Rooted in the present, the emergence of the self (Broché)

At birth, we unconsciously inherit unfinished stories of our parents, our ancestors and our society. Like open circuits, the charges of this heritage influence our lives for we cannot cut ourselves off from our roots without losing an essential part of ourselves. These histories replay themselves in some of the difficulties we encounter in our own lives, often programming the same outcomes again and again.
The various ways in which we try to protect ourselves from them, by becoming withdrawn for example, or through excessive conformity to others and to society at large, prevent us from truly being ourselves and living in the present moment. To release from the past that haunts the present, the author invites us to understand the laws that regulate these transgenerational inheritance. His approach goes beyond the established clichés.
Rather than striving in vain to cut the ties to our origins, we should learn to integrate them, drawing upon traditional wisdom and the Oedipus plays of Sophocles for inspiration. The key to emancipation from these problematic heritages does not lie in constructing barriers or armouring ourselves defensively, but rather in reconnecting with our selves and with others at a more profound level, one which is often unconscious.
Rather than compounding an all too individualistic and egocentric approach, which can only disconnect us from others and from our origins, the author proposes reconnecting with our true selves so as to return to, and be rooted in, the essentials of life.