Generational Trauma

What are you passing down to your kids? Understanding the impact of trauma on future generations can make or break their experiences in life.

Intergenerational trauma is synonymous with generational trauma, inherited trauma, and transgenerational trauma. I will use these terms somewhat interchangeably throughout this article.

Today, in 2025, we know that newborns don’t enter into the world with a clean slate. Their emotional history begins even before they are conceived. The research on generational trauma began to take form in the late 19th century and the concept of intergenerational trauma emerged in 1966 when Canadian psychiatrist Vivian M. Rakoff documented significant psychological distress levels in children of Holocaust survivors. This marked a significant moment in the understanding of how trauma can affect future generations. Since then, more research, especially with breakthroughs in neuroscience-based technologies, has confirmed that intergenerational trauma is a thing. A real thing that happens to real people. And has done so across history.

Definition of Generational Trauma

So, what is it? Generational trauma is a term for traumatic impacts that are passed from one generation of a family to the next; a cycle of trauma that passes through families; refers to a type of trauma that does not end with the individual who first experienced the trauma. Instead, it lingers and gnaws through one generation to the next, leaving a wake of internal injury and difficult life functioning.

Generational trauma occurs through biological, environmental, psychological, and social means. This type of trauma can have deep consequences for later generations. Families with a history of unresolved trauma, depression, anxiety, and addiction may continue to pass maladaptive coping strategies and distrustful views of life onto future generations. Some are external, such as financial difficulties or the behavior patterns a family develops in order to cope. In this way, one can repeat the same patterns and attitudes of former generations, regardless of whether or not those behaviors and attitudes are healthy.

This trauma that extends from one generation to the next begins when a group experiences a traumatic event that causes economic, cultural, and familial distress. In response, people belonging to that group, or family, develop physical and/or psychological symptoms, as we know to be true for anyone who experiences something traumatic. These physical and psychological symptoms can be found with neuroscience research and technology as changes in the brain, changes in neurochemical functioning and nervous system response changes. These internal—or neurophysiological—changes become apparent on the outside as beliefs, behaviors, and patterns that are often maladaptive. These internal changes, as well as external patterns, can be passed down to future generations. Evidence also suggests that generational trauma can happen in the uterus. For example, a fetus being exposed to neurochemicals involved in maternal stress that affect/impact the future development of a fetus/child.

The Role of Epigenetics

There is also strong belief that trauma can change the way our genes function, and those changes are then transmitted to future generations. This is the theory of Epigenetics. This theory suggests that trauma changes how your genes work. Epigenetic researchers believe traumatic experiences of all kinds may create tiny chemical tags that attach to our genes and influence how they function. Then, those changes, those tiny chemical tags on the genes, pass down to your children. The epigenetic picture is not fully understood, but researchers have found evidence of the internal impact of trauma on future generations, by looking at how those experiences can affect gene expression and whether those changes can then be passed along.

Distinction between Genetic Changes & Epigenetic Changes

Genes determine a person's traits and characteristics, which can include physical appearance, health, and behavior. They are the fundamental units of heredity, containing the instructions that determine a person’s specific traits inherited from parents. Genes are composed of DNA, which contains the biological instructions that allow for the development, growth, and reproduction of life. They are passed down from one generation to the next, and each person has a unique genetic makeup due to the combination of alleles inherited from both parents. Genes can influence various aspects of health, including the risk of developing certain diseases and disorders, including things like cancer and depression. So, your DNA is like a set of instructions for your body. Your DNA includes encoded instructions for certain cell production. Genetic changes can alter your DNA; genetic changes alter what those instructions say. In contrast, epigenetic changes alter how your body reads your DNA, known as gene expression. Gene expression happens when that instruction code is read and put into action. The instruction code’s interpretation (how it reads the code) may differ depending on certain factors (i.e. overall genetic makeup, age, whether you’ve been exposed to harmful substances, etc). And whether or not past family members experienced trauma. Epigenetic changes may turn specific genes “on” or “off,” therefore, people with generational trauma may have certain genes that are not expressed as usual. This increases their risk for certain illnesses like anxiety, depression, heart disease, insomnia, among others. Even though it is still hard  for researchers to pinpoint exactly why certain genes are expressed differently in people who have family members with trauma, they do know things are expressed differently in these people, that’s fairly certain.

Other ways to incur Generational Trauma

Other ways that people inherit trauma from their ancestors is through factors such as discrimination and prejudice; these are considered environmental and social means. This kind of trauma happens when a group collectively experiences a horrific event, such as abuse, discrimination, natural disasters, racism, and war, of which many of these extreme environmental and social circumstances have basis in discrimination and prejudice. Those events may lead to anxiety, depression, and PTSD among the people directly affected by the traumatic experience. Then, those folks may pass on their trauma to their offspring, and so on.

We already know that trauma can manifest itself through stress, anxiety, fight or flight, and other heightened alert systems in our brain and bodies, meaning the impact of trauma can be overt and apparent in our body sensations and nervous system reactions. The impact of trauma can also be silent, covert, and undefined, surfacing through nuances and inadvertently taught or implied throughout someone's life from an early age onward. In this way, intergenerational trauma can also mask itself (be covert) through learned beliefs, behaviors, and patterns that become engrained into the brain and body, impacting the way we function in the world. This kind of wiring (or rewiring, the neurophysiological changes/impact leftover from trauma) impacts personalities, relationships, parenting, communication, and views of the world. (Watch the episode of my podcast entitled The Neuroscience of Trauma to understand this further).

This masked trauma can look like:

• Belief- I’m not good enough

• Behavior- Becoming aggressive when feeling hurt or wounded

• Pattern-Blaming others instead of taking responsibility

This silent and undefined trauma can also look like:

• Sleep disturbances

• Emotional dysregulation

• Substance abuse

• Hypervigilance or hyperarousal

• Dissociation

• Self-esteem issues

• Mistrust

What environmental, psychological, and social factors cause Generational Trauma?

Bad ones, in short. If a person experienced childhood abuse at the hands of their caretakers…if a person experienced chronic poverty in their lifetime…if a person was stressed during pregnancy…if a person experienced a house fire…these are all examples of environmental, social, and psychological factors that can contribute to, or cause, trauma reactions and responses in the next generation.

Specific groups of people are more vulnerable due to their histories. Specifically, ethnic and racial minorities have a higher risk than white people of incurring generational trauma. Why? Because being systematically exploited, enduring repeated and continual abuse, racism, and/or poverty are all traumatic enough to cause genetic changes. And we know genetic changes caused by trauma in one generation can be passed down to the next.

A range of environmental, social, and psychological experiences can cause this type of trauma, including:

• Indigenous genocide

• Slavery

• Racism

• The Holocaust

• War

• Famine

• Natural disasters

Also, including:

• Adverse experiences during childhood (like abuse or neglect)

• Sexual Abuse

• Chronic poverty

• Poor physical health of mother

• Stressors mother experiences during pregnancy

Emotional, Behavioral & Relational Impact incurred from Generational Trauma

We know our own traumatic experiences can impact our mental health. Other risk factors for being diagnosed with a mental health disorder/illness include things like stressful life situations, abuse of alcohol or recreational drugs, and a history of abuse or neglect.  Epigenetic studies suggest that the trauma of past generations may also play a role in mental health issues; this means generational trauma is another risk factor for developing a mental health disorder.

So, one significant impact from past generations living through traumatic experiences is poor mental health in the next generation.

Trauma from generations past can cause or worsen a range of Mental Health disorders, including:

• Depression

• Anxiety

• PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)

• Addiction

• Dissociation/derealization

• ODD (Oppositional Defiance Disorder)

• OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)

Other areas of impact include: recurring emotional issues, recurring unhelpful behavior patterns, difficulty with developing and maintaining healthy relationships. If you or family members struggle with recurring emotional issues such as chronic anxiety, depression, or anger, it’s possible you, or they, are experiencing trauma handed down to them by other family members. If recurring behaviors such as, substance abuse, violence, or emotional withdrawal, show up in your family it’s likely a sign your family is impacted by generational trauma. Struggles with trust, intimacy, or healthy attachment may be a sign of trauma that’s been passed down.

Physical & Developmental Impact incurred from Generational Trauma

Physical symptoms and health issues are more likely for folks who come from families with histories of trauma. Unexplained chronic health issues such as headaches or migraines, stomach or other GI problems, or chronic fatigue could be indicators of generational trauma, as unresolved emotional issues can, and often do, manifest as physical health problems. We also know that trauma can have a significant effect on the immune system and may contribute to the generational curse of autoimmune diseases and other chronic illnesses. Cancer, Parkinson’s Disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, Shingles, among others, have been linked to trauma. Living through trauma itself can contribute to poverty, compromised parenting, diminished attachment, chronic stress, and unstable living environments, which can directly impact children and their development. So, a parent who has lived through a, or several, traumatic experience(s) is more likely to struggle in all aspects of adult functioning, including creating a stable and healthy environment to raise children. As a result, the children are negatively impacted by that parent experiencing trauma before that child was born.

What’s the difference between Generational Trauma & Learned Behaviors?

Generational trauma and learned behaviors are related but are distinct in their differences. Generational trauma refers to the emotional and psychological impact of traumatic experiences that are passed down through family lines, often unconsciously. This means what I’ve been outlining in this article: generational trauma can manifest in anxiety, depression, or unhealthy coping mechanisms that affect multiple generations, even if the current generation hasn’t directly experienced the original traumatic event. Learned behaviors, however, are actions, habits, or attitudes consciously or unconsciously adopted by people through observation or interaction with their environment, particularly family members. In this way, we learn what is modeled to us in our family systems growing up. For example, always checking that the door is locked because your parent always checked that the door was locked (because the parent lived through the traumatic experience of a home invasion).

Let’s look at some other examples. Some people struggle with understanding that substance addiction is a disease or illness, rather than delinquent behavior. However, a family history of substance abuse can often be viewed through the lens of both generational trauma and learned behavior. For families affected by generational trauma, the use of common substances like alcohol could be a coping mechanism passed down unknowingly through the generations. Also, traumatic events experienced by older family members—such as loss, abuse, or significant hardship—could have led to substance abuse as a means of escaping pain. This pattern of using alcohol to numb or self-medicate could then have been adopted by future generations, even if they didn’t directly experience the initial trauma. This is generational trauma because the future generation did not experience the abuse or hardship that older family members did, yet they still have developed a substance use disorder (unhelpful behavior).

Generational trauma can show up in many ways, from the way your family members speak to you to your attachment style. Did Grandpa always seem angry for no reason? Or did Aunt Sue seem a little anxious and paranoid to you, even during times when it didn’t feel necessary? These types of things are often explained away in family systems as “just how they are” or “just how it’s always been” without reflection or consideration of the trauma experiences of past family members. It can also show up in less obvious ways, as mentioned above. Experiencing severe trauma, or chronic trauma, for example, can cause you to produce higher levels of stress hormones in order to survive. These higher stress levels—manifested as neurochemical and neurophysiological changes, such as higher outputs of cortisol in mildly stressful situations, an ‘overreaction’ so to speak, or a more intense reaction than is biologically necessary for the situation or context—may be passed on to descendants who didn’t experience that severe or chronic trauma themselves. This has already been proven in a 2015 study involving children of Holocaust survivors. (This finding is based Epigenetics theory and research. To learn more, check out my podcast episode on this topic. Find it here.)

Examples of Cases of Generational Trauma from the research

Several studies have explored the effects of transgenerational trauma on Holocaust survivors, Khmer Rouge killings in Cambodia, Rwandan genocide, displacement of American Indians, & slavery of African Americans, among others. In one study, sons of Civil War soldiers who survived Confederate prisoner-of-war camps were likely to die earlier than sons of soldiers who weren’t captured or were placed in camps with better conditions. Another study showed that children whose mothers survived the Tutsi genocide during pregnancy were more likely to experience PTSD than children whose mothers hadn’t experienced that trauma. While some results are mixed on how trauma is manifested, many studies uncovered higher rates of anxiety, depression and PTSD in trauma survivors and their children.

In Summary

While generational trauma can affect us all, those at the highest risk are in families that have experienced significant forms of abuse, neglect, torture, oppression, and racial disparities. If any one of your ancestors experienced trauma, whether it was parental abuse or genocide, then the effects of the trauma could be passed down to you. It might not, but it could. For this reason, we must EDUCATE others to increase awareness about the importance of doing your own work, healing unresolved issues, pain, and trauma, so that you can prevent generational trauma from continuing, to prevent these biological, psychological, social, and neurophysiological changes from passing down to the next generation.

Thanks for reading! To learn more about me and the work I do in the world to help folks heal and transform their circumstances, go to my website.