The Truth About Generational Trauma

You might think that your struggles with relationships or your mental health are just a part of who you are, but the truth is, the way you were raised, and even the way your parents were raised, plays a significant role. By understanding the concept of transgenerational trauma, you can begin to see how past pain can ripple through a family for generations and, more importantly, how to stop it.

What is transgenerational trauma?

Transgenerational trauma is the phenomenon of trauma symptoms and behaviors being passed down from one generation to the next. This can happen when a person who has experienced trauma, such as abuse or neglect, doesn't heal from their experiences and, as a result, their unhealed trauma influences their parenting, which in turn impacts their children's mental and emotional well-being.

The information above is just the beginning. To truly grasp the long-term impact of inherited trauma on mental health, relationships, and parenting styles, continue reading to discover how to identify the signs and begin the healing process for yourself and your family.

What Is Transgenerational Trauma?

Childhood PTSD and other mental illnesses can come from the parents. These behaviors can be traced back to their own parents' upbringing, and even back to how their grandparents were raised. Understanding generational trauma could be the key to stopping trauma and abuse from spreading to the next generation.

When a person experiences trauma in childhood or adulthood, they might pass that trauma down to their children. Parents who were victims of adverse childhood experiences, or ACES, are more likely to deal with intimate partner violence or can abuse their children.

Generational trauma was first studied on Holocaust victims and how the genocide affected their children a generation later. These early studies were done by psychologists in 1966 when many children and grandchildren of survivors visited clinics for mental health reasons.

Further studies have been done on indigenous communities, as well as descendants of slavery, war survivors, and refugees. Generational trauma and its effects have been extended to those with a history of childhood trauma and how it has affected their children.

How Generational Trauma Affects Mental Health

Generational trauma begins with the first victim of trauma. The person does not heal from the traumatic events and develops symptoms of PTSD. The children of that person might develop secondary trauma from their parents. The children are impacted by their parent’s trauma response. The original victim of trauma might struggle with communication, conflict resolution, affection, and keeping functional and healthy relationships.

Children of parents with PTSD can develop mental health problems as a result of parenting. Parents with PTSD might be more controlling or hostile. It is also possible for parents to be emotionally distant and cold to their children. These children can develop depression, neuroticism, and higher levels of stress than children with parents who do not have PTSD.

How Childhood Trauma Can Come From Generational Trauma

Generational Trauma and Attachment Styles

Trauma that is passed down generations can affect how people relate with one another in intimate relationships as well as friendships. Attachment trauma starts as early as infancy. This type of early trauma can affect a person's ability to form healthy attachments. Attachment styles can affect romantic relationships as well as a person’s parenting style.

Different attachment styles include secure attachment, ambivalent attachment, disorganized attachment, and avoidant attachment. The healthiest form of attachment is secure attachment, which is common among those who had stable relationships with their caregivers. Other attachment styles may be the result of neglect, abuse, or childhood responsibilities that were not age-appropriate, such as caregiver roles.

A parent or caregiver who suffers from attachment trauma might find it difficult to develop a healthy relationship with their child. Depending on their attachment style, they might be emotionally distant, or unpredictable. Those with this trauma might carry their attachment style onto the next generation by copying their parent’s style of parenting.

Others might end up doing the exact opposite of what they experienced as a way to make up for what their parents did not do. A person with distant parents might become overbearing with their own children, and someone with controlling parents might become too permissive.

Intergenerational Trauma and Relational Trauma

Attachment trauma is specifically trauma that occurs during the attachment phase of infancy. Trauma that happens later in childhood is called relational trauma. This type of trauma includes experiences of neglect and abuse that they received from caregivers or parents.

Relational trauma can also be passed down from parent to child. A parent coping with PTSD, ongoing abuse, or mental illness might struggle with taking care of their child. Ideally, a child should trust that a caregiver or parent is there to care for and protect them while they are still growing and developing.

Although, this is not the experience of every child. Those with relational trauma might have feelings of betrayal, abandonment, or resentment towards their parents. These feelings can carry into their own role as a parent, as they might be influenced by their parent's treatment. Their parenting style might mirror that of their parents, or they might feel afraid that they are becoming like their parents or caregivers.

Generational Trauma and Healing

In cases of childhood trauma and mental health issues in the family, knowing about generational trauma in the family dynamic can be an avenue for healing and forgiveness. A person who was abused by their parents might not understand the context of their abuse or their parent’s childhood experiences.

Their family history does not justify the abuse experienced, but it can help the abuse victim reach a point of understanding, and possibly forgiveness. A victim of abuse could make peace with their experiences by better understanding the source. Understanding the effects of generational trauma can also have a positive impact on how a person raises their children presently or in the future.

A person who is still healing from childhood trauma might repeat these actions in their own parenting because it was what they were taught. Parents who learn about generational trauma can be better equipped to look at their actions and change their parenting style if it is abusive or harmful.

Education About Generational Trauma as a Form of Intervention

As more is studied about generational trauma, the findings have concluded that the best way to end the cycle of this type of trauma is intervention and prevention. Treatment for childhood PTSD should consider how the individual's experience plays a part in their trauma.

Generational trauma prevention for the individual involves approaching how the trauma affects the individual and how it affects the family dynamic. Parents can learn how trauma affects their parenting style, and children can heal from current familial issues before it affects them as adults.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• How does generational trauma affect a person’s mental health?

Generational trauma starts with an unhealed victim of trauma who may develop PTSD. Their children might then develop secondary trauma from their parents’ struggles with communication, conflict, and affection, leading to mental health issues like depression and high stress levels.

• How are attachment styles related to generational trauma?

Generational trauma can affect how people form relationships, starting with attachment styles developed in infancy. A parent with attachment trauma may struggle to form a healthy bond with their child, often mirroring their own parent's emotionally distant or unpredictable behavior.

• What are some different attachment styles?

The different attachment styles are secure, ambivalent, disorganized, and avoidant. A secure attachment is the healthiest and is often seen in individuals with stable caregiver relationships, while the others may result from neglect, abuse, or age-inappropriate responsibilities.

• What is the difference between attachment trauma and relational trauma?

Attachment trauma occurs during the infancy attachment phase, while relational trauma refers to neglect and abuse that happens later in childhood from caregivers or parents. Both types of trauma can be passed down from parent to child.

• Can understanding generational trauma help with healing?

Yes, understanding your family's history of trauma can be a key part of healing and forgiveness. It can provide context for a person's experiences, helping them make peace with the past and, most importantly, empower them to change harmful parenting patterns for the next generation.

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If you or a loved one recognize these patterns of generational trauma and are ready to break the cycle, please know that we are here for you. At Chateau Health and Wellness Treatment Center, we understand how deeply these experiences can impact your life and your family's future. Our compassionate team is committed to providing the support and resources needed to heal from the past and build a healthier tomorrow. We invite you to take this brave step with us. Please call us at (435) 222-5225 to start your journey toward healing. We're ready to help you and your family find a path to recovery and well-being.

About The Author

Ben Pearson, LCSW, Clinical Director

Ben Pearson, LCSW - Clinical Director

With 19 years of experience, Ben Pearson specializes in adolescent and family therapy, de-escalation, and high-risk interventions. As a former Clinical Director of an intensive outpatient program, he played a key role in clinical interventions and group therapy. With 15+ years in wilderness treatment and over a decade as a clinician, Ben has helped countless individuals and families navigate mental health and recovery challenges.