Break the Cycle

August 1, 2023

Leading trauma psychologist Buqu� explains how an individual's unaddressed trauma can affect family, friends, and community, eventually passing from generation to generation--and how to Break the Cycle. Prepub Alert.

Copyright 2023 Library Journal

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 30, 2023
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.

November 15, 2023
How to confront and control the transmission of suffering. Drawing on wisdom gleaned from years of professional experience as a psychologist as well as her own troubled family history, Buqu� presents a "comprehensive recipe to shedding intergenerational trauma and an immersive orientation into how to do this work." The author organizes the text into three major sections. In the first, she defines trauma and the dynamics of its inheritance and expression; the second examines the "layered" dimensions of both pain and healing, along with how cultural conventions can reinforce toxic behaviors and mindsets; and the third explores the impact of grief on mental and physical well-being and how one might create salvific forms of mourning and recovery. Each chapter balances discussions of the origins and contours of trauma with practical lessons on how to begin a healing journey. With the proper tools and a courageous commitment to recovery, the author explains, one will discover that "every problem is survivable" and that longstanding patterns of dysfunction can be re-formed into healthier alternatives. A holistic conception of well-being--departing from the standard Western medical model, which tends to view symptoms, and individuals, apart from a network of relations--informs this conviction. Becoming well involves understanding how our identities have been shaped by a series of influences extending far into the past. Moreover, any genuine emancipation from traumatic legacies can only be achieved by "co-healing, or healing in community." A notable strength of this work is Buqu�'s clear and compassionate treatment of delicate subjects and her credible endorsement of the promise of modern therapeutic interventions. Particularly intriguing are the author's discussions of the physical consequences of psychological stress, and she compellingly summarizes recent scientific studies demonstrating how trauma can modify genetic expression across generations. A field-tested, practical guidebook for reclaiming health in the face of intergenerational trauma.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.