Awards

• Nominated for Gradiva Award 2023

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9781913494247

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A gripping epic about loss, longing, and the partially submerged worlds of black trauma . . . a map of hope in dire times. - Dr. Bayo Akomolafe, author of These Wilds Beyond our Fences: Letters to My Daughter on Humanity's Search for Home One of the most ground-breaking books on the vital subject of intergenerational trauma. This truly heartening and gripping contribution to modern psychology offers many bold and essential insights into the nature of global suffering and hatred. We all have much to learn from the author's wisdom, regardless of the colour of our skin. - Professor Brett Kahr, Senior Fellow, Tavistock Institute of Medical Psychology, London A scholarly gift to individuals engaged in doing the healing work of intergenerational and transgenerational trauma . . . Dr. Alleyne's book should be required reading for every clinician seeking to better understand Black psychology . . . The Burden of Heritage is a creative work that lovingly explores, teaches, and psychologically deepens who we are, and who we can become in terms of healing individual and cultural group racial trauma. Fanny Brewster, Ph.D., MFA, author of The Racial Complex: A Jungian Perspective on Culture and Race

'She challenges the reader to acknowledge his/her own triggers, traumas, and scripts so they may be tended to without unwanted interference in the therapy. [...] the uncomfortable truth of othering is at the heart of this book, which challenges us all to sit with the honest, and sometimes stark, truths to which Alleyne gives voice.' -- Naomi Segal 'Aileen Alleyne has written one of the most ground-breaking books on the vital subject of intergenerational trauma. This truly heartening and gripping contribution to modern psychology offers many bold and essential insights into the nature of global suffering and hatred. We all have much to learn from the author’s wisdom, regardless of the colour of our skin.' -- PROFESSOR BRETT KAHR, Senior Fellow, Tavistock Institute of Medical Psychology, London 'A powerful reminder of the deep and prolonged impact of racial oppression on black communities, and of the importance for all of us – black and white, people of colour ... Full of new concepts, written with clarity and passion, this book will be invaluable for all those dedicated to racial justice.' -- PROFESSOR STEPHEN FROSH, Birkbeck, University of London 'This book helps to fill an important gap in the psychoanalytic psychotherapeutic theorizing of racial trauma. Focusing on the dual forms of relational transmission of such trauma, the transgenerational and the intergenerational, this book presents an experience-near, personal account of working with racial trauma in psychotherapy. […] attending to the sequela of racism must be considered an essential, indeed foundational, aspect of psychotherapeutic work.' -- ANTON HART, PhD, FABP, FIPA, Faculty, Training and Supervising Analyst, The William Alanson White Institute, New York 'An intricate blend of historical facts, psychoanalytic ideas and somewhat of a user manual, all competently woven together by Alleyne’s use of case studies, story-telling and (largely) steady pace. [...] The importance of this book by its very existence and the contributions it will no doubt make to the understanding of trauma and the legacy of colonisation on the psychic lives of Black people, make it a worthwhile read. [...] It is challenging and haunting yet remarkably enlightening and thought provoking. [...] It will likely leave you feeling grateful for having encountered it.' -- Angela Ike, Psychodynamic Practice, 2024

Author Information

Dr Aileen Alleyne is a UKCP registered psychodynamic psychotherapist, clinical supervisor and organisational consultant in private practice. She is a visiting lecturer at training institutions and a consultant on race and cultural diversity in organisations, such as the NHS, Social Services, Education, and the Police Services. Her clinical research examining black workers’ experiences in three UK statutory bodies, namely, the NHS, Education and Social Services, makes a significant contribution to the discourse on racism as a living trauma. Highlighting the concept of ‘the internal oppressor’, her work offers ways of deepening understanding of black psychological reactions to the wounding impact of racism. Aileen is the author of several book chapters and journal papers exploring themes on black/white dynamics, shame and identity wounding, and working with issues of Difference and Diversity in the workplace.

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