Generations Deep Is Here
DISCLAIMER: This is not a typical My Out Loud Voice post! Today I want to share something deeply personal and incredibly special to me. Today, a project I have worked on for over 5 years has come to life. Today, Generations Deep is here.
Here is a bit about the book straight from the back cover...
Does our story begin before we take our first breath?
Exploring the lives of four generations in one family, Generations Deep reveals the unhealthy patterns of behavior that can repeat from one generation to the next. The book shows how we can find ourselves trapped in a cycle if we don't take the time and effort to repair the damage of the past. Providing self-help components throughout the book allows the reader to navigate through the journey toward healing.
Licensed professional counselor Gina Birkemeier uses her own personal story to examine how \ unaddressed trauma, emotional wounds and beliefs are passed down and how we can break those cycles that impact us. As she shares her raw and sometimes heartbreaking story--as well as the stories of her ancestors—we see how our beliefs and behaviors are influenced by the emotional health of those who cared for us. Gina tells a story of bondage to freedom, of shame to self-compassion, and in doing so gives the reader tools to walk toward their own healing. She owns what she owns and in doing so, she shows the reader how powerful and freeing it is to “own your stuff.”
Slaying shame and finding freedom for ourselves and the generations after us is possible for those willing to do the work.
Faith and therapy played important roles in Gina's personal healing, and with nearly two decades of experience in counseling and ministry, she uses her personal and professional knowledge throughout the book, imploring us to do the work to heal and encouraging us to consider mental, physical, emotional and spiritual help in doing so.
She offers questions about our own personal story and theories to consider along the way. to help us do that work.. Complete with a questionnaire created with the help of sixty therapists, this book will guide you toward your own growth.
If you are looking for a guide through your journey from familial chaos to peace, clarity, and forgiveness, you need this book. Generations Deep is immensely practical, it will also have you in tears, in shock, and ultimately inspired to live your very best life. Read this book at your own risk though, because how you see yourself and your family will never be the same.
This book is about connecting dots.
About showing how patterns-beliefs, behaviors, ideas, identity and styles of relating are passed down.
It’s about creating awareness and understanding.
And- while you’re not there yet- it’s also about redemption, things that help us heal and what it looks like to include Jesus in the journey.
It’s about learning how trauma impacts us at a cellular level- but so does healing.
So- if you’re willing, consider grabbing Generations Deep for yourself, and possibly for those you love.
And if you have questions, let's talk. It is my hope that this book will change the conversations in families, help create awareness and help to end generational shame and dysfunction.
I want to see God move and help us lock arms to start a healing revolution, for ourselves and for the generations that come after us.