The Ancestor Syndrome : Transgenerational Psychotherapy and the Hidden Links in the Family Tree

In this text Anne Ancelin Schutzenberger explains and provides clinical examples of her psychogenealogical approach to psychotherapy.

She shows how, as mere links in a chain of generations, we may have no choice in having the events and traumas experienced by our ancestors visited upon us in our own lifetime.

The book includes case studies and examples of "genosociograms" (family trees) to illustrate how her clients have conquered seemingly irrational fears, psychological and even physical difficulties by discovering and understanding the parallels between their own life and the lives of their forebears.

The theory of "invisible loyalty" owed to previous generations, which may make us unwittingly re-enact their life events, is discussed in the light of ongoing research into transgenerational therapy.

The title was first published as "Aie, mes aieux" in France.