Perhaps one of the most visible examples of intergenerational trauma can be seen in instances of sexual abuse.
There are many ways intergenerational trauma might affect families, including: disconnection. denial. detachment.
One of the most powerful examples for our work is the systematic racism that led to Aboriginal children being taken from their parents. This act, as well as the institutional abuse and prohibition of cultural practices that followed, led to suffering across generations.
The Stolen Generations resulted in the dislocation of Indigenous Australian children from their community, culture and family and in their subsequent exposure to multiple stressors, placing them at high risk of poor social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB).
Signs & Symptoms of Generational Trauma
“The symptoms of generational trauma include hypervigilance, fears of death or no hope for the future, mistrust of outsiders, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), low self-esteem, issues of addiction, domestic violence, and sexual abuse.”
Also known as generational trauma or transgenerational trauma, this type of trauma often goes unrecognized. This allows the cycle to continue. Common symptoms of intergenerational trauma include low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, insomnia, anger, and self-destructive behaviors.
Most studies of intergenerational trauma have focused on descendants of people who endured a historical traumatic event. That includes: Holocaust survivors who survived concentration camps. African American people who lived through years of slavery, segregation, or systemic racism.
The transmission of the historical trauma may begin to negatively affect her grandchildren and her grandchildren's children, etc., leading to generations of emotional distance, defensive behaviors around expression of emotions, and denial.
What Causes Intergenerational Trauma? Intergenerational trauma occurs when the effects of trauma are passed down between generations. This can occur if a parent experienced abuse as a child or Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs),2 and the cycle of trauma and abuse impacts their parenting.
Intergenerational trauma can stem from biology, learned behaviors and even the collective experiences of a group. Some research suggests that trauma can affect a person's DNA and potentially influence the health of future generations far removed from the traumatic event.
Intergenerational trauma is when the original traumatic experience is transferred from parents to children, and then grandchildren and so on.
The great news is that ancestral trauma can be stopped, but it will not go away on its own. Families can make resilience their new legacy by actively seeking to address the trauma. Building resilience through open and loving communication between generations is one of the best ways to loosen generational trauma's grip.
Because the human brain develops in direct response to the environment, the emotional responses of the parent will affect the developing brains of their offspring. Trauma can produce neurochemicals in the brain that will alter brain functioning. These neurochemical changes can also be passed on.
There is some evidence indicating that transgenerational trauma is a unique type of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In fact, the family members that experienced the event often display PTSD symptoms, which can affect how they handle stressors and relate as caregivers.
“It's more than just family heirlooms that get passed down,” says psychotherapist Chase Cassine, L.C.S.W. “It's psychological things, too.” People born into families with generational trauma might struggle with relationships, their sense of self, communication, and their overall mental health and well-being, he adds.
Intergenerational trauma (sometimes referred to as trans- or multigenerational trauma) is defined as trauma that gets passed down from those who directly experience an incident to subsequent generations.
They found evidence that trauma can be passed between generations epigenetically, which means that trauma experienced by an ancestor might affect the way your genes are expressed. Bale's extensive work shows that parental stress can impact the following factors in children: risk for obesity.
Intergenerational trauma is believed to pass from one generation to the next through genetic changes to a person's DNA after they experience trauma. There is some evidence that these genetic markers are passed on to a person's offspring.
Working with a trauma-informed therapist can help you heal from transgenerational trauma. Exploring individual, family, and cultural issues, patterns, behaviors, and other post-traumatic issues, understanding them, and adopting alternative healthy behaviors and thoughts can help with healing.
These effects may include sleep disturbances, substance abuse disorders, numbing and detachment, respiratory symptoms, dermatological symptoms, hyperarousal, intrusive thoughts and memories, flashbacks, self-harm, disassociation, and more. Generational trauma, however, has its own set of symptoms.