Navigating Generational Trauma for a Better Future: Breaking the Cycle

Generational trauma is very real, and it can leave family members with significant psychological wounds. Trauma can be passed down through families, just like our traditions, customs, and rituals.

Intergenerational trauma is a cycle of trauma that affects successive generations of a family. The symptoms may not be the same, but they can be extremely familiar. The abused can become the abuser, and the cycle can continue.

Some of the effects of trauma passed down through generations are anxiety, sadness, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Families can go through various stressors, whether at the personal, familial, or, national level.

What is our current understanding of generational trauma? How does it affect us? (Image via Getty/ Getty)

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Identifying The Symptoms Of Generational Trauma

There are various ways trauma can manifest in the family. (Image via Freepik/ Freepik)

People often are unaware about what trauma can look like. It is important to know the signs of generational trauma and how it can manifest in your everyday life. Some individuals see their traumatic experiences as smaller than others. However, no person's generational trauma is comparable.

Always keep in mind that generational trauma is not an individual problem. Rather, it's deep rooted in our society and systems. This means that the person who went through the trauma dealt with their feelings in a certain way and formed a trauma response that helped them get through their life while they were going through the trauma. Often, this can be traced back to childhood trauma that the individual learns to live with.

They might not have gotten the help they needed to deal with the traumatic experiences in a healthy way. A characteristic feature of generational trauma includes repeating patterns of behavior that are not at the same level as the situation. For example, imagine keeping fresh milk in a bottle that had spoilt milk, the new milk is likely to get spoilt again. This is the same case with generational trauma. Even though, family members have a new vessel, the old experiences can continue to affect them.

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How To Break Generational Trauma? Is It A Vicious Cycle?

Even if it sounds very difficult, it is possible to break free from these traumatic experiences. (Image via Freepik/ Freepik)

It is important to be aware that even though intergenerational trauma can be devastating, it can be paused or even stopped once and for all. The first step to ending the trauma loop is to stop worse events from happening. It's commonly believed that children of alcoholic parents will likewise become alcoholics. While there is some truth to this statement, it is not always the case.

People who are able to recognize and make sense of their own histories of emotional abuse at the hands of a parent have a greater chance of breaking the cycle of violence and not abusing their own children. They remember the experiences that they have gone through and try not to let it affect the future generations.

However, parents who deny or try to dismiss the violence they inflict on their children are less effective in breaking the abusive cycle that has been established in their family. For instance, some children may describe their parents as nurturing but strict, and continue to deny the effects of the violence they have gone through.

The next step is to seek help for your traumatic experiences, including any that came from everyone in your family tree. Counselors and people who work in mental health have the tools and training to help people deal with trauma, figure out what caused it, and try to stop it from happening again.

They can help you see how things from your past affect how you act now and how those habits can be passed on to your children. Some of the victims may find that family trauma therapy helps them deal with people's and the group's negative behaviors. These therapies are present-focused and can help you let go of the past experiences.

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Intergenerational trauma is hard to get over, but it is possible with time, hard work, and with the right therapy. As a society, we need to be aware of the traumas that have been passed down from generation to generation in order to move forward. A trauma therapist will help you process the memories and help you move forward.

A lot of us complain about negative patterns being passed down from generation to generation, but we fail to take steps towards mitigating them. The best way to fight these feelings is to show yourself the love and respect you deserve and begin your healing journey. Even when we are going through very difficult circumstances, we all deserve a chance to beat trauma that is passed down.

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Janvi Kapur is a counselor with a Master's degree in applied psychology with a specialization in clinical psychology.

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