For more than 25 years, renowned family therapist Terry Real has guided individuals toward healing, connection, and emotional honesty. A bestselling author and a familiar presence on major platforms such as NBC Nightly News, Today, The CBS Early Show, Oprah, and Good Morning America, Real has become one of the leading voices in modern family therapy and relational healing.
In a powerful Facebook post, he reflected on what he considers the bravest and most liberating work a person can do. It is the work of breaking the generational cycle. Real shared a moving testimony that traced the emotional wounds passed down through his lineage. He recounted how pain, silence, and inherited anger shaped the men who came before him. By naming these patterns, he emphasized how important it is to confront what has been repeated across generations.
“I am the son of an angry, depressed father. He was the son of an angry, depressed father. I have two boys. Neither of them say that… And that is the greatest achievement of my life.” These words capture the heart of what Real teaches. Change begins when someone finally decides that the cycle ends with them.
He compared family trauma to a forest fire, relentless and destructive until someone finds the courage to turn and face the flames. That single act of bravery becomes a gift. It brings peace not only to the person standing in the present but also to the generations before and after them.
Real expanded on this truth. He reminded readers that generations before us endured wars, scarcity, emotional burdens, and limited tools for healing. Many families survived through silence. Recognizing these inherited wounds, he said, is a blessing that must be brought into every household. “A great truth yet to be fully understood and appreciated in our society. Our fathers and theirs experienced wars and conflicts on many levels for generations past, this blessing of realisation must be brought to every family in our society,” he said.
Through his work, Terry Real continues to remind the world that healing is not only personal. It is a legacy passed forward with courage, honesty, and love.
