Historical/ Intergenerational Trauma

Historical trauma, or intergenerational trauma, refers to the cumulative emotional and psychological wounding of a person or generation caused by traumatic experiences or events. Historical trauma can be experienced by any group of people that experience a trauma. Examples include genocide, enslavement, or ethnic cleansing. It can affect many generations of a family or an entire community. Historical trauma can lead to substance abuse, depression, anxiety, anger, violence, suicide, and alcoholism within the afflicted communities. If you are feeling the effects of historical or intergenerational trauma, reach out to one of TherapyDen’s experts today. 

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For over 20 years I worked as a contractor to LE to help the survivors and families of MMIW. Intergenerational trauma was always evident as a result of historical, religious and political abuses by those in power over Indigenous persons. I have also helped other persons with historical and intergenerational trauma who have been first generation US citizens and illegals. Internal family systems is the approach I have found most effective to help heal intergenerational and historical trauma.

— Sabrina Hanan, Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate in Bozeman, MT

During her time at Teachers College, Columbia University Talia studied Bilingual Latinx Counseling. The program placed a huge emphasis on understanding and conceptualizing client's presenting concerns through the historical/ intergenerational trauma that might have triggered and/or exacerbated it.

— Talia Akerman, Licensed Mental Health Counselor in New York, NY
 

As a second-generation Asian-American, I understand the relationship between symptoms of depression/anxiety and intergenerational trauma. The patterns and cycles passed down from generation to generation contribute to our mental health - either negatively or positively, and we have the power to stop or continue the cycle. We can begin living an empowered life.

— Jessica Cruz, Associate Marriage & Family Therapist in San Diego, CA

Transforming the Experience-Based Brain (TEB) is a regulation focused model integrating learnings from somatic, attachment, & neurophysiological models. Through hands-on or intentional presence in healing you are able to access pre-verbal & early childhood developmental trauma stored in the body. As a non-pathologizing method of care, this embodied approach is a different way of healing as it targets the nervous system rather than specific symptoms & supports integration of primitive reflexes.

— Morgen Simpson, Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Bloomington, MN
 

Trauma is what happens to us that overwhelms our ability to cope for an extended period of time. Trauma is different and personal to each individual. I believe in the resilience of the human spirit, and that we are not the things that happen to us. I begin where the client is, focusing at first on building the skills needed to begin to thrive. When my clients are ready we focus on processing the trauma identified.

— Irene Nessium, Mental Health Counselor in Brooklyn, NY

Trauma can be inherited with families and cultural origins, which produce unhealthy coping mechanisms and unexpected traumatic responses. I create a collaborative and safe container to process these traumas and co-create spaces where clients can heal and break these cycles and patterns.

— Michelle Jaquish, Clinical Social Worker in Seattle, WA
 

Historical trauma, its transmission, and its manifestation across multiple generations were both an area of academic concentration and a personal interest, given my background as a child of people who experienced war and genocide. Many of the people I have work with have found that relief, more fulfilling relationships, and aliveness have coincided with an increasing ability to place their present-day problems against a backdrop of wider social and historic forces.

— Vuthy Ou, Clinical Psychologist in Philadelphia, PA

Through my work at an LGBTQ-focused community center, I offered therapy to community members, many of whom were dealing with complex trauma and a history of dysfunctional family relationships.

— Leticia Berg, Psychotherapist in Ann Arbor, MI
 

Most of my clients are doing the emotional and psychological work of their parents, grandparents and beyond. In other words, our healing what the healing our lineage has needed. Families pass down the good and the bad. I compare this to physical belongings, like heirlooms or unopened boxes. When the "boxes" contain habits, patterns or traits that have caused harm to or are no longer serving my clients, I support them to sort that stuff out in exchange for what heals, helps and brings happiness

— TESSA SINCLAIR, Marriage & Family Therapist in San Francisco, CA

All staff are people of color that participate and have completed training in this area as well.

— NYC AFFIRMATIVE PSYCHOTHERAPY, Clinical Social Worker in , NY
 

"Sometimes in my daily life, I lose time or have feelings that don’t match what is going on around me." Trauma can result from a single event, but more often, it comes from a long period of challenging circumstances. Often, we can only see that there is trauma through its effects, which is the feeling of disconnection or erratic feelings and behaviors, usually beyond our control. These experiences can prevent us from feeling like our lives our whole, or even that we know who we are.

— Open Space Therapy Collective, Licensed Professional Counselor in Los Angeles, CA

Even before I became a therapist, my personal family recovery taught me the power of intervening on cycles of abuse/neglect and misinformation. Brainspotting and Internal Family Systems therapy are powerful healing modalities to address childhood trauma, even if it goes back many generations.

— Christine Bates, Licensed Professional Counselor in Oxford, MS
 

Over the last several years, I have dedicated myself to understanding and studying historical trauma across the lifespan and how to begin the path of healing. Doing my own work around what being Indigenous and Jewish means to me today, I have come to find that acknowledgement of the past, integrating our intersectional identities to accept the whole of who we are, and addressing systemic injustice are just a few major keys in accessing the resilience that is already within us.

— Cheyenne Bellarosa, Counselor in Aurora, CO

Trauma can affect people in different ways. I work with clients struggling with acute, chronic, or complex trauma.

— Tomoko Iimura, Associate Marriage & Family Therapist in ,
 

We swore we would never treat OUR children the same way, yet many of us will repeat what was modeled for us in our childhood, often without realizing it. Harmful generational patterns include abuse & neglect, and also more subtle ones. If your parents told you to "stop crying", you learned to ignore your emotions. If they screamed and threw things during conflict, maybe you do the same. We repeat what we don't repair. If you inherited generational trauma, I can help you stop the patterns.

— Renee Cagle, Licensed Professional Counselor in Frisco, TX