Intergenerational Trauma
Here’s what it is…
Intergenerational trauma refers to the impact of trauma experienced in one generation passed down to other generations and has lasting effects. Traumatic experiences include serious accidents, violence, abuse, deaths, natural disasters, and war.
Often, an experience of trauma is so overwhelming that it’s pushed away and never dealt with or even talked about. In this way, a trauma experienced by our parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents may be passed down to future generations.
Even if you haven’t experienced trauma directly, you may have inherited the impact of a trauma experienced by your parents or grandparents.
How do you know if you’re being affected by an intergenerational trauma?
You may carry inherited trauma from your family if you have unexplained anxiety, fear, depression, or low self-worth that seems out of context with your life experience. Sure, you’ve had some struggles in your life, but this is different.
Perhaps your symptoms came on suddenly at a certain age or immediately following a positive change in your life, such as going away to college, having a child, or getting married.
Are there family secrets or things that happened in your family’s past that are unspeakable?
Is your family emotionally detached, or does your family resist talking about feelings at all costs?
Is your family overly anxious or mistrustful of others, even when there is no threat of danger?
Do you always abandon your voice in favor of your family’s norms?
Let’s talk about how therapy can help…
Therapy provides a safe place for you to explore your family’s history of trauma and how it relates to your life.
Therapy can help you identify patterns in your family’s history. We might start by creating a genogram which is a family tree that includes details about family relationships and psychological patterns. Family patterns stand out when they are diagramed.
Understanding your family’s history can yield tremendous insight into your patterns. Once you recognize how family trauma may affect you, you can begin to separate your story from the past.
Together, we’ll untangle your life from the past, so you can heal and make lasting changes in your life.
Recognizing that the problem is something that you were born into, instead of something you created, can give enormous relief. You can let go of a burden that you were carrying. It can also be the starting point for looking at your own life through a new lens.
End the trauma cycle.
Looking at your family history through a psychological lens can not only lead you toward healing, but keep the pattern from being passed down to your children.
It would be my pleasure to talk with you during a free 15-minute phone consultation to see if we’re a good fit for each other.
If you’re ready to delve into your family history and find out whether intergenerational trauma affects your life, reach out today! (513) 289-1092