Transgenerational trauma, the inevitable consequence of war

Traumatic events such as conflict and war generate transgenerational trauma and affect individuals, families and the society in many different ways, both directly and indirectly. Transgenerational traumatology is a rapidly evolving field of psychology that has attracted significant attention in recent years and seeks to find solutions to overcome the effects of trauma.

Research on transgenerational trauma began in the 1960s in the context of Holocaust survivors. Since then, scientists have struggled to understand the long-term impact – psychological, social and cultural – that violent conflicts have, not only on the individual but also on his family and society as a whole.

Intergenerational trauma theories emphasize the fact that trauma is not limited to individuals who experience and witness violence directly. However, the behaviors and characteristics that these events cause can be transferred to the descendants of the victims, resulting in effects that may span several generations.

Psychological studies have shown different symptoms presented by children and grandchildren of trauma survivors, symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Some of these symptoms are: depression, anxiety and stress, as well as behavioral disorders such as aggression and delinquency.

For example, research into the famine genocide in Ukraine, known as the Holodomor, which took place between 1932 and 1933, studied the second and third generations of survivors of the forced famine. It has been found that these individuals suffer from anxiety, stress, shame, distrust, fear and other such characteristics.

They also “inherited” adaptation mechanisms and “survival” techniques that their parents and grandparents manifested after having the traumatic experience. These included overfeeding, hoarding, meaningless food storage, excessive emphasis on food, social hostility, a lack of trust and cooperation with the wider community.

Also, people who have gone through trauma tend to get into what we psychotherapists call the drama triangle more easily. In these cases we can notice a tendency to despise other people (the persecutor mentality), a great interest in their good (the savior mentality), or to complain permanently (the victim mentality).

How is the transgenerational transmission of trauma done?

It is believed that there are two ways in which transgenerational transmission of trauma takes place: the social and cultural environment in which children are raised and epigenetic transmission.

The social environment of children is shaped by the way their parents, former victims, discuss their tragic experiences and the life lessons they teach their children about the world. Therefore, parenting styles can either support their children to reconcile with their family history, or cause further fragmentation.

For example, a study of the descendants of Brazilian Holocaust survivors (see here) found that parents of victims who had presented their children with an imminent sense of death, portraying the world as terrifying, raised children who also suffered from anxiety, vulnerability and an increased sense of guilt.

Therefore, anxiety may not be our own, but it may be transgenerational, that is, unconsciously taken from a member of our family of origin.

Epigenetics, the other mode of transmission, is the study of how certain genes are “activated” (expressed) or “deactivated” (suppressed) in response to the external environment, to allow individuals to survive. These expressed or suppressed genes are then passed on to offspring, altering the behavior of future generations.

The psychological treatment of trauma is based on epigenetics, on the fact that the transmitted trauma can be “deactivated” by psychotherapy.

Treating transgenerational trauma

Because transgenerational trauma is a form of indirect traumatic exposure, it is often not recognized or misdiagnosed by clinicians (see here). In a world where medication is unfairly raised on the highest pedestal, the treatment often recommended by doctors is medication. Unfortunately, often times medication is the only treatment recommended by specialists to people who experience the symptoms of transgenerational trauma.

While the symptoms scream about the trauma, the medication comes to force their mouth shut!

Medicine works on the presumption that if I have certain symptoms, I am the one who has to take medication. Which makes sense if we’re talking about medication strictly, but not when we’re talking about human psychology. This is a linear way of thinking, while psychotherapy, especially family psychotherapy, has a circular, systemic way of thinking. Psychotherapy is not just about the individual, but also takes into account the system to which the person belongs.

I do not rule out drug treatment, I do not consider it totally ineffective and pointless, but what I say is that medication is not enough to solve the underlying problem.

Regarding the psychotherapeutic approach, although I would dare to say that any kind of psychotherapy could pay off, some of the approaches have stood out more.

Some of the therapeutic approaches that have been shown to be effective are: cognitive-behavioral therapy, cognitive processing therapy (a specific type of cognitive-behavioral therapy), prolonged exposure, compassion focused therapy (CFT), dialectical behavioral therapy, narrative therapy and transactional analysis (see here).

Each of these therapies has similar components that are useful in addressing trauma, such as psychoeducation, emotion regulation and processing, cognitive processing and reconstruction, and trauma processing.

An extraordinarily interesting approach is that of Peter Levine, called Somatic Experiencing®. This approach is based on the premise that, in certain situations, trauma overwhelms the nervous system and must be addressed somatically before emotional processing is possible. It is extremely useful for cases where the symptoms are manifested in the body. For example, some people may have seizures similar to those of Tourette’s syndrome, although this syndrome cannot be diagnosed. Such symptoms may occur in people who have taken part in wars in which bombings have taken place.

Although, as I said above, I believe that any kind of psychotherapy could bring good results, there are more and more psychotherapists who specialize in trauma. A therapist who specializes in a micro-niche such as trauma will tend to have much better results compared to a psychotherapist who does not specialize in that niche.

The spread of these traumas from generation to generation can be stopped!

If you have symptoms that you think may be caused by transgenerational trauma, I recommend that you see a psychotherapist as soon as possible. If you think I could be the right person for this, I look forward to working with you.

You can request an appointment here.