generational trauma

Generational trauma (also called intergenerational or transgenerational trauma) refers to the ways unresolved trauma and its effects are passed from one generation to the next. Parents who grew up with abuse, neglect, war, poverty, displacement, or systemic oppression often carry wounds into their parenting—through attachment disruptions, chronic stress responses, limited emotional vocabulary, or repeating the same dynamics they once suffered.

Children then absorb these patterns as "normal," inheriting not only learned behaviors but also nervous system states, beliefs about safety, and unspoken family rules. Research on epigenetics and attachment suggests that trauma can influence biology and relationship templates across generations. Healing generational trauma means naming the legacy, grieving it, and making conscious, compassionate choices that interrupt the cycle.