#Intergenerational trauma social work how to
#Intergenerational trauma social work series

It’s one of the reasons intergenerational trauma tends to repeat. This can create a confusing dynamic, where your caregivers may be both unsafe and a source of security. Intergenerational trauma is complex because it often occurs in a context where we’re supposed to feel the safest - with family.

How to break the cycle of intergenerational trauma and begin healingĪt its core, trauma involves a loss of safety. Unresolved grief: Feeling stuck and unable to move through the stages of grief Substance misuse: An attempt to numb uncomfortable feelings or memories associated with traumaįixation on death: Unwanted and repeated thoughts of death, dying, and/or suicide Hypervigilance: Feeling constantly 'on guard' for reminders of the traumatic event (either real or imagined) Psychic numbing: An inability to feel emotions, especially empathy for others Nightmares: Sleep disturbances related to the traumatic event Memory loss: An inability to recall the traumatic event and/or what happened immediately before and afterward Isolation: Preferring to spend time alone If you or someone you care about is experiencing any of the following, consider speaking with a mental health professional.ĭenial: Being unwilling to discuss or acknowledge the traumaĭepersonalization: A sense of detachment from yourself, sometimes called an “out-of-body experience” But there are some common signs of intergenerational trauma. Major depression and other mood disordersĮvery person experiences trauma in their own way. Research shows that trauma can change the brain’s structure and cause shifts that can put you at a greater risk of developing:

Trauma has a role in shaping the biological or “nature” part of our development, too. It represents the “nurture” part of the “ nature versus nurture” equation related to childhood development. This example illustrates the ways that trauma impacts emotional connection and parenting. This likely shaped the way your father raised you, and so on.

In turn, he may have been emotionally absent while raising your father. This can range from how you learn to cope with emotions to your physical health.įor example, if your grandfather was raised in an emotionally abusive home, as a child he may have learned to suppress his feelings to cope. Without breaking the cycle, intergenerational trauma can affect families in a variety of ways. How does the cycle of intergenerational trauma affect families? Most often, it occurs among people whose ancestors’ lives were shaped by things like: Intergenerational trauma can stem from things that occur both inside and outside your immediate family. This is because trauma impacts mental and physical well-being in ways that shape biology and behavior. But left unresolved, it affects the next generation as well. Intergenerational trauma leaves its initial mark on the individuals who experienced it firsthand. Intergenerational trauma refers to unresolved trauma that can be unknowingly passed down from generation to generation. But fortunately, with the right support, you can heal the cycle. The effects of this trauma can impact mental, physical, and/or social well-being for entire communities.

It can be tied to a single damaging event or a series of ongoing traumatic experiences. Intergenerational trauma has roots in the past and affects the current generation.

#Intergenerational trauma social work how to

#Intergenerational trauma social work series