Today Gina Birkemeier, licensed counselor/author, comes to discuss her book Generations Deep: Unmasking Inherited Dysfunction and Trauma to Rewrite our story through Faith and Therapy.
Gina talks about how she struggled most with leaning into the safe places during her healing journey because when you find your function in dysfunction safety looks dangerous. She explains to us forgiveness versus reconciliation, corrective emotions, and corrective experiences and their importance. Gina lists the most important things in her healing process including her relationship with God, therapy, relationships, forgiveness, and stop living out of the script she had been told.
This interview is full with so much value. Please listen and share with anyone you know that is healing from trauma. There is such validation in Gina's story. I highly recommend her book to buy and read, because you are going to want to take notes and use it as a reference with all of the amazing information that is included.
Ways to Find Gina:
Websites: Generations Deep by Gina Birkemeier
Gina Birkemeier (itsmyoutloudvoice.com)
FB: @itsmyoutloudvoice
Instagram: @myoutloudvoice
Gina's Bio:
Growing up, my home life overflowed with chaos and dysfunction, patterns passed down from one generation in my family to the next. As a result, my sense of self and of the world were distorted, along with my sense of value and ability to trust. What I believed about others, myself, and even God was tainted.
The verbal and physical trauma of my childhood resulted in the hallmarks of a traumatic upbringing. For years, I walked around in the fog of a disjointed self-narrative due to missing pieces of my story. The holes in my memory caused by my brain’s response to trauma and, later in life, self-destructive behaviors, made it difficult for me to understand and acknowledge my brokenness. Consequently, embracing the need for healing was difficult, too. The result was pain and shame, perpetuating the cycles of dysfunction that had been passed on to me. I lived out that legacy for more than two decades.
Then came healing.
Over time, I healed from the toxic abundance of my youth through the beautiful abundance of God’s grace combined with some powerful therapeutic interventions. Those life-changing interventions worked because they were designed to honor how God created us to heal and grow. Once I experienced that kind of healing, and came face to face with a God who saw my worth and loved me unconditionally, I knew I had to tell others. (When you find what makes your heart whole and experience the freedom you deserve, you will want to tell others too.)
Over the years my journey has taken many forms. First in ministry and as a lay counselor to the homeless, those coming out of prison, domestic violence survivors, and single moms. As I walked with these precious souls, I heard many stories that resonated with my experiences growing up. I became aware of my inadequacies to help them with their deeper mental and emotional struggles. I knew clinical training was the missing piece, but I also knew that whatever formal education I pursued, it would need to include faith and therapy.
I pursued my master’s degree in counseling and theology from Covenant Theological Seminary and then advanced training in trauma and techniques to help people heal from the impact of trauma. The study of intergenerational dysfunction and trauma have been areas of particular interest to me as it was a big part of understanding my own journey.
Embrace, Live, Thrive:
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
