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If left to do this alone, that person can easily turn to addiction and substance abuse. If they are unable to do that, the second and third generations become trauma “carriers.” Often, one person is “chosen” to carry and deal with the trauma. Often, intergenerational trauma occurs because the survivors and immediate witnesses have not effectively processed their grief. We will use any remedy to cope with the pain, including drugs and alcohol, even if we aren’t sure exactly where the pain originates. Trauma of any kind forces us to do things we would never do under normal circumstances. What does any of this have to do with addiction and substance abuse? The short answer is everything.
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Where Addiction And Substance Abuse Fit In They promised Germans that malnutrition and starvation were things of the past. In fact, the Nazis used these conditions as a jumping-off point. During that time, an orange segmented among an entire family was a luxury.Įven after World War I ended, segmenting, saving and worrying about food continued. For example, in Germany during World War I, an entire generation suffered stunted growth and other physical symptoms because of malnutrition. Sometimes entire groups transfer trauma among each other and to second or third generations. Trauma doesn’t have to be transferred directly from parent to child to be transgenerational, either. The parents unconsciously let the fear and anxiety of 9/11 trickle down to their children with a squeeze of the hand and a subliminal message: “Don’t let go of my hand someone or something fearful is here.” However, the children made an unintentional connection between Santa Claus and fear. They were afraid of letting their children go because of 9/11 trauma, not a sidewalk Santa. Of course, this isn’t at all what their parents meant. This sent the children a strong message: Santa was to be feared. A man working as a sidewalk Santa told Psychology Today about his experience: “Parents would not let the hands of their children go,” he said. Even if the second generation doesn’t connect to the trauma right away, the traumatic event is always present in some form.Ī fairly recent example occurred the holiday season after 9/11. In other words, strong emotions connected to trauma can’t help but get transferred to the next generation because it’s a part of survivors’ lives. However, it is because the trauma was so unthinkable that transference is possible. Some people are understandably skeptical of transgenerational trauma, wondering if our genes are truly complex enough to transfer another person’s feelings about an experience. Can Trauma Be Carried Across Generations?
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Sufferers often have been in situations where there was no physical or mental escape route.Įxamples of people with C-PTSD include those who have watched a loved one die in violent circumstances, enslaved people, Holocaust survivors, prisoners of war, survivors of extreme poverty or sexual abuse survivors.īoth survivors and immediate witnesses can sustain C-PTSD and develop intergenerational trauma. People with complex PTSD (C-PTSD) have often experienced prolonged gaslighting, false accusations or prolonged psychological manipulation. The transfer is often traced to complex post-traumatic stress disorder, which is a prolonged and interpersonal form of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Sometimes trauma is transferred epigenetically, meaning the trauma’s genetic effects are passed on even if they aren’t encoded in an individual’s DNA. Symptoms are often tied to the parents’ child-rearing, since their trauma symptoms influence how they raise their children. Intergenerational trauma, also known as transgenerational trauma is often passed from parents to children. What Is Intergenerational Trauma?Īs the name implies, intergenerational trauma occurs when trauma is transferred from one generation of survivors to the next, even though the second generation did not survive the trauma itself. If you have struggled with addiction or are struggling now, consider whether intergenerational trauma or usage has played a role. In such cases, treatment is often harder and relapse is more likely. Additionally, they may have blocked out traumatic events that contributed to their addiction. Many people seeking help don’t know their addiction or substance abuse is generational. Many addicts have experienced intergenerational trauma that heavily influences their substance abuse and recovery process. While it’s true every addict has an individual journey, the roots of addiction rarely begin with one addict. Most people assume addiction is a one-person problem, and that it’s the addict’s sole responsibility to get clean and sober.