Note From The Author

This post is a simplification of a very complex topic. 

The original post was written by Dr. Claude R. Shema, and can be accessed HERE. This version is rewritten in Plain English. 

We do not want to water-down or weaken these important ideas, but changing some words means we cannot fully explain them. If you want to learn more, we recommend reading the original post, or the source material.

This is a continuation of Intergenerational Trauma - Simplified which can be found HERE.

Treating Intergenerational Trauma - Simplified

How Trauma Looks

Last week, we shared that trauma leaves scars. “Intergenerational trauma” is a term that helps us understand that the injuries from horrible events can be passed down. This trauma can show up in many parts of people’s lives.

Here are just some of the ways that trauma can look:

Trauma can make it hard for people to have safe and healthy relationships.

This might look like:

• Low self-esteem

• Not trusting your partner

• Not trusting your family

• Not being able to show love to your partner

• Feeling like you can’t love

• Not showing your emotions to your friends or family

• Feeling like nobody can help you

Trauma can make it hard for our brains to get energy to certain areas. This means our brain might be really good at some things but really bad at others.

This might look like:

• Always watching for danger

• Noticing every little detail, but not being able to see the “big picture”

• Not being able to focus

• Doing poorly in school or work

• Having a hard time remembering things

• Having a hard time explaining or finding the right words 

• Negative self-talk (“I’m garbage. I could never win.”)

Because our brains are acting differently, our bodies might act differently too. 

This might look like:

• Disruptive behaviors

• Yelling

• Can’t sit still

• Trouble following the rules

• Using lots of curse words

• Health Issues

• Always getting sick with colds and flu

• Stomach aches

• Headaches

Because trauma can make people feel unwell, they will do things that help them feel better. Sometimes we do this on purpose, and sometimes it happens without us realizing. The things we do to feel better might actually be hurtful instead of helpful.

This might look like:

• Using lots of drugs and alcohol

• Always being on the phone or computer (Can’t connect with “real” world)

• Always needing “noise” like videos, music, or people talking

• Binge eating or restrictive eating (too much or too little food)

• Procrastination (putting things off until the last minute)

  

There are even more ways that trauma can look. These are just a few examples.

How Can We Heal Trauma?

Healing intergenerational trauma takes more than one simple action. We need to look at the things we can do as one person, and the things that need to be done by a whole group, like a family, a community, or a government. More research needs to be done, but there are some therapies that have been shown to help, at least a little bit, or for some people.

1. Trauma-Informed Therapy: 

Trauma can show up in people in so many different ways. Therapists using trauma-informed therapy keep this in mind, and watch for ways that trauma has changed people’s lives. This type of therapy focuses on safety, trustworthiness, support from those around us, working together with others, knowing we are able to do difficult things, and learning about and caring about different cultures.

(SAMHSA, 2014)

2. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy: 

EMDR is a therapy that works really well for treating trauma. Therapists will get a person to think about the terrible memories, and the feelings that the memory brings up. At the same time, the therapist makes sure the person is moving their eyes side to side. Doing this makes people use different parts of the brain at the same time. This helps a person talk about what happened, see how it hurt them, and see ways that would help them feel better. But the person won’t get “stuck” in their memory because the brain is busy trying to do two actions at the same time. EMDR can even help people notice actions or ways of thinking that they didn’t realize they were doing. Also, EMDR can be done in a group setting, which can help when a bunch of people share trauma.

(Shapiro, 2018) ( De Jongh et al., 2014)

3. Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT): 

This therapy gets people to learn about the brain, feelings, trauma and other important topics. And it also helps people notice and sometimes change the way they think about themselves and the world. It helps people learn coping skills, relaxation techniques, let go of bad memories, and change the unhelpful actions that they do because of the trauma.

(Cohen et al., 2017)

4. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): 

DBT focuses on teaching skills in four main areas:

• Mindfulness: Noticing the world around you and your body in it

• Distress tolerance: Noticing when you feel bad, being okay with feeling bad sometimes, and learning that bad feelings don’t last forever.

• Emotion regulation: Noticing all the different feelings you have, and learning how to calm yourself down.

• Interpersonal effectiveness: Working together with other people, talking in a helpful way with others.

These skills can be particularly helpful for people who have troubles with their relationships or troubles feeling their feelings and calming down when they feel strongly. (Linehan, 2014)

5. Family Therapy: 

Because intergenerational trauma has to do with the people before us and around us, family therapy can be very helpful. It provides a safe place for family members to understand each other's experiences and emotions, talk about and accept the family story of trauma, improve the way they talk to each other, and build healthier connections to each other.

(Hardy, 2017)

6. Intergenerational Trauma Treatment Model (ITTM): 

A treatment model is a plan that’s made to help a person. It might use many types of therapy over time. This model is used to help a child with their trauma, but also help a caregiver who might have trauma from their childhood too. It helps people notice that child-adult relationships can be harder when a family has trauma. This model helps caregivers and kids:

• connect to each other.

• see and understand each other's feelings.

• see how the adult’s feelings can change the child’s feelings

• See how the child’s feelings can change the adult’s feelings

• Learn how to feel emotions, talk about emotions, and calm down from emotions.

(Brown & Harris, 2018)

7. Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET): 

NET helps a person who has had many traumatic events (complex trauma) to create one connected story of their life. It helps them see how trauma shaped the way that their life happened. This can help people look at the traumatic event in a different way, and make the hardships that come from it a bit easier to handle.

(Schauer et al., 2011)

8. Cultural and Community-Based Healing: 

   

This therapy is extra helpful for groups that have historical trauma. IT helps the group reconnect with cultural traditions, practices, and community. This might involve storytelling, art, music, dance, spiritual practices, ceremonies, and participation in community-led healing circles or support groups.

(Gone & Trimble, 2012; Brave Heart, 2003)

9. Neurofeedback Therapy

Neurofeedback works by seeing and then training the brain to change patterns that keep people feeling bad. It works by:

• Balancing The Brain

For example, if trauma makes the brain have too many fast waves neurofeedback can help the brain make less of them. Neurofeedback helps people have the right amount of brain waves at the right times. This makes people manage their feelings easier, have less anxiety, and have better sleep.

(Hammond, 2011)

• Neuroplasticity

Neurofeedback helps the brain change and reorganize itself (neuroplasticity). By playing sounds or images based on brain wave activity at that moment, the brain learns to see itself. This helps build healthier and stronger pathways in the brain.

(van der Kolk, 2014)

• Stabilizing the Nervous System: 

Trauma, especially trauma that’s been around since childhood or trauma that keeps happening, can make people’s nervous systems act strangely. A “dysregulated autonomic nervous system” can make a person’s body think they are always in danger. The body then works really hard, which makes people extra tired and stressed out. Neurofeedback works to make the fight-or-flight system (sympathetic) and the rest-and-digest system (parasympathetic) balanced. This helps people feel more calm, and only become alert when they actually need to be.

(Othmer & Othmer, 2017)

• Working on Deeper Brain Structures

While talk therapy mostly works on the outer layer of the brain, trauma often changes the brain deep inside (like the limbic system and brainstem). The deep areas help us with survival and feeling, understanding, and letting go of emotions. Neurofeedback can get directly to these areas. This makes it helpful to do alongside regular talk therapy.

(Fisher, 2014)

• Non-Verbal Processing

For people with complex trauma, talking about the traumatic times can be re-traumatizing– making it hurt just as bad or even worse than when it happened. Neurofeedback is a way for the brain to change and heal without people needing to talk or think about the hard times. For example, one type of neurofeedback training (Alpha-Theta) can help people become so relaxed that the traumatic memories are worked on subconsciously, without the person having to try and think about it.

(van der Kolk, 2014) (Peniston & Kulkosky, 1991)

Self-Care and Feeling Better:

People can do professional therapy, and they can also learn skills to help themselves whenever they need it. Here are a few things people can do to start feeling better:

• Acknowledging and Accepting the Trauma: Seeing that historical trauma is there, without judging it, is a big first step.

• Setting Boundaries: Protecting yourself from actions or ways of thinking that will hurt you more (from other people and from yourself).

• Practicing Self-Care: Making sure that your body and your brain are cared for. Be sure that you get enough sleep, healthy food, water, and relaxation (e.g., exercise, mindfulness, time in nature).

• Mindfulness and Meditation: Being able to think about what’s happening in your life right now, rather than always thinking about what happened in the past.

• Journaling: Writing down thoughts and feelings to process emotions (notice and move on from certain feelings).

• Connecting with Supportive People: Building a strong social support network– people who care about you, help you, and want you to do well in life. At the same time, you have the same hopes for them.

• Creative Expression: Doing activities like art, music, or writing to work through emotions and release "stuck" trauma.

• Allowing for Grief and Processing Emotions: Saying and believing that you are allowed to feel and show the emotions that are here because of trauma.”

If we don’t heal from intergenerational trauma, it can be passed down on-and-on, forever in a cycle. Healing it can be hard, but is absolutely possible. 

If we want to heal we have to see and accept that the past happened. We have to look for help, and let people help us. We have to know and try to work to stop the cycle of trauma. We have to learn to be strong, and pass on this strength to future generations.

If you can do it, healing in a group can be even more helpful. But really, being open to changing, and any step that takes you to start healing is the right place to start.

If you are looking for help, connect with us by calling 587-333-6349.

We want to help you start your journey. 💙

Disclaimer

Our content is for informational and educational purposes and is not a replacement for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you're facing mental health concerns, please seek help from a qualified professional for personalized guidance. Every individual's situation is unique, so use the information here at your discretion. While we strive for accuracy, the field of psychology is ever-evolving, and our content may not always reflect the latest research. Please prioritize your privacy by avoiding sharing personal information in comments or interactions. Your well-being is our top concern, so use our content for educational purposes, but remember to rely on professionals for your specific needs.