Intergenerational or transgenerational trauma describes how traumatic experiences can get passed down from generation to generation in the form of behavior, emotion, and in your genetic material. What this means is that the trauma of one generation can have a deep impact on succeeding generations even if they don’t experience the trauma in their own lives. Have you ever wondered how your family history might be affecting your mental and emotional wellbeing? Intergenerational trauma has a model that might help explain how your family history might be affecting you today.

How does transgenerational trauma work?

The idea behind transgenerational trauma is that you can experience trauma symptoms even if you haven’t experienced trauma in your life. The trauma of your parents and grandparents can get passed down to you, sometimes without you even knowing it. This can happen in a number of ways. From a behavioral perspective, you can see how traumatized parents that don’t resolve their trauma before they have children, can act in a way that will unwillingly cause trauma to their children.

Because children are so good at attuning to the emotions of their parents, if you grew up with a traumatized parent, there are a number of ways in which you could pick up or take on your parents traumatic experiences. Intergenerational trauma can be transmitted from parent to child if the parent exhibits;

• Poor attunement skills

• Anxiety or depression affecting the environment at home

• Unchecked anger or aggression

• PTSD flashbacks or trauma triggers

If your parents are not able to process their trauma and they exhibit some of these symptoms as a result, this can cause their children to become traumatized themselves and will pass along the trauma from generation to generation.

Cultural trauma

Transgenerational trauma can manifest on an individual level in a specific family line, but it can also manifest on a larger scale in a wider cultural context. Cultures that have experienced a collective trauma can exhibit transgenerational trauma symptoms throughout the entire culture. Common examples of this include

• Slavery 

• Genocide 

• Refugee crises

• War

These massively traumatic cultural events can leave a trauma footprint on an entire culture. Cultures who have experienced these traumas can experience long term negative effects on the mental health and psychological wellbeing of their people (1). In this way intergenerational trauma can cause an entire culture to pass along trauma from generation to generation.

How trauma affects your genetics

Some research has explored how trauma can affect the physical genetic material of a trauma survivor and how that can be passed down to succeeding generations. When someone experiences trauma, their epigenetics, or components of their DNA and genetic material, react to the traumatic event with a permanent change that affects their emotional and psychological health. When the traumatized person has children, they inherit this same genetic material and intergenerational trauma of their parents. The epigenetic transmission of intergenerational trauma suggests that trauma can be passed down to future generations even if the parent is able to heal from their trauma and be emotionally healthy for their children. This theory has been used to explain why children of holocaust survivors tend to have higher levels of emotional distress, even if they weren’t alive when the trauma happened (2). 

How to heal intergenerational trauma

Intergenerational trauma is a legitimate form of trauma and can manifest very similarly to PTSD. If you suspect you may have intergenerational trauma in your family line, it can be helpful to think of it as if it were trauma you experienced yourself. Treating transgenerational trauma like you would any other trauma can help you heal through the trauma you may have inherited. Trauma healing methods like somatic experiencing and parts work or internal family systems all can be effective at healing intergenerational trauma just the same as trauma you have experienced firsthand.

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Pacific Psychotherapy offers trauma therapy in Santa Cruz, and online anywhere in California. If you are wanting to heal from trauma in your life or you suspect you might be suffering from intergenerational trauma, you can reach out for support. Reach out today to schedule a free and confidential 20 minute phone consultation to learn more.


References:
1) Sangalang, C. C., & Vang, C. (2017). Intergenerational Trauma in Refugee Families: A Systematic Review. Journal of immigrant and minority health, 19(3), 745–754. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-016-0499-7

2) Kellermann NP. Epigenetic transmission of Holocaust trauma: can nightmares be inherited? Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci. 2013;50(1):33-9. PMID: 24029109.