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Writer's pictureMaria G

Awakening from generational Trauma

Updated: Nov 11, 2021

We all all aware of genetics passing on hearth disease , eye colour, personality, etc.. but less commonly known is generational trauma. The trauma your parents, grandparents have undergone or have been exposed to that have affected them may be passed on to us . Persons who have lived through wars, pass on the effects it has on them onto their children . These children may have psychological issues that they can't place the reason for, until the past is explored. Connecting to the grandparents, and, or parents stories may be the missing key to explain these psychological issues.

Where does the buck stop, will it be with you. why not? ... some one needs to stop the transmission... So what is it, and how does it present?


A 1988 study, published in The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, found that grandchildren of Holocaust survivors were overrepresented by about 300% in psychiatric care referrals. Since then, Holocaust survivors and their progeny have been the most widely studied group, but in theory, any type of extreme, prolonged stress could have adverse psychological affects on children and/or grandchildren, resulting in clinical anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).


“It can be silent, covert, and undefined, surfacing through nuances and inadvertently taught or implied throughout someone’s life from an early age onward,” licensed clinical psychologist and parenting evaluator Melanie English, PhD,

We are who we are because of our genetic makeup, our emotional make up. Stress, PTSD, and much more can be transferred down the line. When we take part in healing and open ourself up to connection to our past, we can awaken from this transmission of negative emotions.

The symptoms of generational trauma may include hypervigilance, a sense of a shortened future, mistrust, aloofness, high anxiety, depression, panic attacks, nightmares, insomnia, a sensitive fight or flight response, and issues with self-esteem and self-confidence, says Dr. DeSilva.

Experts are learning more about how trauma affects the immune system. “It may lead to a dysfunctional immune system—one that’s either too active or not active enough,” Dr. DeSilva notes. “This can result in more autoimmune diseases or a greater propensity for illness.”

Trauma also influences the microglia, the brain’s immune system. “When in a high trauma reactive state, the microglia eat away at nerve endings instead of enhancing growth and getting rid of damage,” Dr. DeSilva explains. “The microglia go haywire in the brain and cause depression, anxiety, and dementia. This can translate into genetic changes, which can be passed down to further generations.”


Stand tall and bright

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