What is Intergenerational Trauma?
Intergenerational trauma (sometimes called multigenerational or transgenerational trauma) is a term used to describe trauma that is passed from a trauma survivor to their descendants. Although the affected individual did not directly experience the traumatic event, they may experience symptoms, reactions, patterns, and emotional and psychological effects as if they did.
The Passage of Emotional Pain
We can understand intergenerational trauma like skimming stones across water. It has a ripple effect. The original event or experience occurs somewhere at the centre, but the ripples can continue outward for quite some time.
Intergenerational trauma can also be likened to other more positive traditions being passed from one generation to the next. This might include traditional foods, habits, and celebrations, as well as the physical things we inherit from our ancestors.
I believe there’s also a narrative or storytelling aspect to intergenerational trauma. Stories play a pivotal role in how we view and understand the world. They also play a big part in traditions being passed down through generations. Ultimately, we internalise the stories around us, and they become part of our personal history and identity.
Intergenerational Trauma in Families
Intergenerational trauma in families is not limited to trauma inherited from a parent or grandparent. It may be an ancestor many generations ago who experienced a traumatic event. The impact of this can be far-reaching, effecting the social circumstances, education, occupation and parenting styles of future generations. These things then affect their children in turn and the cycle continues.
Sometimes these unhelpful cycles become part of the narrative of who we are and how we do things. We can see this quite clearly in parenting. We often repeat patterns and behaviours we experience ourselves. Sometimes these are helpful patterns and sometimes they’re not. Often, we simply adopt a way of doing things because that’s the way it’s always been done.
If we want to protect future generations from inherited trauma and stop the ripple effect described above, we need to actively work on breaking some of these cycles. This requires us to start questioning our decisions, thinking about why we do things a particular way, and challenging the patterns and rules we grew up with.
Cultural Intergenerational Trauma
Intergenerational trauma occurs within family networks, but it also exists within wider society. For example, certain groups or subcultures might have a shared experience of historical or collective trauma.
Historical trauma stems from a major event which affects a specific cultural, racial, or ethnic group, such as slavery, forced migration or genocide. Collective trauma is trauma that affects a large group of people, potentially an entire society. The 9/11 terrorist attacks are an example of this. They impacted the lives of people around the world, and subsequent generations still feel the effects of this inherited trauma. The COVID pandemic can also be framed in this way, although we are yet to discover the full extent of its impact on future generations.
Signs & Symptoms of Intergenerational Trauma
People affected by intergenerational trauma might experience symptoms similar to those of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) including hypervigilance, anxiety and low mood. However, because they did not directly experience the trauma themselves, they’re unlikely to have flashbacks or intrusive memories. Instead, their trauma symptoms and trauma responses are inherited genetically.
Because stress responses are linked to more physical health issues, intergenerational trauma can also manifest as medical issues including autoimmune conditions, heart disease, stroke, or early death.
Find Out More
If you are experiencing the effects of intergenerational trauma, therapy can be a helpful tool. If you’re struggling and would like more support to help you overcome and navigate any difficulties, please get in touch. I also share lots of tips and advice via Instagram.
Further Reading/Watching/Listening
What Is PTSD?