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The 3 Phases of Intergenerational Trauma: Why the Past Hasn't Passed & How to Heal

Writer's picture: Camryn JeterCamryn Jeter

 

By Camryn Jeter



New Research Shows Trauma is in DNA


You might’ve heard of intergenerational trauma. What is it exactly? Michelle M. Sotero, an instructor in Health Care Administration and Policy at the University of Nevada, says intergenerational trauma happens in 3 phases.


First, the dominant culture enacts mass trauma on a population by way of colonialism, slavery, war, or genocide. Then the traumatized population shows physical and psychological symptoms in response. Finally, the initial population passes these responses to trauma to the next generation, who will show similar symptoms.


People whose ancestors went through traumatic experiences are more likely to develop mental and physical health issues. Take anxiety for example: because neuroendocrine structure is passed down through our genes, and neuroendocrine cells help to produce adrenaline (the fight-or-flight hormone), being diagnosed with anxiety is more likely. After all, anxiety is a fight-or-flight response manifesting in a person without any immediate threat.


Being descended from people whose fight-or-flight response was constantly or repetitively triggered may be a cause of, or at least a contributing factor in your genes activating negative responses to stress and trauma. The same is true for being prone to PTSD, depression, and substance abuse.


Healing for New Generations


If you’re like me, you may have wondered who lived in the spot you’re sitting in right now 400 or 500 years ago. You may have visited a place where your ancestors suffered, looking at the artifacts and relics and feeling their pain and sadness wash over you. I’ve often teared up, sometimes straight-up sobbed reading historical accounts of what happened to indigenous people and what white people thought of them back in the day. I can’t help but think of how my ancestors felt hearing of these accounts. How they must have felt being forced to choose between killing their brothers alongside the US or lose their own lives and the lives of their children.


Processing trauma in the place of our ancestors can help people with intergenerational trauma move forward. Yes, genocide, slavery, forced sterilization, and all of the horrible atrocities that happened to those with Black or Native ancestors in my country become wounds that will never heal, but the psychological component offers a way to heal. Becoming acquainted with the specifics of what happened to their ancestors is the first step for people with this type of trauma. Grieving what happened to them, just like we would grieve for any lost loved one, is healthy. Instead of staying stuck on the tragedy, acknowledging and processing it can help in moving forward toward a future where the cause of the trauma is eliminated.


I have the chance to grieve the losses of my ancestors when they weren’t allowed to. This is why researching exactly what happened to my ancestors is important to me -- to go through the healing process for them and to heal the hurts that they never recovered from. Their trauma is tangible when I stand where they stood, or when I speak the language they were forced to forget. This is necessary for me to be able to make peace with who I am, being the product of both indigeneity and colonization. For countless others, I expect they feel the same.



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