Mental health and emotional wellbeing is a topic that should be addressed often. With time individuals are starting to discuss anxiety, depression, and even various different disorders, however, transgenerational trauma is something that occurs but is a topic that is often neglected and not discussed.
Transgenerational trauma is a field that is still being studied and does not have enough information, or research to it. That’s why we are here to shed a light on the topic of trauma; what is generational trauma? the causes? symptoms? and how to heal yourselves from it.
It is important to bring light to this topic because oftentimes individuals experience certain pivotal points in their lives that they are completely unaware of that might have caused some sort of traumatic memory for them. Let’s us not store these memories, and work our way through them.
Understanding transgenerational trauma
Trauma can cause an emotional response due to a terrible incident. Oftentimes, immediately after the event, individuals can find themseles in shock and denial take place. Longer-term reactions include unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, strained relationships, and even physical symptoms like headaches, or nausea.
Transgenerational trauma is a type of trauma that isn’t just experienced by one person but the significant impact extends from from one generation to the next.
It can be silent, covert, and undefined, surfacing through nuances and inadvertently taught or implied throughout someone’s life from an early age onward.
When it comes to transgenerational trauma, everyone is susceptible to it, but there are specific populations that are more vulnerable due to their histories. Being systematically exploited, enduring repeated, continual abuse, racism, and poverty are just few traumatic circumstances to cause mental challenges and impact genetic changes.
Black and Indigenous communities are at higher risk of obtaining this type of trauma because of their history, culture, and the way they are treated in society, as opposed to more privileged cultures like Caucasian communities.
Symptoms that individuals with generational trauma might have
Individuals can have all or some of the following symptoms: hypervigilance, shortened sense of future, mistrust, aloofness, high anxiety, depression, panic attacks, nightmares, insomnia, sensitive fight or flight response, issues with self-esteem, and low confidence.
How can one diagnose transgenerational trauma?
There is no specific diagnosis about how transgenerational trauma can be diagnosed in an individual. Trauma can creates constant stress, anxiety, fight or flight instances, or other various heightened alert systems.
However, it is best to seek help from a specialist in this particular field and we recommend you to get help when you can.
Seeking help and therapy
We strongly recommend to reach out to friends, and to find community that will support you, whether community group in your area or social media. We also recommend individual therapy sessions, family/group therapy sessions, parent/child interaction therapy sessions, practising self-awareness.
There needs to be work put into improving your own mindset and reflecting, some ways to do is meditate, journaling and critical reflection, practising self-forgiveness and positive self talk, and hype yourself at everyday because you deserve to feel loved!
Also, know Yalla! Let’s Talk community will always be here to support you. You can attend our Virtual Healing Circle every Thursday.
As we get older, we meet different people and form various relationships with them. Past traumas and unstable mental health can show itself in personal relationships especially if it is transgenerational trauma.
Healing past traumas, and negative relationships with certain experiences in the past can lead to better friendships, increased mental wellbeing, greater quality relationships, and overall happiness and fulfillment.
