{"id":15448,"date":"2023-09-10T16:59:50","date_gmt":"2023-09-10T23:59:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/potomacprograms.com\/?p=15448"},"modified":"2024-02-23T09:09:30","modified_gmt":"2024-02-23T16:09:30","slug":"intergenerational-trauma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.embarkbh.com\/blog\/trauma\/intergenerational-trauma\/","title":{"rendered":"Intergenerational Trauma: How Trauma Can Be Inherited"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Intergenerational trauma has become more well-known and well-understood over the years. The growing knowledge around this issue can help parents and children not only heal but also break the cycle of trauma, becoming \u201ccycle breakers.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To best understand intergenerational trauma, the symptoms to look out for, and how you, the parent, and your child can help yourselves and future generations, we spoke to Shyanne Anthony, clinical therapist at Calo Programs,<\/a> an Embark Behavioral Health residential program in Lake Ozark, Missouri.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, what is intergenerational trauma? Intergenerational trauma is trauma that\u2019s been passed down between generations. <\/strong>It can also be referred to as transgenerational trauma, multigenerational trauma, or inherited trauma because a traumatic event can affect multiple generations, even if the trauma survivor\u2019s descendants no longer deal with the initial issue that caused the trauma. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Intergenerational trauma can be caused by a wide range of circumstances or events, such as racial trauma, systemic oppression, separation of family members, or experiencing or even witnessing abuse. This is because when someone experiences a traumatic event, it could affect their relationship skills, personal behavior, and attitudes and beliefs in ways that shape their interactions with future generations, possibly affecting those future generations’ own relationship skills, personal behaviors, and attitudes and beliefs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Multigenerational trauma can result from multiple sources, such as oppression, abuse, adoption<\/a>, or any type of trauma that has been passed down from generation to generation. It’s important to note that adoption itself is not generally the source of trauma. The disruption in the caregiving relationships that occurs when a child is relinquished can create a traumatic event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Common types of multigenerational trauma are historical trauma and collective trauma. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Historical trauma is a cumulative and multigenerational trauma tied to a major event, such as the Holocaust, which affects cultural, racial, or ethnic groups, according to Anthony. It\u2019s felt across generations, and some may not understand the symptoms they experience because the historic events happened to those before them, but the effects still pass down. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Collective trauma is trauma that affects a large group of people, potentially an entire society. For example, the 9\/11 terrorist attacks shattered the lives of people around the world, and later generations still feel the impact of this inherited trauma. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When it comes to inherited trauma, examples include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are a few different intergenerational trauma symptoms you can look for in your child. Anthony noted that sometimes, youths might not even be aware they\u2019re experiencing any symptoms. Instead, they may say, \u201cMy body is making me do this,\u201d and you\u2019ll need to dig deeper to see when and why they\u2019re feeling the way they\u2019re feeling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Common intergenerational trauma symptoms are post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and physiological stress.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Intergenerational trauma and PTSD<\/a> can be connected, as this disorder can follow a traumatic event. It\u2019s important to note, however, that as a child develops, especially during puberty, they can become more emotional than usual. Anthony therefore recommended consulting with a mental health professional and using empathy and curiosity to try to understand whether your child is experiencing emotions that are part of a normal developmental stage or post-traumatic stress disorder related to inherited trauma. <\/p>\n\n\n\n PTSD symptoms include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n When it comes to intergenerational trauma and anxiety<\/a>, Anthony said this is another area where you may need to use empathy and curiosity to understand the why behind the anxiety, especially if your child is feeling pressure in school. If they\u2019re not having difficulty in class, you can look for where the anxiety takes place, such as in other public places, like a grocery store. You may notice pacing, increased fidgeting, or excessive talking<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If your child has never been anxious in that setting before, it could be a signal that intergenerational trauma has surfaced. This is largely because when the brain\u2019s formed pathways identify a trigger related to this type of trauma, it creates a physiological effect. Your child\u2019s anxiety can also be related to other underlying issues, such as peers or change. This is a great time to sit down with your child and use that empathy and curiosity to get to the deeper issue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Anxiety symptoms include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re wondering \u201cIs depression generational?\u201d, it can be. Just as trauma can pass down from one generation to the next, so can depression. As was the case with PTSD and anxiety, Anthony recommended using curiosity to understand the root of depression<\/a> and consulting a mental health professional when depression symptoms arise. One way you could use curiosity is to ask open-ended questions while doing an activity together to see if you can identify patterns that may be causing symptoms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Depression symptoms include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Physiological stress can show up in multiple ways and can be a response to many different situations. Sometimes, your child may not even be sure why they\u2019re experiencing physical symptoms, as their inherited DNA rather than a specific situation or conversation could be triggering those symptoms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is where the intergenerational trauma has left what we call a \u2018chemical marker\u2019 on a person\u2019s genes, which is then passed down,\u201d Anthony said. \u201cIt creates this physiological symptom or response to things that we don\u2019t consider to be common among people.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Physiological stress symptoms include: <\/p>\n\n\n\nTable of contents<\/h2>
What Is Intergenerational Trauma?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Types of intergenerational trauma<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Historical trauma<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Collective trauma<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Examples of Intergenerational Trauma<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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What Are the Symptoms of Intergenerational Trauma?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
PTSD<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Anxiety<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Depression<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Physiological stress<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Break the Cycle of Intergenerational Trauma and Heal<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n