Intergenerational trauma

What it means

Intergenerational trauma is when the effects of trauma carry forward from one generation to the next. It travels through parenting styles, family rules, stress in the body, money patterns and the things a family never talks about.

Researchers have studied it in families of Holocaust survivors, Indigenous communities and Black American families. You didn’t choose what you inherited. You do get to choose what you pass on.

What it can look like

• Family rules like “we don’t talk about it” or “what happens in this house stays in this house”
• Being on edge in a home that looks calm
• Repeating a pattern you promised yourself you wouldn’t
• Feeling guilty for wanting a softer life than your parents had

Where the term comes from

The idea grew out of research in the 1960s and later on the children and grandchildren of trauma survivors, including work by researchers like Dr. Rachel Yehuda.

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Related words

This is educational, not a diagnosis or therapy. If you’re struggling, find support here. In crisis in the U.S., call or text 988.