The power of the mind & family history
‘Within just nine months in 2017 my world was turned upside down by various unexpected personal events,’ writes genealogical researcher & therapist Celia Heritage. ‘I suddenly faced the very real possibility of losing my home and the business I had poured my heart into for years as my contented life unravelled at speed, totally unexpectedly, and apparently uncontrollably before me.
‘To save my home and ameliorate an increasing feeling of isolation working solo, I took a job in the corporate world and closed my business. I then stepped forward into the unknown and into the scariest years of my life.
‘These years were deeply troubled, but were times of massive growth, as I slowly began to really understand myself, how I am wired, what triggers me, what I need, and how I can interact at my best with the outside world.
Celia continues: ‘In 2018, I met the person who really changed my life. She was my house sitter and just happened to be a trauma therapist! She rescued me at a time of great need as I set off overseas for my new job, but also spotted my innate potential as a therapist and encouraged me to re-train.
‘But it was through looking backwards, not just into my own childhood but much deeper into my own family history, that finally brought me the understanding I sought.
‘As a professional genealogist, I’d spent years helping others uncover their ancestral stories. I believed passionately in the value of family history and really getting under the skins of our ancestors and bringing them to life.
‘Yet during this turbulent chapter of my life, I not only began to see my own family history in a new light, but soon noticed the role that family history could play for my therapy clients.’
In this talk Celia will share her experiences and invite us to reflect on our familes’ pasts, and see the powerful ways in which family history can be used as a force for good to restore the present.
