Sometimes we carry feelings that don’t seem to have a clear origin. A deep anxiety that’s hard to explain, a heavy sadness that doesn’t match our own story, or patterns in relationships that repeat even when we try to change them. If you’ve ever wondered, “Why do I feel this way when nothing in my life explains it?”, I can explain.
In therapy, we sometimes discover that what we’re holding isn’t just ours. It may be the echo of an older pain, something passed down through generations. This is what we call intergenerational trauma.
What is Intergenerational Trauma?
Intergenerational trauma refers to the transmission of emotional, psychological, and sometimes physical wounds from one generation to the next. It can happen when a parent or grandparent has experienced something deeply distressing, war, displacement, abuse, addiction, or systemic oppression, and the unresolved pain is passed on in subtle, often unconscious ways.
This transmission isn’t just through stories or behaviours. Increasingly, research is showing that trauma can affect our biology, too.
The Science: Epigenetics and Trauma
You may have heard of epigenetics — the study of how our environment and experiences can influence which of our genes are “switched on or off.”
We now know that traumatic experiences can leave biological marks on our DNA. These changes don’t alter the genetic code itself, but they can affect how genes are expressed, and crucially, these epigenetic changes can be inherited.
In other words, the impact of trauma can be passed down not only through parenting or culture, but through our bodies.
Some studies have found changes in the stress-response systems of children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors. Similar findings have emerged in communities affected by slavery, colonisation, and forced migration. These biological traces are not destiny, but they do help explain why some of us carry burdens we can’t trace back to our own lives.
My Reflections on Inherited Trauma
In my therapeutic journey, both as a therapist and as a human being, I’ve come to recognise the weight of inherited stories. I’ve sat with clients who feel a kind of grief that doesn’t belong to them alone, and I’ve felt it too. A quiet fear that arises without warning. The difficulty in trusting others, even when we long to. The shame feels misplaced, not personal.
Understanding that some of this may have been passed down doesn’t make the pain vanish, but it can soften our inner critic. It helps us move from “What’s wrong with me?” to “What happened to my family, and how is it living in me?” That shift in perspective can be the beginning of healing.
Breaking the Cycle of Inherited Trauma and Starting Something New
The good news is this: healing can also be inherited. When we choose to face what’s been hidden, to feel what was never allowed, to speak what was silenced, we begin to break the cycle. We don’t need to do it perfectly. Even small steps towards self-awareness and compassion can start to change the pattern.
Therapy offers a space to untangle what’s yours from what was passed on. To grieve losses, you never got to name. To find your voice. In doing so, you’re not just healing for yourself; you may also be changing the emotional inheritance for those who come after you.
If you recognise any of this in your own life, you’re not imagining it. Intergenerational trauma is real, but so is intergenerational resilience. You are part of that resilience every time you choose to listen inwardly with kindness.
And healing, like trauma, can ripple through generations.
If this resonates with you and you’d like support in exploring your own story, you’re welcome to get in touch.
Linda Bishopp
Holistic Psychotherapist
www.lindabishopp.co.uk
Email: linda@lindabishopp.co.uk