I haven't experienced myself。 The humanity of both patient and practitioner is apparent， and I feel that I've become more aware of how much of one's behavior is linked to what happened to them and those who came （even long） before them。 Atlas' stories helps explain the concept of nuance and how important self-awareness is to living authentically and freely。 This book feels like sitting in a chair just beyond the therapy couch; I'm grateful to the patients who consented to their stories being shared as they help the reader see how much of the human experience is shared。Readers with an interest in psychotherapy， getting a glimpse of what goes on in a therapy room or those who have experienced trauma， held family secrets， and those who wish to better understand themselves and those around them will not be disappointed by this compassionate and intriguing book。 （Thanks to Little， Brown and Company for providing an ARC via NetGalley） 。。。more
Chelsea
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Wow！ This book contains a lot of insight on trauma and it’s effects。 I found it to be very thoughtful and helpful。 I was gifted this book in exchange for honest thoughts。
Jill Melrose
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This was a very fascinating book about intergenerational trauma。 I won this book on Goodreads giveaways。 The book is full of analytic and therapeutic wisdom and still manages to be a really good read。 The author uses simple layman’s language to explore very deep analytical ideas and is also able to write in a way that is compassionate and caring。 The book will leave you with more questions than answers and that is how it should be。 Kudos！
Joy Matteson
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This reminded me a lot of "It Didn't Start with You" by Mark Wolynn， only more personalized in patient story form， and actually included sexual abuse trauma as a part of the inherited emotional baggage people can carry from their parents and grandparents。 Galit Atlas is no distant partipant in her patients' stories of the unexplained trauma they carry; she carries her own from Israel and examines the lives of her own family and their relationship to Israel and the Holocaust。 Highly recommended f This reminded me a lot of "It Didn't Start with You" by Mark Wolynn， only more personalized in patient story form， and actually included sexual abuse trauma as a part of the inherited emotional baggage people can carry from their parents and grandparents。 Galit Atlas is no distant partipant in her patients' stories of the unexplained trauma they carry; she carries her own from Israel and examines the lives of her own family and their relationship to Israel and the Holocaust。 Highly recommended for anyone who has trauma， or in the psychotherapy field。 Very readable， intense， and needed。 。。。more
Yifat Eitan
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In the preface to her book， dealing with intergenerational heritage of unspeakable memories， Dr。 Atlas equates psychoanalytic work with detective fiction。 As a big fan of Sherlock Holmes， she writes， Freud borrowed the detective's method: "gathering evidence， searching for a truth beneath the surface"， and so on。 "Like detectives"， she continues， "my patients and I try to follow the signs。。。 looking for clues， piecing these together into a picture， we ask， What really happened and to whom？" Cont In the preface to her book， dealing with intergenerational heritage of unspeakable memories， Dr。 Atlas equates psychoanalytic work with detective fiction。 As a big fan of Sherlock Holmes， she writes， Freud borrowed the detective's method: "gathering evidence， searching for a truth beneath the surface"， and so on。 "Like detectives"， she continues， "my patients and I try to follow the signs。。。 looking for clues， piecing these together into a picture， we ask， What really happened and to whom？" Contemporary literature scholars have pointed to a major shift in the modus operandi of detective fiction。 While in the traditional genre investigation was initiated retrospectively， after the crime was committed， around World War II， a novel detective was introduced: one that no longer enjoys the comfort of investigating a crime from a neutral scientific stance， but rather is deeply involved in an ongoing mystery。 A similar shift has occurred in psychoanalytic thinking， and this， I would say， is exactly the great merit of Emotional Inheritance。 By virtue of her compelling sensitive writing， Dr。 Atlas sweeps the reader off， inviting them to take part in solving an unconscious enigma， at times more mind blowing than any detective fiction writer could come up with， reminding us all how complex and mysterious the human psyche and unconscious communication are。 She does not take a convenient neutral standpoint， but rather is deeply touched and involved with her patients' suffering， and generously reflects on her own experience and intergenerational ghosts。 Dr。 Atlas is a brilliant clinician and writer。 Her vast knowledge is coupled with sharp intuition and directness that allow her to capture complicated ideas in a very intelligible way。 I highly recommend this marvelous book！ 。。。more
Noga Ariel-Galor
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Galit Atlas's book is a "must-read" for everyone who feels like their efforts of understanding themselves and/or their patients has reached a certain impasse， one that can only be broken by digging in deeper into what has been passed on to us by previous generations。 By doing that， this book does not only connect us with the understanding of the elusive and transgenerational aspects of trauma， but it also further connects between generations: It leads us to curiosity regarding our ancestors and Galit Atlas's book is a "must-read" for everyone who feels like their efforts of understanding themselves and/or their patients has reached a certain impasse， one that can only be broken by digging in deeper into what has been passed on to us by previous generations。 By doing that， this book does not only connect us with the understanding of the elusive and transgenerational aspects of trauma， but it also further connects between generations: It leads us to curiosity regarding our ancestors and relatives， and truly reveals the meaning of what "family history" really is - a window not only to the past but rather to our own present and future。 Reading this book is not only insightful， but also very evocative and at times mesmerising。 It's a great read all on its own， but it's also "the textbook we always wanted to read": one that teaches us not only through knowledge but through the deeply visceral experience that only a great book can give us。 I love this book and will recommend it to all of my students and patients！ 。。。more
Corrie
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Emotional Inheritance is a beautiful， illuminating， and transformative book。 While everyone is carrying generational trauma somehow， secrets that are passed down， and hidden histories， this book focuses on the big and the small。 Dr。 Galit Atlas takes you along with incredible stories of her patients， sharing the hard things they have been dealing with。 She gives them space to process their families' trauma and gives them courage and permission to grieve。 Through stories of the Holocaust， Israeli Emotional Inheritance is a beautiful， illuminating， and transformative book。 While everyone is carrying generational trauma somehow， secrets that are passed down， and hidden histories， this book focuses on the big and the small。 Dr。 Galit Atlas takes you along with incredible stories of her patients， sharing the hard things they have been dealing with。 She gives them space to process their families' trauma and gives them courage and permission to grieve。 Through stories of the Holocaust， Israeli Veterans， loss， love， and forgotten memories， Dr。 Atlas encouraged us to understand， feel， and grow。 Everyone can benefit from this book regardless of if you have known trauma， religious trauma， or dark family secrets。 。。。more
Mackenzie
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I really enjoyed this book， particularly the emphasis on immigrants and the generational impacts that can have in trauma。 I do wish this book included more about concepts and theories surrounding inter generational trauma。 I was looking for stories that were more closely connected to the client stories。 Dr。 Galit Atlas includes stories with so much detail you truly feel connected to her clients。 As a future therapist， I enjoyed the emphasis and expression of the therapeutic relationships in this I really enjoyed this book， particularly the emphasis on immigrants and the generational impacts that can have in trauma。 I do wish this book included more about concepts and theories surrounding inter generational trauma。 I was looking for stories that were more closely connected to the client stories。 Dr。 Galit Atlas includes stories with so much detail you truly feel connected to her clients。 As a future therapist， I enjoyed the emphasis and expression of the therapeutic relationships in this book。 。。。more
Jill FitzGerald
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“This book was born on the couch， in the intimate dialogue between my patients and me。 With their permission， it introduces their emotional inheritance， unthinkable trauma， and hidden truths， as well as my own， as we move beyond the legacy of trauma。 I explore feelings that are forbidden， memories that our minds forget or trivialize， and pieces of our history that our loyalty to those we love doesn’t always allow us to truly know or remember。 Each story presents its own unique way of examining t “This book was born on the couch， in the intimate dialogue between my patients and me。 With their permission， it introduces their emotional inheritance， unthinkable trauma， and hidden truths， as well as my own， as we move beyond the legacy of trauma。 I explore feelings that are forbidden， memories that our minds forget or trivialize， and pieces of our history that our loyalty to those we love doesn’t always allow us to truly know or remember。 Each story presents its own unique way of examining the past while looking forward to the future。 When we are ready to unpack out inheritance， we are able to confront the ghosts we carry within。”This book is beautifully written， Dr。 Atlas does a wonderful job bringing you into her office with her。 Every story that she writes about I related to in some way。 It makes you really see the complexity of trauma and the family dynamic。 Every person on this Earth deals with something and this book really shows even if you think you have “dealt” with that something you probably haven’t and it is so much deeper。 Loved it。 。。。more
Nicole Quattro
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A fascinating look at the effect of inter generational trauma。 There are often parodies or at least a scoffing at the idea of a therapist saying “tell me about your childhood”， as if every problem being dealt with today has an origin in our childhood。 Dr Atlas helps her readers to understand why this is often the case。 So much of the way we were raised and then subsequently raise our our children is based on how circumstances were addressed by our parents and even grandparents。 There were a lot A fascinating look at the effect of inter generational trauma。 There are often parodies or at least a scoffing at the idea of a therapist saying “tell me about your childhood”， as if every problem being dealt with today has an origin in our childhood。 Dr Atlas helps her readers to understand why this is often the case。 So much of the way we were raised and then subsequently raise our our children is based on how circumstances were addressed by our parents and even grandparents。 There were a lot of academic references which were probably deemed necessary to provide further authenticity but at times were distracting and stopped the flow of the narrative。 。。。more
Jackie Sunday
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This book was extremely interesting which focuses on ourselves。 Why is it difficult to connect？ Why do you feel angry， abandoned and insecure？ Why is it painful to talk about the past？"Every family carries some history of trauma。" Galit Atlas has spent years studying how our ancestors' trauma is passed down as an emotional inheritance - leaving those in the present to figure out why it is that some individuals might be having a bad day based on elements of trust， disappointment， a loud room， pov This book was extremely interesting which focuses on ourselves。 Why is it difficult to connect？ Why do you feel angry， abandoned and insecure？ Why is it painful to talk about the past？"Every family carries some history of trauma。" Galit Atlas has spent years studying how our ancestors' trauma is passed down as an emotional inheritance - leaving those in the present to figure out why it is that some individuals might be having a bad day based on elements of trust， disappointment， a loud room， poverty and so much more。 It's not a long book but it's a slow read as it takes time to digest the contents。For the author， "Research is me-search。。。。it is our quest to understand and heal ourselves and the people that raised us。" That's why she has dedicated many years to help herself and others as a therapist to bring them back to life。 She opens up with pieces of her personal life to emphasize the meaning。 The book weaves in dialogues she has had with patients revealing parts that may be similar to each one of own lives。 She adds however， that often it is the parents that need the most help。 She notes as children we experience our parents fears and inherit them。There are three parts to the book: grandparents inherited trauma， our parents hidden realities and the scars from our childhood emotional stress。 This book may need to be read over and over again to grasp the deep elements presented within the pages。 She presents the material in a way that keeps you interested with each chapter。 It's not scientific and full of charts。 It's based on real stories。 Highly recommended。My thanks to Galit Atlas， Little， Brown Spark and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy to be released on January 25， 2022。 。。。more
Sean Loughran
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Emotional Intelligence is fascinating to say the least。 I've always had a keen interest in this idea that we carry the traumas of others deep within us — but my knowledge on the subject was surface level and very limited。 Until I read this book， I had no idea just how much past trauma can affect future generations。In her intro， Dr。 Galit Atlas states that the book "is about silenced experiences that belong not only to us but also to our parents， grandparents and great grandparents。" She also men Emotional Intelligence is fascinating to say the least。 I've always had a keen interest in this idea that we carry the traumas of others deep within us — but my knowledge on the subject was surface level and very limited。 Until I read this book， I had no idea just how much past trauma can affect future generations。In her intro， Dr。 Galit Atlas states that the book "is about silenced experiences that belong not only to us but also to our parents， grandparents and great grandparents。" She also mentions the effects of intergenerational trauma when it comes to physical and mental health， mentioning that it highly affects these areas。The book is nicely laid out， split into three parts， each one blending seamlessly together。 I think the fact that it's sectioned so well makes this a good one to dip in and out of over time， allowing the reader to peak into each deeply thought provoking chapter and taking away the knowledge they desire at the times they want or need it most。Each chapter and case study is deeply layered and completely filled with wisdom， with Dr。 Atlas so clearly versed on trauma and its effects。 Not every case study will resonate with you， but there's definitely something to learn and take away from each one。Some chapters resonated with me more than others。 I felt completely captivated by the chapter 'Sex， Suicide and the Riddle of Grief。' In this chapter， the author talks in depth about the effects of suicide on future generations。 When I think of suicide， I've always seen it as something that might affect immediate family members but I never thought that the result of a previous generation's act of suicide might result in you yourself experiencing suicidal ideation。Dr。 Atlas states "some lives， some loves， some races， sexual orientations are seen as less valuable or not recognized as lives at all，" and uses homosexuality as an example。 As a gay male previously diagnosed with complex PTSD， I found this section particularly eye-opening。Part three was probably the one that resonated with me the most。 It's about "the secrets we keep from ourselves" and breaking the cycle。The author revealed a much more human side of herself in this part of the book which makes her more relatable to readers。 I think we often （me at least） see our therapists through only a professional lens but Galit is completely raw and vulnerable in this section which is admirable。 A reminder that our therapists are also human。To conclude， Emotional Inheritance made for an absolutely fascinating read， and I closed its pages with a wealth of knowledge but also with a lot of questions to ask myself。 I found it challenging to sleep the night I read it as I mulled over the various case studies in the book， but also the trauma that I am carrying deep within myself that has held me back from experiencing life fully。 Trauma that may have been passed to me from previous generations， and trauma that I do not want to pass along。I highly recommend this book if your life has been personally affected by trauma， or if you have an interest in learning more about intergenerational trauma。 It's well written and highly researched and makes for a great addition to any bookshelf。Avocado Diaries 。。。more
Ruth
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