Healing Generational Trauma
Written by: THE BALANCE
Medically reviewed by Dr. Sarah Boss, MD
Last updated: January 19, 2026
Fact checked
Quick Summary
  • Several biological, social, and anthropological traits like heirlooms, hereditary disorders, and physical features, are carried through ethnicities and families.
  • Generational trauma is a relatively new object of research, therefore scientists still have a lot to learn about its effects and how it manifests in victims.
  • Generational trauma is pretty self - explanatory like trauma that affects more than one individual and is passed down through generations.
Reading time: 11 min

Several biological, social, and anthropological traits like heirlooms, hereditary disorders, and physical features, are carried through ethnicities and families. Trauma can be transmitted in some instances. Generational trauma is a relatively new object of research, therefore scientists still have a lot to learn about its effects and how it manifests in victims. As per experts, here’s what we understand so far.

Generational trauma is pretty self – explanatory like trauma that affects more than one individual and is passed down through generations. It can be subtle, hidden, and ambiguous, emerging through nuances and unwittingly taught or inferred throughout a person’s life, beginning at a young age.

The idea of generational trauma was first established in 1966, when Vivian M. Rakoff, MD, a Canadian psychiatrist, and her colleagues discovered high rates of psychological suffering among kids of Holocaust victims.

In a 1988 research published in The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, it was discovered that grandkids of Holocaust victims were highly represented in psychiatric care recommendations by around 300 percent. Ever since Holocaust survivors and their descendants have been the subject of the most research. However, any sort of extreme, long-term stress could have negative psychological effects on grandchildren and/or children, leading to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), clinical depression, and anxiety.

Trauma has an effect on genetic mechanisms, leading to an increase in traumatic reactivity in groups that have experienced a lot of trauma. (source: NIMH, 2024)

Although generational trauma exists, epigenetic research is still in its infancy. What is understood is that certain people are predisposed to PTSD genetically, that PTSD is common, and that epigenetic modification can be reverted. These elements, taken together, underscore the need for additional research into generational trauma.

Identifying and treating trauma, whether generational PTSD or not, is critical. While psychotherapy and medication are effective treatments for PTSD, everyone reacts differently to them.

Clinicians must also be culturally capable and competent in considering how injustice and inequality lead to chronic trauma, particularly those who work with marginalized communities.

If you’ve been through a traumatic event, seek out mental health professionals who are familiar with PTSD and can tailor treatment strategies to your specific needs. (source: APA, 2023)

Some typical examples of generational trauma are:

  • Domestic Abuse
  • Addiction to drugs and alcohol
  • Neglect and Abuse Of A Child
  • War Migrants And Refugees 
  • Survivors of warfare and post-conflict trauma

Examples From Historical Events

Because of the wide-ranging impact, it has on individuals of all colors and races, PTSD, which most troops develop after the battle, has received increased attention. Kids of PTSD veterans may have comparable mental health problems as their parents (s).

There is some evidence to support this notion, such as a comparison of the psychological health of veterans’ children born before and after their experience in battle. Certain behavioral and environmental therapies have been shown in several studies to help counteract the trauma’s potentially detrimental effects. One strategy to achieve this might be to expose the parents to a more positive environment before they have children (possibly by coping with the trauma or increasing their financial and social situation). (source: NIH/NLM, 2024)

Other groups, especially those who have suffered, are also at the core of today’s debate:

  • Enslavement (like Black Americans)
  • Imprisonment (like Japanese Americans)
  • Genocide and Massacre (like victims of Holocaust and Indigenous Americans)
  • Natural calamities (like victims of Hurricane Maria or Hurricane Katrina)
  • Displacement or Relocation as a result of a conflict or a famine (like refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and regions of Africa)

Generational trauma has established a possible barrier for descendants in these communities. It’s possible that it’ll make you more prone to depression, PTSD, and substance abuse. It may be a hurdle to accumulating income and discovering possibilities to improve their general health and wellness in some circumstances.

Behavioral health clinicians might begin with patient education on the following topics to stop the cycle of generational trauma:

  • The physiologic mechanisms that cause intergenerational trauma
  • The learned behavior cycle
  • The underlying significance of the neurobiological impact on relationships

Then they apply a technique called mentalizing, which educates patients to be attentive to the thinking patterns that contribute to irrational emotions. When the fight or flight reaction is triggered, the outcome will never be the person they want to be. New neuropathways can arise when patients learn and practice methods to disrupt that process, reducing the chance of unfavorable responses in future situations. (source: WHO, 2023)

The advantages of resolving trauma go well beyond the individual who has been through it. Our mission is to assist future generations to live more prosperous lives by interrupting the trauma cycle. Here are some more suggestions for breaking the cycle:

  • Start a discussion with your family about their personal experiences and how they dealt with them.
  • Take note of any ingrained familial behaviors, beliefs, or stories that you tend to convey.
  • Talk to a trustworthy friend, member of the family, or therapist about these issues, and consider a different way of dealing or expressing.
  • Develop understanding and sympathy for your family and the difficulties they faced. Despite their imperfections, many of our forefathers and mothers toiled away so that we may live better lives. This, too, is something to be proud of and embrace.
  • Create a new story about your family, yourself, and the world that you want your children to believe in.

Trauma is entwined in the past, present, and future, and it is carried down through generations. Those who have “inherited” post-traumatic consequences can receive assistance, healing, and develop coping mechanisms from the mental care community. Recognizing and intervening in intergenerational trauma is critical for healing from past harm, empowering those living in the moment, breaking free from the cycle for mental wellness, and disrupting the destructive cycle so that the consequences of trauma are not handed down to the future generations.

Healing can be aided by a variety of therapies. Individual trauma-focused treatment with trauma-informed certified mental health experts can aid in the processing of previous trauma’s effects and the learning of effective strategies to face it in the present situation and future, recover from it, and build strength to go ahead positively and constructively.

Family counseling might be beneficial as well. Intergenerational trauma can be addressed by a family working together with a therapist. Members of the family can also examine the trauma in the framework of their own family and culture, learning to focus on themselves, recover, control traumatic stress, and detach themselves from the pain of earlier generations—and embrace other family members who try to do the same. Treatment for caregivers or parents before or during their child’s therapy can be a beneficial therapeutic strategy. (source: NICE, 2018)

Culturally responsive treatment can be quite successful, especially for those who are dealing with intergenerational historical or cultural trauma. A person going through the healing process may benefit from a culturally relevant counselor who is knowledgeable of the client’s culture and applies regionally important and suitable strategies. Culturally sensitive interventions that focus on a group’s or individual’s strengths and resourcefulness might be beneficial to people seeking treatment for intergenerational trauma.

While engaging with a certified mental health expert is recommended, individuals experiencing intergenerational trauma can adopt measures to improve their mental health if they do not have access to treatment. Isolation can be bad for one’s emotional health, thus connecting with people can aid with healing. Building meaningful ties with people outside of the family might provide a source of support in the case of generational trauma. These connections can also provide new and unique insights into how others deal with difficulties. Building positive connections to promote mental health can be as simple as entering a support network, volunteering, or forming friendships.

When dealing with intergenerational trauma, self-care is another way to improve mental health. Getting sufficient amounts of sleep, for example, can help with mental stability. Exercise can aid in the release of endorphins, which fuel good emotions. Meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, and deep breathing can be relaxing and provide relief from trauma-related unpleasant feelings and thoughts. 

Gratitude might help us focus on the positive rather than the negative. Another aspect of self-care is setting limits. Setting limits with relatives, for example, can be a protective measure for psychological health if bad family interactions coexist with intergenerational trauma. (source: FindTreatment.gov, n.d.)

Building resilience can aid in the treatment of intergenerational trauma-related mental health concerns. When faced with adversity, resilience can assist us in adapting. Knowing from the past—from what has had a negative effect on us—can assist us in determining how to go forward in a productive and strong manner. Positive self-talk about individual qualities, as well as intentionally forming an optimistic view, can aid with resilience.

Healing Techniques

Determine the source of the trauma and how this has impacted your family and life.

Recognize the impact that previous experiences have had on your household and be sensitive towards people and their behavior. (source: ADAA, n.d.)

Acknowledge that everyone has imperfections and have compassion for yourself and others.

Make an appointment with a therapist who is familiar with trauma and can assist you in getting the most out of therapy.

Always believe that the route to recovery is achievable, no matter how frightening and rooted generational trauma is in your circle of friends and family. The greatest course of action for beginning to heal yourself and the people you care about is to communicate openly and honestly with your loved ones.

How To Heal From Generational Trauma (source: Yehuda & Lehrner, 2018)

Most people are unaware that their actions are dysfunctional because they are attempting to apply what they have learned in the best way they know-how. The key to transformation is awareness. There can be no change unless you recognize that something is wrong in your family system.

The first stage is to recognize generational trauma patterns. Domestic abuse, violence, anxiety, and gender norms, to name a few, are more visible than others.

The second step is to become more conscious of what causes you to fall into these established routines. Is it screaming, disdain, a sense of devaluation, physical aggressiveness, or witnessing others harass others? The list could go on and on.

The third step is to become conscious of how you react to triggers once you’ve identified them. Do you become irritable, furious, violent, or yell when you’re stressed? (source: Kellermann, 2001)

The fourth step is to put obstacles in those patterns. Establishing a trigger phrase or word to assist you to notice when you’re following a pattern. Creating a support system that will hold you accountable.

The fifth step is giving yourself respect and grace. These are tendencies that have been instilled in us for a long time. Generational trauma does not resolve in a week or even in a month. It will take some time.

To augment these measures, enlisting the assistance of an expert is a great option. Extra therapy may be required if the trauma you experienced was so deeply ingrained for your own safety. Trauma is preserved in both the body and the mind.

FAQs

Generational Trauma vs. Intergenerational Trauma; Is There Any Difference?
Intergenerational trauma is another term for generational trauma.
Not only can somebody be traumatized, but they can also carry on the manifestations and behaviors of trauma living to their kids, who can then carry them down the family line.
Childhood trauma is a typical case of generational trauma, as it perpetuates a cycle of anxiety and abuse across generations. Abject poverty, the violent or unexpected death of a family member, or a felony against a family are all examples of trauma that can produce generational trauma.
Who Is At Risk Of Being Harmed By Generational Trauma?
Everyone is subject to generational trauma, however certain populations are more sensitive than others due to their backgrounds. Being systemically exploited, suffering repeated and unrelenting maltreatment, racism, discrimination, and impoverishment are all traumatizing enough to alter one’s DNA. As a result, African Americans in the US and elsewhere are especially vulnerable. And families afflicted by disasters such as the Asian tsunami of 2004 will experience severe repercussions for years to come. People in nations that have experienced years, if not decades, of conflict, may also be suffering from generational trauma, she says.
Other activities that can cause generational trauma include sexual abuse or sexual assault, domestic violence, and racial discrimination.

The Article

+

About This Article

+

Do you need help?

Sister Topics

Abandonment Trauma Abandonment Trauma and PTSD ADHD Vs PTSD Attachment Trauma Best PTSD Treatment Centers Best Trauma Treatment Centers Betrayal Trauma Recovery BPD vs. CPTSD Childhood Emotional Neglect Childhood Trauma Childhood Trauma And Addiction Childhood Trauma Therapies Complex Post-traumatic Stress Disorder COVID-19 PTSD CPTSD vs. PTSD Developmental Trauma Disorder Does PTSD Go Away Fawning Trauma How is PTSD and Traumas Treatment How to Break a Trauma Bond How to Deal with PTSD How to Deal with Trauma How to Heal From Emotional Abuse How to Stop Dissociating People Pleasing Trauma PTSD And Dissociation PTSD And Marriage Breakdown PTSD Awareness Month PTSD Episodes PTSD From Emotional Abuse PTSD Inpatient Treatment PTSD Statistics PTSD Test PTSD UK Signs Of Repressed Childhood Trauma In Adults Signs You Are Healing From Trauma Trauma And Epigenetics Trauma Counseling Trauma Recovery Center Trauma Residential Treatment Program Types of Trauma Vicarious Trauma What are the Symptoms and Triggers of Betrayal Trauma What is Boarding School Syndrome What is Trauma & PTSD What is Trauma Bonding What is Vicarious Trauma What To Do After Successful Recovery From PTSD What to Do When Someone With PTSD Pushes You Away