Have you ever had an emotional wound that you just can’t seem to heal? A memory that is stuck on replay that leaves you in tremors? Trauma is a deep chasm of awful feelings that change us forever, often leading to a diagnosis of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and many other mental illnesses. Trauma comes in many forms-sexual abuse, addicted family members, toxic family systems, emotional/verbal abuse, physical abuse, traumatic events such as car accidents or deaths in the family- it varies from life to life. Perhaps one of the most interesting ways trauma is formed is through intergenerational trauma. Intergenerational trauma is trauma that is passed from generation to generation by the behaviors of their forebears. Most commonly, it is shaped by a childhood traumatized parent repeating patterns from their childhood to their own children and thus traumatizing them the same way they were traumatized. The National Library of Medicine has discussed this in its own study of intergenerational trauma stating, “A parent’s psychopathology can increase the risk of childhood trauma among their children, thus revealing the cyclical nature of trauma transmission between parents and children.”
Trauma is more common than one may think, childhood trauma specifically- affecting 1 in 6 adults. Childhood trauma is at the core of the cycle- is often the trauma that perpetuates the cycle from generation to generation. The CDC conducted a study on Adverse Childhood Experiences, they concluded that 61% of adults experienced at least one Adverse Childhood Experience, and of that 61% a high 16% experienced 4 or more Adverse Childhood experiences. That is a lot of traumatized people, with a high likelihood of raising traumatized children.
One part of this terrible cycle is the very interesting relationship between the parents' coping mechanisms developed from their trauma and their ability to sense/react to a similar danger afflicted on their children. The study previously mentioned by The National Library of Medicine discusses this correlation as well-“Previous findings indicate that parents who experience trauma have diminished capabilities to empathize with their child’s emotions due to an altered perception of the world and the individuals they interact with. Diminished parenting skills may result in decreased trust and feelings of safety for their children from a lack of emotional stability. In turn, children mirror their parents’ instability, and the process of ITT continues.”
The study performed by the National Library of Medicine was able to conclude that “Both fathers’ ACEs and mothers’ ACEs were associated with an increased number of child AFEs (Adverse Family Experiences).” They were able to accomplish this by studying ace scores, adverse family experiences, and adverse childhood experiences in members of families. To conclude, according to psychological and psychiatric research depicted in these resources, it is all too common for trauma to be passed from generation to generation through behavior patterns and coping mechanisms adopted by trauma survivors.
One of the most important things a trauma survivor can do is attempt to break the cycle, especially if you are a parent. CDC offers parenting guidelines for those who are struggling and countless studies of research to help you navigate parenting. As my mom always said, “It didn’t come with a manual”. Trauma survivors can start by knowing their ACE score, seeking therapy, EMDR therapy, and working hard to break other cycles prominent in trauma survivors such as addiction, codependency, and abusive relationships and dynamics. If you are a trauma survivor I urge you to look at the resources below and learn what you can about these cycles and how they have affected you. Most importantly, I want to stress to all trauma survivors that you are not alone in your fight. Trauma can feel isolating, frightening, and painful, but there are so many resources and caring people out there that can help you with this fight.
From one warrior to another- fight on.
Resources:
Health - PMC (nih.gov)ACEs Infographic | Veto Violence (cdc.gov)Connecting the Dots | VetoViolence (cdc.gov)
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