Our family legacies, both positive and negative, are passed down from one generation to the next in ways that are not fully understood. This secondary form of trauma, which Gita Baack calls “Inherited Trauma,” has not received adequate attention—a failing that perpetuates cycles of pain, hatred, and violence. In The Inheritors, readers are given the opportunity to reflect on the inherited burdens they carry, as well as the resilience that has given them the power of survival. Through engaging stories and unique concepts, readers will learn new ways to explore the unknowns in their legacies, reflect on questions that are posed at the end of each chapter, and begin to write their own story.

Gita Arian Baack holds a PhD from Tilburg University, The Netherlands in association with Taos Institute, and an MA in Human Systems Intervention from Concordia University, Montreal, Canada. For over thirty years, her consulting and coaching practice has been based on strengths-based interventions resulting in positive change and empowered individuals. Her research on the effects of trauma on inheriting generations has put her on a path to help “Inheritors” reclaim their lives and build on their resilience. She continues to coach individuals, runs dialogues with communities that have inherited devastating legacies, and speaks to diverse audiences. Dr. Baack lives and works in Ottawa and abroad.

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“My generation—the Inheritors, as Dr. Baack calls us—is searching for answers to the large questions that were never discussed in our families. My parents’ experience of WWII was that of Canadian volunteers—my mother was an aid worker with the Red Cross in London and my father landed on Juno Beach on D-Day, winning the Military Cross for his efforts. They too had stories that were ‘un-discussable,’ and fears they tried unsuccessfully to hide. Throughout my life, I have tried to find a way to understand the impact these secrets had on our family and on me. Dr. Baack’s research and ‘construction of meaning’ has given me language and a connection with others who have had similar experiences that has helped to lift this burden from my shoulders.”

—Moira E. Grayson BEd, MEd, Teacher, Transition Consultant for First Nations, Saskatchewan, Canada

“Reading Dr. Baack’s book as it evolved allowed me to understand the complexity and sheer brilliance of her work. At every moment I felt this was seminal work that would surely benefit the world on a very large scale.”

—Danielle Silverman, MBA, MA, BCC, Editor and President, Vision Coach International

“For me, this book is the mother lode . . . I stayed up all night reading and crying and identifying for the first time with words and descriptions of what I have experienced my whole life. I realized there is nothing wrong with me. I read Eckhart Tolle’s pain bodywork but nothing resonated like this. This will help me complete my own puzzle.”

—Jeanie Keyes, artist

“Dr. Baack has broken new ground in social science research.”

—John Rijsman, Dean, Social Science, Tilburg University, The Netherlands