Can You Inherit Trauma?

Perhaps you’ve had nightmares about frightening events that happened to your parents or grandparents, but that you never personally experienced. Maybe your older relatives told you stories about catastrophic situations that they survived. Now, you've grown to fear the same things, despite growing up in a safe, peaceful environment. Even if you did not personally live through trauma, you can’t help but feel like your relative’s experiences somehow left their mark on you.

If you’re currently grappling with these complex feelings, you’re not imagining your pain and stress. Rather, you’re struggling with generational trauma. Let’s dive deep into what “generational trauma” really means, why it occurs, and how you can overcome it.

Understanding Generational Trauma

Generational trauma starts with family members who collectively go through a traumatic event. This could happen in the context of a large-scale event, such as a war, natural disaster, or political injustice. It could also be related to events that only affect people within the internal family unit, such as abusive relationships, substance abuse, or untreated mental health conditions with severe symptoms.

Overall, the event, or several events, must have a serious, detrimental impact on multiple family members. When they go on to have children, they keep the memory of the event alive. They may raise their children a certain way because of these experiences, or they might tell their children about the traumatic events repeatedly, instilling warnings about what could happen if they let their guard down.

Epigenetics and Generational Trauma

Some researchers who work in the field of epigenetics have theorized that if someone’s parents survived a traumatic event, it can actually affect their offspring’s DNA. Others theorize that if someone’s mother was pregnant when she experienced the event, they may be exposed to higher levels of stress hormones in utero, which can influence their development. Epigenetic changes are a new field of research, so these conclusions are not set in stone, but they are of particular interest for those who are curious about generational trauma.

Potential Results of Generational Trauma

What do the effects of generational trauma look like in practice? This can vary from family to family and from person to person. Children might worry that they will have to go through the same things that their older relatives did. They will worry even if the threat is practically nonexistent now. They may struggle with a lack of self-esteem, anxiety, depression, or even have mild symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Breaking the Cycle

You do not have to continue passing on the effects of generational trauma from one generation to another. Instead, you can start working to break the cycle for the next generation. This might involve going to individual therapy or family therapy, having open conversations with your loved ones, and identifying harmful or negative beliefs that you may have picked up as a result of your family’s experiences. You have the power to rewrite this narrative.

Cultural Competency in Healing Generational Trauma

Maybe you’ve considered opening up to a therapist about your generational trauma. Yet so much of your family’s trauma is connected to their specific culture, and you don’t know if someone outside of that culture would truly understand what you’ve been through. It never hurts to look for a therapist who shares your background. If you can’t find one in your area, you may want to look online for therapists who offer virtual sessions.

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Are you struggling to cope with the impact of generational trauma? A therapist can help you unpack your family’s past. Reach out to us to go over your options for scheduling your first appointment for trauma counseling.