More specifically, they have lower levels of cortisol, a hormone that helps the nervous system and inflammation calm down after a traumatic incident. (4) The data showed that those with intergenerational trauma have altered levels of circulating stress hormones. Another study out of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai looked at physiological markers and found that the descendants of survivors of the Holocaust have distinctive stress hormone profiles. Many of the participants had difficulty trusting people, anxiety about food scarcity, hoarding tendencies, low self-worth, social hostility, and risky health behaviors.Īnd that is just looking at the behavioral repercussions of generational trauma. The results of the study, (3) which collected data from forty-four people from 15 different Ukrainian families, showed that the coping mechanisms that the survivors adopted in the 1930s were clearly passed down through two and even three generations. Looking at the research, researchers have studied the descendants of those who lived through the Holodomor - the human-made famine in Ukraine in the 1930s that resulted in the death of millions of people. In fact, research is continuing to examine the link between generational trauma component to a multitude of health issues including: The issue with this in terms of intergenerational trauma is that this can actually translate into genetic changes which can be passed down to future generations. When your microglia go haywire in your brain like this it can lead to depression, anxiety, and other brain problems. When in a high trauma reactive state, the microglia eat away at nerve endings instead of enhancing growth and getting rid of damage. Not only has trauma been linked to an overactive immune system and subsequent inflammatory autoimmune conditions, trauma can also influence the microglia in your brain - aka your brain’s immune system. The link between intergenerational trauma + health problems And interestingly enough, these epigenetic changes don’t just live and die with you - they act as a generational inheritance. Trauma and stress can be the difference between being diagnosed with a disease and not experiencing it. For example, you may have a genetic proponent for a certain disease but your environment and lifestyle choices make the difference of whether or not that gene gets turned on. This is known as epigenetics - the study of what genes get turned on and off by your lifestyle choices and environmental exposures. When your environment changes dramatically - such as during a time of major stress or trauma - your DNA doesn’t change fundamentally, but the way it’s read by your body does change. See, your DNA serves as a sort of map for your body, telling it what to do and how to act on a cellular level. What would have seemed like science fiction not too long ago has become a cutting-edge field in science.Īs with many things that get passed down through families, like genetic conditions and physical characteristics, trauma can be inherited too - like cellular heirlooms - due to the fact that trauma can literally change the way your DNA expresses itself. This my friend, is intergenerational trauma.Īlso referred to as transgenerational or multigenerational trauma, this type of trauma is passed down through generations, from those who first experience a trauma to their descendants. In fact, child abuse and neglect is one of the biggest environmental causes (1) of mental illness and chronic childhood stress, such as violence, parental separation, mental illness, divorce, or substance abuse, significantly increases (2) your likelihood of being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease later in life.īut what if I told you that your past trauma didn’t just affect you? What if I told you that whatever you are battling from your past or present can have a ripple effect on your children’s health, your grandchildren’s health, and throughout the generations? It could even be the reason why you are struggling with health problems like anxiety and depression yourself. While people often think that things that affect the mind-body (or gut-feeling) connection are a result of current experiences we have as adults, research is showing just the opposite - it’s also the experiences we may have thought we left behind years ago.įor example, it’s well known that adverse childhood experiences (also known as ACEs) can increase your risk of developing physical health problems such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and cancer. As a functional medicine practitioner and author of the book Gut Feelings, I have seen firsthand the profound connection between your mental and physical health.
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