The Butterfly Effect: Understanding Generational Trauma
Rooted & Rising: A Mental Health Series for Women – Part 2. Catch up on Part 1: The Elephant in the Room: The Weight We Carry. Read the next part in the series When the Lamb Roars: Reclaiming Your Voice and Boundaries
Some of the hurt and dysfunctional patterns you carry didn’t begin with you. The anxiety that surfaces before you speak, the guilt that flares when you rest, the urgency to keep everyone happy are not just personality traits. They may be echoes of generations past.
This is the quiet power of intergenerational trauma. What our mothers, grandmothers, and ancestors endured, often without voice, safety, or support, can ripple forward in patterns of silence, hyper-responsibility, and emotional suppression. Healing those patterns begins with recognition, not blame.
Some of what we carry began long before us. Inherited stories, spoken and unspoken, shape the patterns we’re learning to name and heal.
The Science of Inheritance
Research by Dr. Rachel Yehuda and others in the field of epigenetics shows that the psychological effects of trauma can be passed down through generations—not only just through stories or silence, but also through biology. This helps explain why certain patterns feel familiar, even when we never chose them.
In many families, emotional survival meant not feeling, not speaking, not resting. Today, healing means making space to feel, speak, and rest without shame.
Pause and Reflect
Journal or reflect: What messages did you absorb about emotion or vulnerability growing up? Were there unspoken rules about what could be said, felt, or shown?
Transformation doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it looks like quite choices, steady healing, and inherited strength.
Voices of Resilience
“Some of the healing I do is not just for me, but for the women who came before me and never got the chance.”
- Survivor quoted in Women’s Mental Health Collective
Healing is not a betrayal of your family or culture. It is an act of love across generations. You are allowed to name what hurt you, even if it was once unspoken. You are allowed to heal in your own way.
Call to Action
Write a short letter to your younger self, elder or that someone who hurt you. Share what you are learning, unlearning, and reclaiming. Let that be a step in breaking the cycle.
References
- Rachel Yehuda, Ph.D. (2020). Epigenetics and intergenerational trauma research.
- National Child Traumatic Stress Network. (nctsn.org)
Resources
- https://nctsn.org
- https://womensmentalhealth.org
Ready to Break the Cycle?
Healing starts with you!
Download the free Trauma-Informed Self-Care Guide. It was created to accompany the Rooted & Rising Women’s Mental Health series and help you reconnect with your body, voice, and healing path.
If this post resonated with you, you don’t’ have to “unpack” those feelings alone. At My Journey Compass Health, we offer trauma-informed, culturally sensitive psychiatric care for individuals and families across Florida. Schedule your free consultation below to learn more.