The Legacy of Trauma: Understanding How Trauma Can Be Passed Down

women standing in line looking forward

Think about all the things you can inherit from past generations. Your eye color, hair color, skin tone, and height. In all likelihood, you've inherited some personality traits as well as preferences in hobbies, food, and so much more. If the last thing you think you can inherit is past trauma, you aren't alone.

There are psychological and emotional aspects that carry from generation to generation. Past trauma, unfortunately, can impact somebody, even if they never went through that specific situation.

Now, the question is, how does this happen?

Understanding Generational Trauma

Generational trauma comes in many forms. It can be due to massive events, such as war, slavery, or mass genocide. It can also happen in "smaller" events that profoundly impact somebody's life. Examples of some other ways generational trauma is caused are:

  • Neglect or abandonment

  • Domestic abuse

  • Substance abuse

  • Accidents

  • Illnesses

  • Infidelity

  • Loss of a loved one

  • Incarcerated family member

  • Tragic death, or death by suicide

  • Poverty

  • Divorce

And the list can go on. If this list seems random and scattered, it's for good reason. At its core, trauma is an emotional response to a highly distressing event that affects someone emotionally or physically.

After a traumatic experience, it's not uncommon to experience intrusive thoughts and nightmares and be in a constant state of hypervigilance. While many people believe that "out of sight, out of mind" is a good way to live, this type of thinking can be catastrophic for mental health. In fact, leaving trauma unprocessed does more harm than good. Unprocessed trauma, unfortunately, is when we begin to see future generations impacted by the past.

How Is Generational Trauma Passed Down?

When trauma is unprocessed and unresolved, it influences how the survivor lives in the world. The impact of trauma is far more complex than many people are initially led to believe. It can change somebody's life view, personality, and interaction with the world and its people.

Over time, family members and descendants of someone who has unprocessed trauma can inherit their life view, even if they have never experienced the same situation.

This process is called epigenetics, where a family's genes are changed and passed down to future generations. An easy-to-understand example of this would be if a parent suffered from a mental health disorder, such as depression. Research and studies have found that the descendants of that parent have a greater chance of also suffering with their mental health in some capacity.

Spotting Signs of Generational Trauma

It might feel tricky to know what signs to look for if a family is dealing with generational trauma. However, once you know some of the classic signs, it can be easier to spot.

  • Feeling numb or completely detached from emotions

  • Not expressing emotions

  • Viewing the expression of emotions as weak

  • Chronic fear of death, even if no threat is present

  • Over-protectiveness, especially of children

  • Mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, or panic attacks with no obvious explanation

  • Post-traumatic stress disorder and its associated symptoms (PTSD)

  • Self-destructive coping mechanisms such as alcohol or substance abuse, self-harm

  • Difficulties trusting people and forming healthy relationships

  • Patterns of domestic or verbal or sexual abuse

Why Is Past Trauma Passed Down?

Of course, it is not willingly passed down. However, when family members do not express their thoughts or feelings surrounding past trauma, they become bottled up inside. Generational trauma becomes even more challenging to recognize the longer that it goes unspoken in a family. In many cases, it is just chalked up to being "the way it's always been," without any insight or understanding as to why.

Can You Heal From Generational Trauma?

Absolutely. One of the most significant steps you can take is to recognize and accept that there is something more than the status quo in your family. Even if past generations have passed on, you can still find ways to heal and break whatever cycle has planted its seed in your family.

If you want to hear more about trauma therapy or discuss your specific situation, we would be happy to help support you. Reach out when you are ready to begin healing with trauma therapy.

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