Intergenerational Trauma

Intergenerational trauma is when the effects of trauma pass from generation to generation in one family through compromised beliefs about life, self, safety, love, and normal behavior. This can result in second- or third-generation family members carrying trauma responses for a trauma they did not actually suffer or witness. Intergenerational trauma can occur both from a family member’s single traumatic incident and from a communal trauma, in which many or all members of a local community experience a singular sustained trauma, such as a pandemic, war, or natural disaster.