Trauma changes the brain. It makes it hard to process memories and regulate emotions, and it affects how people parent. The full effects trauma has on the brain and body are not fully known, but it’s proven that unresolved trauma can be passed down from generation to generation.

In this article, we’ll cover everything there is to know about generational trauma.

• What is generational trauma?
• What does generational trauma look like?
• What causes generational trauma?
• Ending generational trauma

What is Generational Trauma?

Generational trauma, or transgenerational or intergenerational trauma, is the trauma that is passed down from parent or guardian, to child. Unresolved trauma has a way of expressing itself in how people act. Someone who experienced trauma as a child may also experience behaviors that wouldn’t otherwise exist if not for the trauma. 

When trauma goes unresolved, it affects people for their whole life. They might think they have everything under control, but in reality, their past experiences are creating negative experiences for the people around them.

Sequoia Behavioral Health are trauma experts. We’re here to treat trauma and to educate you and your loved ones about causes and symptoms of trauma, as well as trauma therapy. Learn more about what we do.

What Does Generational Trauma Look Like?

Generational trauma is hard to spot, and it often goes unnoticed. However, as discussions about mental health and trauma become more commonplace, people are beginning to notice how transgenerational trauma affects them.

The model for the generational transmission of trauma helps people understand how this works.

Trauma Survivors 

Generational trauma begins with trauma. Someone experiences trauma (such as abuse, war, poverty) that they will carry and suffer from their entire life.

The survivor typically won’t seek treatment or help of any kind. This could happen for a few reasons:

• During the time of the trauma, there were little to no resources available for trauma survivors
• They didn’t know their experiences were causing trauma, “it’s just the way things are”
• They felt shame around seeking mental health treatment

In most cases, the trauma survivor will likely develop a neglectful or authoritative parenting style and may even project their trauma onto their children.

Related Article: Posttraummatic Stress Disorder Causes and Symptoms

Children

The children of the survivor will experience some level of pain inflicted by the survivor. This could be physical or emotional abuse, emotional distance, and familial conflicts. How this trauma is passed down will look different depending on what caused it.

The child may experience anxiety, depression, shame, and risky behavior as a reaction to the relationship they have with the survivor.

Related Article: Attachment Trauma in Adults

The result of growing up with a traumatized parent is a traumatized child. However, this chain can be broken when trauma is correctly reprocessed and worked through.

The Next Generation

The chain of trauma continues into the next generation of the family. As the family continues to grow the experiences and feelings created from the trauma could be lessened, but they will still be felt.

The next generation will likely have a harder time naming the issues they experience as being from trauma. They will likely try to diffuse any change they get and experience strange moods and feelings surrounding their family.

The passing down of trauma will not stop until someone within the family is willing to work through that trauma.

What Causes Generational Trauma?

Because trauma can come in many shapes and sizes, generational trauma can develop in a number of different ways. The trauma that the survivor endures can shape how it gets passed down through generations.

Unstable Relationships

It’s important for children to develop a healthy trust in their parents and community. When a child feels safe and secure, they develop healthier coping skills, are more willing to take on challenges, and are more likely to develop into a well-adjusted person.

Unstable relationships do the opposite for children. If they don’t know how their parents will react when they fail in any capacity, they’re less likely to freely express themselves and develop negative coping mechanisms.

‍Related Article: What is Attachment Style Therapy? 

When a parent displays unstable or inconsistent behavior, it affects their relationships with their children, who, in turn, may not learn how to develop healthy relationships later on.

Parenting

Being a parent is a hard job. You’re never truly off duty, and that is a stressor that can exacerbate the symptoms of anxiety and trauma.

When someone with unresolved trauma parents, they will imprint on their child their experiences, and that leads to more trauma.

Genes

A growing theory about intergenerational trauma is that genes play a role in passing down trauma. This theory states that trauma changes how genes function. The gene itself is the same, but it functions in a different way than before.

One study found that the effects of famine on DNA were seen 60 years later in the offspring of the survivor.

Ending Generational Trauma

Transgenerational trauma can feel like a never-ending cycle of worry. It seems like it will never end. However, there is hope.

Generational trauma can end, and it can end with you.

Healthy Coping Skills

Coping is something everyone does in times of stress, crisis, and pain in order to regulate their emotions and thoughts. Some coping skills are less helpful than others. Substance abuse, aggression, avoidance, self-harm, and isolation are negative coping behaviors. They might subdue distress for a short time but ultimately don’t help.

Healthy and active coping skills help manage distressing symptoms while also creating healthy life changes. 

Active coping skills mean accepting the effects of trauma on your life and taking action to make things better. This includes learning about the recovery process, and healthy skills.

Coping skills that can increase relaxation include:

• Meditation
• Mindfulness movement
• Breathing exercises
• Self-care
• Spending time in nature

You might need to practice these relaxation techniques for a time before you experience the full benefit of them. Each of these techniques is supposed to take your mind off of the distress you’re experiencing and focus on to the present moment.

Getting Professional Treatment

Coping mechanisms and positive life changes can have a profound effect on your experience with trauma. However, psychotherapy has been found to be the best way to process trauma.

There are a lot of therapies that can be used to treat trauma. Some are considered better than others. The one that is right for you will depend on your situation.

For example, if you have a difficult time recalling traumatic events, EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing)  and somatic experiencing each treat trauma with a focus on the brain-body connection. That means you won’t need to talk about your experiences as much as you would in traditional talk therapy.

‍Read more about EMDR and somatic experiencing at Sequoia Behavioral Health.

Depending on your situation and health history, medication can also be used to help manage symptoms.

Holistic Healing at Sequoia Behavioral Health

We’re a mental health treatment facility that focuses on treating the root cause of mental health issues while addressing their distressing symptoms. It’s a holistic approach, and it’s proven to create lasting change.