Generations Deep: Unmasking Inherited Dysfunction and Trauma to Rewrite Our Stories Through Faith and Therapy

It ran in her family, until it ran into her. She was the cycle breaker.

What does it mean to be a cycle breaker? In Generations Deep, author and licensed professional counselor Gina Birkemeier uses her own personal story to illustrate how unaddressed dysfunction and trauma can create emotional wounds and toxic beliefs that are passed down from one generation to the next. Gina shares the story of inherited trauma and dysfunction that echoed through four generations of her family, demonstrating this profound truth: what isn’t repaired gets repeated. Often in ways we never could have imagined.

Generations Deep takes an unparalleled approach to personal and familial transformation, inviting you to challenge what you think about family, trauma, faith and therapy. Gina shares her story in a way that makes you feel like you are “in the room” together. And once you’re in the room, she weaves the sciences of psychology and transgenerational epigenetics with faith in God, questionnaires created by trauma-informed therapists, and one-of-a-kind journaling prompts to help you in your journey toward ending patterns of dysfunction. If you are interested in the power of familial legacy and what it means to be a cycle breaker, this is the book for you. It will leave you feeling hopeful and empowered to write a legacy of freedom for the generations to come.
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What others are saying:

“Birkemeier employs a fast-paced and engagingly straightforward style as she tells stories from her childhood and young adulthood, and this creates a low-stress atmosphere that’s welcoming to readers dealing with difficult family memories…. The end result is an intriguing study of the legacy of emotional baggage, ultimately cast in a tone of optimism: ‘You don’t know what you don’t know until you know it,’ she writes. ‘Then, when you know, you must do something with it.’” - Kirkus Reviews


“I loved this book! Generations Deep is affirming and validating at so many levels! Gina masterfully weaves together a beautiful tapestry of both theology and psychology as she explores the impact of accumulated generational trauma on current life functioning. Trauma that is not transformed... is transferred. But healing is possible.”—Kirby Reutter, Ph.D., Author, The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills workbook for PTSD, TEDx Speaker/Presenter


"Like Gina, I work on generational trauma with my clients and, like Gina, I have had a good share of my own. I was blown away by the wisdom, courage and spiritual depth this book provided. There are so few Christian books that skillfully bridge the psychological and spiritual dimensions of our humanity, and Gina has done just that. She shows both the novice and the experienced seeker of mental and spiritual health a clear pathway to it, navigating through it with such compassion and truth. Generational trauma is something that is not often addressed in therapeutic circles (And it should be!) and not often preached from the pulpit (And it should be!) Thank you, Gina, for bravely sticking your neck out with something so healing and powerful. Such a beautiful collaboration between you and the Holy Spirit!" — Britta Eskey, Cofounder and codirector of COR