Intergenerational Trauma

“Some of the patterns we struggle with today may not have begun with us.”

This is a sentence I find myself returning to often — both in my personal reflections and in my work as a therapist. Many people come into therapy feeling frustrated or confused by their own responses. There may be anxiety that feels disproportionate to the present moment. A sense of being on edge, even when life appears relatively stable. Or patterns in relationships that repeat, despite a genuine desire for something different.

It can be easy, in these moments, to turn inward with self-criticism. To ask, “What’s wrong with me?” But increasingly, conversations around intergenerational trauma are offering a different lens — one that invites more context, and often, more compassion.

Understanding Intergenerational Trauma

Intergenerational trauma refers to the ways emotional, psychological, and physiological patterns can be shaped and passed across generations.

This does not necessarily mean that trauma is consciously “handed down.” Often, it is expressed more subtly — through:

• unspoken expectations within families

• roles that individuals come to embody

• ways of relating to safety, closeness, or control

• nervous system responses that feel automatic and deeply familiar

For individuals and families shaped by migration, cultural transitions, systemic stress, or histories of survival, these patterns often have roots in adaptation.

At some point, they made sense.

They may have helped someone cope with uncertainty, protect themselves, or maintain connection in environments where safety or stability could not be assumed. Over time, these adaptations can become embedded — shaping how future generations experience and respond to the world, even when circumstances have changed

What Research Is Beginning to Show

Emerging research in fields such as epigenetics offers additional insight into how these patterns may be carried.

Epigenetics explores how life experiences can influence the way genes are expressed, without altering the DNA sequence itself. Studies suggest that significant stress — particularly when chronic or overwhelming — can impact biological systems involved in stress regulation.

For example, research by Rachel Yehuda and colleagues (2016) found that trauma exposure may be associated with changes in gene expression related to the stress response. Similarly, work by Michael Meaney and Moshe Szyf (2005) demonstrated how early environmental experiences can influence long-term patterns of stress reactivity.

While this area of research is still evolving, it reflects something many clinicians observe in practice: The body often carries patterns that words alone cannot fully explain.

When the Past Shows Up in the Present

From this perspective, experiences such as:

• feeling constantly on alert

• difficulty trusting or relaxing into safety

• strong emotional reactions that seem to come “out of nowhere”

• a tendency to take on certain roles within relationships

can be understood not simply as individual flaws, but as part of a larger story.

They may represent responses that were once adaptive — even necessary — in a different context.

This does not make them any less challenging in the present. But it can begin to shift how we relate to them.

Moving From Blame to Curiosity

Exploring intergenerational patterns is not about assigning blame — to ourselves or to those who came before us.

It is about widening the lens.

When we begin to see our responses in context, something often softens.
The focus moves from “What is wrong with me?” to “What might this part of me have learned?”

This shift can create space for curiosity:

• What feels familiar here?

• What might I have learned about safety, connection, or responsibility?

• What belongs to my present, and what may be rooted in something older?

Awareness does not erase patterns overnight. But it introduces choice.

The Role of the Body and Emotional Experience

Intergenerational patterns are not only cognitive — they are often held in the body.

This is why insight alone can sometimes feel insufficient. You may understand why you respond a certain way, and yet still feel the same reaction arising.

Approaches that integrate mind, body, and relational awareness — including modalities such as somatic work, mindfulness-based therapies, and relational approaches — can help create new experiences of safety and regulation.

Over time, these experiences can begin to shift how the nervous system responds.

Carrying It Differently

Healing does not require us to erase where we come from.

It invites us to carry it differently.

As we begin to understand the patterns we hold, we may also begin to notice subtle shifts:

• pausing where we once reacted automatically

• responding with more choice rather than habit

• relating to ourselves with more compassion

And often, this extends beyond the individual.

When one person begins to relate differently to their inner world, it can shape how they show up in relationships, families, and communities.

A Gentle Reflection

If this resonates with you, you might pause and reflect:

• What patterns feel familiar in your life right now?

• What might they have once been protecting?

• And what feels ready — even slightly — to soften?

You don’t need to have all the answers.

Sometimes, simply beginning to notice is enough.

If you feel curious to explore this more deeply, I would be honoured to walk alongside you.

References

• Yehuda, R., et al. (2016). Holocaust exposure induced intergenerational effects on FKBP5 methylation. Biological Psychiatry.

• Meaney, M. J., & Szyf, M. (2005). Environmental programming of stress responses through DNA methylation. Molecular Psychiatry.