Return of family heirlooms: a case study of transgenerational legacies

Abstract

This article aimed to understand the contributions of transgenerational therapy in the return of the family heirlooms of an anxious patient. The case study portrays excerpts from four psychotherapy sessions that took place via an online platform. Invisible loyalties were identified with the mother and grandmother, who carried the weight of sexual violence and the fear and distrust of men, as well as the anniversary syndrome in relation to the mother and the phenomenon of parentification, when becoming the parents’ caregiver. After experiencing the techniques, the patient’s awareness increased and she realized that she could honor her ancestors by freeing herself from paralyzing cultural preserves, based on positive family inheritances.