This line of questioning will help you discover a legacy burden (to use Internal Family Systems (IFS) language). I have a whole list of legacy burdens that come through my family. One I have worked with repeatedly over the years …
Tag: intergenerational trauma
Intergenerational Trauma and Legacy Burdens
just finished recording a fantastic podcast episode on Intergenerational Trauma & Legacy Unburdening in IFS (Internal Family Systems). It’s episode 12, so not out yet…but keep an eye out for it
How Trauma is Transmitted Intergenerationally
Intergeneratioanl trauma is real. Check out this paper “Intergenerational transmission of trauma effects: putative role of epigenetic mechanisms” by Yehuda & Lehrner (2018) for some fantastic research-based insights. Imagine a child growing up in a household with an alcoholic mother. …
Cycle Breaker
Who are the CYCLE BREAKERS out there??? Generational patterns repeat through a family because people tend to parent how they were parented. Being the ‘cycle breaker’ in a family is not an easy role, and it is often not chosen …
Intergenerational Trauma
Intergenerational trauma is real. Trauma is passed down through family lines. When a family member experiences a trauma, such as being raised by an alcoholic, experiencing slavery or genocide, these traumas have biological and behavioural impacts on future generations. …
The Oak Tree
Being an oak in a forest of firs is not easy. You know from an early age that you are different. It is not better or worse, being an oak. It just is. Learning to accept this body as it …
Things for Cycle Breakers To Remember About Family
For all the cycle breakers out there, this is for you. When you feel like you don’t belong in your family, you just feel somehow different, know that you are not alone. It’s okay to see patterns in your family …
Reparenting Interrupts Intergenerational Trauma
One way trauma passes through family lines is from parent to child. Let’s imagine that someone’s father grew up with an alcoholic father. To escape his family home, he joined the army, where he was exposed to more stressful and …
Physical & Emotional Symptoms of Trauma
There are so many responses to trauma, remember YOUR response is NORMAL for YOU. You may experience any combination of these symptoms in response to any trauma, large or small. The symptoms will usually subside within a few weeks or …
How Trauma Affects the Brain
Trauma affects the brain, especially the prefrontal cortex, amygdala and hippocampus. Ongoing trauma is associated with “lasting change in these brain areas” (Bremmer, 2006). When there is a potential threat, the amygdala sends an instant message to the hippocampus, activating …