It can come as a great relief when these connections are made. Research shows that open and loving communication between (and within) generations builds resilience and connectivity. Celebrate the hard work they performed to have a better life.Īll of the healing activities listed above help build resilience. Have empathy and compassion for your family and the struggles they endured.Notice embedded patterns, attitudes, or narratives, especially those that continue to be active.Talk it through with a therapist, trusted friend, family member, or religious or spiritual guide.Have a conversation with your parents about how they lived and coped.Include your parents and grandparents if possible. Speak up about hurt, pain, and abuse from the past – share the trauma openly with your children and grandchildren.The goal is to create a new narrative – a new story that breaks the cycle of trauma and its outgrowth. through modeling of maladaptive coping mechanisms – denial, minimization, substance use.parents bypassing or not coping with their trauma:.dominant family narratives- don’t ask for help, we are not quite as good as, code of silence, spinning the story.cumulative emotional wounding – hurt people hurt people.cultural messages and patterns – i.e., not open to mental health treatment – don’t share family business.in utero, while the fetus is developing – extreme stress or nutritional deprivation leads to deficits in metabolism that can lead to disease.(i.e., how methylation increases or decreases RNA transcription) DNA modifications – changes the way genes are expressed causing higher susceptibility to trauma, stress, obesity, diabetes, etc.This can impede a child’s ability to form secure and trusting relationships and develop healthy self-esteem. They may even become perpetrators of their own trauma as sexual abuse is often repeated in families for generations.Ĭhildren learn to view the world from their parents’ perspective – mistrust, doubt, resentment, and insecurity can be passed down in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Parents can become less attuned as parents and model negative coping skills. When parents have unresolved trauma, their parenting can be negatively impacted by depression, substance abuse, mental illness, and other conditions. Negative parenting behavior can be a source of trauma as well. Physical illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes. Compromised immune system and autoimmune disorders. ![]() Difficulty regulating emotions, especially aggression. Negative coping strategies (substance use, denial, minimization). Risk factors (above) can be offset by protective factors (stable home environment, attentive caregivers, physical safety, sense of love and security, and emotional support).Īnxiety. Mental Illness – living with a mentally ill relative.Emotional abuse – belittling, rejecting, ridiculing, blaming, threatening, isolating, restricting social interactions, denying the child an emotional response, ignoring for long periods of time.They can cause lasting mental and physical issues. ACEs are traumatic experiences that happen before the age of 18 but last through adulthood. These are Adverse Childhood Experiences or ACEs. In addition, they can experience these same issues from growing up in a dysfunctional household. ![]() Studies show that African American families, Holocaust survivors, Cambodians tortured and ravaged by the Khmer Rouge, Native Americans, and victims of the Rwandan genocide have significantly higher rates of:Īnxiety, Depression, PTSD/Trauma (heightened reactivity to stress) – In both survivors and their children.Ĭhildren can experience physical and emotional health issues from abuse or neglect, which are traumatizing. Historical trauma refers to generational trauma that is experienced by a specific cultural, racial, or ethnic group. Thus, the cycle of trauma continues.įamilies at greatest risk for generational trauma have experienced abuse, neglect, torture, oppression, and racial disparity (slavery, discrimination, internalized racism). However, we can heal trauma, transmit resilience, and foster post-traumatic growth.įamilies with a history of unresolved trauma will likely continue to pass along maladaptive coping strategies, abusive behavior, and distrustful views to future generations. Trauma changes you permanently and there is no “undoing it”. Negative characteristics, such as trauma, can lead to harmful behavior and mental and physical health issues. Positive inherited characteristics can help us survive and grow. There is a part of our ancestors that live inside of us whether we know it or not. We can inherit trauma which can have a very deep impact on our lives. In the same way genetic characteristics can be passed on, many other characteristics can be passed on from one generation to the next.
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