Further exploration revealed that Kathy’s great grandparents were tragically killed in a car accident when Kathy’s mother was only two years old. Kathy said that she has a loving relationship with her maternal grandmother but that she saw how her grandmother was stoic and distant. She spoke about her parents’ divorce and that her mother’s parents had divorced as well.Ī s we explored further I learned that Kathy’s mother had a difficult upbringing with an alcoholic father and a distant relationship with her mother. She expressed that she has a strained relationship with her mother who she described as critical and cold. We now had a visual representation of her history to further explore patterns across generations.Īs we talked, Kathy shared with me that parenting her two-year-old daughter is bringing up feelings about her relationship with her mother. I develop a genogram which is a detailed family tree that highlights significant events and family dynamics. We also took a broader look at her family history to discuss events that have occurred within her family that may be influential across generations. This process included discussing significant life events including trauma exposure as well as identifying strengths and resources within Kathy’s life. In my early work with Kathy we reviewed her life history. Identifying details have been changed to protect privacy. *This story draws from a composite of several patients I have seen. When the body releases the burdens of trauma we free ourselves to envision a new way of living. I often describe the outcome of healing from any form of trauma as regaining a sense of choice about how you live your life now. We attend to the story, make room for emotional expression, and attune to the holding patterns in the body such as tightening the jaw, clenching of fists, or restricting the breath. However, the process of unwinding is functionally similar to healing from any trauma. Psychotherapy focused on healing transgenerational trauma places your personal life experiences within the context of your larger family history. Bessel van der Kolk, good trauma therapy involves finding “words for experiences that are unspeakable” while listening carefully the accompanying emotional tone and somatic (bodily) experience. The process of healing involves accessing your innate healing capacity, trusting your experience, and allowing the wisdom of your own process to guide your healing journey.”Īccording to trauma expert, Dr. Allow yourself to look across the generations of your family for significant life events and relational patterns. “Healing transgenerational trauma involves the mind, the body, and some detective work to explore your family history. By broadening our lens from the personal to the multi-generational we can experience ourselves as part of a bigger story, a larger whole. Through a lens of transgenerational trauma we explore Kathy’s healing process, identifying how one generation’s reactions to a traumatic event were passed on to the next generation. To read more about our projects, please visit our intergenerational trauma projects page.“Kathy” has come into therapy to work with a lifelong history of mild anxiety and depression. The program brings together family support workers, psychologists, health professionals and healing aware trauma informed teachers to create a culturally appropriate, supportive environment for students and their families. Our Stolen Generations Resource Kit for Teachers and Students has been created to educate young people about the Stolen Generations and make it easy for school communities to start the conversation using facts, real examples and stories.Īt the Murri School in Queensland, therapeutic intervention, service coordination, family case work, family camps, and cultural activities have been combined to create a holistic healing environment for students. We’ve supported learning environments resulting in improved educational results, family relationships, physical health and the reduction of children passing through the child protection system. The Healing Foundation is working to end intergenerational trauma by creating resources and programs that strengthen cultural connectedness and identity and improve the social and emotional wellbeing of our young people.
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