4/14/2024 0 Comments Intergenerational sexual traumaOthers, such as those who lived through the holocaust, may have passed down an understandable lack of trust in others, nightmares, and more challenging forms of grief.Įven in times of global peace, women can pass on intergenerational trauma. They may pass on some of the symptoms of post-traumatic stress associated with war, such as hypersensitivity to stimuli or irritability. Some women experience intergenerational trauma as a result of living in conflict, war zones, or famine. This may include toxic relationships with partners or drug dealers and treating their own loved ones abusively. Indeed, some women find themselves caught in similar cycles of negative behavior as their parents who lived with addiction. In some instances, the road to addiction also began as a form of coping with other forms of trauma, which can make this type of condition particularly difficult to manage. This can take the form of passing on patterns of addictive behavior either through genetics or influence. Alcohol and Drug AddictionĪnother key root of intergenerational trauma is alcohol and drug addiction. It can also be from forms of psychological abuse that can affect behavior and perspectives. The trauma need not be strictly from physical abuse. This can impact successive generations’ sensations of safety, comfort around domestic and sexual partners, and their sense of self-worth. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that 41% of women experience “contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner.” It’s almost no wonder, then, that so many women can experience intergenerational trauma from abuse even when they haven’t experienced it themselves. Violence against women is an all-too-familiar component of our society and has been for centuries. Making a start in breaking the cycle is often a case of identifying where the trauma stems from.įor many women, intergenerational trauma commonly stems from one or more of the following roots. After all, you’re coexisting with symptoms that aren’t necessarily a direct cause of your lived experience. Intergenerational trauma is a deeply personal condition and can often be a confusing one. People experiencing intergenerational trauma may also find it hard to trust and connect with other people, deal with anger issues, be irritable, and have debilitating nightmares. Some of the key symptoms include denial, depersonalization, isolation, memory loss, nightmares, feeling numb, hypervigilance, substance abuse, unresolved grief. Intergenerational trauma can also overlap with or be misdiagnosed as other disorders. Intergenerational trauma presents itself similarly to PTSD, so understanding the symptoms of complex PTSD can be a great start. In terms of symptoms, the outcome is often dependent on the type of trauma. The effects of intergenerational trauma can also be varied. However, there is also ongoing research into the potential for trauma to be passed down hereditarily through chemical changes in genes. For some women, it’s the result of conditioning from living with the trauma-altered behavior of previous generations of women. There are still some questions about how such trauma is passed down. This means that regardless of whether a woman directly witnessed a traumatic incident, she may live with the negative results of it. In essence, intergenerational trauma is the process of passing the impact of traumatic experiences to successive generations. Yet, it is a very real experience with tangible consequences. Too often, people dismiss the concept of intergenerational trauma as angry young people blaming previous generations for their struggles. Without knowing what it looks like and how it occurs, it’s difficult to address the key elements. To effectively break the cycle of intergenerational trauma, it’s important to gain an understanding of what it is. Let’s take a closer look at how intergenerational trauma affects women and what can be done to break the cycle. It extends to successive generations of women’s families and communities. Yet, there is also increasing recognition of just how far-reaching trauma can be. Certainly, it can directly derail the mental and physical health of the individual experiencing it. There are a variety of toxic impacts that can arise from unchecked trauma. Yet, it’s vital to recognize that traumatic experiences can form the reality of many women’s daily lives. Often, we focus on those who have witnessed extreme events, such as terrorist incidents or as members of the military. Trauma has the potential to seriously disrupt lives.
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