What is Intergenerational Trauma?
What is Intergenerational Trauma?
Each generation has a unique sense of reality in the world. This can be applied to large populations, local communities, and to families. A generation holds an abundance of culture, wisdom, teachings, and perspectives that tend to be passed on to the next, which can be done so consciously and unconsciously. Highly stressful or traumatic events that occur within generations impact individuals differently and their response to the trauma are shown to pass on to the next generation. This is known as intergenerational trauma.
Some examples of large populations experiencing intergenerational trauma:
Indigenous/Native communities
Descendants of slavery
Refugees
Undocumented immigrants
Holocaust survivors
War veterans
In local communities, intergenerational trauma can be maintained by:
Gun violence
Lack of affordability in housing/healthcare/necessities
Lack of accessibility to resources/education/safe spaces
What does intergenerational trauma look like in families?
Parent/caregiver battling addiction or substance abuse
Emotional detachment from parent/caregiver
Domestic violence
Since trauma impacts people differently, the characteristics of trauma responses vary. Intergenerational trauma is often overlooked due to factors of unawareness of symptoms, shame of symptoms and trauma, and stigma of receiving help.
Common symptoms of intergenerational trauma (but are not limited to) are:
Distrust of others
Difficulty in creating and maintaining connections in relationships
Heightened emotions of anger, irritability, and anxiety
Inability to express emotions/avoidance of expression
Substance abuse/addiction
Nightmares
Intergenerational trauma requires healing, however that may take place. Just as trauma impacts individuals differently, everyone heals in their own way as well. We’re all capable of healing and breaking the cycles of trauma that occur within our realities. As we learn how to heal, we are also teaching subsequent generations ways of healing too. Check out our next blog post for more information on healing the cycle.
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